What to see in Muscat, one-day itinerary including the main attractions and places of interest, including the Bait Al Baranda Museum and the Sultan's Palace.
Tourist information
Capital of Oman, Muscat is surrounded by mountains and guarded by seventeenth-century forts, its name means "safe anchorage".
In its port you can watch the launch of traditional local sailing boats, while in the central areas traditional Bedouin jewels are available for purchase.
It is advisable to take a break in a characteristic place where you can sip an invigorating mint tea.
Muscat, once located in the center of an East African empire, has always represented a crossroads of cultures.
Omani in their cashmere turbans, Sudanese in their cotton vests, Kerala women in their rainbow-colored dresses, all united by a common mentality open to life, thanks to an unspoiled city with flowery avenues, where people linger in long afternoon siestas.
In 1970, when the city gates were opened to the modern world, Muscat underwent a kind of rebirth.
In fact, it expanded along the coast in sparkling white suburbs, with splendid sandy beaches and an incessant growth of tourist infrastructure.
What see
Bait al-Baranda, an imaginative and informative museum, housed in an attractive and restored old villa, traces the development of the city from prehistory to modern times.
The Beyt az-Zubair museum, dedicated to life before 1970 and housed in a beautifully restored residence, displays a collection of ancient household items and a collection of daggers for ceremonials, as well as finely crafted silver jewelry.
Mutrah Corniche is an avenue that surrounds the entire gulf, with old buildings, characteristic balconies and domes of terracotta mosques.
Recommended readings- Oman: what to see between beaches, desert and palm trees
- Muscat (Oman): what to see in the capital
It is a very vital area of the city, where everything starts early in the morning with the fish market, then continues all day with the opening of the souvenir shops and the presence of street vendors of carpets.
To admire the beautiful eighteenth century museum fountains overlooking the harbor.
The walk on the Mutrah Corniche is very popular with locals who like to savor the sea breeze.
Good walkers can walk the entire length of the track, where it is not difficult to witness the sight of sardines and dolphins jumping in the calm waves of the Indian Ocean.
Mutrah Souk is the old city center, where there are shops selling everything, including gold and myrrh objects, trays and ceremonial daggers.
This is the right place to look for lapis lazuli, coral and turquoise necklaces and bracelets.
Old wedding chests and wooden doors of village houses are just a few of the less portable items on offer.
Qurm Beach is an unbroken beach of clear sand, embellished with beautiful shells and the presence of various species of sea birds, extended
for 20 km, on the promenade there are hotels and restaurants.
In the adjacent commercial area of Shatti al-Qurm, there is a traditional craft shop and a shop selling irresistible chocolate-covered delicacies, the Bateels.
The Sultan's Palace, which is a jewel of architectural fantasy, cannot be visited internally, but a walk around the perimeter fence helps to realize the great protection exercised in the past by the two strong Al Jalali and Al Mirani forts against possible attacks from the sea .
