top of page

Muscat

Muttrah Souq

Souq Muttrah is an intriguing market maze where one can find an eclectic range of products: from rare, one-of-a-kind vintage artifacts to high-quality frankincense, gold and precious jewels to funky, hand-made purses. Afghan war hats, compasses from World War 2 and pashminas… you can enjoy quite a treasure hunt. If you collect furniture you are bound to find something, or if you’d rather a cool new hand-made bag or t-shirt, these can also be found in the Souq. You can find the Omani Khanjar for sale. These unique daggers are worn by men around their waists, and also appear on the national flag. They are an important part of Omani culture, and Omanis are very proud of them. Each is hand made and etched by professional craftsmen. You can buy them at the souq, including fine examples that are framed for display. Like any popular, traditional old market you can find real bargains if you haggle. This makes the shopping experience all the more entertaining. Usually you can get reasonable prices, but you can always try for a bargain, especially when it comes to the more pricey items. Expect to be treated like a celebrity when strolling through the souq, as all the shop owners want you to stop by.

Bin Ateeq

I had a wonderful opportunity to dine in an Omani restaurant. Thanks to our taxi driver who served as our tour guide to various tourist attractions in Muscat and happily supported us on our foodie escapade. For a traditional Omani dinner, he took us to Bin Ateeq Restaurant in Al Khuwair. We were introduced to camel meat, big portions of salad, and mountains of briyani rice! We ate for 4 people, and the price was still reasonable. I enjoyed every bit of it and all of us ended up scraping the plates wanting more!  After ordering, we went to a private dining room at the 2nd floor. I was pleased to see traditional Omani setting. We removed our shoes and excitedly went in the carpeted room as we were not just bound to eat  authentic local food but to dine the traditional way as well. 

Quorum Beach

An elongated stretch of shore running along the edge of Qurum Nature Reserve will bring you to the Al Qurum Beach. Located smack bang in the heart of Muscat city, the beach is fringed with a number of upscale hotel chains and shopping centers. Located near one of the bustling venues in Muscat, this long stretch of sandy beach is popular among visitors for its four wheels cruises and family picnics. Enjoy spending some time at the beachfront cafes sipping on your favorite beverage while savoring the splendid view of the sea. Al Qurum beach also offers the best adrenalin kicks in the form of exciting water sports; so one can have their own chunk of thrill ready for an exceptional day out at the beach, a half an hour jet-skii ride is 15 Riyal ( Saudi currency).

 

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

The mosque was completed in 2001 and took six years to build. It covers a massive area of 416,000 square meters, and can hold up to 20,000 worshipers. The building itself is made up of 300,000 tons of sandstone. In other words, go big or go home in Muscat. Why settle for ordinary when you can have over the top? The mosque used to have the world’s largest carpet and chandelier, but Emiratis and Qataris came to measure the interior and made bigger versions in new mosques to steal the title. Regardless of titles and records, the Mosque is still pretty impressive. The chandelier is located in the center of the men’s prayer hall and measures a staggering 14 meters and weighs 8,5 tons. It holds 600,000 shining bright Swarovski crystals, 24 carat gold plating and took more than four years to complete.

 

bottom of page