Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
incense burner (worth a snapshot in its own right). There's also a small funfair. Further
along the corniche, Kalbuh Bay Park juts into a sea that's full of large shoals of sardines.
The park is a good place for an evening stroll from Mutrah.
Watchtower
TOWER
The restored Portuguese watchtower sitting proudly on a promontory out to sea, halfway
along the corniche, affords a lovely view of the ocean. The area is a popular place to catch
the evening breeze and is decorated with colourful fountains at night.
MUTRAH SOUQ
Describing Mutrah's attractions, a local said 'you must visit the souq-or-market'. Thinking he said 'supermarket',
it was a surprise to find a warren of alleyways with no checkouts - but there are some similarities. For a start, just
when you thought you'd fathomed where to find the frankincense, you find that alleyway now stocks Thai cloth-
ing. Secondly, though you fully intended to look for a present for Aunt Alice, you came out with a toy helicopter,
two melamine trays and an armful of fairy lights instead. Thirdly, even though you definitely didn't want to buy a
dishdasha
(man's shirt-dress), there was a special offer for three. And finally, although all alleyways seem to be
heading for the exit, you can't actually get out.
Mind you, getting a little lost is part of the fun of the souq, as that is the most likely time you'll stumble on the
'special offers' - the ones unique to 'that place' at 'this time'. And Mutrah Souq has plenty of those - like the old
picture frames, complete with woodworm, from the wood-crafting town of Ibra; antique
mandoos
(wedding
chests) with brand-new thumbtacks brought down from the Hajar Mountains; rope-twined muskets that saw ac-
tion in the Dhofar wars of the 1970s; an alleyway of sandals that complete the men's smart Omani costume; and
another of aluminium serving dishes for the traditional Omani
shuwa
(marinated lamb cooked in an underground
oven).
In summary, from a camel with an illuminated hump to a mosque alarm clock, Mutrah Souq sells all the things
you never wanted but can afford to buy (plus a few you did and can't) and is an experience not to be missed.
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1
Old Muscat
The main road leads via the corniche to the tiny, open-gated city of Muscat, home to the
palace and
diwan
. It sits cradled in a natural harbour surrounded by a jagged spine of hills
and makes a fascinating place to spend half a day. It is the site of Oman's brand-new na-
tional museum (opposite the palace entrance), the opening of which is expected in 2015.
