Kate Hitchen
My travels were first inspired by my love of the UK, which I take as much pleasure in exploring as countries far and wide. For me, travel is all about the adventure, the people I meet and the food I sample along the way.
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To look at, much of Muscat is very modern. With nearly a million inhabitants, it is Muscat that you will find Oman at its most contemporary, with luxurious 5-star hotels, exclusive restaurants and designer fashion boutiques.
However, underneath this modern facade is the city’s past remaining in the form of the port district of Muttrah and Muscat’s Old Quarter. Here you will find old Portuguese forts, colourful mosques and traditional Arabian buildings. Great tolerance is shown towards Western customs; however, Omani’s retain strict morals concerning their own. The men still wear their floor-length dishdashas with the women generally wearing open-faced scarves. Visiting Muscat is an essential start or finish to a holiday to Oman and offers a greater understanding of this fascinating country.
Muscat’s foundation’s date from the first century yet it didn’t gain recognition until the fourteenth and fifteenth century when traders were attracted. The sixteenth-century brought the Portuguese and until 1970 Muscat would lock its gates at night and citizens weren’t allowed out.
Today the city is full of bustling souks selling piles of colourful cashmere shawls and antique silver jewellery. Sultan Qaboos has transformed the country and his greatest contribution being the Muscat’s astonishing five towered Grand Mosque built in 1995 with his own money.
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