Muscat Memories
Muscat, Oman - November, 2006
Muscat conjures up images of frankincense filled souks, pink dessert mountains and ancient stone fortresses. The city is now one of the top tourist destinations in the Middle East welcoming visitors with open arms but thankfully it hasn't become the slightest bit touristy.
Surrounded by acres of landscaped gardens and five minarets it glows white against the blue sky and can b e seen for miles.
The majority of visitors come to Oman for the weather. To spend a week in November lying by a pool at The Chedi when its cold and wet back home is heavenly. Although it’s tempting to just hibernate in luxurious surroundings it would be criminal to visit this beautiful country and not get a glimpse of the city and a taste of what lies beyond its spectacular mountains.
Despite all the images Muscat conjures up there is surprisingly little to see. The good news for sun worshippers is that you can tour the city in half a day and be back at your hotel for lunch. By far the most impressive building is also one of the newest. Completed in 2001, Sultan Qaboos’ Grand Mosque incredibly only took six years to build and is the only Mosque in Oman open to non-Muslims. Surrounded by acres of landscaped gardens and five minarets it glows white against the blue sky and can be seen for miles.
The highlight of the visit is walking round the main prayer hall on the largest hand-made Persian carpet in the world measuring 70 x 60 meters, gazing up at its ornate dome and being dazzled by the Swarovski crystal chandeliers. The exterior is equally stunning and the marble courtyards are so polished that they reflect the buildings and sky like a mirror. Cleverly each marble slab is the exact dimensions of a prayer mat allowing the mosque to accommodate up to staggering 20,000 worshippers.
Not many city tours will take you to the local fish market where, if you can stand the smell, you can wander around much to the amusement of the fish sellers who hold up still squirming fish for you to examine. The market also offers a fish filleting service but it was much more pleasant to look at the fruit, veg and spice market next door. Outside fishermen arrive with their catch and you can listen as the fish traders, dressed in traditional white gowns, haggle over the price. It’s a practice that hasn’t changed for thousands of years and the locals must think it strange that it’s now a tourist attraction.
The smell of frankincense hits you before you even enter Muttrah Souk and for only a few Rials you can buy a colourful terracotta burner, charcoal blocks and frankincense and bring home the scent of Oman. If you go in the morning the souk is remarkably quiet so there is no excuse not to stop and admire the numerous gold shops and pick up a couple of vibrant pashminas for next to nothing.
if you can stand the smell, you can wander around much to the amusement of the fish sellers who hold up still squirming fish for you to examine.
The walled historic “Old Muscat” is surprisingly small and primarily made up of the 16th century Portuguese forts of Mirani and Jalali that lie on either side of the volcanic harbour. The sand-castle like fortresses are the same colour as the rocks they sit on and are a sharp contrast to the glitzy blue, white and gold Al Alam Palace, built in 1972 and the official residence of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. After some photos, a quick stop at Bait Al Zubair museum to learn more about the history and culture of the Sultanate is worth a visit if only to escape the heat and use its spotless restrooms.
Muscat has sprawled “out” and thankfully not “up” like its neighbour Dubai and the city is immaculately clean, green and modern. A drive back along the waterfront Corniche, where the fish market and Muttrah Souk are located, past large hotels, embassy buildings and expensive homes brings you to Shatti Al Qurm waterfront where after admiring the pristine beach and sparkling sea completes the shortest city tour ever.
No matter where you are you can’t escape the Al Hajar mountain range that forms a magnificent backdrop to the city. Leaving Muscat for the day and driving down the coast towards Tiwi lets you get up close and personal with them. After stopping briefly at the Bimah Sinkhole with its blue-green water our 4WD continued off-road, up and down ravines until we eventually found our way back onto tarmac. Throughout our journey we had several sightings of the new motorway which once completed will make the trip quicker but it won’t be nearly as much fun.
Apart from finding out what lay on the other side of the mountains the main purpose of the day trip was to discover what a Wadi looked like. When we arrived at the coastal entrance of Wadi Shab we were surprised when our guides insisted we do the 40 minute walk to the Wadi’s “swimming pool” ourselves. As they happily settled back to chat, we trekked off through banana and mango trees following a path that for the majority of the way was easy to follow but in places just vanished.
After a few minutes treading water with cold walls brushing our cheeks we emerged inside a rock cave with its own waterfall.
The Wadi becomes more spectacular the further into the gorge you walk with its oasis-like palm trees and pink barren mountains stretching up to the blue sky. Luckily an enterprising young lad had set up his business escorting visitors like ourselves the last stretch as without his help we would never have found the hidden pool.
Feeling brave we stripped down to our swimsuits and jumped into the jade green water and under the careful direction of our young guide we swam, waded and crawled through several pools heading further upstream. Eventually we arrived at a narrow slit in the rocks that, if you turned your head to the side, was just wide enough to pass through. After a few minutes treading water with cold walls brushing our cheeks we emerged inside a rock cave with its own waterfall.
Still following our guide we climbed up on to a ledge from where we could dive into the deep pool and climb up the waterfall with the help of a rope. After playing for ten minutes we negotiated the river back to the main pool where we were re-united with our belongings. Once dry we thanked our young guide and headed back down the Wadi passing a bus load of walkers half way. Thankfully we had beaten them to the pool or else the magical experience would have been spoilt.
Back in the jeep we headed along the coast to White Beach where we had a picnic lunch by the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Oman. There were another couple of 4WD’s picnicking on long stretch of beach but otherwise we had the place to ourselves. The finale of the trip was to help dig out one of the other 4WD that had got stuck in the quicksand-like stones and then dig out our own when our driver went to their assistance.
Although it’s easy to imagine living in Muscat and the country of Oman is beautiful and worth exploring more, it was our stay at The Chedi that made this an amazing holiday destination. So, if you would like to feel like a Sultan for a week book into a Chedi Club Suite, dine under the stars on your own terrace and fall asleep dreaming of magical mountains, white beaches and the smell of frankincense.