My Graced Journey: Muscat - The surf and turf capital

Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Muscat - The surf and turf capital

English Teacher in Ibri

Discovering Muscat

Oman 2008-2009

I first arrived in Muscat on a plane from Sudan, teaching English in Khartoum. I came from a developing country filled with political strife, injustices, and poverty. Arriving in Muscat was a bit of culture shock. I encountered quite the opposite than what I've just experienced in Africa. Progress, development, grandeur, cleanliness were some things that struck me as I was picked up by a driver in Mercedes, fit for leaders of states, and taken to my hotel in Muscat.

The Muscat Holiday Inn was a four-star hotel, and at least from my point of view, endowed with luxury. That was my first date with Muscat, a huge city surface wise, but a small population, fit for the rich, yet with many nooks and crannies where the old and traditional has not been replaced with progress. Sultan Qaboos took power 40 years earlier when Oman was an ungoverned desert of Bedouins. It had one hospital, 3 schools, 10 km tarred roads, no police and men still went to the neighboring village to kidnap a wife for himself.

Palace of Sultan Qaboos - Mutrah

Within 40 years, Oman has shot upwards like a rocket passed most developed countries. Yet people's attitudes and education did not keep up with the pace of development. One now finds Bedouin mentalities driving fast luxury cars. It's now a vast modern city with grand malls, hotels, and restaurants....even a theatre. But also a city where the old and traditional, true relics of the past have survived.

I worked 3 hours away in Ibri, so we made regular trips to recuperate from living in rural Oman, without its modern amenities and entertainment. We had friends in Muscat, which invited us to stay over a couple of times, but we also stayed a couple of times in a two-star hotel in Matrah where the Matrah cornice is located. Later in 2011-2012 when I worked in Rustaq, we made regular trips to Muscat to do shopping and do sightseeing.

Omani man in deep thought at Qurum Al Shati plaza.
Qurum means mangroves and Shati means beach

About Oman

Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the country shares land borders with the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.

From the late 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was a powerful empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar (today part of Tanzania, also former capital). As its power declined in the 20th century, the sultanate came under the influence of the United Kingdom. Historically, Muscat was the principal trading port of the Persian Gulf region. Muscat was also among the most important trading ports of the Indian Ocean. Oman is an absolute monarchy. The Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said has been the hereditary leader of the country since 1970. Sultan Qaboos is the longest-serving current ruler in the Middle East, and sixth-longest current reigning monarch in the world.

Oman has modest oil reserves, ranking 25th globally. Nevertheless, in 2010 the UNDP ranked Oman as the most improved nation in the world in terms of development during the preceding 40 years. A significant portion of its economy is tourism and trade of fish, dates, and certain agricultural produce. This sets it apart from its neighbors’ solely oil-dependent economies. Oman is categorized as a high-income economy (Wikipedia).

View from an old fort on top of a hill along Muttrah corniche

The fort overlooks Muttrah bay

The old fort

My first photo in Oman. The view from the Muscat Holiday Inn hotel,
where CfBT housed us for 3 nights before we were transferred to the
different colleges of Applied Sciences across Oman

Muscat fort - built in 16th century by the Portuguese

Muscat scenery on the other side of Muttrah hill

Main entrance area to Muttrah

Mutrah Corniche gate

Muttrah, administratively a district, is located in the Muscat province of Oman. Before the discovery of oil, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman (Muscat). It is still a center of commerce as one of the largest seaports of the region is located there. Other landmarks include Souq Muttrah, a traditional bazaar, and Sour Al-Lawatiah, a small community of houses surrounded by an old wall. (Wikipedia).

