Muscat is the capital of Oman and the country's largest city.
Understand
The city referred to as "Muscat" is in fact three smaller towns which have grown together over time. They are:
This tripartite division will sometimes cause the visitor an inconvenience, as distances between sites (and accommodation) can be very long and involve trips on the ring road.
As an alternative to the main CBD area that is considered as these three areas there is plently of places to go and things to see along the main highway that heads North East out of these areas. This main road, The Sultan Qaboos Highway, goes past many areas on it's way out to the Airport and further still to Seeb, Sohar and eventually the northern most tip of Oman.
Heading along this road you pass the districts of Qurum, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Al Khuwair, Bausher, Al-Hail and Seeb. Each one has a range of sights to see and places to stay.
There is also a very long beach road from Qurum to Seeb, some 50km. Situated along this are some of the large international hotel chains but more importantly you discover the true beauty of the Oman coast-line. Km's of beaches, fisherman with drag nets and open space to walk for hours.
Get in
By Air
Oman and Gulf air have daily flights from Chennai and Bahrain, while Emirates connects Muscat with Dubai.
International airlines also fly to Muscat (Seeb International Airport - is the ONLY airport despite being called Muscat it is some 40km out of the CBD, but still on the main route). BA, Swiss Air, Austrian Air, Emmirates all fly frequent schedules from across the world. The number of airlines flying to Muscat increases each year.
Domestically, Oman Air also flies from Salalah to Muscat at least twice weekly.
By Bus
There are daily bus services from Dubai and several Oman cities to Muscat, operated by the Oman National Transport Company.
Also you can have Private luxuary coaches from the parking next to DNATA/CARAVAN-PONDAROSA Reastaurant
By Car
You can reach Muscat by road from Dubai
Get around
Maxi taxis (vans, known throughout the expat community as baisa busses) ply the highway from Seeb to the corniche area. The charge is 100 baisa from corniche area to the church round about and another 100 baisa from the church round about to Wadi Adai.
On arrival at the airport, situated approximately 40km from the main Muscat CBD, you can get a baisa bus down the main highway in either direction.
The (mostly orange and white) taxis are a bit pricier, and they hang around the hotels where they get juicy fares from unwary travellers. They will charge 8 Rials for an airport trip if you don't haggle, but you should be able to barter for 5 Rials. They always say they will give you "good price" but its best to figure out what you want to spend then agree before you get in.
The Maxi Taxis ply the main routes through town, and they go where they want so you might have to find one going your direction, once you are on one, they will make sure you get there. THe place to wait for them is on the on-ramps of most of the main highway junctions, you'll usually see a few people waiting around for one. A journey within the Muscat area should not cost more than 300 Baisa each, but if you look like an experienced traveller and hand them 200 baisa then you can usually get away with that.
Tours
Oman Holidays is a specialised tour operator in Muscat approved by the Oman Ministry of Tourism. The company, whose management have over a decade’s experience of tourism in Oman, specialize in interpretive guided cultural tours throughout Muscat.
See
They are located in Qasr Al Alam Street. The forts were built in the rocky mountains, in 1580, during the Portugese occupation as prisons and have now been converted into museums.
The recently renowated corniche area is a popular place for a walk and also for its many not-so-expensive eating places.
The maze-like souq (or marketplace) is often described as the best in the Gulf region which also includes a fish markets. The souq has several shops for jewellery, traditional Omani handicrafts and Omani food at reasonable prices. Several shops also accept credit cards.
This is the office of Sultan Qaboos, ruler of Oman. This beautiful palace stands on the head of a natural deep water harbour and is guarded on either side by the twin forts of Mirani and Jelali. Visitors are not allowed to visit the palace, but they are allowed to take photographs at the entrance of the palace.
Bait Al Zubair
Bait Muzna Gallery
Children's Museum -
Shatti al qurum
Marine Science & Fisheries Centre-
Between the Al Bustan Palace Hotel and the Capital Yacht Club
National Museum
Located near Abdulridha Mosque-Ruwi.
