Things to see and do Mascate

Located in the Al Ghubrah district, at the northern entrance to the city, the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the most majestic in the entire sultanate, can be seen from the highway linking Seeb airport to Muscat's inner suburbs. Although it is visually second only to another more recent and equally beautiful mosque - the Mohammed Al Ameen Mosque - the Great Mosque of Sultan Qaboos is the first impressive building to be seen on entering the capital. Alongside the Royal Opera House in the Qurm district and the National Museum of Oman in Old Muscat, it is one of the major structures commissioned during the reign of Sultan Qaboos.

With a surface area of 416,000 m² and room for 20,000 worshippers, this superb place of worship, inaugurated in 2001, reflects the spiritual strength of the nation. Its construction, which took more than six years, was entrusted to two architectural firms, one Omani (Architects International) and the other London-based (Quad Design), who favoured a blend of modernity and tradition. The entire complex is clad in cream-coloured "arabescato" sandstone in the prayer areas and lilac-coloured "taj" in the riwaqs (transitional spaces between interior and exterior with arcades). The stones were imported from India and cut in Muscat. The mosque's main entrance is on the south side and opens onto a beautiful flower garden. It leads to three other entrances, all of which open onto vast open spaces. The whole building consists of a vast platform at the heart of which is the main prayer hall and a smaller one for women. The limits of this sacred space are marked at each corner by a minaret, which rises to a height of around 45 metres, in addition to the main minaret, the fifth, 91.5 metres high, echoing the 5 pillars of Islam. On either side of the main buildings, as if framing them, are the riwaq: 240-metre-long arcaded corridors, decorated with mosaics and several domes, and housing the auxiliary rooms - notably the ablutions areas and a library rich in Arabic and English-language works that can be consulted on site.

The highlight of the visit isthe men's prayer hall , a masterly place, as much for its sheer size as for the beauty of its decorative materials and interior ornamentation: columns, stained glass windows, arcades, precious woodwork, finely sculpted ceilings, superb floral motifs... 6,500 people at a time can gather in the heart of the hall, under an immense dome rising to a height of fifty meters. The walls are entirely clad in white marble panels, dressed with carved tiles and decorated with geometric and floral motifs, as well as calligraphic inscriptions. At the far end, facing the heavy carved doors of the entrance, the mihrab facing Mecca is inlaid with carved earthenware tiles, with gold-colored tangles.

The Persian carpet is one of the room's jewels. Covering an area of 4,263 sq. m. in a single piece, it measures 70 x 60 meters, weighs no less than 21 tons, is made up of 1,700 million knots and comes in 28 shades, most of them obtained from vegetable dyes. Entirely hand-woven by 600 professionals, supervised by 15 experts from the Iranian province of Khurasan, it took four years to make. The carpet was brought to the main prayer hall in 58 pieces, which were assembled on site by specialists. Visitors are not allowed to tread freely on this vast and superb single piece, which is, to this day, the largest handmade Persian carpet in the world.

The chandeliers are the other centerpiece of the men's prayer room. No fewer than 35 of them, made of Swarowski crystals and gold-plated pieces, illuminate the great hall. The most imposing stands beneath the dome. It's a masterpiece, eight metres in diameter and fourteen metres high. Weighing eight tons, it is illuminated by 1,122 bulbs.

The stained glass windows are also remarkable, and were created by a French company, France Vitrail International. To enhance the building's prestige, the traditional technique was chosen. This uses only antique glass of uneven thickness, set with lead and then tinted with metal oxides.

Despite its beautiful woodwork doors and ceilings,the women's prayer room is much more sober than the main hall, and has no mihrab. Tradition dictates that women pray at home. As a result, the mosque's women's hall is much smaller, and can only accommodate 750 worshippers. It is equipped with audiovisual facilities, enabling women to pray under the guidance of the imam, whose preaching is broadcast live from the men's prayer room.

