Things to do in Muscat City

April 2, 2018

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Things to do in Muscat City

Muscat is the capital city of Oman. The rocky Western Al Hajar Mountains dominate the landscape of Muscat. Very silent and peaceful city. You can have a short relaxing holiday in the city.

Muttrah Souq:

Traditional souq (Arabian bazaars) in Muscat city with lot of Arabic items to explore. It is centrally situated in Mutrah, with the main entrance to Al Bahri Road and the sea front.

The Muttrah Souq opening hours:

Saturday to Thursday – 8 AM-1 PM & 5 PM to 9 PM
Friday – 5 PM to 9 PM

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque:

Muscut-Grand-Mosque

The mosque features a 90 meter tall main minaret flanked by four 45.5 meter minarets. The prayer carpet in the main hall is the second largest hand made carpet in the world. It took four years to complete the carpet and is made of 1.7 million knots. The weigh of carpet is approximately four tons. The entry to mosque is free. No shorts is allowed for men and Women must cover their arms, head and the ankles.

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque opening hours:

Open to public (non Muslim) between 8 AM and 11 AM every day except Thursday and Friday.

Al Alam Palace:

The Al Alam Palace located at Muscat 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. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to visit the palace, but they are allowed to take photographs at the entrance of the palace, as shown here.

The Corniche – Muttrah, Muscat:

Muttrah-Corniche

Corniche means something like “chopped out of rock”. It is a reasonable name since Mutrah looks like it has been chopped out of the rocky landscape. Mutrah Corniche has a sea front promenade with a beautiful walking area and sculptural arts.

Al Jalali Fort:

The Jelali Fort is one of the twin forts (the other being Mirani Fort) built by the Portugese and both these forts guard the port of Muscat from sea attacks. Today, both forts are used by the Omani police, so visitors are not allowed to enter. However, it is OK to take photographs of the forts from the outside.

Ruwi:

There are a number of cultural attractions in this area, among them the National Museum, located near Abdulridha Mosque, which has a small but interesting collection of artefacts, including jewellery, traditional clothing and weapons, and ceramics from the region.

Mutrah Fort:

Mutrah Fort stands guard over the area. The fort is located on the right side of Mutrah and is still a military post, even thought is was built 400 years ago. While you can’t go inside you can climb up the back steps where you can get some great photos of the city.

Muscat Gate:

Of a recent and more symbolic construction, the Muscat Gate signals the arrival into Old Muscat. It was built in a traditional Omani style over Al-Bahri Road, the main road linking Old Muscat to Matrah. The structure over the gate houses the Muscat Gate House Museum, which focuses on the history of Muscat and its royal family.

Mirani Fort:

The Mirani Fort is one of the twin forts (the other being Jelali Fort) built by the Portugese and both these forts guard the port of Muscat from sea attacks. Today, both forts are used by the Omani police, so visitors are not allowed to enter. However, it is OK to take photographs of the forts from the outside. The Al Alam Palace lies in the head of the harbor, in between these two forts.

Riyam Park:

Riyam Park is located in Bahri road, Muttrah. (opposite to Kalbuh park) The park has several attraction and children playing ground. Watchtower is located in Bahri road, Muttrah. The tower is located next to Riyam Park. You need to climb the stairs to reach to the top and the scenery from the top is beautiful.

Important Note:

Since most of the above-discussed places are not open for tourists but can only take photographs from outside, you can cover all these spots in a single day.