Man, Oman!

The words “Middle East” have almost taken on a notion of profanity in the west. The mere mention of any number of countries in the region are sure to conjure up images of US flag burning, suicide bombers and terrorism masterminds. But those propaganda machine couldn't be any further from the truth. Still, for most, the though of travelling to the region will give the uninitiated a feeling of deep angst. But it need not be. For anyone needing to dip a toe into the Middle Eastern shallow end, Oman makes an decent choice. More secure than Yemen, more traditional than the Emirates and just better than Kuwait, Oman is kiddie pool of the Arab world. And there's no better place to start than it's capital, Muscat.

Muscat's history is as old as history itself. Evidence has placed humansettlement in the area back nearly 5,000 years, although it

didn't really come to prominence until about 2,000 years ago. Throughout the years it seems everyone took a stab at ruling the region. Turks, Persians and even the Portuguese took turns conquering, ruling, being conquered and such up until the mid 1600s. From there infighting amongst the locals continued until 1970 when Qaboos Bin Said staged a coup against his dad to become Sultan, naming the country the Sultanate of Oman. Since that time, Oman has developed quickly. Shocking advances in education, health care and basic infrastructures has taken place under the much-loved Sultan Qaboos. Being a trade reliant nation on the rise, is reflected visably in the demographics of the country. Nearly 40% of Muscat residents are expatriates (largely from South Asia).

But with so much vision for the future and major international influence, Muscat (and Oman in general) struggles with a traditional sense of self. Fiscal advancement of the country is abundantly clear in the capital. Crowded highways and round about create a tangled web throughout the massive sprawl of the city. Muscat itself is actually tiny, but due to the traditional low-lying housing, the greater Muscat metropolitan stretches some 60+ kms across. Comprised of some half dozen districts and wilayats, trying to navigate the city can be confusing. Luckily, there are only really a couple areas of interest for tourist.

More often than not, the port area of a seaside city is usually the more

undesirable part of town. But the area of Muttrah, home to Port Mina Qaboos, is arguably the biggest attraction in the city. As the city really lacks any single site of interest, it is the seaside cornish, full of cafes and markets, that tourists come to see. Bookended by the lively fish market and the Muttrah Fort (one of many in the city) strolling along the shoreline walkway, stopping for tea and shopping is about the best the city has up for offer. The tourist oriented Muttrah Souk was built in an old style. The narrow pedestrian hallways are lined by shop hawking everything from ubiquitous frankincense to cheap Chinese toys. The fish market is great for people watching, especially early in the morning. But the whole area requires not more than a hour to thoroughly explore, twice over.

The only other area of interest for travellers would be old Muscat

itself. Sadly the old city bares no indications to the multi-millennia of history the region has witnessed. Wide streets and newer buildings, however, are interrupted by a few points of interest. Upon entering Old Muscat, the City Gate Museum is the first thing to come across. While the view are ok, the museum itself is of little interest. It's almost impossible to miss the massive Sultan's Palace. And the public can get surprisingly close. Nearby, the Omani-French museum highlights the relations between the two countries. The picturesque Mirani Fort sits next to the palace on the seaside. Sadly, it's closed to the public as are most of the forts and towers in the area. Again, Old Muscat doesn't require anymore than an hour.

Frankly, i wasn't a fan of Muscat. You need a car/taxi to get anywhere. The forts and such are cute, but there are far better ones throughout the country. Food was in the form of shwarma and hamburgers. And the famous Omani hospitality is hard to come by when the majority of interactions will be with non-Omanis. Not to mention it's all super expensive. But all that said, i can still recommend the place to travellers hoping to break into Middle Eastern tourism. Safety, security, a high level of English and a tolerance for tourists make Muscatman easy place start journeys into one of the most travel-rewarding regions on Earth.