A majestic testament to the late Sultan Qaboos' unconditional love of great music, the Royal Opera House, some 142 years after the opening of the Cairo Opera House, had its Arab premiere in late 2011, with Franco Zeffirelli's Veronese Turandot conducted by Placido Domingo. With a capacity of about 1,100 people, the main auditorium is equipped with beautiful red seats. The spectators can follow the filmed version of the performance on the screen inserted in the backrest in front of them, but also the text of the libretto translated into the language of their choice. At the interval, in the foyer, one discovers a collection of rare antiques among which earthenware of Quimper Porquier-Beau, a lyre of the luthier of Mirecourt Jean-Baptiste Thouvenel or a bicentennial zither of Jean Hénocq. As music is a link between generations, the Omanis have chosen to equip the main hall with a polytimbral organ of 4,542 pipes by Klais, the historical organ builder based in Bonn. Tickets can be purchased at the reception desk or on the website. There is a possibility to attend a catch-up session from Saturday to Thursday from 8:20 am to 5:30 pm with a small guided tour of the opera house which unfortunately does not include the backstage area, but offers a nice overview of the auditorium.

Since 2020, this tour can be combined with the tour of The House of Musical Arts next door. Small extra charge.

To prolong the experience, you can stroll through the corridors of theOpera Galleria, a shopping mall of rare luxury and elegance.

The main entrance to the souk opens onto the cornice, to the left of the great blue mosque as you head towards Old Muscat. With your eyes closed, you are sure to arrive safely following the heady scent of incense! The main street of the market, entirely covered like the rest of the spaces, quickly splits in two. On each side, alleys full of all kinds of goods leave. Those that run to the right lead to the jewellery sector and its display cases of necklaces, bracelets, pendants, in silver and solid gold. Immediately after the entrance, still on the right, stands the corner of perfumes and pashminas. When you leave the central axis to the left, it is the area of poetic bric-a-brac. At the far end are the garment stalls. The atmosphere isn't intrusive, the salespeople just encourage you to come in without ever chasing you. Aboriginals and tourists rub shoulders in a good mood. First necessity purchases for some, superfluous for others, the possibilities are not lacking: from a pair of sneakers to old chests, through spices, jewellery, kandjars, pottery and various handicrafts. The stroll can be pleasantly prolonged, not to mention the time spent haggling for a "good price", a vague and rather arbitrary concept. Even if one has nothing to buy, the place is worth the detour for its very oriental atmosphere, its painted ceilings, its sometimes decorated beams, its scenes of life.

Opened in July 2016, the National Museum of Oman, by its architecture and the elegance of its lines, presents itself as a major and unmissable building of the country in the line of the great works undertaken under the reign of Sultan Qaboos - the Great Mosque, the Royal Opera House. Immaculate and proudly situated at the end of the esplanade facing the al-Alam Palace, this national jewel, imbued with a sober majesty, is naturally part of the old Muscat district - its peaceful and flowery streets, its well-kept buildings, its chic atmosphere steeped in history and culture... International in its conception and scenography, oriental in style, but in a refined way (vast perspectives, skylights, stylized arabesques), this fabulous complex is the showcase for retracing and appropriating the history and traditions of the country since the appearance of the human race in the Omani peninsula until today.

Fourteen permanent and thematic galleries (Maritime History Gallery, Splendors of Islam, Oman and the World, etc.) make up this vast, bright and modern complex, and allow visitors to discover no less than 5,500 objects - ancient pottery, weapons, jewelry, coffee pots, precious dishes, chests, antiques, etc. - all presented in such a harmonious way that the visitor is able to see the history of the country. - All of this is presented in such a harmonious way that one could come here for the sole pleasure of an aesthetic stroll. The museum's educational, cultural and humanitarian mission is nonetheless omnipresent and is first echoed in the twenty-minute introductory film, which is a must-see in the Gallery of Arms and Armor. Then, everyone is free to glean didactic information (in English, Arabic and Braille) from the various information panels, particularly those that introduce each gallery and each theme by drawing attention to thekey objects in each space. For the attention of children or the curious, the What is it panels highlight the most surprising objects, those whose meaning or initial function is difficult to guess at first glance, like this small incense burner in the shape of a boat exhibited in the Gallery of Prehistory and Ancient History. We appreciate the numerous interactive screens and the playful activities dedicated to the youngest visitors who will not remain insensitive to the incredible weapons, accessories, clothes, jewels, etc., testifying to the rich heritage and influence of the Sultanate through the ages. A little cheer in passing for the essay dated 1841 by the Frenchman Edmond Pâris on the shipbuilding of non-European peoples and also for the globe offered by François Mitterrand during a diplomatic visit of Sultan Qaboos in Paris in 1989 and on which the artist Fernand Pouillon has made appear the places dear to the former president such as Jarnac, Chateau-Chinon, Cluny or Solutré! By way of introduction, take the time to watch the video dedicated to the museum on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/embed/thZJNoABmGw?list=PL6FBEF7B4438D3F03) to get a clear idea of the beauty of the spaces, the size of the rooms, the modernity of the staging combined with the majesty of the openwork windows and doors where the light filters through the arabesques. Not to be missed!

