Muscat

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Coordinates: 23°35′20″N 58°24′30″E / 23.58889°N 58.40833°E / 23.58889; 58.40833
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Muscat, Oman
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This article is about the capital and largest city of Oman. For the grape, see Muscat (grape). For other uses, see Muscat (disambiguation).
Muscat
مَسْقَط
Haitham bin Tariq Al Said
Area
 • Land3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi)
 • Metro
3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)
1,720,000 (Urban Area)[2]
31,409 (Old Muscat Wilayat)
GST)
Websitemm.gov.om

Muscat (

Global City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.[6]

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.

Toponymy

Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville conclude that Omana was a reference to Oman, while Moscha referred to Muscat.[9] Similarly, other scholars identify Pliny the Elder's reference to Amithoscuta to be Muscat.[7]

The origin of the word Muscat is disputed. Some authors claim that the word has

Arabic, meaning falling-place,[13] or hidden.[14] Cryptus Portus is synonymous with Oman ("hidden land"). But "Ov-man" (Omman), and the old Sumerian name Magan (Maa-kan), means sea-people in Arabic. An inhabitant is a Muscatter, Muscatian, Muscatite or Muscatan. In 1793 AD the capital was transferred from Rustaq
to Muscat.

History

See also:
Indus Valley civilisation.[15] Muscat's notability as a port was acknowledged as early as the 1st century AD by the Greek geographer Ptolemy, who referred to it as Cryptus Portus (the Hidden Port), and by Pliny the Elder, who called it Amithoscuta.[16]

The port fell to a

Abbasids of Baghdad to conquer Oman. The Abbasids occupied the region until the 11th century, when they were driven out by the local Yahmad tribe. Power over Oman shifted from the Yahmad tribe to the Azdi Nabahinah clan, during whose rule, the people of coastal ports such as Muscat prospered from maritime trade and close alliances with the Indian subcontinent
, at the cost of the alienation of the people of the interior of Oman.

The

Al Bu Sa‘id dynasty, which has ruled Oman ever since.[20]

"Muscat is a large and very populous town, flanked on both sides with high mountains and the front is close to the water's edge; behind, towards the interior, there is a plain as large as the square of Lisbon, all covered with salt pans. [T]here are orchards, gardens, and palm groves with wells for watering them by means of swipes and other engines. The harbour is small, shaped like a horse-shoe and sheltered from every wind."

—Afonso de Albuquerque, after the fall of Muscat, in 1507.[21]

Muscat's naval and military supremacy was re-established in the 19th century by

Majid bin Said (1834/5–1870), while the third son, Thuwaini bin Said, became the Sultan of Oman.

A view of Muscat, ca. 1902

By the 19th century, a large Hindu merchant community in the port city dominated its commercial life. It is argued that their settlement at least since the fifteenth century; one of the reasons is that the Portuguese relied heavily on them to secure a trade monopoly in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf area. The

Dhofar Rebellion (1962). The rebellion forced the Sultan Said bin Taimur to seek the assistance of the British in quelling the uprisings from the interior. The failed assassination attempt of April 26, 1966 on Said bin Taimur led to the further isolation of the Sultan, who had moved his residence from Muscat to Salalah, amidst the civilian armed conflict. On July 23, 1970, Qaboos bin Said, son of the Sultan, staged a bloodless[25] coup d'état
in the Salalah palace with the assistance of the British, and took over as ruler.

Muscat harbour during World War I

With the assistance of the British, Qaboos bin Said put an end to the Dhofar uprising and consolidated disparate tribal territories. He renamed the country the

Mina Qaboos, a new port conceived initially by Sa‘id bin Taimur, was developed during the early days of Qaboos' rule. Similarly, a new international airport was developed in Muscat's Seeb district. A complex of offices, warehouses, shops and homes transformed the old village of Ruwi in Muttrah into a commercial district.[27] The first five-year development plan in 1976 emphasised infrastructural development of Muscat, which provided new opportunities for trade and tourism in the 1980s–1990s, attracting migrants from around the region. On June 6, 2007, Cyclone Gonu
hit Muscat causing extensive damage to property, infrastructure and commercial activity.

Early photographs of the city and harbour, taken in the early 20th century by German explorer and photographer, Hermann Burchardt, are now held at the Ethnological Museum of Berlin.[28]

Geography and geology

Central Hajar Mountains
dotting the landscape
Muscat by SPOT Satellite

Muscat is located in northeast Oman. The

Central Hajar Mountains[29][30]
run through the northern coastline of the city.

