Muscat is the capital and largest city of Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in 1970, Muscat has experienced rapid infrastructural development that has led to the growth of a vibrant economy and a multi-ethnic society.
The rocky Western Al Hajar Mountains dominate the landscape of Muscat. The city lies on the Arabian Sea along the Gulf of Oman and is in the proximity of the strategic Straits of Hormuz. Low-lying white buildings typify most of Muscat’s urban landscape, while the port-district of Muttrah, with its corniche and harbour, form the north-eastern periphery of the city. Muscat’s economy is dominated by trade, petroleum and porting.
The city has numerous mosques including the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Ruwi Mosque, Saeed bin Taimoor and Zawawi Mosque. A few Shi’ite mosques also exist here.
A Road Trip through Muscat City – Video
Muscat has a number of museums. These include Museum of Omani Heritage, National Museum of Oman, Oman Children’s Museum, Bait Al Zubair, Oman Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre, Omani French Museum, Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum and the Omani Aquarium and Marine Science and Fisheries Centre.[ The Bait Al Falaj Fort played an important role in Muscat’s military history.
Recent projects include an opera house which opened on October 14, 2011. One of the most notable new projects is the Oman National Museum. It is expected to be an architectural jewel along with the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.
Visitors are also encouraged to visit Old Muscat and the Old Palace. The main shopping district is situated in Al Qurum Commercial Area, however shopping malls are spread out throughout the city. One of the largest malls in Oman is Oman Avenues Mall, located in Ghubra. The second largest and new contemporary mall is in Seeb, near the international airport, called City Center, housing all major international brands and the largest Carrefour hypermarket.
The main airport is Muscat International Airport around 25 km (16 mi) from the city’s business district of Ruwi and 15 to 20 km from the main residential localities of Al-Khuwair, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Shati Al-Qurm and Al-Qurm. Muscat is the headquarters for the local Oman Air, which flies to several destinations within the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, East Africa and Europe. Other airlines such as Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, KLM, SriLankan, Royal Jordanian, British Airways, PIA, Jet Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, Swiss International Air Lines, Kuwait Airways, Air India and Thai Airways also fly through Muscat International Airport.
The Muscat area is well serviced by paved roads and dual-carriageway connects most major cities and towns in the country. Since November 2015, Public transportation in Muscat has been revamped with a bus network connecting most important parts of the city with a modern Mwasalat (earlier Oman National Transport Company (ONTC) buses. Mwasalat buses were procured from VDL Company of The Netherlands and they have several hi-tech features. Route 1 (Ruwi-Mabela) serves people travelling major shopping destinations (Oman Avenues Mall, Muscat Grand Mall, Qurum City Centre, Muscat City Centre, Markaz al Bhaja) and Muscat Airport. Route 2 (Ruwi-Wadi Kabir) serves the residential and industrial district of Wadi Kabir. Route 3 (Ruwi-Wadi Adei) serves the downmarket residential belt of Wadi Adei. Route 4 (Ruwi-Mattrah) serves the tourist destination of Muttrah Corniche, Al Alam Palace, National Museum and Port Sultan Qaboos. Route 5 (Ruwi-Amerat) serves the rapidly developing Amerat suburb. Route 6 (Ruwi-SQU&KOM) serves the student community of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and the office commuters of Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM).
Several forms of public transport are popular in Oman. Most popular are the Mwasalat buses. These are relatively inexpensive and service all major roadways, as well as a wide and loose network of smaller byways in the greater Muscat metropolitan area, opportunistically dropping off and picking up passengers at any location. Less popular and slightly more expensive are large public buses, coloured red and green, whose service is limited to major roadways and point-to-point travel routes between Oman’s major cities and towns.
