The souq in Muttrah (Muscat, Oman) is indeed a glorious place.
I just spent about 3 days in Oman on my 2nd visit last month, and I'm already utterly charmed by that place.
I loved how laid-back the atmosphere there is, compared to places like Riyadh, and definitely how simpler everything is, compared to places like Dubai. I had the opportunity to see the heart of the local community, the Dark Market, or Al Dhalam Souq in Muttrah. The Qaboos Grand Mosque might be considered *the* major landmark in Muscat, but the souq is something entirely different. Traditional narrow alleys squeezed between hundreds of shops crammed with all sorts of stuff, from gold and silver and seafood to strange clothes and incense burners, to those legendary Khanjar daggers that all men so proudly display on their waists.
All in all, I must say Oman is a place to love. There's a sense of ancient history floating in the air, and going hand in hand with this new striving for the modern that has come with Sultan Qaboos, and his touch on everything can be felt everywhere, even in the way people interact with each other. Or maybe I'm getting things backwards and he himself is the product of this calm, confident mentality that must have existed among the locals since time immemorial.
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Date: 14/6/13 14:42 (UTC)I just spent about 3 days in Oman on my 2nd visit last month, and I'm already utterly charmed by that place.
I loved how laid-back the atmosphere there is, compared to places like Riyadh, and definitely how simpler everything is, compared to places like Dubai. I had the opportunity to see the heart of the local community, the Dark Market, or Al Dhalam Souq in Muttrah. The Qaboos Grand Mosque might be considered *the* major landmark in Muscat, but the souq is something entirely different. Traditional narrow alleys squeezed between hundreds of shops crammed with all sorts of stuff, from gold and silver and seafood to strange clothes and incense burners, to those legendary Khanjar daggers that all men so proudly display on their waists.
All in all, I must say Oman is a place to love. There's a sense of ancient history floating in the air, and going hand in hand with this new striving for the modern that has come with Sultan Qaboos, and his touch on everything can be felt everywhere, even in the way people interact with each other. Or maybe I'm getting things backwards and he himself is the product of this calm, confident mentality that must have existed among the locals since time immemorial.