Muscat is one of my favourite cities in the Middle East! I have to put a small disclaimer here, because I’ve only seen a handful of cities in the Middle East; but I’m so enthusiastic about it that I have no problem committing myself to the love of this city.

Muscat was an impromptu two day road trip with my colleagues in December 2014. We left Abu Dhabi by car at 5am, we arrived at the border crossing (near Al Ain) at 8am and we reached Tulip Inn Muscat at noon. Tulip Inn is a very reasonably priced hotel in a convenient location near the motorway.

At the start of the trip we drove through a very thick fog. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. When the sun rose, the fog cleared.

In one day we kind of managed to see the main sights in Muscat and get a good impression of the city, the second day we drove around the area which I will describe in a separate post.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

I’m placing the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque before all the other sights, even though chronologically it’s not correct. I visited the mosque the morning of the next day; but it is the grandest and most beautiful sight of Muscat. For people who are reading this post and have a short attention span they will hopefully see my praise of the mosque before they click on the next blog article.

When you visit this mosque, it’s best to bring your own headscarf/scarf. In Abu Dhabi, you are offered items to cover up with, in Muscat you’re forced to buy. Also note that you have to enter through a side entrance, the main entrance (pictured below) is only accessible for worshipers.

I cannot help but compare the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi with the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, but to be honest, both are winners so apart from that everything else is just nitpicking.

For example, the entrance of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is more beautiful in my opinion because of the trees and the flowers.

Both mosques have an equally gorgeous interior. I’m enchanted especially by the chandeliers and the massive prayer carpet which covers the floor of the prayer hall. This one is the second largest single piece carpet in the world (can you guess where the largest one is? That’s right! In the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque). Let’s not ruin it by talking too much, have a look yourself!

Al Alam Palace

Al Alam Palace is the palace of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos of Oman. The palace, which has a gold and blue exterior, was rebuilt as a royal residence in 1972. Unfortunately, as a visitor you cannot enter the palace. Who needs to see the inside when the outside looks so pretty and colourful though.

Mirani and Al-Jalali Fort

Around the palace you can find two forts, which once upon a time protected the city from the Ottomans. Mirani and Jalali Fort, both built by the Portuguese. The irony that I just came back from Goa only to be faced with more Portuguese structures was not lost on me.  The forts are closed to the public, even though Jalali Fort houses a museum, it’s only accessible to important heads of state.

Old Watch Tower

One building you can enter, and is certainly worth entering for the beautiful view is the Old Watch Tower along the Corniche. This tower was also built by the Portuguese.

The green area you can see in the picture is Al-Riyam park which is a great place for children to play and for their parents to relax.

The road in the below picture is the Corniche, most of the sights I describe in this post are along this road.

Muttrah Souq

The Muttrah Souq is one of the oldest marketplaces in the Middle East. It has a perfect location, because it’s right next to Muscat harbour which made it a great place for traders who travelled between Europe and India and China. The main area of the souk carries mainly souvenirs and household goods. It’s worth exploring further inside, because you are greeted by the smells of frankincense and spices. It’s a very enjoyable bazaar to walk around in (and that’s coming from the girl who does not like bazaars – Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is a prime example of that).

Conclusion

Muscat might be small, but it’s gorgeous. It’s green, and the buildings (including the palace are colourful). Even though Muscat is not as developed in terms of tourism as Abu Dhabi and Dubai, wherever you go you can have good food. We had lunch in Muscat Light Restaurant and Coffeeshop, which offered nice outdoor seating.

And in the evening we visited Duke’s Bar in Crowne Plaza, for some pub food with a view over the sea and the swimming pool of the hotel. There are so many areas I wish to explore in Oman, that I am happy to state that Oman should be a trip in itself and not just a short trip from Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In my next post I will describe the area we explored around Muscat.

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