This morning we are doing at Muscat City Tour "Mystic Muscat" arranged thru Best Shore Trips and provided by MarcTrips.
Our tour started with a visit to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, The dimensions and the detail are breathtaking: 20,000 worshippers, acre upon acre of cool, white and grey marble reflecting the harsh sun...an exquisite Persian carpet in the main hall that took 27 months to hand-weave...chandeliers bearing thousands of crystals...tranquil gardens with tropical flowers and splashing fountains.
From the mosque, we visited the Muttrah Souq, the old Arab market, which is part tourist attraction and part old fashioned shopping mall. The smell of incense greets you even before you plunge into the narrow alleys, a treasure trove of spices, artifacts and all manners of incense burners.
Walking the Muttrah Souq
Rita and I "negotiating" the purchase on some insence.
Driving the Muttrah Corniche in to the capital area with a photo stop at the Sultan's Palace (a lavish residence that we viewed and photographed from the ornate gates, but can not go inside)
Last stop was at the Bait Al Zubair Museum, a private museum in a pretty, traditional house, displaying Omani weaponry, jewelry, clothing, household items, books, photographs, paintings and maps. The museum was interesting but no photos were allowed inside.
Sultan's picture on outside of the museum
Giant incense burner!!!!!!!!
The Sultan's private yacht
Our 2700 person "yacht"
Beautiful sunset leaving Muscat
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