In an attempt to provide a varied choice of entertainment to tourists visiting the Sultanate of Oman, the government of the southern Gulf country recently decided to transform yet another geological formation, this time the Suhur Cave, into a so-called show-cave attraction.

This decision is now benefitting COWI in Oman, who has been selected by the government to design and supervise the construction of a number of future tourist facilities at the unique Suhur Cave site.

The new sustainable and high tech eco-tourism project will, among others, include a visitor centre of approximately 2,500m2, complete with reception area, hallways for exhibitions, a multimedia theatre and a roof top garden.

Other scope of works comprise cave displays, a 1.5 km trekking path leading to an observation deck overlooking Suhur Cave, infrastructure for video/audio monitoring of the cave as well as car parking and sign posting to the visitor centre.

Bat colonies and endangered species
Oman's future major tourist attraction is located in the northern part of Salalah, the country's second largest and very green city in the Dhofar Governorate.

Suhur Cave's rich appeal lies in the distinctive fauna in and around the area, with varied bat colonies in particular. According to scientists, the cave is also home to a range of mammals, for instance the endangered Arabian wolf, leopards and foxes.

Suhur Cave is the third in a series of show-cave projects launched by the Omani Ministry of Tourism. It is expected that visitors will be able to enjoy the natural wonders of this one about three years from now.