Qalhat :1977 : The ancient city of Qalhat is now ruined, except for a small mausoleum locally known as Bibi Maryam (which however has lost its dome). Qalhat has been for centuries the second city of the Kingdom of Hormuz and a very important point in the Indian Ocean trade.. It was visited in the XIIIth century by Marco Polo (who refers to it as Calatu) and in the XIVth century by Ibn Battutah who describes its magnificent new Mosque.