Oman is considered like an antiquated tale. It is loaded with stories of history, unbelievable fights, and social fortunes. Aside from having a rich history, the geological region of the nation is additionally tremendous. Each governorate of this amazing country has its own particular story, its own particular culture, and its own history to share. Drifting in a little peninsular district of this superb Arabian land, is the notable Telegraph Island in Musandam Peninsula.
The sea off the shore of the Musandam Peninsula is just filled with the amazing scenes including dolphins, huge mountain walls and sprinkled villages that are located on the different coasts, but along these all Telegraph Island that is a rocky landmass in the middle of the very salty sea is just amazing and is the main highlight of the dhow cruise trip.
Telegraph Island that is also known as Jazirat al Maqlab is located in the Elphinstone Inlet that is about a mile (1.6 km) off the shore of the Musandam Peninsula, which is a part of the sultanate of Oman. The name as “Telegraph” originates from the telegraph-cable repeater station was built on the island in 1864.
Basically Musandam peninsula is one of the most strategically islands that are placed in the Oman, it played a major role in the international communications in the 19th Century. Being of its memorable history it remains one of the most underrated landmarks of the Sultanate because of its amazing prominence.
As it is also known as Jazirat Al Maqlab, the Telegraph Island is an extensive curved rock that is located about one mile away from the Musandam’s coast. In the history when India was a British colony it took almost one month to receive a letter that is delivered by the email and then latter on this time was shortened to a few hours with the help of telegraph line.
This island is basically located in a fjord that is at the northern end of the Musandam Peninsula which also forms part of the Oman mountain range that is described by the geologists. As being the part of the edge of the Arabian tectonic plate the rock state is subjected towards the massive pressure as the plate locates beneath the Eurasian plate. As a result of all this now the Musandam is being pushed downwards at almost 6 mm (0.24 inches) per year at its northernmost point with amazing results. Once flowed fresh water springs over the land make the land most beautiful and give rise to the many stories for sailors dividing the sea for the purpose of collecting fresh water in the leather bags.
If we go back to the history of Telegraph Island, it reveals that, from 1864 to 1869, Jazirat al Maqlab that is also called Telegraph Island was an active telegraph for the purpose of communication between India and Britain. For the five years after when telegraphy was deactivated, British soldiers continued to man to put them isolated outpost. According to reports every single man that was stationed at the outpost “around the bend” of the Musandam Peninsula completely lost his mind because of monotony and heat. Being the stuck for several months on the football-field sized island, being cut off from the world and subject to the certain desert heat the many of the soldiers were became mad.
After the unsuccessfulness of the Red Sea and Indian Telegraph Cable Company in 1859, the Indian, Persian and Turkish Governments decided to join their land telegraph companies by using a submarine cable that laid in the gulf. After that Indian Government contacted the Gutta Percha Company to construct the core, while on the other side Henley Telegraph Work constructed the protective covering of metal after which a 2400km long cable was laid that was passing through Musandam to Karachi.
This island played a major role in making the communications between the two nations easier and efficient. The Telegraph Island remained a station for almost three years and there are many theories behind the reason of its being failure as a station. For Instance, because the island was located in a remote location that it was thought to have caused mental and physical hurt upon the operators that are working there, which evidently led towards the coining of expression “going round the bend” to describe their most difficult “mercy missions”.
Nowadays this island has become the most supernatural piece of the once-great British Empire. This island was uninhibited in the mid of 1870s and the buildings were also destroyed. Nowadays the island serves the visitors with snorkeling and fishing destination instead of being a strategic communication hub, but it is also true that overwhelming heat and the lonely atmosphere that helped the soldiers to drive around the bend is same at it was years ago.
Today this island has become a famous attraction for the tourists who are visiting the Musandam on a Dhow boat or when they are watching the dolphins, the guides stop near this island and explains about the history and story of this island before the tourists move towards the dive into the salt waters.
Tourists come here and click the many pictures and discover more about this island with the help of tour guide to make their trip more memorable. But it is true that the Telegraph Island only effect those tourists whose mind have been conditioned to take the orders, a trait that is shared by Pete with an amazing background and the isolated soldiers from the island.
