KAVITA WADHWANI visits Muscat, which is considered to be one of the progressive and modern cities in the Gulf.
Some trip leaves profound memories in your mind tearing you apart when you have to leave a magnificent place rich with natural beauty, culture and welcoming hospitality. My trip to Oman, its capital city of Muscat was beauty personified. Muscat is a beautiful port city and capital of Oman.
This photogenic city is mostly dominated by trade and is virtually as cosmopolitan as it can be with people from all across the world primarily Indians, Persians, Baloochs, Philipinos, East Africans, Zanzibars and few Europeans. When visiting Muscat, one must be sure to carry and calculate ones exchange notes, as the currency used here is Omani Rial and Baiza.
Muscat brings to our mind warm waters of Arabian Sea and surrounding peaks of the Al-Hajar Mountains. As we drive down the city of Muscat from the airport, the beautiful city welcomes us with its scenic beauty and well-paved roads. Clean roads, green parks, flower gardens, not-to-forget a whole lot of low lying houses with an old world charm painted in white or pastel hues. When in Muscat, one sees no skyscrapers around.
The city is dotted with many mosques, the most popular mosque here being the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is an architectural jewel. The other popular mosque’ here includes Ruwi mosque and Zawawi mosque. Sultan Qaboos, the autocratic ruler here has indeed made way for development where the city’s trade and beauty is concerned. The ancient cannon protected forts are still operated by the military and the palace is essentially the seat of Oman’s government.
Interestingly, with a huge Indian population residing there since decades, they own many of the popular shops and trades. It is a little surprise when we came across two Hindu temples as well – a Shiva and Krishna temple with a host of Hindu devotees around.
Muscat houses a number of stunning museums and Oman National museum is surely a jewel in their crown where we can easily see Oman’s well preserved rich cultural heritage via.
Next in line was the much heard about, pristine and fun beaches of Oman with its stunning cliffs, attracts tourists from all over the world. Many- a- times families are seen picnicking at the serene beaches. The Qurum Beach is very popular for being striking and peaceful. People are even seen fishing here. There are many café and coffee shops around the beach so a lot of youngsters are seen enjoying around this area. The summer signifies heat and humidity, however calm seas. Qantab Beach is the perfect place if you wish to go for BBQ, throw ball, swimming, snorkelling, water sports or simply having fun lazing around.
And if you are a dolphin fan, then head straight to the Marina Bandar where you can watch spinner dolphins playing around, needless to say it’s a sheer treat for the eyes with the friendly creatures taking spinner leaps. For dolphin watching the hip speedboats take as many as eight to ten people and take them to the middle of the sea, for the visitors to feed the dolphins and capture the memories in the cameras. Plenty of foreigners, expats and audacious locals try their hand at scuba diving here, what with a host of experienced divers around; one has little chances of going home without learning the ropes.
A drive around the Muttrah Corniche and harbour was a must on our list as the economy is dominant on petrol, trade and porting from this area. It holds vital port trading routes since ancient times, and thankfully the old city hasn’t been replaced by grander buildings or newer inventions. Standing guard over Muscat’s harbour are the massive Mirani and Jalali forts or museums (overlooking the Royal Palace), built way back when Oman was a major military base in the 16th century. Mutrah Souk is a great place to shop for clothes, spices, ittar (perfume), sovereigns, silver jewellery articles, exquisite show pieces, fresh fruits, vegetables, handicrafts, sweets and the works.
In Muscat, Ruwi area is a preferred commercial hub of Muscat and it includes a massive marketplace which has a number of fine jewellery shops, cloth merchants, craft shops, grocery stores, export goods and small local designer malls. The Ruwi market almost gives us a slice of India or seems like little India in the Gulf!
Muscat Clock Tower, located at MBD, Ruwi is essentially the oldest monument in modern Oman and showcases the Sultanate’s commitment to modernisation. The tall headquarters of Omantel – Oman’s Public Telecommunication can be seen in CBD, Ruwi, this is a landmark tower-like building in this area. While Al Khuwair marks the entrance to the Ministries Street which houses all the big Ministries of Oman.
If you are an adventurous kind and not scared of speed or heights, then try out dune bashing in the deserts which is about two hours road journey from Muscat city to Wahiba sands also popular as Wadi bashing desert safari. On the way to the safari, one can enjoy at the Wadi Bani Khalid, or one can take a gentle walk along the cascading riverbed and cool down in the crystal clear waters of the blue-green pools. All of this is surrounded by picturesque limestone hills. If willing to go further, one can also check out the Turtle resort, which is a hit with most kids. It’s a turtle nesting ground to watch turtles hatch or lay eggs.
Muscat is considered one of the progressive and modern cities in the Gulf and has stylish women who love to shop and men who flaunt their gadgets or cars well enough. The main shopping area is situated in Al Qurum commercial area; however shopping malls are spread out throughout the city with world class brands.
People here love their tradition, which is why annually for four weeks the Muscat Festival is held to showcase the country’s heritage, culture, and arts in several outdoor venues around the city. The festival sees a huge number of visitors from around the globe. The festival is a mix of poetry recitals, folk music, dance and acrobatic acts, handicraft and firework displays from Oman and surrounding countries. Omani jewellery, costumes, weaponry, camels and dates are very popular so one can pick them up in souvenir or gift forms.
Football is the favourite sport in Oman. Young and boisterous boys in Muscat are passionate about their favourite sport and are seen often playing around their houses. Crowds cheer for the national team at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex during the games. Crowds also come out in thousands to watch their national team play.
Omanis love their food and eat it to their heart’s content; this is obvious from the fact that there are a host of restaurants in the city with cuisines from all over the world. And occasionally they even like a cuppa coffee, so the city hosts plenty of coffee shops for the coffee-holics! The typical Omani food is rich, delicious and heavily flavoured with herbs, spices, garlic, and lime, show Arabic, Indian, and African influences. Also popular is the Omani sweet or halwa made out of dates and sprinkled with dry fruits.
A must visit Indian restaurant would have to be the Mumtaz Mahal restaurant which serves outstanding Indian food and musical entertainment alongside a panoramic view of the city from the hilltop. Due to the fact that there are plenty of South Indians and Gujratis in the city, one even gets to see a good variety of Indian food at every possible corner of Muscat.
When packing gifts or souvenirs for kith and kin, one must not forget to buy boxes of dates or date chocolates or date sweets. Camel shaped magnets, show pieces, dominate the gift shops. One can even try picking up bakery products from the famous Muscat bakery shop, which is host to some melt- in –the- mouth cakes, biscuits, Omani Halwa, breads and confectioneries.
With a beautiful landscape and lovely people, sadly the only draw back in the city would be to not have any rail or metro network in the country. So most of the travelling can be done in and around the city, connected by road (taxi/ cars/ bus/Volvo) or by air. However, this is rarely a reason for you to shy away from exploring this exciting destination. So take your next holiday trip to the mesmerising Muscat and live this dream…