Natural History Museum
Housed within the Minstry of National Heritage and Culture. Al Khuwair
Omani French Museum
Near muscat police stn, Located at old Muscat in Bait Fransa.
Omani Museum
Medinat Al Alam (Information City) near Ministry of Information.
The Sultan's Armed Forces Museum
Bait al falaj,
Do
Visit the Oman Dive Centre at Bandar Jissah.
Buy
The Al Fair chain of supermarkets sells just about everything you want (including lots of English products for a fraction of the price you can get at home) Many of them are on the Main Sultan Quaboos highway making them an easy place to spot.(CP)
Eat
Food is cheap in Muscat and for about a Rial you'll get a meal for two persons.
Budget
:The best Rotis (Indian Bread). Try the chicken Jalfrezi and Paneer aloo (potato)
:Try the Hummus (Chickpea paste), Fatoosh (Salad), Mutabel (Egg Plant paste), Falafel and mint tea. Even the waiters are not sure why the restaurant is named automatic.
:Delivers Lunch - 18 rials for a month including Fridays or 15.6 Rials excluding Fridays
Mid-range
Splurge
Drink
Budget
Every road, street corner or little collection houses, huts or businesses has a 'Coffee-Shop' Basic but worth a go.
Mid-range
Splurge
There is a Starbucks loc on the beach road that goes between the Crown Plaza Hotel and the Intercontinental Hotel. It is so close that if you cross the road, you are on the beach. The larger drinks are about RO 2-2.2, but the view through the glass wall of the waves coming into the beach is excellent.
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Muscat offers a considerable range of luxury hotels, among them are:
Contact
Global calling card 'Global One' does not work in Muscat. Though the global one website lists the rates for calls from Oman there are no numbers listed along side. The nearest 'Global One' help line is located in Dubai.
Pre-paid telephone cards called Jibreen Cards are available at most stores. It's available in denominations of 5 Rials and 1.5 Rials. A 5 Rial card gets you 11 minutes of talk time.
The Hayak card is the pre-paid card for cellular phones.
Stay Safe
It is advisable to drink bottled water while in Muscat. Tanuf, Arwa, Salsabeel, and Aquafina are the most recognisable brands of mineral water and is available in most convenience shops. Tap water is okay for brushing your teeth and boiling pasta, but stick to the bottled water for your daily intake.
Cope
ATM's
ATM's are very common now, especially in the Embassy district and near most shopping malls, larger hotels, petrol stations, and supermarkets. Also, every little neighborhood has a several bank branches.
Beauty Parlours & Hair Salons
Bus Routes
Car Rentals
The cheapest car rental is about 14 UKP for a day, but thats not a 4-wheel drive. So don't think that you are going to go up in the mountains for that price. For local travel its far more fun using the buses (CP)
Gyms
There are some very good gymnasiums in the 4 to 5 star hotels and some privately run gyms in other places like Millenium Gym, Horizon Gym etc. You may pay money for that extra with the number of days you stay in Muscat.
Hospitals
Laundry
If you are in a 4 star hotel, they will charge a lot for laundry. If you take a short walk to any of the numerous Indian run laundry stores, your money will go a lot farther. Keep in mind that if you drop off your clothes on a Monday, they typically won't be ready until Wednesday.
Tailors
There are numerous Indian run tailors. I paid RO 5 to have 2 Italian suits tailored for sleeve length, pants length, and waist. There is a Raymond store in Ruwi that will make custom suits in the RO 50-60 range.
Money Changers
Oman-UAE Exchange Centres- LuLu Hyperarkets, Ghala and Ruwi
Global Money Exchange - Ruwi
travelex - Seeb International Airport
Purshottam Kanji - Ruwi
Newspapers
A number of many Indian and Gulf newspapers are also available.
Pharmacies
Numerous pharmacies found in every neighbourhood. Limited stock, but professional pharmacists willing to give advice and help with any minor ailing.
