Places

Old Ibri Souq sits in the heart of Ibri city in Ad Dhahirah Governorate, right beside the four hundred year old Ibri Fort. Livestock and sheep change hands here every morning, and the market follows an Islamic style layout that includes dedicated sections such as its gold shops. Local residents have long called for the souq to be restored, and a recent development proposal submitted to the governorate office envisions markets for dates, fish, produce, and livestock alongside a hotel and gardens overlooking the surrounding farms.

Al Qanatir is one of the oldest quarters in Ibra, with settlement said to reach back to the third millennium BC. The neighborhood takes its name from the many stone arches built at the entrance of its lanes, and its old stone houses are grouped into several small districts such as Kasham, Matrah and Al Maqtoura. At its heart stands Al Qanatir Mosque, first built in 1077 AH (1666 CE) and restored in 1409 AH (1989), once used to teach religious sciences and Arabic. The quarter still carries the quiet weight of its history, its narrow alleys and stone walls waiting for restoration.

Hisn Al Wasil was raised by the Al Hajriyeen in the seventh Islamic century as the first and largest fort built in the wilayat of Bidiyah, North Ash Sharqiyah Governorate. It carries several defensive towers along with an internal souq, and the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture later restored it into a tourist attraction that displays traditional heritage pieces. The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has since signed a development and operation agreement with Al Wasil Investment Company to turn the fort into a fuller cultural and tourism destination for the region.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Sohar opened on 28 October 2016 as one of the newest large mosques in the Gulf, built in an Uzbek style recalling the Bibi Khanym Mosque with soaring domes and intricate carving. Its main prayer hall holds forty six hundred worshippers alongside a prayer hall for women that holds seven hundred forty, and four minarets rise over eighty four meters above the one hundred eighty one thousand square meter site, which also houses classrooms, a multipurpose hall, a majlis, and a large public library. It sits a short distance from Sohar Fort on the road toward Dubai, and non Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times if dressed modestly.

Al Safala Castle stands in the village of Afi within the wilayat of Wadi Al Maawil, Al Batinah South Governorate, and serves as the official emblem of the wilayat. Its mosque, Al Safala Mosque, was built more than three centuries ago and still stands as a towering presence at the heart of the settlement, making the castle the clearest symbol of the local heritage.

Hamasa is one of the oldest historic quarters in Al Buraimi, built more than five centuries ago around a market and several fortified towers. One tower has already been restored by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, and the quarter's old souq, with its distinctive layout of stalls and storerooms, points to what was once a busy trading life. Most houses are simple single-storey stone buildings, and the governorate is now working with the University of Al Buraimi to fully document the quarter before restoring it as a heritage village with guesthouses, cafes and craft shops for visitors.

Rakhyut Fort Museum occupies the historic fort at the center of Rakhyut Wilayat in Dhofar Governorate, a structure local residents first built in 1525 for coastal defense. The fort was rebuilt during the era of Sultan Taimur bin Faisal after a 1925 visit and rebuilt again under Sultan Qaboos bin Said, with restoration completing in 2013. Researcher Hamed bin Said Akak later founded the museum inside it, reopening the site on 20 November 2025 as a cultural venue for national and heritage events that drew over six thousand visitors of different nationalities that year.

Souq Al Tarif is the main market of Wilayat Al Musannah in Al Batinah South, set in the Al Tarif neighborhood that gives it its name. Residents visit daily for fresh fish, vegetables, and everyday household needs, alongside clothing, electronics, and banking services. Local news has also reported development plans for the souq as part of wider projects planned for the wilayat.

Riwaygh As-Safil is an abandoned mudbrick and stone village perched on a hillside along the road between Al Hamra and Jebel Shams, in the Wadi Ghul area of Ad Dakhiliyah. Its crumbling houses overlook a green oasis valley that villagers once farmed for their livelihood before the settlement was gradually abandoned. Photographers and road trippers stop here for the striking contrast between the fading stone ruins above and the flourishing palm groves below.

Fanja Souq is a traditional craft market at the entrance to Fanja in the wilayat of Bidbid, Ad Dakhiliyah. Opened in 2001 as a municipal project to showcase Omani heritage trades, it now houses more than 30 shops selling pottery, palm frond weaving, incense, rose water, and traditional Omani sweets. The souq has become a stop for tourists and handicraft lovers looking to see Omani craftsmanship passed down through generations.

