Muscat

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said ascended to the throne of Oman in 1970. He swiftly laid out plans to modernize Oman without destroying its culture or character. Incredibly, the sultan’s program has worked. Muscat is very much a modern city with excellent infrastructure; highways, malls, and modern conveniences. However, it’s retained a wonderfully sleepy feel.

After six days of lounging and dozing by the hotel pool, Garry and I felt it was time to explore our surroundings. We hired a car for our final two days in Oman, spending the first day touring Muscat and the second venturing out into the dusty countryside to see several stunning forts. This post and the one that follows capture the highlights of our touring.


Muscat looks and feels like an urban postcard from the Sixties. While the city’s infrastructure is modern and efficient, its overall profile maintains a slightly dated look. Take the waterfront district of Mutrah as an example. Nestled in a sheltered bay, this laid-back commercial district has been Muscat’s trading hub for hundreds of years. However, much of its current infrastructure was built in 1974 as part of the Sultan’s modernisation program. Little seems to have changed since.


The port itself is relatively low-key, with a curving harbor promenade providing a simple, uncluttered backdrop. Low-profile, white buildings line the sleepy waterfront, or Corniche as it's known, while a dramatic stone fort maintains a silent vigil from a rocky hillside overlooking the harbour. In fact, stone watch towers and forts are everywhere in Muscat.


As we wandered along the foreshore were stunned by the clarity of the water and the overwhelming abundance of fish - of every variety including colourful tropical fish I've only ever seen on coral reefs. However, it is the sultan’s enormous sand-coloured luxury yacht that dominates the scene, in striking contrast to a couple of classic wooden dhows anchored nearby.


While in Mutrah we also visited its famous Suq, or market. Spices, silks, traditional coffee pots, and other merchandise filled its stalls, along with the cheap tourist clutter you find everywhere. Sadly, the neighbouring Gold Suq was closed. Perhaps the most memorable shop we discovered was one selling antique firearms, silverware, and other classic items.


Our next stop was Riyam Park. Here a peace treaty was signed in 1648 by the Portuguese during their final year of occupation. The park is dominated by a giant white observation tower in the shape of a traditional incense burner. Unfortunately, the park wasn’t open. For some odd reason, its opening hours were listed as 4.00pm to 8.00pm; yet another example of Muscat’s wonderfully sleepy feel.


We made our way around the headland to Old Muscat. Here a ring of mountains surrounds a narrow bay. Each side of the bay is protected by 16th Century fort; Mirani and Jalali. Both were restored by the current Sultan whose colourful Al-Alam palace dominates the harbourfront. It was here we also came across the only crowd we saw all day. Busloads of tourists were being escorted along the grand ceremonial piazza that leads to the locked Palace gates.


From old Muscat, we drove along the coast through picture-perfect villages set in quiet ocean bays, framed by barren, rocky hills. We soon came upon Al Bustan Palace, an opulent five-star hotel built in 1985 for a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit. The hotel sits on its own private beachfront, surrounded by a lush date plantation.

The GCC consists of five Gulf States that’ve committed themselves to the creation of a regional common market and single currency modeled on the European Union. In an ironic twist, the latest GCC summit opened at the same venue yesterday. This also led to several major road closures, an act that encouraged Garry and me to get out of town for the day. You can read about our tour of classic Omani forts in my next post.