Mystical Muscat

Corniche

Attraction | "I do like to walk along the prom, prom prom"

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The Corniche in MuscatDuring our two days in Muscat we walked up and down the Corniche a couple of times. This is the sea front area that surrounds the port and the original town of Muttrah where the lovely souk is that I reviewed previously.It is a bit like an English promenade I suppose but in a very different location with a backdrop of Muscat and curling around the bay next to the sea where the city nestles so snuggly.It did help that the sun shone down the whole time so we were walking with blue skies and views of the port on one side and the old buildings of the Muttrah area on the roadside but it would be a lovely walk whatever the weather in my view.We had ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 10, 2025

Corniche

Muscat, Oman

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Bait Al-Zubair

Attraction | "Oryx and Posh Perfume"

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Bait al Zubair Museum:From the souk we drove around from Muttrah to old Muscat to the Bait al Zubair museum. This is open From Saturday to Thursday from 9.30am-1.00pm and then 4pm-7pm and it appears to be free as we got no ticket. Outside this old traditional house in the courtyard were a great number of fantastically original painted oryx, very similar to the painted lions in raffles in Singapore or the painted bull ornaments you see in Spain. I believe different companies had sponsored them but I am not sure, however they were really very beautiful and we were quite taken with them. There must have been at least 30 of these beautifully painted oryx placed in different places around the ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 6, 2025

Bait Al-Zubair
As-Saidiyah Street
Muscat, Oman
00 968 24 736 68

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Al Alam Royal Palace

Attraction | "A very modern Palace"

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The Al Alam Royal Palace The city we call "Muscat" is in fact three smaller towns which have grown together over time. They are:Muscat – the "walled city" and the site of the royal palaces.Matrah- the area where the port and the Souq.Ruwi - the commercial and diplomatic centre of the city.After we finished at the museum we continued in old Muscat to the Sultan’s Royal palace. Like Buckingham Palace you cannot go inside but you can go up to the gates and take photos through the gates. The Sultan doesn’t actually live here but uses it as a meeting place for receptions for visiting dignitaries and heads of state.This modern palace was built in 1972 tw...Read More

The Al Alam Royal Palace

The city we call "Muscat" is in fact three smaller towns which have grown together over time. They are:
Muscat – the "walled city" and the site of the royal palaces.
Matrah- the area where the port and the Souq.
Ruwi - the commercial and diplomatic centre of the city.

After we finished at the museum we continued in old Muscat to the Sultan’s Royal palace. Like Buckingham Palace you cannot go inside but you can go up to the gates and take photos through the gates. The Sultan doesn’t actually live here but uses it as a meeting place for receptions for visiting dignitaries and heads of state.

This modern palace was built in 1972 two years after Sultan Qaboos took the throne. It sits in a wonderful position overlooking the harbor and is nestled between the Al Jalali and Al Mirani Forts in Muscat. This is a most unusual palace as it looks quite small and is not in the least bit flashy and yet it is one of the most beautiful buildings of the city. It is its lines and simplicity that make it so different. The tall columns of the palace stand sleek tall and in unadorned splendid at the front of the building. The blue columns reflect the colours of the sea and sky while the golden columns to reflect sun shining. The lack of frills and fuss is unusual and I was quite taken with the sleek simplicity and grace of this building.

You approach the palace through the Kebir Gate in the ancient city walls and walk passed a series of government buildings along a huge pedestrianised area. If you are lucky enough to visit when there is no-one else there then you would be able to see the palace at the end of this long wide walkway. This gives quite a dramatic viewpoint a bit like looking at Buckingham Palace down The Mall. The palace is perfectly balanced and almost symmetrical when you look at it directly in front. In reality there will be other people there so you will need to walk a bit closer in order to get an uninterrupted view of this modern palace. Sadly the front gate of the palace is as close as you are allowed to go so you just have to stand and admire the beauty of the palace from here.

There are lovely gardens before you get to the gates with colourful flowers very neatly kept. As you look up to the right when facing the palace you can see one of the old forts built by the Portuguese high up on the cliffs.

This is a lovely setting for a palace and the Sultan certainly picked his spot carefully. The modern, sleek palace nestled between the two old forts looking out to port is a site worth seeing in the old part of Muscat. The place where the sultan and his family live is actually set high on a hill overlooking the city but it would be a very nice palace to live here as it has a lovely view of the harbor and is cosily nestled between the two hill forts. This palace has little use as shares its views and interior with only very special visitors to Muscat being used as I said only for formal receptions and entertaining important visitors and dignitaries only. Sadly we could only stand at the gates and look in like all the other ordinary folk.

This is another free site to enjoy in the old town of Muscat but as you are not allowed in then it is of limited interest but a site worth taking a look at as it is a very different sort of Palace being so modern and simple in design. It is one of the sites to see in Muscat and there are not that many to choose from so wander on down and take a look it is well worth the walk.
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 5, 2025

Al Alam Royal Palace
Waterfront
Muscat, Oman

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Muttrah Souk (Souq Muttrah)

Attraction | "Money spending in Muscat"

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Muttrah Souk:From the mosque we drive back into Muscat and to the port area to visit the Muttrah souk which is a truly fascinating shopping experience On the tour we had a fairly crowded time being pushed along in a sea of tourists but when we returned the next day it was great as there were far less tourists as the other cruise ship had left and we had gone in to the city quite early before most others so had the place almost to ourselves and the local people.The souk is a traditional shopping souk with lots of perfume and incense stalls, lots of beautiful cashmere shawls and embroidered cloth, stalls with the most amazing braiding for clothing and then jewellery shops with go...Read More

Muttrah Souk:

From the mosque we drive back into Muscat and to the port area to visit the Muttrah souk which is a truly fascinating shopping experience On the tour we had a fairly crowded time being pushed along in a sea of tourists but when we returned the next day it was great as there were far less tourists as the other cruise ship had left and we had gone in to the city quite early before most others so had the place almost to ourselves and the local people.