Al-Dakhiliyah, a region which includes Jebel Akhdar, the country's highest range. The hills in Muscat are mostly devoid of vegetation but are rich in iron.[citation needed
]

The

Glassfish are common in freshwater estuaries, such as the Qurum Nature Reserve.[35]

The Sultan Qaboos Street forms the main artery of Muscat, running west-to-east through the city. The street eventually becomes Al Nahdah Street near Al Wattayah. Several inter-city roads such as Nizwa Road and Al Amrat Road, intersect with Al Sultan Qaboos Road (in Rusail and

Al Ghubra
.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Muscat

Muscat features a hot,

rainfall in Muscat is about 10 centimetres or 4 inches, falling mostly from December to April. In general, precipitation is scarce in Muscat, with the months May to November typically receiving only a trace of rainfall. However, in recent years, heavy precipitation events from tropical systems originating in the Arabian Sea have struck the city. Cyclone Gonu in June 2007 and Cyclone Phet
in June 2010 affected the city with damaging winds and rainfall amounts exceeding 100 millimetres or 4 inches in just a single day. The climate generally is very hot and also very humid in the summer, with temperatures sometimes reaching as high as 45 °C or 113 °F.

Climate data for Muscat
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.6
(94.3) 		38.2
(100.8) 		41.5
(106.7) 		44.9
(112.8) 		48.3
(118.9) 		48.5
(119.3) 		49.1
(120.4) 		49.2
(120.6) 		47.2
(117.0) 		43.6
(110.5) 		39.4
(102.9) 		37.8
(100.0) 		49.2
(120.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 25.5
(77.9) 		26.1
(79.0) 		29.8
(85.6) 		34.7
(94.5) 		39.5
(103.1) 		40.4
(104.7) 		38.6
(101.5) 		36.2
(97.2) 		36.3
(97.3) 		35.0
(95.0) 		30.5
(86.9) 		27.1
(80.8) 		33.3
(92.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 21.3
(70.3) 		21.9
(71.4) 		25.2
(77.4) 		29.8
(85.6) 		34.2
(93.6) 		35.2
(95.4) 		34.3
(93.7) 		32.0
(89.6) 		31.4
(88.5) 		29.7
(85.5) 		25.7
(78.3) 		22.6
(72.7) 		28.6
(83.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 17.3
(63.1) 		17.6
(63.7) 		20.7
(69.3) 		24.7
(76.5) 		29.1
(84.4) 		30.6
(87.1) 		30.4
(86.7) 		28.4
(83.1) 		27.5
(81.5) 		24.9
(76.8) 		20.9
(69.6) 		18.9
(66.0) 		24.3
(75.7)
Record low °C (°F) 1.6
(34.9) 		2.3
(36.1) 		7.0
(44.6) 		10.3
(50.5) 		17.2
(63.0) 		21.6
(70.9) 		23.5
(74.3) 		21.3
(70.3) 		19.0
(66.2) 		14.3
(57.7) 		9.4
(48.9) 		4.5
(40.1) 		1.6
(34.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 12.8
(0.50) 		24.5
(0.96) 		15.9
(0.63) 		17.1
(0.67) 		7.0
(0.28) 		0.9
(0.04) 		0.2
(0.01) 		0.8
(0.03) 		0.0
(0.0) 		1.0
(0.04) 		6.8
(0.27) 		13.3
(0.52) 		100.3
(3.95)
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		63 64 58 45 42 49 60 67 63 55 60 65 58
Mean monthly sunshine hours 268.6 244.8 278.3 292.5 347.4 325.7 277.7 278.6 303.9 316.9 291.9 267.0 3,493.3
Source: NOAA (1961–1990)[36]

Economy

Offshore Sailing in Muscat

Muscat's economy, like that of Oman, is dominated by trade. The more traditional exports of the city included

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.[citation needed
] 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.[37]

Ruwi, the main business district of Muscat

Mina'a Sultan Qaboos, Muscat's main trading port, is a trading hub between the

ISP. Recent liberalization of the mobile telephone market has seen the establishment of a second provider, Ooredoo.[citation needed
]

Muscat is home to multibillion-dollar conglomerate CK Industries with their headquarters located in Ruwi.[38] Ajman based Amtek Industries also have a couple of offices around the city.[38] It is also home to Galfar Engineering,[39] headed by P. Mohammed Ali.

The airline Oman Air has its head office on the grounds of Muscat International Airport.[40]

Demographics

According to the 2003

Omanis constituted 60% of the total population of Muscat, while expatriates accounted for about 40%.[42] The population density of the city was 162.1 per km2.[citation needed
]

Shangri la in Muscat

The governorate of Muscat comprises six

wholesale and retail
trade employed the largest number of expatriates.

The ethnic makeup of Muscat has historically been influenced by people not native to the Arabian Peninsula.

missionaries
established a hospital in Muscat in the 19th century.

Like the rest of Oman,

Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Tulu, Telugu and Urdu[47]
are spoken by the residents of Muscat.

Omani Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs.[48]

Notable landmarks

Riyam Park with Incense Burner

The city has numerous mosques including the

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.[49]
The Bait Al Falaj Fort played an important role in Muscat's military history.

Recent projects include an

Al Qurum Commercial Area. However, shopping malls are found throughout the city. One of the largest malls in Oman is Oman Avenues Mall, located in Ghubra. The fourth 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 during 2019 and 2020: in the Mabela area of Muscat are Al Araimi Boulevard and Mall of Muscat.[citation needed] The Mall of Muscat is also home to the Oman Aquarium and a snow park which opened in late 2019.[50] Mall Of Oman, the largest shopping mall in Oman was opened in Summer 2021 housing over 100+ stores including Snow Oman, Vox Cinemas
, an arcade (Magic Planet) and various food chains.

