Art galleries exhibition spaces foundations and cultural centers Mascate

Located at the eastern end of the corniche, below Mutrah Fort, this establishment is a grouping of several low, white houses that aims to represent a typical Omani house from the 50s and 70s and to tell the story of the cultural heritage, customs, and the weight of traditions. One walks through a succession of rooms furnished with furniture and everyday objects that evoke the life of the Omani people some fifty years ago. We appreciate the immersive aspect of the place, the admirable collection of clothes and the art gallery at the exit.

More than just an art gallery, Bait Muzna is one of the most important art consultants in the region. Founded by Sayyida Susan Al Said in 2000, this cultural center is committed to promoting contemporary art and preserving the essence of Arab art through various media and project management on a local and international scale. The gallery organizes regular seminars for artists to meet each other. A coffee shop will soon be opened inside the gallery and a roof top will be set up for events.

The gallery is located in a beautiful villa in the residential area of Madinat Al Qaboos. It offers a wide range of art objects, but also antiques, furniture that can be purchased on-site, as well as gifts at smaller prices. A lively and dynamic space, Al Madina Art Gallery has a team of artists who are dedicated to it, as well as designers and trainers. Socio-cultural events are organised on a regular basis.

Latif Al Bulushi, three words in French, Omani cap screwed on his head, gives us a wide welcoming smile. This museum, he wanted it and financed it with his savings, and this since 1999, probably so that he wouldn't have to spend his old age watching TV. Can an autodidact play the curator? By opening the doors of its collections, our host provides immediate proof of this, taking us on an absolutely striking visit, here Umayyad and Zanzibar coins struck with cloves, there original letters from a former sultan to the president of the United States or a map by Rigobert Bonne, Louis XVI's cartographer at the Navy's hydrographic service. And this chess set, a Chinese marvel in ivory offered to the White House in 1833. We stop again in front of the official agreement granting navigation under the French flag to the dhows of Sur and, stunned, in front of the stunningly beautiful photographic portrait behind her mask, a Madonna with a piercing gaze. Assembled over more than twenty years, these personal treasures now populate vast rooms on the ground floor of Latif's personal residence, named Adam after his son. Our suggestion: visit Bait Al Baranda, the Museum of Omani History in Mutrah, and then treat yourself to Bait Adam for exchange, encounters and unique pieces. Don't hesitate to make a detour to the shop: it offers typical Omani objects to bring back as souvenirs, at rather interesting prices.