Insight Guides Pocket Oman

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight Guides
• ISBN:
  9781786718662
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Insight Pocket Guides: ideal itineraries and top travel tips in a pocket-sized package.
Compact, concise, and packed with essential information about Where to Go and What to Do, this is an ideal on-the-move companion when you're exploring Oman
Covers the country's Top Ten Attractions, including spectacular Nakhal Fort and splendid Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and a Perfect Day in Muscat itinerary suggestions
Offers an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture
Contains an invaluable pull-out map, and essential practical information on everything from Eating Out to Getting Around
Includes an innovative extra that's unique in the market - all Insight Pocket Guides come with a free eBook
Inspirational colour photography throughout
Sharp design and colour-coded sections make for an engaging reading experience

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

Where To Go

Almost all visits will start and end in the Omani capital, Muscat, either at the airport or the harbour. Muscat makes a good base for exploring the north: the mountainous interior around Nizwa, the flat Batinah coast, and the rugged east coast to Sur. Dhofar and Musandam are the southern and northern extremities of the country, easily reached by internal flights from Muscat or lengthy road trips. As the roads are continually upgraded, there are more routes and possible circuits for non 4x4 vehicles. Visitors from the UAE can drive directly into Musandam or choose to fly or drive into Muscat.

The golden dome of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

MUSCAT

The tranquil Old Town of Muscat 1 [map] clings to a small natural harbour, its hidden inlets legendary for their forts, palaces and souqs. In the neighbouring bay, less than 3km (2 miles) along the coast road, is the port of Mutrah, where bustling markets echo with the calls of traders selling their fish, frankincense and fine silks. Old Muscat is a quiet place to wander, retaining many of its traditional houses and mosques. Although opportunities for tourism abound in Mutrah, the port caters primarily for trade and local fishermen. But the corniche has a few hidden gems leading from it.

Old Muscat and Mutrah are just fragments of modern Muscat. Since the 1970s, the city has grown with the help of oil money, and new business and office districts have sprouted in all directions. Modern highways and flyovers cut through a dramatic topography, leading from one tranquil district to the next up the coast towards Seeb International Airport and into the neighbouring valleys. The main commercial and residential development has occured in Ruwi, the Central Business District; Qurm is where the shopping complexes are concentrated; Medinat Qaboos is a mainly residential area; and Al Khuwayr is a district of ministerial buildings and embassies.

Old Muscat

Although Muscat’s foundation dates from the 1st century AD, the town didn’t gain recognition until the 14th and 15th centuries, when it attracted traders. In the 16th century it drew the Portuguese, who developed Muscat as their principal naval base and strengthened its defences – until 1650 when they were ousted by an Omani force.

The approach to the old walled city is via the coast road which leads uphill to the Gateway. This reconstructed entranceway spanning the main road houses the Muscat Gate Museum (tel: [phone]; Sun–Thu 8am–2pm), a room full of information panels on Omani history and traditions.

Old Muscat is home to some fabulous old houses and mosques and is easily viewed on foot. In the heart of its winding streets one of the historic houses has been converted into a fine museum. Bait al Zubair A [map] (tel: [phone]; www.baitalzubairmuseum.com; Sat–Thu 9.30am–6pm; no photography) in Al Saidiya Street houses impressive displays and collections. The sections on women’s jewellery, adornment and clothing are particularly informative, with superb examples. Differences in regional dress for men are also explained, and the collection of old khanjars (Omani daggers), some made entirely of gold, is worth a look. The latest addition is a series of scaled models of famous forts around the country. The comfortable coffee shop is in another restored old house, and the extensive souvenir shop offers a range of books and upmarket gifts, such as frankincense-scented candles, quality replicas of the museum’s jewellery and the full range of Amouage perfumes. Space around the Bait al Zubair is used for temporary art exhibitions and displays.

Sailors’ calling card

Some visiting sailors painted their ship’s names along the craggy outcrops of Muscat Bay, the most obvious of which is HMS Falmouth. Rather than seeing it as graffiti, the previous sultan called it his great open-air visitors’ book.

Across the road, the former royal residence of Sultan Qaboos’s aunt Muzna has been converted into the sleek Bait Muzna Gallery B [map] (tel: [phone]; www.baitmuznagallery.com; Sat–Thu 9.30am–7pm; free), an attractive setting for high-quality Omani-inspired art and design, with the occasional poetry reading or gallery talk (check website for details). In 2016, the gallery began branching out into the art film and digital art world. It currently has its own cinema room, photography studio and residency rooms for visiting artists.

Several fine 18th-century buildings have served as embassies and consulates. Among those still standing is the Bait Fransa, the residence of French consuls until 1920, now the Omani-French Museum (Sun–Thurs 8am–1.30pm, Sat 9am–1pm; tel: [phone]), commemorating Oman’s historical links with France. French ships carrying spices and sugar from the Indian Ocean had called at Muscat since the 17th century, and in the 19th century trade links intensified.

Al Alam Palace

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

The centrepiece of Old Muscat is the Al Alam Palace C [map]. The 1970s architecture of the official Sultan’s residence clashes somewhat with the surrounding buildings. The story-book facade can be viewed through the gates at the end of the pedestrianised street. The roof seems to be held up by a series of giant golf tees painted in blue and gold. The other side of the palace looks out over the narrow bay, protected by two hilltop forts, both legacies of Portuguese control in the 16th century. Access to the bay is along a road that passes the blue and white Al Khawr mosque. Towering above it is the western fort of Al Mirani, completed in 1587. The eastern fort on the other side of the palace, Al Jalali, completed in 1588, was formerly the city jail. Neither fort is open to the public.

The white building at the other end of the ceremonial boulevard leading to the royal palace is the National Museum D [map] which opened in 2016. With 14 permanent galleries presenting 10,000 years of Omani history and numerous interactive and audio visual displays, it is the Sultanate’s premier cultural institution and the first museum in the Middle East accessible for people with visual and physical disabilities. The museum also boasts lecture halls and an 80-seat theatre.

Royal naval sailing yacht, Zinat al Bihar

Chris Bradley/Apa Publications

At the far end of the bay are the small dockyards for the magnificent Royal Navy of Oman sail training vessel Shabab Oman and yacht Zinat al Bihar that sail around the world promoting Omani seamanship.

South of Old Muscat

The road south from Old Muscat skirts around the harbours of Sidab and Haramil until it drops down to Marina Bander Ar Rawdah, home of the Marine Fisheries and Science Centre and Aquarium (tel: [phone]).

Continue along the same road to the roundabout with a full-size wooden boat in the centre. This is the Sohar, a replica of a 9th-century dhow built for British adventurer Tim Severin’s expedition to retrace the sea journey of the legendary Omani sailor Sindbad (for more information, click here).

Beyond the roundabout, standing majestically in its own bay is the Al Bustan Palace Hotel (www.ritzcarlton.com; tel: [phone]). Luxuriously elegant, it is regularly voted one of the top hotels in the Middle East, and is a real treat for non-resident visitors to look around. Sadly this is not the case for the more distant Shangri-La Barr al Jissah Resort (www.shangri-la.com/muscat/barraljissahresort; tel: [phone]), which discoura...