Muscat travel guide

Top 10 sights in Muscat

Ranked by Wikipedia language editions — proven fame.

1. 

   1© Ji-Elle · CC BY-SA 3.0

   Al Alam Palace

   The sultan's ceremonial palace on the old harbour, rebuilt in 1972 with a facade of gold and blue mushroom columns. It is used to receive heads of state and is not open, but the gate and the flagpoles are the standard photograph of Old Muscat.

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2. 

   2© Mohammedkhamisnasserkhamis · CC BY-SA 4.0

   The National Museum - Sultanate of Oman

   Oman's national museum, opened across from the Al Alam Palace in Old Muscat in 2016 after ten years of preparation. Fourteen galleries run from prehistory through the maritime and frankincense trades to the arms, jewellery and dress of the Sultanate.

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3. 

   3© Andries Oudshoorn · CC BY-SA 2.0

   Fort Al Jalali

   A Portuguese fort thrown up in the 1580s on an older Omani work to guard the harbour after Ottoman raids. Omani forces took it in 1650; for much of the 20th century it served as the country's main prison, and since restoration in 1983 it has been a private museum for state guests.

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4. 

   4© Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

   Fort Al-Mirani

   A fort in the old harbour that predates the Portuguese and was rebuilt by them in 1587. Its fall in 1650 to Sultan bin Saif ended a hundred and forty years of Portuguese rule on this coast; it remains a military site and is seen only from below.

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5. 

   5© cosmo45 · CC BY 2.0

   Oman Natural History Museum

   Oman's natural history museum, in the heritage ministry complex at Al Khuwair, covering the country's geology, plants and animals. Its whale hall holds a full sperm whale skeleton recovered from the coast.

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6. 

   6© Sherenk1 · CC BY-SA 4.0

   Mohammed Al Ameen Mosque

   A mosque finished in 2014 at Bawshar, paid for by the Bahwan family, whose name it is often given. It is one of the few large Omani mosques that admits non-Muslims in the mornings, and the plasterwork and chandeliers are worth the detour from the corniche.

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7. 

   7© ابلة مريم محمد الغلمان · CC BY 4.0

   Zawawi Mosque

   A mosque opened in 1985, built by Omar Zawawi in memory of his father, and known for the band of calligraphy that runs the length of its facade. It is one of Muscat's better-regarded modern buildings.

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8. 

   8© Francesco Bini · CC BY-SA 4.0

   Bait al Zubair Museum

   A family collection opened to the public in 1998 in a merchant's house on Al Saidiya Street, holding khanjar daggers, muskets, jewellery and dress gathered by the Zubair family. A scale model of an Omani village stands in the garden behind.

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9. 

   9© Tristan from Luxembourg, Luxembourg · CC BY 2.0

   Muscat Gate Museum

   A museum opened in 2001 inside the walls of the old city gate, running from Neolithic Oman through the seafaring centuries to the present. The rampart walk over the top of it gives the view down into Old Muscat.

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10. 

    10© Juozas Šalna · CC BY 2.0

    Oman Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre

    A museum given by Petroleum Development Oman in 1995, explaining the geology of the peninsula, how the oil was found and what drilling actually involves. It is more interesting than it sounds and is free.

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1. 

   1© Alaa Najjar · CC BY-SA 4.0

   Museum of Omani Heritage

   A museum opened in 1974 on Al Alam Street covering Omani traditional life — the sailing, the falaj irrigation, the crafts and the dress of the interior and the coast.

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