New: the entrance ticket now gives access to Bait Greiza, the former residence of the sultan located 700 meters from the museum, and superbly restored.

Since 1998, when the house was converted into a museum, the folk arts and traditions of the sultanate have been presented in their best light in this beautiful old house of Sheikh Al Zubair, a local dignitary who served three sultans as minister and advisor. Funded by its founders, the Al Zubair family itself, the museum displays the private collection of Omani artifacts gathered by various members of the family over several centuries and is considered to this day one of the most interesting collections in the sultanate. The museum is composed of 5 separate buildings and includes a café and a souvenir store. It extends outside into a garden with features of the local culture, such as a reproduction of the famous Omani irrigation system: the falaj.

Bait Al Bagh is the main building. Once a gathering place for the Omani elite, it now houses six galleries on the first floor displaying collections of jewelry, clothing, pottery, weapons, and musical instruments in a fluid and easy-to-understand thematic arrangement. On the second floor, one can discover stamps, a collection of coins and another of manuscripts from the ^16th century, all of which are more or less precious objects that nostalgically recount the past of the Sultanate, its culture, and everyday life in the old days.

Bait Al Oud is the former main residence of the Al Zubair family and is mainly used for temporary exhibitions.

Bait Al Nahdhalah, a 4-story building is dedicated to the promotion of arts.

Bait Al Dalaleed, another traditional building, has been carefully restored to give visitors a glimpse of the essence of Omani life over 100 years ago. Inside, there is a majilis, an old bedroom, a café and a reading and relaxation area.

The Sarah Gallery is the first and one of the most important contemporary art galleries in the Sultanate.

Since its inception in 2005, the Bait Al Zubair Foundation has also developed numerous projects related to culture, heritage, arts, community, history and publishing. It is very active and supports young creators. Its objective is to safeguard Oman's cultural and religious heritage but also to promote, exhibit, study and develop it by encouraging the production of young artists and making them aware of the plurality of contemporary creativity.

Built in 1985 to dazzle the delegates of the Gulf Cooperation Council, this majestic palace sits enthroned in front of its mountain-framed bay. You step through the heavy wooden doors, carved like those of a very large mosque, and the 38-metre-high Atrium is decked out in precious materials, with a crystal fountain and walls covered in arabesques inlaid with gold leaf. A chandelier hanging from the dome illuminates the 18-meter lobby with sublime sparkles. A must-see!

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.

This beautiful Omani house of white stone and wood is located in the heart of Mutrah, on the seafront. Bait al Baranda means "the house on the veranda". Thanks to the latest museum techniques, you can trace the history of the town up to the present day through interactive exhibitions ranging from geology to prehistory, maritime life and folklore. In particular, the evolution of Muscat from the 1st century to 1744 is retraced, from the first known settlement at the time of the naval battles. An essential chronological point.

Beautifully set up facing the sea along the port road, a few meters from the main entrance of the souk, these beautiful white wooden houses recognizable by their elaborate balconies were built from the seventeenth century by merchants from India. Being of Shiite faith, they had the particularity of not mixing with other communities. They created this strictly private neighborhood and lived among themselves. Today, with the influx of tourists, the Lawatiya would have partially deserted the place. Admire the beautiful mosque with the blue dome.

This park is very popular with Omani families, who flock there in large numbers during the mild season to enjoy the games and rides. To get there, you have to walk along the entire Mutrah corniche to its southern end. The park can be identified from afar by the atypical white tower on its hillside, visible from the road: in fact, a large censer, which has become the symbol of the city of Muscat. From up there, the view plunges down to the corniche, the old port, the bay and its buildings - all pictures well worth climbing a few steps.

