Muscat, Oman

Economy | Notable landmarks | Waterways | Transport : Air : Road | Culture

🇴🇲 Muscat is the capital city and is the most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. The metropolitan area includes six provinces called wilayats. Known since the early 1st century AD as an important trading port between the west and the east, 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. As an important port-town in the Gulf of Oman, Muscat attracted foreign tradesmen and settlers such as the Persians and the Balochis. Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in 1970, Muscat has experienced rapid infrastructure development that has led to the growth of a vibrant economy and a multiethnic society.

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 harbour, form the north-eastern periphery of the city. Muscat's economy is dominated by trade, petroleum, liquified natural gas and porting.

Economy Muscat's economy, like that of Oman, is dominated by trade. The more traditional exports of the city included dates, mother of pearl, and fish. Many of the souks of Muttrah sell these items and traditional Omani artefacts. Petroleum Development Oman has been central to Muscat's economy since at least 1962 and is the country's second largest employer, after the government. Its major shareholders include Royal Dutch/Shell, Total, and Partex and its production is estimated to be about 720,000 barrels per day (114,000 m³/d). Muscat also has major trading companies such as the Suhail Bahwan Group, which is a trading partner for corporations such as Toshiba, Subaru, Seiko, Hewlett Packard, General Motors, RAK Ceramics; Saud Bahwan Group whose trading partners are Toyota, Daihatsu, KIA and Hertz Rent-a-Car; Zubair Automotive whose trading partners include Mitsubishi, and Chrysler brands such as Dodge; and Moosa AbdulRahman Hassan which operates as one of the oldest automotive agencies in the entire region having been established in 1927. The private Health Care sector of Muscat, Oman has numerous hospitals and clinics.

The Muscat Securities Market is the principal stock exchange of Oman. It is located in Central Business District of Muscat and it was established in 1988, and has since distinguished itself as a pioneer among its regional peers in terms of transparency and disclosure regulations and requirements.

Mina'a Sultan Qaboos, Muscat's main trading port, is a trading hub between the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East with an annual volume of about 1.6 million tons. However, the emergence of the Jebel Ali Free Zone in neighbouring Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has made that port the premier maritime trading port of the region with about 44 million tons traded in cargo annually. Many infrastructure facilities are owned and operated by the government of Oman. Omantel is the major telecommunications organisation in Oman and provides local, long-distance and international dialling facilities and operates as the country's only ISP. Recent liberalization of the mobile telephone market has seen the establishment of a second provider, Ooredoo.

Muscat is home to multibillion-dollar conglomerate CK Industries with their headquarters located in Ruwi. Ajman based Amtek Industries also have a couple of offices around the city. It is also home to Galfar Engineering, headed by P. Mohammed Ali.

The airline Oman Air has its head office on the grounds of Muscat International Airport.

Notable landmarks The city has numerous mosques including the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Ruwi Mosque, Saeed bin Taimoor and Zawawi Mosque. A few Shi'ite mosques also exist here. Muscat has a number of museums. These include Museum of Omani Heritage, National Museum of Oman, Oman Children's Museum, Bait Al Zubair, Oman Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre, Omani French Museum, Sultan's Armed Forces Museum and the Omani Aquarium and Marine Science and Fisheries Centre. The Bait Al Falaj Fort played an important role in Muscat's military history.

Recent projects include an opera house which opened on October 14, 2011. One of the most notable new projects is the Oman National Museum. It is expected to be an architectural jewel along with the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Visitors are also encouraged[who?] to visit Old Muscat and the Old Palace. The main shopping district is situated in Al Qurum Commercial Area. However, shopping malls are spread out throughout the city. One of the largest malls in Oman is Oman Avenues Mall, located in Ghubra. The second largest mall is in Seeb, near the international airport, called City Centre Muscat, housing all major international brands and the largest Carrefour hypermarket. Two new megamalls opened recently in the Mabela area of Muscat are Al Araimi Boulevard and Mall of Muscat. Mall of Muscat is also home to Oman Aquarium and a snow park which will be opened in late 2019.

