Muscat, Oman

On Thursday, we sailed into the port of Muscat, Oman. When daylight first shone through the window, I threw back the drapes, expecting to see a nice, flat coastal port somewhat similar to Salalah. Instead, I saw this remarkable harbor.





Wow! Muscat is breathtakingly beautiful. The rugged mountains rise up from the sea and hug the coast, forming a drastic background to the city. Words can’t do it justice, so here are some pictures of the Omani coastland near Muscat, and a few pictures of the city of Muscat as we drove through it.











Our excursion today consisted of a trip on an Omani Dhow, which is a traditional wooden vessel with long thin hulls and triangular sails.

Typical Omani Dhow

Here are some pictures from the Dhow we cruised on.







Enjoying the relaxed Arabian lifestyle


Dhows were used for ancient commerce in this part of the world. We cruised on this Dhow along the Omani coast, enjoying the view of the “whitewashed cityscape” from the ocean. Along with the city of Muscat, we also viewed some interesting rock formations, the rugged mountain coast, the parliament building, the sultan's palace, and some picturesque bays and marinas. The views of the Omani coast were absolutely gorgeous. This is a beautiful part of the world. Who knew? Here are some pictures of the rock formations and mountains jutting out of the ocean, creating the stunning scenery.












While we were on the Dhow, we were offered some refreshments that are native to the area. We were offered some dates, which tasted very sweet and fresh. And then we were offered the traditional Omani drink: Kawa. This is a type of coffee that also contains rosewater, cardamom, and saffron. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I tried it anyway (when in Rome…). It tasted to me like a combination of coffee and tea.

Our tour guide’s name was Daksh and was from India. He told us that there were seven palaces in Oman. As mentioned in a previous post, three of the palaces are in Salalah, only one is in Muscat (which is odd, considering Muscat is the capital), one is a short distance away from Muscat, one is in the interior desert of Oman, and another is in the Eastern part of the country. We asked Daksh why there were three palaces in Salalah, and he said the previous sultan was responsible for that. Apparently Salalah wanted to be part of Yemen (a neighboring country) and the sultan was trying to convince them to remain a part of Oman, and for this he needed three palaces. 

According to Daksh, the main industry in Oman is “petrol”, as there is lots of oil in the Omani desert. That makes sense, since Oman is next to Saudi Arabia where there are humongous oil fields. Daksh also told us that half of the people living in Oman are native Omanis. The other half are expatriates from various countries. Apparently Oman is an attractive place to live. However, there are immigration rules, and the expats are only allowed to live here for 2 years.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous – totally sunny and very hot, probably in the mid to upper 80s. I asked Daksh if this weather was typical and he said yes, that it is almost always sunny here. He said that in the summer it can get to 122 degrees, and it rarely gets below 64, even in the winter.

Our choice of excursions today was a good one, as we totally enjoyed viewing the amazingly beautiful city and stunning coastline of Muscat. Now we travel across the Arabian Sea on our way to the west coast of India, specifically Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay).

Muscat love?

 




Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 11, 2022 at 1:39 PM

    What amazing views y’all are seeing! Mountain coast is beautiful! I like the Arabian lifestyle !! I’m still trying to get past being thanked for eating! Lol
    ELLEN HEBERT HUTCHINSON

    ReplyDelete

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