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Barka Barkāʾ (بَرْكَاء)Borca
BarkaLocation in OmanShow map of OmanBarkaBarka (Middle East)Show map of Middle EastBarkaBarka (West and Central Asia)Show map of West and Central Asia
Coordinates: 23°41′47.1″N 57°53′16.0″E / 23.696417°N 57.887778°E / 23.696417; 57.887778
Country	Oman
Subdivision	Al Batinah South Governorate
Population
• Total	130,000
Time zone	UTC+4:00 United Arab Emirates Standard Time

Barka (Arabic: بَرْكَاء, romanized: Barkāʾ) is a coastal city and Wilayah (Province) in the region Al Bāţinah, in northern Oman. Bordered by the Sea of Oman and the Hajar Mountains in southern Batinah, Barka is about a half-hour drive from As-Seeb and roughly an hour's drive from Al-Khuwair and Ruwi.

History

Al Bloushi, Al-Farsi, Al Zadjali, Al Habsi, Al Ajmi, Al Owaisi, Al Amri, Al Badri and Al Raisi tribes live here. The area is known for its agricultural beauty, fishing, and traditional pastimes like horse and camel racing, halwa making, and Omani-style bullfighting.

Attractions

Nearby is Bait Na'aman (Nu'man), a four-towered fort of Imam Bil'arab bin Sultan of the 17th century, renovated in 1991. Barka Fort is a known tourist attraction. Barka Souq, near the beach is an economically important area. There are two major resorts in Barka, the Al-Sawadi resort and the Al-Nahda resort.

Economy

A new quarter is now under construction in Sawadi, called the "Blue City". The development is 8 km from Sawadi beach, and many international companies are involved in Barka development projects. There is an estimated $15 billion in new construction currently taking place here. Barka is the site of several power and water plants, including:

• The Barka 2 water and power plant, with generation capacity of 678 MW and desalination capacity of 26.4 million gallons of potable water per day.
• The Barka 3 gas turbine power plant, with generation capacity of 744 MW, sponsored by Engie, Yonden and Sojitz.
• A new 281,000 m³/d desalination plant is to be commissioned: Itochu, Degremont and International Power were named preferred bidders in 2015.

The Blue City

Located on a peninsula 30 minutes from Muscat Seeb Airport, Al Madina A'Zarqa was to be a 32-square-kilometer (12 sq mi) waterfront city built along 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) of shoreline adjacent to the Gulf of Oman.

One of the largest-scale developments in the Middle East, the Al Madina A'Zarqa represented an investment of between $15–$20 billion. The first round of financing was secured through the issuance of a bond note by Bear Stearns on international markets, raising US$925 million. The note was rated Baa3 by ratings agency Moody's in March, 2007, following on from a BBB− rating by Fitch Ratings when the note was issued. Bear Stearns was subsequently awarded "Middle East Leisure Deal of the Year 2006" by Project Finance for the arranging of the Blue City note.

The organization behind the project was Al Sawadi Investment & Tourism Company (ASIT) which had the endorsement of the government of Oman to bring the development to life.

See also

• List of cities in Oman

References

1. "5 Reasons To Love Barka". Times of Oman. 2016-04-24. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
2. "Bait Na'aman". Al Batinah and Al Dhahirah Guide. Rough Guides.
3. "Barka 2 Independent Water & Power Project". Mubadala. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
4. "Commercial Operations of Sohar 2 and Barka 3 IPP Projects in Oman Start". Sojitz Corporation. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
5. "Oman names preferred bidders for Sohar and Barka projects". The International Desalination & Water Reuse Quarterly. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

Further reading

• Westermann, Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German)

v t e Al Batinah South Governorate
Capital: Rustaq
Wilayats (provinces)	Rustaq Al Awabi Nakhal Wadi Al Maawil Barka Al-Musannah
Villages	Wakan

v t e Portuguese Empire
North Africa 15th century 1415–1640 Ceuta 1458–1550 Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir) 1471–1550 Arzila (Asilah) 1471–1662 Tangier 1485–1550 Mazagan (El Jadida) 1487–16th century Ouadane 1488–1541 Safim (Safi) 1489 Graciosa 16th century 1505–1541 Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir) 1506–1525 Mogador (Essaouira) 1506–1525 Aguz (Souira Guedima) 1506–1769 Mazagan (El Jadida) 1513–1541 Azamor (Azemmour) 1515–1541 São João da Mamora (Mehdya) 1577–1589 Arzila (Asilah)
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South Asia 15th century 1498–1545 Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep) 16th century Portuguese India  • 1500–1663 Cochim (Kochi)  • 1501–1663 Cannanore (Kannur)  • 1502–1658  1659–1661 Quilon (Coulão / Kollam)  • 1502–1661 Pallipuram (Cochin de Cima)  • 1507–1657 Negapatam (Nagapatnam)  • 1510–1961 Goa  • 1512–1525  1750 Calicut (Kozhikode)  • 1518–1619 Portuguese Paliacate outpost (Pulicat)  • 1521–1740 Chaul   (Portuguese India)  • 1523–1662 Mylapore  • 1528–1666 Chittagong (Porto Grande De Bengala)  • 1531–1571 Chaul  • 1531–1571 Chalé  • 1534–1601 Salsette Island  • 1534–1661 Bombay (Mumbai)  • 1535 Ponnani  • 1535–1739 Baçaím (Vasai-Virar)  • 1536–1662 Cranganore (Kodungallur)  • 1540–1612 Surat  • 1548–1658 Tuticorin (Thoothukudi)  • 1559–1961 Daman and Diu  • 1568–1659 Mangalore   (Portuguese India)  • 1579–1632 Hugli  • 1598–1610 Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) 1518–1521 Maldives 1518–1658 Portuguese Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1558–1573 Maldives 17th century Portuguese India  • 1687–1749 Mylapore 18th century Portuguese India  • 1779–1954 Dadra and Nagar Haveli
East Asia and Oceania 16th century 1511–1641 Portuguese Malacca 1512–1621 Maluku  • 1522–1575  Ternate  • 1576–1605  Ambon  • 1578–1650  Tidore 1512–1665 Makassar 1515–1859 Larantuka 1557–1999 Macau 1580–1586 Nagasaki 17th century 1642–1975 Portuguese Timor (East Timor) 19th century Portuguese Macau  • 1864–1999 Coloane  • 1851–1999 Taipa  • 1890–1999 Ilha Verde 20th century Portuguese Macau  • 1938–1941 Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin) 1975 is the year of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, East Timor's independence was fully recognized.
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South America and Caribbean 16th century 1500–1822 Brazil  • 1534–1549  Captaincy Colonies of Brazil  • 1549–1572  Brazil  • 1572–1578  Bahia  • 1572–1578  Rio de Janeiro  • 1578–1607  Brazil  • 1621–1815  Brazil 1536–1620 Barbados 17th century 1621–1751 Maranhão 1680–1777 Nova Colónia do Sacramento 18th century 1751–1772 Grão-Pará and Maranhão 1772–1775 Grão-Pará and Rio Negro 1772–1775 Maranhão and Piauí 19th century 1808–1822 Cisplatina (Uruguay) 1809–1817 Portuguese Guiana (Amapá) 1822 Upper Peru (Bolivia)
Armorial of Portuguese colonies Evolution of the Portuguese Empire Portuguese colonial architecture Portuguese colonization of the Americas Portuguese Empire in the Indonesian Archipelago Portuguese India Theory of the Portuguese discovery of Australia

• Barka, Oman
• Populated places in Oman
• Populated coastal places in Oman