Waterways Sultan Qaboos Port serves as one of the most important ports of Muscat Governorate, which is well known for being sailing of many commercial ships and boats. Here also, the traditional boats of Arabian Peninsula named Dhows can be also seen. This port since many centuries have been a main commercial and financial centre in terms of its international maritime trade.

Transport: Air The main airport is Muscat International Airport (formerly known as Seeb International Airport) around 25 km (16 mi) from the city's business district of Ruwi and 15 to 20 km from the main residential localities of Al-Khuwair, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Shati Al-Qurm and Al-Qurm. Muscat is the headquarters for the local Oman Air, which flies to several destinations within the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, East Africa and Europe.

Transport: Road The Muscat area is well serviced by paved roads and dual-carriageway connects most major cities and towns in the country.

Since November 2015, Public transportation in Muscat has been revamped with a bus network connecting most important parts of the city with a fleet of modern Mwasalat (earlier Oman National Transport Company buses. Mwasalat buses procured from VDL of the Netherlands and MAN of Germany have several hi-tech features, including free Wi-Fi. • Route 1 (Ruwi-Mabela) serves people travelling major shopping destinations (Oman Avenues Mall, Muscat Grand Mall, Qurum City Centre, Muscat City Centre, Markaz al Bhaja) and Muscat Airport. • Route 2 (Ruwi-Wadi Kabir) serves the residential and industrial district of Wadi Kabir. • Route 3 (Ruwi-Wadi Adei) serves the downmarket residential belt of Wadi Adei. • Route 4 (Ruwi-Mattrah) serves the tourist destination of Muttrah Corniche, Al Alam Palace, Muttrah Fort, National Museum and Port Sultan Qaboos and churches/temples. • Route 5 (Ruwi-Amerat) serves the rapidly developing Amerat suburb. • Route 6 (Ruwi-SQU&KOM) serves the student community of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and the office commuters of Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM). • Route 7 serves the three major malls in Muscat - Al Araimi Boulevard, Mall of Muscat and Markaz al Bhaja and Muscat City Centre. • Route 8 serves Al Khuwair and Al Mouj Integrated Complex • Route 9 serves Ansab and Misfah industrial area. • Route 10 serves Seeb Souq and Mawelah Vegetable Market. • Route 12 serves Oman Convention and Exhibition, Ghala areas. • Route 14 serves Petroleum Development Oman, Qurm Natural Park, Qurm City Centre, Khoula Hospital. • Routes 1b and 1A are special buses to Muscat International Airport.

Several forms of public transport are popular in Oman. Most popular are the "Baiza" buses, so named for the lower denomination of the Omani rial, the baiza (an adaptation of the Indian lower denomination paisa). These are relatively inexpensive and service all major roadways, as well as a wide and loose network of smaller byways in the greater Muscat metropolitan area, opportunistically dropping off and picking up passengers at any location. Less popular and slightly more expensive are large public buses, coloured red and green, whose service is limited to major roadways and point-to-point travel routes between Oman's major cities and towns. Taxis, also colour-coded orange and white, provide semi-personal transportation in the form of both individual hire and the same opportunistic roadway service as Baiza buses.

Baiza buses and colour-coded orange-and-white taxis are unmetered, after several government initiatives to introduce meters were rejected. The fare is set by way of negotiation, although taxi drivers usually adhere to certain unwritten rules for fares within the city. In many countries, one is advised to negotiate a fare with the driver before getting into a taxi. However, in Oman, asking for the fare beforehand often demonstrates a passenger's newness and unfamiliarity with the area. One should always find out the normally accepted fare for one's journey from one's hotel or host before looking for a taxi. Taxis will also generally take passengers to locations out of the city, including Sohar, Buraimi and Dubai.

