Places

This souq still operates the way it has for decades. Haggling is expected and part of the experience.

Locally known as Souq Al Dhahab, a narrow lane in Al Hafah lined with gold and silver jewellery shops, blending traditional Omani designs with modern pieces. Silver khanjars are a local specialty, and bargaining is part of the experience.

This mosque has been a centre of worship for centuries. The mihrab and minbar are worth seeing.

A well-preserved fort overlooking Bukha. Thick walls, wooden doors, and views from the watchtower.

This castle has been restored and is open to walk through. The rooms give a sense of how the garrison lived.

Tiny remote village deep in Musandam fjords, accessible only by boat. Traditional fishing community where time stands still. Dhow trip stop.

Leading contemporary art space in Muscat promoting emerging Omani artists. Regular exhibitions, talks, and cultural events.

Isolated fjord village with traditional Shihuh stone houses built into cliffs. Only reachable by sea. Incredible sense of remoteness.

Remote village at the tip of Musandam accessible only by boat. No roads in or out. Traditional Shihuh culture preserved. Dhow cruises stop here.

Highland plateau villages on Jebel Akhdar growing pomegranates, walnuts, and roses. Cool climate year-round. Traditional terraced agriculture and stone houses.

Remote Dhofari village near the Yemen border reached via spectacular mountain road. Traditional community, fishing heritage, and pristine coastline. True end-of-the-road feel.

Falaj Al Jeela is a spring fed falaj in Al Jeela village, in the rugged mountains of Wilayat Sur, and one of five aflaj systems inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Its open channel carries water down from the upper course of Wadi Al Shaab and keeps flowing throughout the year regardless of the season, sustaining the village that depends on it. The site stands as a living example of the ingenuity Omanis used to bring mountain water to their homes and farms.

The Friday Souq in Jaalan Bani Bu Ali is one of the best known old markets in Oman, drawing traders from across the wilayats of the southern Sharqiyah coast. Vendors still sell camel and livestock meat, feed, sheep, cattle, poultry and fish in the traditional way, some sitting on the ground to display their goods as their ancestors did. The market runs most days of the week with morning and afternoon sessions, close to Al Hamoudah Fort, Al Qubba Mosque and the Al Dhahir archaeological area in the town centre.

Bait Al Manzifa Museum sits in the hillside village of Majzi in the Wilayat of Ibri, about sixty kilometres from the town centre, and is the first and only museum in Dhahirah Governorate. It occupies a family home more than a century old that owner Khalfan Al Memari restored to preserve the story of ancestors who lived through the reigns of Sultan Faisal bin Turki and Sultan Taimur bin Faisal. Its Al Bousaidi Hall holds around a hundred sultanate documents, alongside pottery, daggers, swords, copperware and women's jewellery gathered from across the region.

Falaj Al Malki runs through the wilayat of Izki in Ad Dakhiliyah and is one of five Omani aflaj inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2006. It is the longest falaj in the governorate, with seventeen branches stretching across a combined length of about fifteen kilometers. It takes its name from Malik bin Fahm Al Azdi and stands as a record of how earlier generations of Omanis managed water in an arid land.

Al Zawawi Mosque stands in the Al Khuwair district of Muscat, along Sultan Qaboos Street. Omar Al Zawawi built it in 1985 in memory of his father, Abdul Mun'im Al Zawawi, and gave it to the people of Oman as a gift. The mosque is known for its golden tones, its single minaret and dome, and the Quranic verses inscribed on metal panels set into walls built from wood and marble.

Madha Museum sits in the wilayat of Madha, the Omani enclave inside the UAE in Musandam governorate, and is the first private museum in the governorate. Founder Muhammad bin Salem Al Madhani began gathering pieces from the late 1960s and opened the museum officially on the second of May 2018. The collection spans pottery, copper tools, rock inscriptions, manuscripts, coins, and weapons, with some pieces dating back to the third millennium BCE.

Al Buraimi Oasis Plaza is a new urban destination spanning more than sixty eight thousand square metres between the historic Al Hillah and Al Khandaq forts in Al Buraimi Governorate. The project blends traditional architecture with modern touches and includes green and water features such as a miniature oasis, one hundred seventy four palm trees, fountains, and dedicated paths for walking and cycling. Officially opened in January 2026, it now serves as a gathering place for residents and visitors alike, reinforcing the governorate's cultural identity.

Al Ayjah Lighthouse stands on Ras Al Meel, a headland in the Al Ayjah quarter of Sur, overlooking the entrance to Khor Al Batah across the water from the town centre. What began as a simple defensive enclosure with openings for cannon and rifle fire was rebuilt in 1996 by order of Sultan Qaboos to mark National Day, rising into the present three floor lighthouse crowned with a dome in traditional Omani style. Three of its original cannons remain, and the site draws visitors especially at sunset for its views over the harbour and coastline of Sur.

Every Wednesday morning, women from Ibra and nearby villages gather to run one of the oldest and best known markets in Oman, held in the heart of Ibra town in North Ash Sharqiyah Governorate. Traders lay out traditional Omani clothing, frankincense and incense brought in from regions such as Dhofar, silver jewelry, palm weaving, and other handicrafts alongside plants and birds. The souq has drawn buyers and sellers from across neighboring wilayats for decades and remains a rare women run marketplace in the country.

Fort Awlad Ya'arab stands on the beach at Al Harmul in the wilayat of Liwa, built from white clay in a style distinct from the better known Liwa Fort nearby. Its architecture, carvings and arches closely resemble those of Sohar Fort, leading historians to date it to more than four hundred years ago. The fort is understood to have once served as the seat of a local wali.

Bait Al Darwaza is a restored seventeenth century fortified house in Sifalat Ibra, in the Wilayat of Ibra, North Al Sharqiyah Governorate. It was converted into a museum in 2012 and now displays hundreds of pieces from Ibra's past, including antique rifles and swords, gold and silver jewelry, horse saddles, pottery, and traditional cooking tools. The museum is open daily from 8am to 1pm and again from 4:30pm to 6:30pm, with a small entry fee and a rooftop cafe for visitors.

Khasab Souq sits near the waterfront in Khasab, the main town of Musandam Governorate, about ten minutes by car from the town center. It is a lively, hands on market where shoppers can buy fresh hamour, kingfish, shrimp, and crab alongside dates, pomegranates, khanjars, pottery, woven baskets, and spices like cumin, cardamom, and saffron. Trade is liveliest from late morning into early evening, though mornings and late afternoons bring fresher produce and thinner crowds.

Souq Al Hafah is the oldest market in all of Dhofar, known historically as Souq Al Harjaa, and sits about three kilometres from central Salalah among coconut palms along the coast. The famed traveller Ibn Battuta is said to have visited, along with the geographer Ibn Al Mujawir, and a document bearing Sultan Taimur's own seal from 1342 AH still speaks to its long trading history. Today it remains the place to shop for Omani frankincense, dairy products, traditional textiles, heritage clothing and gold and silver ornaments.