One of the highlights in the Frankincense Trail in Dhofar in the south of Oman is the Archaeological park Al Baleed with the Museum of the Frankincense land. Al Baleed Archaeological Park has a new publication.
In DNA in the chapter ‘Decoding the Past’ one can read: “The monolithic columns with octagonal shaft are common to most religious buildings in the Southern region. But the earliest examples occur at Zafar, Al Baleed. Particularly interesting, since it was widespread in various parts of south-west Arabia, is the so-called ‘fleur-de-lys’ noted by travellers to Dhofar and Yemen to be interpreted as a stylized plant of dura a symbol of fertility. (source: Paola M. Costa, ‘Historic Mosques and Shrines of Oman)
