Muscat / مسقط‎, Oman (02/10/2018 - 02/12/2018)

We had to be in Dubai for an internal company meeting and took advantage of the opportunity to arrive a little earlier and leave a little later to see the region, as I didn't know when I'd be back next (was planning on leaving the company).

I had always been fascinated by Oman, as an ancient trading point with evidence of such dating more than 8,000 years ago, yet keeping quite a low profile these days, eclipsed by its more active fellow GCC nations. I am also a huge fan of muscat grapes, which some say may have been named after Oman's capital, Muscat.  We were lucky to visit in winter as Oman is an extremely hot and dry country - reaching over 40C in the summertime. 

As we did not have much time, we stayed near the capital and its vicinity.  

If there is one word to describe Muscat, it's clean. Impeccably clean - at least in the main boulevards and squares, as well as near public buildings (if you go into the alleyways you can see and smell some rather unpleasant things).  In the main areas, you could literally see your reflection on the ground around major buildings, and the sidewalks were made of mosaic patterns with not a single chipped tile. 

I later learned that the rather enlightened and progressive Sultan Qaboos is quite keen on cleanliness, and one can incur a fine just for driving around with a dirty car. I was impressed with level of development considering most oil-rich nations kept the fortunes to themselves and their immediate relatives. Universal health, strong public infrastructure, high literacy and freedom of religion were all present in Oman.  The Sultan is also a big fan of classical music and thus Muscat has one of the nicest concert halls I've ever seen.  We were hoping to see the legendary Grand Mosque, but sadly PM Modi was visiting from India and the entire site was off limits.

Going around Muscat, we visited some ancient forts, some in better condition than others (Bahla was in rough shape, but it is Oman's only UNESCO fort), and quite liked the very round features, especially at Nizwa.

The food was ok, a lot of heavy stews with lentils and chickpeas - found ourselves most enjoying this Turkish restaurant on the side of the road between forts.