Omani couples enjoying Muttrah corniche scenery

Muttrah Corniche

Mutrah corniche

Mutrah Corniche

Dhows at anchor in Muttrah bay - taken from the corniche

Dhow at anchor in Muttrah bay - taken from the corniche

The giant yacht of Sultan Qaboos, the second largest in the world, after that of the king of Saudi Arabia

Omani dhow with the yacht of Sultan Qaboos in the background

At Muttrah Corniche - Muttrah bay scenery in the background

My wife at Muttrah Corniche - Muttrah bay scenery in the background

Omani dhow in Muttrah bay

Breakfast with colleagues from Ibri at Muttrah corniche

Coffee shop along Muttrah corniche

Traditional buildings along the corniche of Old Muttrah, Muscat

Traditional buildings along the corniche of Old Muttrah, Muscat at night

Traditional buildings along the corniche of Old Muttrah, Muscat at night

Traditional buildings along the corniche of Old Muttrah, Muscat

Mutrah Corniche shops at night

View of Muttrah from the Muttrah bay corniche fort - Riyam park to the left

Riyam park - Mutrah

At Riyam park with Muttrah Corniche area in the background

At Riyam park - Mutrah

The Muscat Gate Museum - situated on Al Saidiya Street, Mutrah.
In the museum, one can find displays about Oman’s history

The Muscat Gate Museum

At the Muscat Gate Museum

View from The Muscat Gate Museum toward the corniche

The area near The Muscat Gate Museum

The palace area of Sultan Qaboos in Mutrah

The palace of Sultan Qaboos in Mutrah

The palace area of Sultan Qaboos in Mutrah

At the palace of Sultan Qaboos in Mutrah

The Muttrah Souq

Al Dhalam (Darkness in Arabic) Souq is the local name for the Muttrah Souq. The Muttrah Souq is perhaps one of the oldest marketplaces in the Arab world. It is located adjacent to the harbor of Muscat harbor and has seen immense trade in the age of sail, being strategically located on the way to India and China. It has been named after darkness because of the crowded stalls and lanes where the sunrays do not infiltrate during the day and the shoppers need lamps to know their destinations. The market was a source of supply for Omanis where they can buy their needs in the 1960s when life requirements were simpler than today. Most of the goods were imported, in addition to local products like textiles, fruit, vegetables, and dates. In the past, the market was built from mud and palm leaves, which suit the high temperatures and the hard climate conditions and hence were the best available materials to build the market at that time.

Today, the Muscat Municipality has renovated and decorated the market to maintain the popular style but has also introduced modern amenities and redecorated the market heavily to attract tourists and make the shopping experience comfortable for tourists as well as other ordinary shoppers. The main thoroughfare of the souk carries mainly household goods, shoes, and ready-made garments. Further inside, you can enjoy the mixed smells of frankincense, perfume oils, fresh jasmine, and spices. Enthusiastic shoppers and travelers can also discover a selection of tiny shops (on the side streets and alleyways leading up to the souq) full of Omani silver, stalls of gleaming white dishdashas and embroidered kumahs, brightly colored cloth and multicolored headscarves. Shoppers can even get their hands on old Arabian muskets at these souqs (Wikipedia).

Ansu at a souvenir shop along Muttrah corniche

Andy outside a souvenir shop along Muttrah corniche

View of Muttrah bay at night, taken from the Muttrah souq area

View of Muttrah bay at night, taken from the Muttrah souq area

Muttrah souq - Ansu and Tracey shopping

View of a Muscat neighborhood

In front of the Daiso store with Ansu and Che

Cheap Korean merchandise for sale at the 600 Biazas Diaso store in Muscat.

Everything cost 600 Biazas (A sixth of an Omani Riyal)

Muscat street scenery across from the Diaso store

Ansu and Cheat at Andy's yellow car

One of the many 'road' gardens along a road.
Muscat streets, roundabouts, and roads are decorated with gardens

Muscat street decorations and gardens. Here with Tracey, Ansu and Che

Japanese restaurant on the top floor of the Al Falaj hotel in Ruwi, Muscat

View of Muscat from a Japanese restaurant on the top floor of the Al Falaj hotel in Ruwi, a section of Muscat

Cooling down before ordering -
at the Japanese restaurant on the top floor of the Al Falaj hotel in Ruwi

View of Muscat from a Japanese restaurant

Relaxing at the Al Falaj hotel swimming pool

Turkish bread

My wife Ansu at a Starbucks in Muscat

The Bible Society center in Muscat. Muscat also has a church compound with
3 different denominational churches, the only state-sanctioned place of
worship for Christians. Many Indian laborers are
Christians and frequent the Catholic church.