Muscat is wedged between the sea and the mountains. Built on a 3 km wide fertile plain, the metropolis meanders for about 50 km at the foot of steep rocks. These dominate a dozen or so main districts and then, as they penetrate the city, they encroach on the land until they plunge into the sea where they form coves and bays like so many villages. White, airy, flowery, with buildings rarely exceeding five storeys, Muscat, unlike its arrogant neighbors UAE, cultivates an art of living specific to places irrigated by history. With parks, beaches, museums, cafes, walks... its gentle way of life and sobriety are the best introduction to the rest of the country. 787Muscat (or Muscat in English), last customs formalities and the doors open on the capital of the sultanate of Oman, wedged all in length between the sea and the mountains. Built on a 3 km wide fertile plain, the metropolis, on a human scale, meanders over fifty kilometres between steep rocks, at the foot of which it lines up a dozen main districts. These are now considered an integral part of the capital, which, strictly speaking, used to concern only the eponymous district (now called the "historic" district): Muscat - the smallest capital in the world in this case. Leaving the airport, you come to a first gigantic roundabout. Then, a beautiful lighted highway heads towards the city. Trees line the track on both sides. You pass shops, roadside restaurants and then the huge Sultan Qaboos Mosque, a true jewel of Islamic architecture, stands with its immaculate domes and minarets in a changing sky. Roundabouts and interchanges follow one another, the directions multiply: Al Ghubrah on the left, Al Khuwair on the right, Qurm... As one approaches the capital stricto sensu, activity intensifies, small shops give way to shopping malls still full of onlookers at 9pm. In the Shatti Al Qurum district, the Royal Opera House, another architectural gem, offers its noble lines and radiant whiteness. The road continues, life seems to calm down a little, then, towards Ruwi, the excitement starts again! The mountains are getting closer: strange, dark, almost threatening... The way, until then traced parallel to the sea but set back from it, leads to the port of Mutrah, its fish market, its souk, its ancient dhows anchored in the roadstead. Muscat is indicated a little further on, three kilometres away. These are carried out along the coast, partly lined with a dyke that the walkers take to themselves in the evening. A door marks the entrance to the old quarter: a magnificent little village wedged between sea and land, and completely preserved from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the town! Like a pearl in its box. It is this hamlet, in part, which earned Muscat the title of the most beautiful capital of the Arab world at the end of the 20th century! But it is also and above all the superb mosques, the large white houses, the buildings rarely exceeding 5 floors, the parks, the flowers, the permanent and perceptible concern to respect the environment and to harmonize the city with its chosen site, even when it comes to building new hotels, a new congress centre, huge new state buildings, gleaming shopping centres, restaurants and cafés... Sobriety and discretion as a foretaste of the rest of the country...

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La ville de Mascate a servi de décor au film
La coupole et le majestueux lustre de la grande mosquée su Sultan Qaboos à Mascate. greta6 - iStockphoto.com
Grande Mosquée du Sultan Qaboos. Mlenny - iStockphoto.com
Porte d'une propriété à Fanja. Sylvie LIGON
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