Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is set to launch the first phase of Oman Botanic Garden – billed as one of the world’s largest such faclities – by the end of this year.

Spread over a 4.3-million-sq-m area in the sultanate’s Al Khoudh region, the Oman Botanic Garden will have a range of tourist attractions such as cable cars, nurseries, visitor centre, research centre, field study centre, habitat gardens, habitat pavilions, play areas, and family zones for fun and relaxation, reported the Muscat Daily.

It will showcase all the native plant species of Oman in carefully created natural habitats, including bone-dry deserts to lush green monsoon forests. The garden will also be home to traditionally cultivated crops and the many ways people use plants in Oman, it stated.

Work is moving at a steady pace on the Oman Botanic Garden. A tourist landmark with multiple uses, it will be added to the list of iconic landmarks in the sultanate showcasing its diverse geography, remarked Salim bin Mohammed bin Said Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism.

“It is the first of its kind in the sultanate and region that has the entire flora of the country in habitat settings,” stated Al Mahrouqi.