Post & Telegraphs
Shoe Repair
Get Out
Muscat (Arabic: مسقط , IPA: mʌsqʌtˁ) is the capital and largest city in the Sultanate of Oman. It is the largest city in the mintaqah (governorate) of Muscat (sometimes referred to as Masqat to differentiate it from the city). The city of Muscat has a 2005 estimated population of 600,000 .
The greater metropolitan area of Muscat, known locally as the "Capital Area", currently covers an area of approximately 1500 km². Since the ascession of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman, Muscat has seen a growth of infrastructural development and urbanization Pockets of dense residential and commercial districts are interspersed with undeveloped land. The major centers of development can be split into three main groups:
In general, Muscat presents a relatively homogeneous appearance of low (rarely more than five story), generally white buildings, with residential, government, and commercial architecture frequently recalling, at least by allusion, historic regional styles. For a city at the edge of the Arabian peninsula and in Oman's sometimes fierce climate, Muscat is remarkably green, with tree-lined main streets linking the various districts, several sizeable public parks, and grass, shrubs, and flowers decorating many traffic circles and other public areas.
On June 6, 2007, Muscat was hit by Cyclone Gonu causing extensive damage to properties and rendering electricity, telephone lines and the international airport inoperative. An estimation of the damage to life and property caused by the cyclone is yet to be released.
Commercial centres and residences at Qurm, Ghubra and Ghala localities were among the worst hit.
History
Muscat is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. It has been known since the second century AD. Some 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) of frankincense was transported each year by ship from southern Arabia to Greece, Rome and the Mediterranean. The centre of this trade was in a place called Khour Rouri, which the Greeks called "Muscat". (Note that Khour Rouri is now recognized as an archaeological site in the Dhofar region of the country, more than 500 miles south of present-day Muscat, far closer to the present-day city of Salalah).
The first foreign presence in Muscat was in the form of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who landed in Oman on his way to India. The Portuguese returned in 1507 to sack and capture Muscat. In 1649, the Imam Sultan bin Saif defeated the Portuguese under André Pereira dos Reis and drove them away east to Goa, India.
With the superior, captured warships of the Portuguese navy, the Imam established an empire that spanned from Zanzibar in the south to Gwadar in Pakistan in the east. Slaves were brought in from Zanzibar and Balochistan to work in Oman and traded elsewhere. This was a period of relative stability and prosperity in Muscat and Oman.
The country was torn apart by strife and unrest upon the death of the Imam in 1679. Muscat was then invaded by the Persians in 1737, albeit briefly, since Admad bin Said defeated them and was subsequently elected Imam.
In 1803, the Wahabbis of Saudi Arabia attacked Oman, but were repulsed by Sayyid Said bin Sultan. The sultan then set up a colony in the fertile areas of Zanzibar and essentially ruled Oman from a foreign island. Later, in 1853, the Sultan transferred the title of "capital" of Oman to Zanzibar. Thus began to decline of the fortunes of Muscat and Oman.
In 1913, Sultan Taimur bin Faisal became Sultan and the territory was renamed "Muscat and Oman" with the Sultan ruling Muscat and the Imam ruling Oman. After Indian independence in 1947, the Sultan, with the help of the British, defeated the Imam, unified most of Oman taking command of the Buraimi oasis.
The Dhofar War began in 1964 which was a communist insurrection staged from the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen against the Sultan of Oman. The insurrection was opposed by Omani, British and Iranian forces and was successfully put down. Six years later, Prince Qaboos bin Said, son of Sultan Said bin Taimur staged a palace coup and claimed the throne. The old Sultan was flown to London by the British Royal Air Force. The coup, staged by Prince Qaboos, with his close friend and confidant Tim Landon at his side, was the beginning of a new consolidated, modern sultanate.
Economy
Muscat, like much of Oman, is dominated by trade. The more traditional exports of the city include dates, mother of pearl, frankincense and fish. Many of the souks of old Muscat and Muttrah sell these items and traditional Omani artefacts.
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has been central to Muscat's economy since at least 1962 and is the country's second largest employer, after the government. PDO's major shareholders include Royal Dutch/Shell, Total, and Partex and its production is estimated to be about 720,000 barrels per day.
