Old Muscat

Alcohol purchased and discreetly stashed, we arrived at the hotel Panorama, based in the Panorama shopping mall.

The first thing that struck me about Omanis was how nice they are. Softly spoken and really helpful.

The second thing was how many of the men wear the dishdashah. (Long white robe, usually topped off with a small white , embroidered hat.) To our western eyes , they seem a strange sight in this very modern city.

The third thing that stood out as we strolled around the mall was how cosmopolitan Oman is. Now coming from the south of England, spitting distance of London, I thought we had by far and away the highest number of different nationalities in a city in the world, but Oman isn’t far off.

Our first excursion was to Old Muscat, which actually didn’t appear very old at all.

First stop was the Bait al Zubair museum. Fascinating collection of costumes, jewellery and other items of Omani culture. Like many countries, Oman is made up of different regions, each of them having their own customs and dress.

For me the most interesting section of the museum was the stamp display. Mohamed Alji was an avid philatelist who kindly donated his huge collection to the museum. The 1977 Queen Elizabeth silver jubilee stamps from all corners of the world were particularly fascinating.

Next stop was the Sultan’s Palace. A beautiful but surprisingly low key building surrounded by the most beautiful and immaculate gardens. Obviously we couldn’t go in but could peek through the railings and wander around the gardens outside of the palace.

Next, we drove into Muttrah and had a quick look round. Sultan Qaboos is obviously a man of the sea as his two yachts were moored in Muttrah harbour. When I say yachts, think cruise ships. Unbelievable.