Culture Outwardly, Oman shares many of the cultural characteristics of its Arab neighbours, particularly those in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Despite these similarities, important factors make Oman unique in the Middle East. These result as much from geography and history as from culture and economics. The relatively recent and artificial nature of the state of Oman makes it difficult to describe a national culture; however, sufficient cultural heterogeneity exists within its national boundaries to make Oman distinct from other Arab States of the Persian Gulf. Oman's cultural diversity is greater than that of its Arab neighbours, given its historical expansion to the Swahili Coast and the Indian Ocean.

Oman has a long tradition of shipbuilding, as maritime travel played a major role in the Omanis' ability to stay in contact with the civilisations of the ancient world. Sur was one of the most famous shipbuilding cities of the Indian Ocean. The Al Ghanja ship takes one whole year to build. Other types of Omani ship include As Sunbouq and Al Badan.

In March 2016, archaeologists working off Al-Hallaniyah Island identified a shipwreck believed to be that of the Esmeralda from Vasco da Gama's 1502–1503 fleet. The wreck was initially discovered in 1998. Later underwater excavations took place between 2013 and 2015 through a partnership between the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture and Blue Water Recoveries Ltd., a shipwreck recovery company. The vessel was identified through such artifacts as a "Portuguese coin minted for trade with India (one of only two coins of this type known to exist) and stone cannonballs engraved with what appear to be the initials of Vincente Sodré, da Gama's maternal uncle and the commander of the Esmeralda".

Muscat Time 
Muscat Time
Image: Adobe Stock Angelo D'Amico #249585089

Muscat is rated Beta − by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) which evaluates and ranks the relationships between world cities in the context of globalisation. Beta level cities are cities that link moderate economic regions to the world economy.

Muscat is rated D by the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (GUCR) which evaluates and ranks world cities in the context of economic competitiveness. D cities are regional hub cities. Muscat was ranked #1233 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Muscat has a population of over 76,340 people. Muscat also forms the centre of the wider Muscat Governorate which has a population of over 1,400,000 people.

To set up a UBI Lab for Muscat see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork

Twin Towns, Sister Cities Muscat has links with:

🇯🇴 Amman, Jordan 🇪🇬 Cairo, Egypt 🇲🇦 Casablanca, Morocco 🇹🇳 Tunis, Tunisia
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license | GaWC | GUCR | Nomad

Antipodal to Muscat is: -121.45,-23.6

Locations Near: Muscat 58.55,23.6002

🇴🇲 Muttrah 58.567,23.617 d: 2.5  

🇴🇲 Ibra 58.55,22.683 d: 102  

🇴🇲 Rustaq 57.42,23.399 d: 117.3  

🇴🇲 Nizwa 57.533,22.933 d: 127.6  

🇴🇲 Bahla 57.298,22.968 d: 145.9  

🇦🇪 Al Fujairah City 56.333,25.117 d: 280.8  

🇮🇷 Chābahār 60.632,25.299 d: 283  

🇦🇪 Fujairah 56.334,25.122 d: 281.1  

🇦🇪 Al Ain City 55.686,24.207 d: 298.8  

🇦🇪 Ras Al Khaimah 55.95,25.767 d: 356.4  

Antipodal to: Muscat -121.45,-23.6

🇵🇫 Papeete -149.566,-17.537 d: 17016.9  

🇵🇪 Piura -80.633,-5.2 d: 15192.6  

🇵🇪 Chiclayo -79.844,-6.764 d: 15198.5  

🇵🇪 Trujillo -79.034,-8.103 d: 15185.7  

🇵🇪 Chimbote -78.583,-9.067 d: 15187  

🇵🇪 Callao -77.15,-12.067 d: 15175  

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo de Azueta -101.55,17.633 d: 14946.6  

🇪🇨 Salinas -80.968,-2.207 d: 15054.7  

🇲🇽 Lázaro Cárdenas -102.183,17.95 d: 14943.6  

🇪🇨 La Libertad -80.9,-2.233 d: 15049.7  

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