By: Jeanette Teh
Fatigued by the daily grind of being corporate drones, my husband and I decided to embark on a three-day weekend getaway to the quiet little town of Muscat to unwind. Although some dispute the origin of its name, the capital city of the Sultanate of Oman is said to be named after the word “anchorage”, which would seem fitting given that its economy is partially based on port services.
Located on the Arabian Sea along the Gulf of Oman, Muscat is a pretty city of white buildings and tree-lined streets contrasted against the brown rock backdrop of the Western Hajar Mountains. Paying homage to Arabic tradition, city regulations mandate only white or beige-coloured facades and prohibit the development of buildings higher than seven stories, rendering the city devoid of skyscrapers. Most large office and government buildings are also built in the traditional Gulf-Arab architectural design.
Although Muscat is approximately 383 kilometres from Dubai, the journey took us almost six hours since we had to participate in the obligatory getting lost phase and had to make five stops at the border for passport control, car insurance, visit visas, car inspection, and ticket exchanges. Fortunately, the view en route to Muscat is quite picturesque with desert landscapes and rocky mountains, which helped to ease the pain of the long drive.
First up, Rest and Relaxation
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is perched atop a cliff overlooking the sea and boasts a
private alcove beach for its guests. Going for a walk on the beach during low tide enabled us to explore the large rocks and grottoes, and frolick in the warm seawater. As the main objective of our trip was some R&R, we spent quite a bit of lazy time at the hotel, playing tennis and lounging by the poolside.
Our first excursion outside the hotel was to the nearby Qurum National Park, the largest park in Muscat, which featured rose gardens, a lake and an amusement park. We indulged the inner child in us and had fun playing around on the dhow (wooden boat) and a little heritage village complete with towers and mini-forts.
Exploring the City
Muscat is actually comprised of three smaller towns: Old Muscat — the walled city with the royal palace and forts; Mutrah — the original fishing village and souq area; and Ruwi — the commercial and diplomatic district housing most of the city’s embassies.
We began our tour of Old Muscat with a stop at the Al Alam Royal Palace, the office of Oman’s ruler Sultan Qaboos. It is an absolutely beautiful building — blue, gold and white in colour, and storybook-like in appearance. Although located on the harbour of Old Muscat, it was only built in 1972 and sits between Al Jalali Fort and Al Mirani Fort. The twin forts were built as prisons in 1580 by the Portugese who developed the city as their principal naval base. Unfortunately, since visitors are not permitted to enter the palace, which is generally only used for official purposes, we had to be content with taking lots of photographs outside. We were also intrigued by a pristinely white government building attached to the stunning palace that was reminiscent of Lego-like ice-blocks. In our photographing endeavours, we were greeted by a soldier, exhibiting the friendly trait of the Omanis, who chatted with us while we tried not to gawk at the massive gun over his shoulder.
Mutrah, the little town of fisherman and traders, is located in the neighbouring bay a few kilometers away from Old Muscat. We passed the Mutrah Corniche along the way which provided a lovely scenic drive. We stopped to take photos from an ancient watchtower, took a stroll on the promenade, and drove by several little marinas and a large playground facing the sea. Opposite the waterfront was the bustling Mutrah Souq, where shoppers go to purchase frankincense (the perfumed oil for which Oman is known), spices, textiles, gold, and fresh fish.
That night, we met up with a friend of mine from MBA and her husband at the Left Bank, a restaurant perched on a hilltop overlooking the city refreshingly devoid of skyscrapers, a nice break from the Dubai concrete jungle. Ironically, I had not seen my friend in years when we both lived in Canada, only to meet her half-way across the world in the Middle East. We spent the evening catching up and comparing stories about expat life in Dubai and Muscat.
We made our last sightseeing stop the next morning at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the third
largest mosque in the world. Comprising a 40,000 square metre complex on the sprawling 416,000 square metre site, the mosque is built from Indian sandstone and white marble, boasting five minarets and numerous archways, arcades and courtyards. Common in Islamic architecture, minarets are tall spire columns, generally taller than other parts of the main structure, topped with a crown. The minaret performs two vital functions — it is the location through which a speaker system announces the call to prayer at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night, while also providing ventilation from the heat.
Alas, since lazing at the hotel over a leisurely breakfast feast made us miss the visiting hours, we were unable to enter the mosque. We were terribly disappointed to miss the much-talked about 14-metre tall Swarovski crystal chandelier with the 1000 lights, the mosque’s marble paneling, and the second-largest hand made Persian carpet in the world. This prayer carpet covering 4343 square metres of the prayer hall (which has the capacity for 20,000 worshippers) took four years and many, many, many pairs of hands to produce.
So Much To See, So Little Time…
As with all good things, our weekend came to an end very quickly, almost in a blink of an eye. Inshallah, on our next visit we will not miss the breathtaking tour of the mosque and other wonderful activities the country has to offer. Muscat is a great base for water-based adventures and day trips such as diving, snorkelling, seeing sea turtles, or visiting historic sites like the ancient city of Nizwa. However, since the purpose of our mini-break was primarily relaxation and getting a little taste of what Muscat has to offer, our agenda was deliberately sparse and successfully accomplished.
This article was originally published in 2010 in bazaar.
Jeanette Teh is a legal and corporate trainer, adjunct (assistant) professor, non-practicing lawyer, writer, coach, and founder of Kaleidoscopic Sky. You can find more about her at http://linkedin.com/in/jeanette-teh-601115.