Muscat Things to Do Tips by victorwkf Top 5 Page for this destination

Al Alam Palace Al Alam Palace Review

The Al Alam Palace located at Muscat is the office of Sultan Qaboos, ruler of Oman. This beautiful palace stands on the head of a natural deep water harbour and is guarded on either side by the twin forts of Mirani and Jelali. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to visit the palace, but they are allowed to take photographs at the entrance of the palace, as shown here.

Ship of Sultan Qaboos at Mutrah Harbour

If you are lucky, you might see the ship of Sultan Qaboos (ruler of Oman) at the Mutrah Harbour just off the waterfront of the cornicle at Mutrah. This is a huge ship and it is painted in the classical yellowish colour of Arabia.

"The Week Newspaper" of Oman

"The Week Newspaper" is perhaps the most popular free circulating English newspaper in Oman and is a good read for the latest happenings, classified ads etc. This newspaper should be available at the various hotels and accomodations in Oman, particularly in Muscat.

Directions: More information about this free newspaper and downloads are available at http://www.freetheweek.com/download.asp

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque Review

This mosque was bulit by Sultan Qaboos (ruler of Oman) and it was completed a few years ago. This is a must visit in Muscat as it is one of the biggest and most beautiful mosque in the world. It is also the only mosque in Oman which non-muslims are allowed to visit. The entry is free of charge and the visiting hours is around 9-11am on all days except Fridays. I will be posting beautiful photograph galleries on this mosque on the travelogue section of this webpage as well as some more tips on the "local customs" section, so do keep a lookout for the updates.

Jelali Fort Al Jalali Fort Review

The Jelali Fort is one of the twin forts (the other being Mirani Fort) built by the Portugese and both these forts guard the port of Muscat from sea attacks. Today, both forts are used by the Omani police, so visitors are not allowed to enter. However, it is OK to take photographs of the forts from the outside. The Al Alam Palace lies in the head of the harbour, in between these two forts.

Mirani Fort Mirani Fort Review

The Mirani Fort is one of the twin forts (the other being Jelali Fort) built by the Portugese and both these forts guard the port of Muscat from sea attacks. Today, both forts are used by the Omani police, so visitors are not allowed to enter. However, it is OK to take photographs of the forts from the outside. The Al Alam Palace lies in the head of the harbour, in between these two forts.

Ruwi Ruwi Review

Ruwi is one of the most important areas of Muscat as it is the commercial district with lots of businesses, hotels, traffic etc. You will also find a lot of travel agencies located here which you can contact and arrange your city tour or trips around Oman. The tallest buildings in Oman are also located in this area, which the tallest is the Sheraton Hotel which is at most 20 storeys (they do not have the really tall buldings in Oman, since space is plenty here).

Classical view of Muscat

As you approach the Muscat portion of the city along the hills, you should stop and take a photograph of the classical view of Muscat as shown in this photograph. This is a good view because it captures the buildings, surrounding hills, waters of the Gulf of Oman and more importantly the twin forts of Mirani and Jelali guarding the Al Alam Palace, which is the office of Sultan Qaboos, ruler of Oman.

Other Contact: You can check with the Kota Kina

Al Bustan Hotel

The Al Bustan Hotel is one of the most majestic hotel in Arabia and it is worth a visit even though you can afford to stay here. The architecture of the lobby is of arabic origin and is very huge and amazing. It has its own private beach and is located relatively far away from the main city area.

Museums in Muscat

There are several impressive museums in Muscat including the National Museum, Children Museum, Muscat Gate Museum and the Bait al Zubair Museum. I managed to visit the Bait al Zubair Museum which has a very nice collection of old photographs of Oman tracing its progress, as well as many displays of traditional costumes, weapons, potteries etc. You should visit one or more of these museums when you are in Muscat.