Go with Henry: Adventures in the surf and turf capital

Monday, 28 December 2009

Adventures in the surf and turf capital - Muscat

English Teacher in Oman

Muscat trip highlights

Muscat 2008-2009

Background

I first arrived in Muscat on a plane from Sudan, teaching English in Khartoum. I came from a developing country filled with political strife, injustices, and poverty. Arriving in Muscat was a bit of culture shock. I encountered quite the opposite than what I've just experienced in Africa. Progress, development, grandeur, cleanliness were some things that struck me as I was picked up by a driver in Mercedes, fit for leaders of states, and taken to my hotel in Muscat.

The Muscat Holiday Inn was a four-star hotel, and at least from my point of view, endowed with luxury. That was my first date with Muscat, a huge city surface wise, but a small population, fit for the rich, yet with many nooks and crannies where the old and traditional has not been replaced with progress. Sultan Qaboos took power 40 years earlier when Oman was an ungoverned desert of Bedouins. It had one hospital, 3 schools, 10 km tarred roads, no police and men still went to the neighboring village to kidnap a wife for himself.

Within 40 years, it has shot upwards like a rocket passed most developed countries. Yet people's attitudes and education did not keep up with the pace of development. One now finds Bedouin mentalities driving fast luxury cars. It now is a vast modern city with grand malls, hotels, and restaurants....even a theatre. But also a city where the old and traditional, true relics of the past have survived.

I worked 3 hours away in Ibri, so we made regular trips to recuperate from living in rural Oman without its modern amenities and entertainment. We had friends in Muscat, which invited us to stay over a couple of times, but we also stayed a couple of times in a two-star hotel in Matrah where the Mutrah cornice is located. Later in 2011-2012 when I worked in Rustaq, we made regular trips to Muscat to do shopping and do sightseeing.

View from an old fort on top of a hill along Muttrah corniche

About Oman

Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the country shares land borders with the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.

Oman has modest oil reserves, ranking 25th globally. Nevertheless, in 2010 the UNDP ranked Oman as the most improved nation in the world in terms of development during the preceding 40 years. A significant portion of its economy is tourism and trade of fish, dates, and certain agricultural produce. This sets it apart from its neighbors’ solely oil-dependent economies. Oman is categorized as a high-income economy (Wikipedia).

View of a Muscat neighborhood

About Muscat

Muscat is the capital and largest city of Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. The total population of Muscat Governorate reached 1.4 million as of September 2018. The metropolitan area spans approximately 3,500 km2 and includes six provinces called wilayats. Muscat was ruled by various indigenous tribes as well as foreign powers such as the Persians, the Portuguese Empire, the Iberian Union and the Ottoman Empire at various points in its history. A regional military power in the 18th century, Muscat's influence extended as far as East Africa and Zanzibar.

Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in 1970, Muscat has experienced rapid infrastructural development that has led to the growth of a vibrant economy and a multi-ethnic society. Muscat is termed as a Global City.

The rocky Western Al Hajar Mountains dominate the landscape of Muscat. The city lies on the Arabian Sea along the Gulf of Oman and is in the proximity of the strategic Straits of Hormuz. Low-lying white buildings typify most of Muscat's urban landscape, while the port-district of Muttrah, with its corniche and harbor, form the north-eastern periphery of the city. Muscat's economy is dominated by trade, petroleum, liquified natural gas and porting.

The city referred to as "Muscat" is, in fact, three smaller towns which have grown together over time. They are:

Muscat - often referred to as the "walled city", Muscat proper is the site of the royal palaces.
Matrah (Matruh) - originally a fishing village, and home to the maze-like Matrah Souq.
Ruwi - generally considered the commercial and diplomatic center of the city.

This tripartite division will sometimes cause the visitor an inconvenience, as distances between sites can be very long.

My first photo in Oman. The view from the Muscat Holiday Inn hotel,
where CfBT housed us for 3 nights before we were transferred to the
different colleges of Applied Sciences across Oman

Cheap junk at the Daiso store - retail therapy

In front of the Daiso store with Ansu and Che

Cheap Korean merchandise for sale at the 600 Biazas Diaso store in Muscat.

Everything cost 600 Biazas (A sixth of an Omani Riyal)

Muscat street scenery across from the Diaso store

Ansu and Cheat at Andy's yellow car

Bits and bobs

Muscat scenery on the other side of Muttrah hill

Turkish bread

My wife Ansu at a Starbucks in Muscat

The Bible Society center in Muscat. Muscat also has a church compound with
3 different denominational churches, the only state-sanctioned place of
worship for Christians. Many Indian laborers are
Christians and frequent the Catholic church.

Inside the Markaz Al Bahja mall in Muscat

Muscat expressway

Qantab beach

Qantab beach scenery, across from the Al Bustan hotel development

On Qantab beach

Tourist boats on Qantab beach

Qantab beach

Tourist boats on Qantab beach

Qurum

Al Qurum Beach

Omani n deep thought - Qurum Al Shati plaza

City cinema complex at Al Shati plaza where we watched movies when going to Muscat

The scenery at Qurum Al Shati plaza. Qurum means mangroves and Shati means beach

Ansu at the movies - City cinema, Qurum Al Shati plaza.

Muscat cultural festival

Live on the radio at the Muscat festival

Traditional Omani life on display at the Muscat festival

Traditional Omani life on display at the Muscat festival

Fireworks at the Muscat festival

Fireworks at the Muscat festival

Scenic Muttrah

Muttrah, administratively a district, is located in the Muscat province of Oman. Before the discovery of oil, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman (Muscat). It is still a centre of commerce as one of the largest seaports of the region is located there. Other landmarks include Souq Muttrah, a traditional bazaar, and Sour Al-Lawatiah, a small community of houses surrounded by an old wall. (Wikipedia).