The souk is a traditional shopping souk with lots of perfume and incense stalls, lots of beautiful cashmere shawls and embroidered cloth, stalls with the most amazing braiding for clothing and then jewellery shops with gold or silver or stones. Some of the best shops were like Ali Baba’s treasure cave with beaded necklaces hanging from the ceiling and huge vats of gem stones and silver pieces. It was a real shopper's paradise and you had to be very careful to remember which little lane or pathway you had taken as you could very quickly get lost.

The local ladies were all wearing the black abbaya and the burqa while the men wore their white dishdash and either the small hat a bit like a fez only beautifully embroidered or the headdress tied neatly like a small turban. The people were all so friendly and obviously trying to sell you stuff but were not aggressive or unpleasant if you said no thanks.

I spent some time with the men selling the perfumed oils and incense. Trying to work out what the different oils were was quite tricky as their English was quite limited and my Arabic even more so. I did manage to purchase some myrrh, frankincense and rosewood to burn in a special incense burner, which we also bought . We bought some of the little charcoal discs too. They were really cheap, I believe they came to a total of about ten pounds. I also managed to buy three different perfume oils which smell lovely but have names I have never heard of.

My husband was very lucky as I didn't go down the gold and silver lane and limited my purchases to perfume and incense. was tempted by some of the lovely embroidered cashmere fabric but resisted.

We did go and enjoy a coffee and a freshly made lemon mint drink in a little cafe in the souk and the price was really cheap and the lemon mint drink was delicious and very minty tasting. It was freshly squeezed lemon blended with lots of fresh mint and water added - I can recommend it for a really refreshing and tasty drink.

The souk is a must visit place if you are Muscat and in the Muttrah area which is near the main port. we easily walked from the port to the souk in about ten minutes along the lovely Corniche.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 2, 2025

Muttrah Souk (Souq Muttrah)
Old Town of Muttrah
Muscat, Oman

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Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Attraction | "Bright white marble mosque"

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Sultan Qaboos Mosque:We were taken to visit the very new and sparkling mosque of Sultan Qaboos as our first sight. We were given strict dress codes to follow which included arms must be covered to the wrist for men and women, men to wear long trousers and women the same or an ankle length skirt or dress. No cleavage and once near the mosque ladies must cover their heads with a scarf or pashmina. If you were not appropriately dressed then you were not allowed in and you were inspected before being allowed through the main gate into the gardens but shoes were not taken off until just outside the mosque itself.This is the only mosque in Oman that is open to non Muslims and is situ...Read More

Sultan Qaboos Mosque:

We were taken to visit the very new and sparkling mosque of Sultan Qaboos as our first sight. We were given strict dress codes to follow which included arms must be covered to the wrist for men and women, men to wear long trousers and women the same or an ankle length skirt or dress. No cleavage and once near the mosque ladies must cover their heads with a scarf or pashmina. If you were not appropriately dressed then you were not allowed in and you were inspected before being allowed through the main gate into the gardens but shoes were not taken off until just outside the mosque itself.

This is the only mosque in Oman that is open to non Muslims and is situated a little outside the main city of Muscat in the suburb of Ghubrah. The mosque which was completed in 2001 is only open to non –Muslims from Monday to Thursday from 8 am till 11 am. It was pretty crowded when we were there as two cruise ships were in the port and it was pretty chaotic as we were going in with tour guides holding up numbers and people trying to pass through the gate being rejected and others let through. We got though following our guide at some speed while you rattled out facts about the height of the main minaret (300ft) and the fact that the mosque and its gardens covered an area of over 430,000 sq ft.

The gardens were beautiful as were the courtyards of bright white marble but the usual peaceful atmosphere that usually surrounds a mosque was somewhat missing as there were far too many visitors there at the time. You couldn’t just stand and admire as you had to keep up with the guide. In fact we did lose our guide as we spent too long inside taking photos and had to find our way back rather rushing to the main gate as we felt we might be left behind!

The nice thing about this trip was that we had a local guide. In the other cities locals didn’t do guiding so we had Indian and Sri Lankan guides who were excellent but it is always nice to be guided by a local person. Unfortunately he spoke with such a quiet voice and was quite hard to understand so that was less great.

The mosque outside was stunning, almost white glistening marble with neat carved designs, it was really very beautiful in a minimalist decorative way. Once inside you couldn’t fail to be impressed with the huge hall and dome of the main (male only) prayer hall which has the capacity to hold 20,000 worshippers. It is quite stunning with its 35 huge chandeliers of Swarovski crystal and gold plated metalwork, the main central chandelier weighs an astonishing 8 tonnes so I trust it is firmly fixed as it could do some serious damage if it fell.

The beautiful carpet is entirely hand woven in Iran with 28 different natural colours by 600 women took four years to make and that weighs 21tonnes but our guide didn’t tell us how they made it in one piece nor how they transported and fitted this in the mosque in the one piece as this seemed impossible to us.

Around the walls were mosaics intricately designed and small alcove with copies of the Koran placed in them. The windows were glass with much simpler designs but very attractive. It was a beautiful building and I wish we had had longer to enjoy it but that is the downfall of city tours as you have to keep moving on from things you enjoy and seem to spend ages at places of little interest but they do give you a taste of the place.

If you are in Muscat then I highly recommend a visit to this stunningly bright and beautiful mosque.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 1, 2025

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Muscat, Oman

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IgoUgo

Muscat Journals

Mystical Muscat

Corniche

Bait Al-Zubair

Al Alam Royal Palace

Muttrah Souk (Souq Muttrah)

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

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