Day 80–March 26–Muscat, Oman

Muscat has been an important trading port between the east and west since the 1st century.  It has been ruled by both the Persians and Portuguese.  The forts around Muscat are a reminder of the Portuguese rule.  They felt the need to protect their ancient trade and caravan routes and also to fend off rival foreign powers who saw the profit in the Gulf of Oman.  The Portuguese were never able to penetrate the interior,due to the hostility of the Omani as well as the mountain barriers.  I can certainly vouch for the mountains, getting military forces over them in the 16th century would be difficult.

  

We were not able to dock at the time scheduled because our berth was occupied, so we had to wait until the cargo ship left.

I took a taxi from the center of town with Walter and Sulin.

  The three Minarets of the Grand Mosque.

Since I hadn’t planned on visiting a Mosque, I wasn’t properly attired so  was not allowed to go in since my elbows and wrists were exposed.  This didn’t upset me at all.  We are guests in their country and this is their culture and their traditions.  So I happily walked around and took pictures from the outside

But then our taxi cab driver Ali worked his charms with the “censors” and after much pulling down of my sleeves and putting a scarf on my head I was allowed to enter the Mosque.  I really didn’t want to cause any trouble but Walter and Sulin insisted that I must see the interior of the Grand Mosque and I am so glad that I listened to them.

  Ali, our cab driver

  Pictures just don’t do it justice.

  Me and Cousin Penny’s scarf

The art work is magnificent.  I could have stayed longer but we pay the driver by the hour and we still had to see the Walled city of Mutrah.

  Ali on his cell phone and a crowd from the ship in the background.  It is so nice traveling with a smaller group of like minded people.  I do admire people who are physically disabled and who are still traveling around but boy do they slow the rest of us down.

  The city of Mutrah.

So many white buildings, in fact all of the buildings are white.  Combined that with the bright sun and it is quite blinding.

  The Watchtower.

Ali kept joking how there are forts everywhere in Muscat and Mutrah.  They are what I was most interested in seeing.  I had seen similar forts in historical movies about the middle east and to me they are iconic images of days past.

  The Sultan’s Palace

  A door at the Palace

The woodwork in this area of the world is absolutely beautiful and very intricate

  Another Fort

  Government Building and the flags of Muscat and Oman

   The Fort of Mutrah

  Omani Soldiers

We were told my our cab driver that they are not friendly with Yemen, at all..

  A Street in Mutrah

We soon began to realize that the locals don’t come out until the sun goes down.  Makes sense.

  Rock Outcropping

I was going to climb this rock because as we drove my it I had seen stairs going up to the top, however when I got there ready for a “work-out” I couldn’t find where the stairs started.

  Park

These mountains reminded me of what we see on TV from Afghanistan.

  Omani Boys playing soccer

  Muscat Fort which I did hike up to but it was closed.

  Muscat Museum

This was a very small museum that I just happened to walk into.  I paid the low entrance fee and leisurely strolled through it.  Interesting displays typical rooms from Omani houses.  This could have been the “Wedding Room” where the bride gets ready for her big day.

  View from the Muscat Fort

Seeing another aspect of this city from this high advantage was worth the walk.

  Stairs to the Fort

   Amit, my Omani Friend

Meeting Amit was the highlight of the day for me.  I was initially led to his shop in the Souk by another vendor because I was looking for coconut oil to put in the adorable little Aladdin's Lamp that I had just purchased.  Amit and his father own this small shop of spices, herbs, etc.  Amit is definitely the marketer of the organization, his friendliness and charm won me over.

Not only did I get the coconut oil (that was from India) but I purchased 2 small bags of dates that were from Amit’s garden and a spice mixture that he had made up.  He said there were 11 spices in it but I could only guess at a few:  Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves.  He then gave me a very interesting recipe for making Baked Apples using this spice and Blue Cheese, Yummy.     I also had a great time listening to him interact with his other customers, a group of Brits that he sold some vanilla pods to and an Omani woman that he sold a root like product that was used for infants.  He had a very good way at making every customer feel listened to even as he was waiting on others.  He spoke perfect English.  He sold me a package of great smelling spice that could be used in baking.  

Historically the trade market was very important to this area and it sure looked to me that Amit has it in his blood.  I left his shop with a smile on my face and directions to a jewelry shop where I was looking for a simple pearl necklace.  I saw him later on that day and he asked if I was happy with the Jewelry store.  You don’t get this kind of customer service in an American Mall, that’s for sure.

  Muslim Women

  Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s Yacht.

Another happy and successful day in an Arab port.