The remainder of our Muscat day was spent visiting the Muttrah Souq where we picked up some fantastic antiques for the house. Nothing large! The Muttrah Souq is one of the oldest souqs in the Arabic world and even today plays a central role for Omanis in the trading of general and specialty goods as well as spices, teas, incense, etc.
Inside you’ll find shops like this.
The lanes are crowded with shops and while there was some calling out to buy as you walked in front of their shops no one reached out to grab you like they did at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. We found a couple of great items here – an antique door hinge, a polished brass tulip, and what looked like an antique ring used to imprint your stamp in wax when sending a letter. All totally unique.
After our visit to the souq we headed off to see the Sultan’s Palace.
Sultan Qaboos is the 14th generation member of the Al Said family to rule Oman, and he has done so since 1970. He is revered in Oman as the ruler who has modernized the country and brought Omanis great opportunity and wealth. When you enter public or private spaces there is always a portrait of Sultan Qaboos.
His house in old Muscat is gigantic. It’s one of six he holds in Oman.
The Sultan’s yacht is also quite impressive.
All over Oman there are old watchtowers and forts perched on mountaintops. There was one overlooking the old harbor that was particularly dramatic.
And then across the harbor another fort.
After seeing the main Muscat sights, we headed back to the hotel to walk the beautiful beach.
Our first day in Oman was a winner. Wait till you see what happened over the next two days as we ventured out into the interior of the country with our guide Valentina.
