Streets squares and districts to visit Oman

Even if it is less frequented than in the past, even if it sometimes seems disused, even if there is talk of it closing (when?) to be replaced by a "new incense souk that would respect a traditional spirit in terms of architecture and layout", it is to this day and in our eyes one of the most hypnotizing souks of the sultanate: a place carrying the brewing, the historical roads, the trading traditions.... perhaps because the women (originally the only tenants of the place, which is no longer the case today) have here faces where faraway Africa mingles with Arabia, colorful outfits, poses that make each stall a painting in the Brueghel oriental version. It's not big, you can go around it quite quickly and yet, each time, you turn around and go back for hours on end as if that were the magic of the place: in its small size, the welcome of the shoppers, the ambient kindness, the authenticity of the scents and of the old days.

It is here that you will find the largest number of varieties of incense and perfumes in the country. The stalls, all similar, are glued together. The white incense is called hujari. It is the most expensive, but also the purest compared to the others, more colourful and much cheaper. Known throughout the world, it is used in the composition of many great perfumes, including Amouage, the olfactory claw of the Sultanate. Also to be found: perfume burners and some souvenirs (stoles, pashminas, wooden canes, etc.).

Sur and Al Ayjah are separated by the maritime canal that feeds the waters of the lagoon. For centuries, dhows have been coming in and out, sailors have been embarking, workers have been carving the horseshoe sterns. In order to cross, one needed a boat or to go around the bottom of the lagoon, which is about ten kilometres long. But the State, which in Oman you have noticed does not count for road infrastructure works, decided in 2010 to offer Sur the first suspension bridge in the country. To approach Ayjah, walkers are advised, if the weather is suitable, to leave the vehicle on the Sur side and cross, on foot, this magnificent 204-metre long structure. After investigation, its architects are, unsurprisingly, the Germans of Schlaich-Bergermann, world leaders in suspended span structures, authors notably of numerous stadiums for the football world cup in South Africa, but also of the Mont Saint-Michel pedestrian footbridge project. At the end of the bridge, go to the left to quickly reach the small whitewashed fort located in the centre of the village (Al Hamooda Fort, open from Sunday to Thursday from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm, entrance 500 bz). Then, we recommend a stroll in freedom and according to your desires, passing by the banks of the lagoon and going up to the lighthouse for a superb view of the unbelievably coloured waters. The calm and old-fashioned atmosphere of the village contrasts with the liveliness and the overall style of the town of Sur just opposite, which is the interest of the place.

But why this long-isolated, bearded town? And why this very different architectural development? Historians tell us that Al Ayjah, like Al Ashkhara a little further south, is a Wahhabi land, which is extremely rare in Oman. Thus, in 1928, the rebel sheikhs of Beni Bu Ali established an independent customs post here and raised a flag to mark their sovereignty. They adopted the rule of Wahhabi Sunnism in the Saudi style, as did the Qataris a little later in the Gulf. The affair, of course, was not to the liking of the Sultan, who asked the British for help in bringing the restless into line - an arm wrestling that lasted 24 months. The revolutionaries are a distant memory, but religious rigorism is still present in this specific part of the city, which explains the systematic presence of the facial veil among women. Therefore, ladies, please do not visit the city in Ibizan dress.

To buy melons and dried fish, a carved wooden door or a magnificent khanjar, it is there, at the Ibra market, considered the second most important in the country after Muscat. To be frequented at the top of the buzz, on Thursday morning. The day before, Wednesday, the space is reserved for women, although the discreet presence of tourists is tolerated at the edge. In what looks by far like an unbelievable jumble, all the articles of daily life for oriental women are sold: incense, rose water, perfume, fabrics, children's clothes, bags...

This walk takes in the whole harbour: from the waterfront buildings such as the fish market, the elaborate houses of the Lawatiya, the entrance to the souk, the fort perched high up, the giant censer and the parks a little further away... to the superb boats anchored in the harbour - traditional wooden dhows and the Sultan's yachts, among the largest in the world (impressive size and splendour). Particularly lively in the morning and evening, the corniche is a popular place for Omanis to stroll around in the mild hours.

Open since 1993, this pretty seaside park is the green lung of the city. It is also the largest in the capital with vast lawns, flowerbeds, a rose garden, fountains, a lake where you can rent small boats, playgrounds for children, a mini fairground and stalls for a snack or refreshment. There is a nature reserve with mangrove swamps where you can observe many migratory birds that have come to Muscat for a stopover. Good to know: in this park, as in most others, free wifi.