Muscat also has major trading companies such as Suhail and Saud Bahwan, which is a trading partner for corporations such as Toshiba, Subaru, Seiko, Hewlett Packard, General Motors; Saud Bahwan Group whose trading partners are Toyota, Daihatsu and Hertz Rent-a-Car; and Zubair Automotive whose trading partners include Mitsubishi, and DaimlerChrysler brands such as Dodge.
Mina Sultan Qaboos, Muscat's main trading port, is an important trading hub between the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East with an annual volume of about 1.6 million tons. However, the emergence of the Jebel Ali Free Zone in neighboring Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has made that port the premier maritime trading port of the region with about 44 million tons traded in cargo annually.
All infrastructural facilities are owned and operated by the government of Oman. Oman Telecommunications (Omantel) is the major telecommunications organization in Oman and provides local, long-distance and international dialing facilities and operates as the country's only ISP. Recent liberalization of the mobile telephone market has seen the establishment of a second provider: Nawras
Society and religion
Omanis constitute about 60 percent of the local population. Muscat has a sizable expatriate population, mainly in the form of skilled and unskilled workers from the Indian subcontinent, the Sudan, Egypt and other GCC countries.
Arabic is the official language of the state. Swahili, English, Hindi and Malayalam are widely spoken.
Most of the city's residents are followers of Islam, the Sultanate's only recognized religion. 75 percent of the people are Ibadi Muslims. Muscat also has foreign minorities of Hindus and Christians. Oman allows non-Muslims to practice their religion, but they may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious literature. The city has two Hindu temples — a Shiva temple and a Krishna temple, and a Saints Peter & Paul Church in the city's Ruwi locality.
Transport
The main airport is Seeb International Airport around 25 km from the city's business district of Ruwi and 15 to 20 km from the main residential localities of Al-Khuwair, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Shati Al-Qurm and Al-Qurm. Muscat is one of the three headquarters of Gulf Air and the headquarters for the local Oman Air, both of which fly to several destinations within the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and East Africa. In addition, Gulf Air flies to select destinations in Europe, Great Britain, North Africa and East Asia. Other airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, Swiss International Air Lines, Kuwait Airways, Air India and Thai Airways also fly through Seeb International Airport.
The Muscat area is well serviced by paved roads and dual-carriageway connects most major cities and towns in the country.
Public transportation in Muscat, and Oman in general, leaves much to be desired. There is no rail or metro network in the country. Several forms of public transport are popular in Oman. Most popular are the "Baiza" buses, so named for the lower denomination of the Omani Rial, the baisa (an adaptation of the Indian lower denomination paisa). These are relatively inexpensive and service all major roadways, as well as a wide and loose network of smaller byways in the greater Muscat metropolitan area, opportunistically dropping off and picking up passengers at any location. Less popular and slightly more expensive are large public buses, coloured red and green, whose service is limited to major roadways and point-to-point travel routes between Oman's major cities and towns. Taxis, also colour-coded orange and white, provide semi-personal transportation in the form of both individual hire and the same opportunistic roadway service as Baiza buses.
Baiza buses and colour-coded orange-and-white taxis are unmetered, after several government initiatives to introduce meters were rejected. The fare is set by way of negotiation, although taxi drivers usually adhere to certain unwritten rules for fares within the city. In many countries, one is advised to negotiate a fare with the driver before getting into a taxi. However, in Oman, asking for the fare beforehand often demonstrates a passenger's newness and unfamiliarity with the area. One should always find out the normally accepted fare for one's journey from one's hotel or host before looking for a taxi.
Unlike in some other wealthy countries in the Gulf, taxi and bus drivers in Oman are exclusively Omani nationals.
Taxis will also generally take passengers to locations out of the city, including Sohar, Buraimi and Dubai.
Administrative Divisions
Muscat governorate consists of six wilayats: Muscat, Mutrah, Bawshar, Seeb, Al Amerat and Qurayyat.
External links
