Qaboos bin Said al Said, the Sultan of Oman, directed that his country should have a Grand Mosque. It took six years to complete its building process. The mosque is the largest mosque in Oman which is located in Muscat. It is constructed from 300,000 tonnes of Indian sandstone. The main musalla can hold over 6500 worshippers, while the women's musalla can accommodate 750 worshipers.

Muscat

Sultan Qaboos Mosque

Al Fiqayn fort is located in Wilayat Manah and adjacent to Nizwa in Ad Dakhiliya governorate and 160 km away from Muscat. The fort has four storeys and visitors can see surrounding farms and old quarters.

Ad Dakhiliyah

Al Fiqayn Fort

Bait Ar Rudaydah castle is 24 km away from Nizwa, at the entrance of Wadi Al Muaydin. It represents a combination of historical and defensive architecture. This castle changed into a museum that demonstrates the heritage weapons of Oman and the progression in weapons during the passage of time. 

Bait Ar Rudaydah Castle

It was constructed around 1691 by imam Bil’arab bin Sultan and his brother, Saif bin Sultan, and they used it when they visited the area. It is an unusually tall and narrow house, with alternating square and round towers and it was restored in 1991

Al Batinah South

Bait Na’am

There are two lagoons of khawr Al Qurm Al Sagheer and Khawr Al Qurm Al Kabeer located in the fertile Dhofar Governorate of Oman. They are near the Hilton Hotel Salalah.

Dhofar

Khawr Al Qurum Lagoon

Al Husn Souq is located in the middle of Salalah’s old neighborhoods. The Souq derives its name from the Al Husn Palace (Sultan Palace) and you may hear other names for that such as Haffah Souq, Frankincense Souq, Luban Souk, and Bakhur Souk. According to the abundance of handicrafts, it has a traditional style and its surrounding maintains the architectural personality. There you can find frankincense, traditional Omani dress, and perfumes.

Al Husn Souq

At Royal Opera House, there are a number of activities and educational programs designed to enrich the general public and the audience about the importance of arts, music, and culture. The programs contain seminars, pre-performance Talks, workshops, etc. Its gallery contains international brands, wonderful shops, and international cafés and dining options. 

Royal Opera House

The museum contains exhibits about minting in Oman during the Islamic and pre-Islamic periods, exhibits about the circulation of coins and banknotes in the Sultanate of Oman, and information about the history of coins before the period of the issuance of Saidi Rial, the first national currency of Oman. It also has exhibits of the Islamic ashrafi.

The Currency Museum of Oman

Mutrah souq has also another name among Omanis: the Market of Darkness because it has narrow alleys roofed with wood and lacks sunlight. The souq has about 200 years and maybe its antiquity is the reason for its beauty. As you pass through the souq, there is an aromatic smell of frankincense, expense, and Arabian perfumes. It is also known for its handicrafts such as new apparel, shoes, traditional cloth, spices, Halwa (Omani sweet), etc

Mutrah Souq

Although it is called the Children’s Museum, it is suitable for all ages to see the animated version of science and technology and perceive their vital role in our lives. The museum is located in Al Qurum area of Muscat governoration

Children's Museum

The Armed Forces Museum is located at Fort Al Falaj House in the region of Ruwi in Muscat Governorate. The museum represents the weapons, instruments, clothing, and other defense equipment demonstrating the Omani armed forces throughout history. It also tells the story of progressive developments achieved by the Sultan Armed Forces to prospective generations.

Armed forces Museum

Bait Al Barandah Museum is located in Muscat Governorate which derives the name ‘barandah’ from the local pronunciation of ‘veranda’ (meaning ‘balcony’). The museum represents the history of Muscat from the geological formations to the present day. There are some technologies provided to display pictures of tectonic plate movement over the past 750 million years, activities forming continents in the past, and the way they will change through the next 750 million years. There is also documentation of Sultanate of Omanis history from the very beginning to the present day.

Bait Al Barandah Museum

Bait Al Zubair Museum is located in the Governorate of Muscat. It was founded by the Zubair family and opened in 1998. The museum represents ancient weapons including household equipment, Khanjar, and customs.  It displays the family’s collection of Omani artifacts which spans a number of centuries. There are 5 separate buildings including Bait Al Bagh, Bait Al Oud, Bait Al Dalaleel, Bait Al Nahdhah, and Sarah Gallery. You can also enjoy a number of traditional features, café, and gift shops. 

Bait Al Zubair

Muscat Gate Museum is located on Al Saidiya Street in Old Muscat and above the Muscat Modern Gate. It was opened in 2001 and tells the Omani history from the Neolithic times to the present. It has special exhibits on Muscat water springs, ancient wells, underground channels, houses, souqs, mosques, harbours, and forts. 

