Mirbat is a picturesque fishing town about 60 km east of Salalah, built on a low headland overlooking the sea. The old merchant quarter has traditional Dhofari houses with decorated facades — an architectural style unique to this part of the Arabian coast — and a small fort at the edge of the old town. The beach is long and usually deserted.
Mirbat is famous among military history enthusiasts as the site of the 1972 Battle of Mirbat, in which a tiny British SAS force defended the town against a massive insurgent attack during the Dhofar Rebellion. A small memorial near the old fort marks the site. Beyond the history, Mirbat is a pleasant half-day drive from Salalah along a coast road with good mountain views.