Barka (Arabic: بركاء‎‎) is a coastal city in the region Al Bāţinah, in northern Oman.

The town is emerging as a tourist resort.[citation needed] Nearby is Bait Na'aman (Nu'man), a four-towered fort of the 17th-century iman Bil'arab bin Sultan, renovated in 1991.[1] The town is also known for "bull butting," a pushing contest between specially raised great Brahmin bulls, and for its halwa confectionery.[2]

There are two major resorts in Barka, the Al-Sawadi resort and the Al-Nahda resort. In addition, a new quarter is now under construction in Barka, called "Blue City" (المدينة الزقاء), located in Sawadi. 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 in Barka.

Stores
  • Lulu Hypermarket
  • Mars Hypermarket and shopping centers.
  • Babyshop
  • Al Shamel For New Technology (Fire & Safety)
  • UNITED GULF BEACONS (FIRE & SAFETY)
Car Showrooms
Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru, Toyota, Kia, Ford
Logistics centres
  • Landmark Group Logistics - RDC
  • Al Seer Logistics
  • Oman Integrated Logistics
  • Al Madina Logistics
  • Saud Bahwan Logistics

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[3]
  • The Barka 3 gas turbine power plant, with generation capacity of 744 MW, sponsored by Engie, Yonden and Sojitz[4]
  • A new 281,000 m³/d desalination plant is to be commissioned: Itochu, Degremont and International Power were named preferred bidders in 2015.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Bait Na'aman". Al Batinah and Al Dhahirah Guide. Rough Guides. 
  2. ^ "Introducing Barka". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 10 November 2015. 
  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 Atlass zur Weltgeschichte (German)