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Since their invention in 1853 in Paris, double-decker buses have travelled around the world. We find here the classic London model in an open-top version for a panoramic tour of about 1h45 without getting off. With the map available online or at the ticket office and downloadable on smartphone, choose your boarding point and get on Jacqueline! This tour, with commentary in French (audioguides in six languages and headphones provided), allows you to embrace the city in its entirety without getting tired of driving and, above all, without getting lost. It offers a complete panorama of the main natural, cultural, architectural and historical curiosities of the capital: cornices, forts, museums, mosques, souks, parks and gardens, shopping districts or old quarters... in complete freedom since you can go up, down, drag or not according to your will during the whole duration of the 24 or 48 hour package (buses every 30 minutes). This Hop on, Hop off formula is only valid on days when the cruise boats stop in Muscat harbour, which is the case 80% of the time - see the details of the online calendar. On the other dates, only the panoramic tour is proposed with two daily departures from the Mutrah Corniche: one at 10 am, the other at 2 pm. You can choose a place inside in the coolness of the air conditioning or nose to the wind, in the gentle warmth of the sun's rays or in the shade of the awning. A walk is highly recommended for a first contact with Muscat!

A sublime glass footbridge dressed in arabesques links this House of Musical Arts to the Opera. From the first step, an oriental melody envelops us and makes us fall immediately into a musical universe. The architectural lines of the Arab-Contemporary style, the arcades, the white marble exterior, and the precious wood interior all evoke those of the Opera House, of which this House is an extension. With 500 seats, the auditorium is the "lighter" version of the larger and more luxurious main hall.

The House of Musical Arts is intended to enrich the programming of the Royal Opera House by hosting other types of cultural events: dance shows or classical music to more contemporary, jazz, baroque, world music ... A music library, a cultural center, conference spaces and a permanent exhibition on music complete this beautiful ensemble.

The exhibition is a unique model of the history of music, instructive, entertaining and interactive. A succession of rooms allows visitors to explore the sounds and music of Oman and elsewhere, from the resonance of the natural world to the best of human musical production. The discovery is divided into six chapters: Nature, Science, Instruments, Community, Connections and Performance. Eventually, a campus on opera-related professions should also be created. To be experienced!

A must-do, even if you don't live in this area, to discover this particular facet of the capital: the mountains that come close to the coast and plunge into the sea, cutting into bays and valleys where luxury resorts or white neighborhoods like villages in the city are tucked away.

From Old Muscat, follow the coastal road to the Al Bustan traffic circle - you can stop to marvel at the atrium, which is open to all if you are dressed appropriately. Turn right onto An Nuzhah Street and then take the first left onto Qantab Street. Well before the junction leading to the new residential and hotel area of Jumeirah Muscat Bay, a wide esplanade offers a sublime panoramic view of the jagged coastline, the white neighborhoods encircled by their chaos of brown rocks, the hard blue of the sea so photogenic echoing a sky often of the same blue, powerful and limpid. Continue straight ahead on Al Jissah Street in the direction of the Shangri-La. At the Bandar Jissah traffic circle, start the wonderful panoramic descent towards the Muscat Hills Hotel just for the photo and the pleasure of seeing the bay gradually unveil itself between two twists and turns. Go back up to the traffic circle, gain height and continue for a few more kilometers on the ridge of the coastal mountains, until you reach the Shangri-La hotel area. Then turn around.

A remnant of the past, the royal city occupies a large part of Old Muscat, the oldest historical district of the city along with Mutrah. It was from this original small fishing port that Muscat became the prosperous city it is today. The fortifications and defensive buildings, restored in 1979 at the request of Sultan Qaboos, date back to the 16th century, the time of the Portuguese presence in Muscat. Three gates (Bab al-Kabir, Bab al-Saghir and Bab al-Mathaib) line the city and delimit the oldest section. One quickly falls under the charm of this small district which seems like a neat village in the heart of the capital: renovated houses, flowery sidewalks, immaculate streets... an Eden on the edge of the Arabian Sea! We understand why some ministries still remain there, like the one of Finance with its golden door. All the sights being held in a rather restricted perimeter, one discovers the city on foot, and why not a second time in the evening when the clever lighting of the buildings and the mountains lends itself particularly to an aesthetic and peaceful stroll. On site, three monuments are not to be missed: the two forts Al-Mirani and Al-Jalali, and the Qasr al-Alam, one of the residences of His Majesty the late Sultan Qaboos, now owned by the new Sultan Haïtham ben Tariq. This last palace, quite astonishing and of loaded style, is preceded by a huge esplanade framed by long buildings with arcades. It cannot be visited, but its flamboyant exterior architecture allows one to imagine the sumptuousness of its interior spaces and decorations. Large gold and blue columns reach for the sky, surrounded by beautiful beds of orange and purple bougainvillea, and armfuls of roses, one variety of which bears the name of the former sultan. The three monuments stand on the seafront, between ochre-colored rocks. To get there, you have to pass through one of the gates (ideally the one of Baba al-Mathaib, the closest one) and go to the water's edge, at the level of the cornice where you can find: on the left, the harbor; on the right, the Al-Mirani fort and the palace; and, in front of it, even more on the right, the Al-Jalali fort. Proudly standing on small escarpments, the two citadels are not to be visited either. The first one now houses the royal guard, while the second one is used by the army. From the cornice, one can see the names of the ships that passed through Muscat and left their mark on the cliffs bordering the port. The oldest inscription dates from 1876.