Transport

Waterways

The Port Sultan Qaboos

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.

Airport 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.

Muscat International Airport

Road Transportation The Muscat area is well serviced by paved roads and

dual-carriageway
connects most major cities and towns in the country.

Mutrah

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

Buraimi and Dubai
.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Oman
The traditional Dhow, an enduring symbol of Oman[51]

Outwardly, Oman shares many of the cultural characteristics of its Arab neighbours, particularly those in the Gulf Cooperation Council.[52] Despite these similarities, important factors make Oman unique in the Middle East.[52] These result as much from geography and history as from culture and economics.[52] The relatively recent and artificial nature of the state of Oman makes it difficult to describe a national culture;[52] however, sufficient cultural heterogeneity exists within its national boundaries to make Oman distinct from other Arab States of the Persian Gulf.[52] Oman's cultural diversity is greater than that of its Arab neighbours, given its historical expansion to the Swahili Coast and the Indian Ocean.[52]

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.

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".[54]

Notable people

See also

Bibliography

  • Muscat, Oman
  • Al Qurum Mosque
    Al Qurum Mosque
  • Muttrah Fort
    Muttrah Fort
  • Mohammed Al Ameen Mosque
    Mohammed Al Ameen Mosque
  • Interior of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
    Interior of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
  • Qasr Al Alam Royal Palace
    Qasr Al Alam Royal Palace

References

  1. ^ "Oman, the Pearl of Arabia". 3 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  2. ^ a b National Centre for Statistics and Information. "Population". Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "UNdata - country profile - Oman". Archived from the original on 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  4. ^ "The population of the Sultanate by the end of May 2015". Archived from the original on 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
  5. ^ الدراسات الاجتماعية. Ministry of Education, Sultanate of Oman.
  6. ^ "The World According to GaWC 2020". GaWC - Research Network. Globalization and World Cities. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  7. ^ a b Forster (1844), p.231.
  8. ^ Forster (1844), p.241.
  9. ^ Forster (1844), p.173.
  10. ^ Forster (1844), p.173
  11. ^ Miles (1997), p.468.
  12. ^ Hailman (2006), p.49.
  13. ^ Philips (1966), p.4.
  14. ^ Room (2003), p.246.
  15. ^ Rice (1994), p.255-256
  16. ^ Forster (1844), p.234.
  17. ^ Potter (2002), p.41.
  18. ^ Miles (1997), p.167
  19. ^ Miles (1997), p. 196.
  20. ^ Miles (1997), p.256.
  21. ^ Miles (1997), p.147.
  22. JSTOR 592284. Archived
    from the original on 2020-08-28. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  23. ISSN 0041-977X
    .
  24. ^ JE Peterson's Britannica entry (1990), p.6.
  25. ^ Long (2007), p.188.
  26. ^ Middle East Policy (2004), p.126.
  27. ^ Middle East Policy (2004), p.128
  28. ^ "Ansicht der Stadt & Stadtmauer von der Landseite". Ethnologisches Museum (in German). Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Archived from the original on 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
    "Tor nach der Landseite hin". Ethnologisches Museum (in German). Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  29. ^ "Mountains in Oman". Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  30. ISBN 9781841623320. Archived
    from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  31. ^ Miles (1997), p. 399.
  32. ^ Ghazanfar (1998), p. 80.
  33. ^ Salm (1993), p. 52
  34. ^ Miles (1997), p. 410.
  35. ^ Barth (2002), p. 292.
  36. ^ "Seeb Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  37. ^ "Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) – Arab Federation of Capital Markets". Archived from the original on 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  38. ^ a b "Amtek". Amtek.ae. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  39. ^ "Contact". Galfar.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  40. ^ "Contact Us". Omanair.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-20.
  41. ^ a b Oman Census (2003), p.6.
  42. ^ Oman Census (2003), p.9.
  43. ^ Oman Census(2003), Data and Other Indicators
  44. ^ British Parliamentary Papers (1876), p. 189.
  45. ^ Kechichian (1995), p. 215.
  46. ^ Fahlbusch (1999), p. 829.
  47. ^ Peterson (2004), p. 34.
  48. ^ Martin Lejeune, 15 June 2017, Oman unveils world’s 1st interactive calligraphic Quran Archived 2021-05-23 at the Wayback Machine
  49. ^ "Museums". Omanet.om. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
  50. ^ https://www.skidxb.com/en-om/snow-oman/plan-your-visit/your-guide
  51. ^ "Culture of Oman". Sultanate of Oman. Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  52. ^ a b c d e f Common, Richard K. "Barriers To Developing 'Leadership' In The Sultanate Of Oman" (PDF). International Journal of Leadership Studies. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  53. ^ "The Ship Building Industry". Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  54. ^ Romey, Kristin (14 March 2016). "Shipwreck Discovered from Explorer Vasco da Gama's Fleet". National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.

Further reading

See also:
Bibliography of the history of Muscat, Oman

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Muscat.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Muscat.
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