Muscat — The Arabia You Never Expected

Muscat: the Arabian Peninsula without the excesses

While Dubai builds artificial islands and record-breaking skyscrapers, and Abu Dhabi collects brand-name museums like souvenirs, Muscat — the capital of Oman — chooses a different path. By royal decree, no building may exceed the height of the minaret of the Grand Mosque. Façade colours are regulated in shades of white and cream. The waterfront is made of rock, not concrete. Oman is the opposite of the glittering Gulf: an Arabian Peninsula that has chosen sobriety, authenticity and respect for its own cultural identity. And Muscat is its most elegant expression.

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

The Grand Mosque is the architectural masterpiece of modern Oman, commissioned by Sultan Qaboos bin Said — the enlightened ruler who led the country from 1970 to 2020 — to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of his reign. It is the third-largest mosque in the world and is open to non-Muslim visitors (the only such case in the Gulf) every morning except Friday. The interiors are breathtaking: the Persian carpet in the main prayer hall, hand-woven in Iran by six hundred women over four years, is the world's second-largest (4,343 m²). The Swarovski chandelier weighs eight tonnes. Yet the atmosphere is not one of ostentation, but of devotion: the white marble, the geometric gardens and the silence create a profound sense of peace.

Mutrah: the souq and the corniche

The ancient heart of Muscat is Mutrah, the harbour district with the most atmospheric souq on the Arabian Peninsula. Unlike the air-conditioned malls of the Gulf, the Mutrah Souq is a genuine Middle Eastern market: a maze of covered corridors where you can buy frankincense (the signature product of Oman since antiquity), myrrh, rose water, textiles, khanjar (ceremonial Omani daggers with curved blades) and silver Bedouin jewellery. The scent of incense burning in braziers accompanies every step.

The Mutrah Corniche is Muscat's finest promenade: three kilometres of waterfront between the mountains and the harbour, with traditional wooden dhow moored alongside and the silhouette of Portuguese forts in the background. At sunset, Omani families stroll in white dishdasha and black abaya, children run, fishermen sell freshly caught tuna. This is everyday Arabia, not postcard Arabia.

Old Muscat

Old Muscat — the original nucleus of the city — is a small quarter enclosed by walls and dominated by the Portuguese forts of Al Jalali and Al Mirani, built in the sixteenth century when the Portuguese controlled the Indian Ocean trade routes. The Al Alam Royal Palace, with its blue and gold façade, is the sultan's ceremonial residence (not open to visitors but photographable). The National Museum, inaugurated in 2016, is a jewel of modern museography that tells the history of Oman from prehistory to the oil era with remarkable artefacts and interactive displays.

The Royal Opera House and culture

The Royal Opera House Muscat, inaugurated in 2011, was the personal dream of Sultan Qaboos, who was passionate about Western classical music. In a country where twenty years earlier there had not even been a theatre, Plácido Domingo and the Vienna Philharmonic now perform. The building, in an Arab-contemporary style, is open to guided tours and represents Oman's determination to combine tradition and modernity without surrendering its identity.

Excursions from Muscat

The countryside around Muscat offers extraordinary natural adventures. The Bimmah Sinkhole, an hour from the capital, is a natural crater 40 metres across filled with turquoise water where you can swim. Wadi Shab, reached via an hour's walk between rock walls, hides emerald-coloured natural pools and a waterfall accessible only by swimming through a cave. Wadi Bani Khalid offers similar scenery with fewer visitors. For those with more time, the Wahiba Sands desert (2 hours away) allows you to sleep in a Bedouin camp under the stars and try dune bashing in a 4x4.

Practical information

Getting there

From Italy, fly to Muscat (MCT) with Oman Air (direct flights from Milan Malpensa and Rome Fiumicino, around 6 hours) or via Istanbul, Dubai or Doha. Muscat International Airport, renovated in 2018, is modern and functional. A taxi to the centre costs around €10–15.

When to go

October to March: pleasant temperatures (20–30°C), clear skies. April to September is intensely hot (40–50°C) and not recommended. The best overall period is November–February.

Budget and tips

- Visa: e-visa or visa on arrival for Italian citizens (20 OMR for 30 days, around €50).

- Budget: around €60 per day — mid-range hotel €35–50/night, full meal €8–12. Oman is more expensive than Morocco but far more affordable than the Emirates.

- Currency: Omani rial (OMR), one of the world's strongest currencies (1 OMR ≈ €2.40).

- Car hire: the best way to explore Oman. Excellent roads, right-hand traffic, petrol almost free. From €15/day.

- Dress code: respect local modesty: shoulders and knees covered for everyone, especially in mosques and souqs. Women are not required to cover their heads except in mosques.

- Safety: Oman is one of the safest countries in the world. The crime rate is extremely low and Omani hospitality is legendary.

Muscat is the answer to those who think the Arabian Peninsula is nothing but petrodollars and shopping centres. Oman demonstrates that a country can be modern without losing its soul, wealthy without ostentation, open to the world without abandoning its roots. And in today's Gulf, that is a message worth more than any skyscraper.