This stone door inspired by the ancient doors was built in 1995 west of Muscat as part of the celebrations marking 25 years of Sultan Qaboos' reign. The museum opened in the upper part of the building in 2001. A short stop is worth the detour before starting the visit of old Muscat. Here you can discover the city's evolution from a fortified fishing port to an expanding metropolis. From the roof, you can admire a beautiful panorama of the old city.

Located within the walls of Bait Al Falaj, a fort built in 1845 as a summer residence for Sultan Sayyid Said bin Sultan, this museum is well worth a visit, as it is well known that nations are forged by force of arms. From pre-Islamic times to the emergence of the Sultan's power, including the period of the imans, the portrait of the country is displayed in 22 rooms. Another interest: the gardens and their weapons, including a curious boat and the old Cadillac of Sultan Qaboos.

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.

Something very special has been woven over the years between Oman and France, a history where strategic thinking and commercial interests are intertwined. This "house of France", which was the heart and theater of this diplomatic and human chronicle, was originally the residence of a niece of Sultan Said, Ghaliah bint Salim. In 1896, Sultan Faysal proposed to France to install his first consul, Paul Ottavi, Corsica, the first of a series of thirteen, until 1920. As early as the 17th century, during sugar expeditions in the Indian Ocean, French ships anchored in the roadstead, the last point of call after Gorée, Good Hope, Sofala, Reunion Island and Zanzibar. At the beginning of the 19th century, relations took shape and in 1894 the decision was taken to send a southern off-roader previously stationed in Mogador (now Essaouira, Morocco), the famous Ottavi. Enter his office, reconstituted thanks to diplomatic archives and documents lent by the agents' descendants, discover the galleries of ships, costumes, maps and treaties, observe the astonishing parallels between French and Omani traditions, especially with Lorient and Marseille. In those days, the ladies of the region were not wearing raven veils, daring bright colours and patterns unthinkable nowadays; we will go, one day or another, to visit the Souleiado Museum in Tarascon to realize the aesthetic cousinage of the Indian women, these Provençal fabrics under oriental influence. Two treaties sealed the Franco-Omani friendship, the first in 1807 and the second, much more detailed and extensive, in 1844. Two years later, Omani captains with establishments in French colonies or territories were granted the privilege of sailing under the tricolour flag. In 1989, Sultan Qaboos, on a state visit to Paris, announced to President Mitterrand that he was making the former consulate available as a museum dedicated to bilateral relations. A unique establishment, without equivalent in other friendly countries, which was inaugurated by the two Heads of State on 29 January 1992. As a reminder that in heroic times the far-off lands were a priesthood, don't miss the French administrative documents in the consular office that detail the stays of the various representatives, and sometimes their sad fate: a first was repatriated because he "went mad"; a second was "murdered by heat stroke"; a third died "as a result of furunculosis".

It is undoubtedly the most charming seaside of the historic districts, like a pier fitted out with flowered areas where families come in the evening to picnic and stroll. Ideally located between the Mutrah Corniche and the old Muscat, the place is indeed very pleasant in the evening, in the cool, and many Omani families come here to let off steam their children after going to the souk. Possibility to refresh oneself or to buy an ice cream at the small kiosk at the entrance in a soft and majestic setting. An immersive and typical excursion!