's Musandam Peninsula, a fissured mass of black rock. Deep fiords cut into the land, their sheer sides rising out of the water as high as 5,000 feet. Largely devoid of shrubs or trees, the peninsula's interior consists of rows of wind-worn ridges, interrupted only by jagged peaks.
Sovereignty over the Musandam, barren as it may be, has made Oman a nation of paramount importance. On a clear day, the peninsu- la's Shihuh tribesmen, herding goats near their stone huts, can gaze across the Strait of...