Muscat Gate Museum

Natural History Museum is located in the Ministry of culture and heritage in Al Khuwair area. It was opened in 1985 and represents the diversity of the Omani environment through insects, plants, marine life, wild animals, geology, etc. the museum has a small size and contains taxidermized rare animals (e.g., Arabian leopard, caracal, Arabian oryx, Arabian wolf, red fox, ghazal, ibex, flamingo, birds, crow, owl, reptiles, snake lizards, snails, and shells), the skeleton of marine organisms, birds and reptiles lived in Oman.

Natural History Museum

Omani-French Museum is a heritage museum located at Qasr Al Alam Street in Old Muscat. The museum contains historical documents, photographs of early French diplomats, Omani and French customs, and Omani-French ships.

Omani-French Museum

Mutrah Fort, one of the oldest forts, is located on a rocky hill that overlooks the town. It was built by the Portuguese in the mid-16th century during their occupation. The fort was used for keeping prisoners. It is interesting that it still preserves its original war weapons and structures.

Mutrah Fort

Wadi Al Khoud is one of the largest wadi basins in Oman. Heavy rains form the pools in the wadi. It is located in Wilayat Al Seeb, 20 minutes outside the Governorate of Muscat. Among the activities to do in this area, we can mention the 4*4 driving and sightseeing through archaeological and historical landmarks in Khoud village such as Bait Al Oud, Falaj Abu Bahaya, Falaj Al Sarat, Al Khoud Castle, and Ain Al Sakhna hot springs.

Wadi Al Khoud

Bawshar Sands is a perfect dune experience in Muscat and is excellent place to enjoy the dunes with SUVs. Visitors can glide on their rented sand bikes. They can also climb up the sandhills and get a beautiful view of the sunsets.

Bawshar Sands Desert

Al Bustan Beach is located in Muscat Governorate. Al Bustan Palace Hotel is located over the beach and overlooks the mountains with the hotel’s sands and beaches. These mountains provide an unsurpassed sense of privacy on the beach.

Al Bustan Beach

Mutrah Corniche Beach is located near the Port Sultan Qaboos, one of the most important ports in Oman, which overlooks rocky formations and beautiful mountainous. It is an ideal place for watching the sea, having picnics, and enjoying ancient buildings.

Mutrah Corniche Beach

Al Qurum Beach is located in AlQurm area in Muscat Governorate. It covers a large area and there are a number of large chain hotels built next to it such as Crowne Plaza and Muscat InterContinental Hotel. This beach is considered one of the busiest in Muscat due to its location near shopping centers and restaurants. Walking along the beach and then rest on the numerous chairs and umbrellas are among the activities to do in Al Qurum Beach.

Al Qurum Beach

Abner Rath

Beginner

Carter Kessler Jr.

Dr. Monica Kirlin Sr.

Prof. Darion Feil MD

Jamil Sawayn

Betsy Feeney

Chaya Kuhic

Bertram Hill

Amaya Thiel

Doyle Bartoletti

Fleta Mayer DVM

Dr. Treva Hodkiewicz

Citlalli Okuneva

Dr. Alexanne Considine PhD

Tania Nader

Hillard Aufderhar

Gilberto Kshlerin

Gina Jacobi

Darian Walker

Jaclyn Romaguera

Al Hazm fort, one of the most beautiful Omani forts, is located in Wilayat Ar Rustaq in Al Batinah South Governorate. It was renovated and restored and changed into a high potential tourism attraction due to its unique architecture and solid defense features. It is open from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM every day except on Fridays. You can visit al Hazm Fort from 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM on Fridays.

Al Hazm Fort

Jabal Samhan with a maximum height of 2100 meters occupies an area of 4500 square kilometers and is among the most important mountain ranges in the Governorate of Dhofar. There are some species of animals living here such as Arabian gazelle, Nubian ibex, Cape hare, Rockhyrax, Desert hedgehog, Caracal, Striped hyena, and Arabian wolf. Acacia and gum trees are also among the kind of plants growing in this area. There are many plateaus with a number of streams for animals living there. 

Samhan Mountain

Jarnan Cave is located in Wilayat Izki in Ad Dakhiliya Governorate. The cave is 120 km far from Muscat. It has been recently discovered and estimated to be 2 million years old. It is also a good source of stalactites and stalagmites.

Jarnan Cave

Bahla souq, as part of the Bahla Oasis, can be considered a destination that allows you to travel in time and go to the past. The souq has about 142 shops with a varying range of products. Although it’s an old souq, some of its markets have been renovated, recently. Based on residents’ claims “this souq is our cultural heritage. Its story has been passed down from era to era”.

Collections

Sultan Qaboos Mosque

How to get there

See Other Travelers Reviews