Al Waqbah is a mountain village in the wilayat of Yanqul, Ad Dhahirah, tucked among the towering peaks of the Western Hajar range. The town is built around Wadi Biha and Wadi Al Arashi, whose clear spring fed pools and shaded rest spots draw visitors, alongside old stone houses that still show off traditional Omani craftsmanship. Nearby mountain caves add another reason for hikers to make the trip out to this quiet corner of the Dhahirah.

Al Muneikh Fort stands at the center of Dhank in Ad Dhahirah governorate, its three towers, main gate, majlis, and storerooms spread across roughly 1,200 square meters. The Ministry of Heritage and Culture restored the fort starting in 2013, keeping its original mud, sarooj, and stone construction while adding modern touches like electricity, restrooms, and access for visitors with disabilities. It reopened to the public in 2016 as one of the proudest historic landmarks in Dhank.

Al Hamra Currency Museum occupies part of Ghunaima Fort in the historic quarter at the heart of Al Hamra, Ad Dakhiliyah, spread across two floors of a traditional clay brick building totaling 200 square meters. It was founded by lifelong collector Hamad Al Abri to share his collection with the public, including every Omani currency issue since 1970 alongside older Sassanid, Umayyad, and Abbasid coins and other Arab and foreign currencies. A short visit traces how trade and daily life once moved through this land, coin by coin, across the centuries.

Al Jahl is a historic mountain village in the Tiwi region of Wilayat Sur, high in the hills above Wadi Tiwi in South Ash Sharqiyah Governorate. Reaching it requires a four wheel drive vehicle and an experienced driver, since the mountain road leading up is rugged, and the village is recognized as one of the area's archaeological attractions alongside Wadi Shab and Mibam village. Its old stone houses keep a traditional Omani architectural style, and residents traditionally moved down to the milder Qaran area during the cold winter months.

Al Bait Al Gharbi Museum sits in Qasrai village, Wilayat Rustaq, about two kilometres from Rustaq Fort in South Al Batinah Governorate. Zakia bint Nasser Al Lamki converted her family's centuries old home into this museum, which spans fourteen rooms displaying silverware, pottery, coffee making tools, traditional dress and household items from Omani daily life. Entry is free, with donations welcomed toward its upkeep, and the museum draws hundreds of school students and visitors alongside the nearby Rustaq and Hazm forts.

Bait Al Ghasham Museum occupies a house more than two hundred years old in Al Shalli village near Afi in Wadi Al Ma'awil, South Al Batinah Governorate. It once belonged to Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Nasser Al Ghasham Al Busaidi and was restored and opened to the public in 2016 as the first museum built around a traditional Omani house. Visitors can walk through its many rooms, a sabla sitting hall, fortified chambers, watchtowers, a large courtyard, a well, and date storage areas.

Bait Al Turath wal Thaqafa Museum sits in the historic village of Al Mudhairib, wilayat Al Qabil, North Ash Sharqiyah Governorate. Sheikh Ali bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Harthi built it out of his own personal devotion to Omani heritage, filling its halls with antique rifles and swords, old coins and currency, vintage postal stamps, silver and gold jewellery, manuscripts, and samples of traditional crafts such as basketry, metalwork, leather and woodwork. What began as one man's private collection has grown into a small museum that keeps the memory of the region alive.

Firq is a palm shaded village in the southeastern reaches of wilayat Nizwa, Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate, bordered by Manah to the south and Barkat Al Mawz to the east, with Jabal Al Hawra rising to its northeast. Two forts still stand watch over it, one at the village centre and another to the north, both once built to guard against raiders, while the freshwater Falaj Abu Hamaar continues to irrigate its palm groves and farms. Firq is best remembered as the birthplace of Imam Jaber bin Zaid, a scholar who travelled to Basra to study under the Prophet's companions and their followers, and the village also produced noted poets and was once known for cultivating indigo for dyeing cloth.

Falaj Al Raihany is a groundwater fed falaj daudi in wilayat Sunaynah, Al Buraimi Governorate, one of the oldest and most important of the wilayat's traditional irrigation channels alongside Falaj Sunaynah, Al Hurmuzi and several others. Local farmers still depend on it to water extensive date palm groves and farmland, and the local municipality has included the development of its shari'a, the traditional water distribution channel, among the wilayat's planned heritage and infrastructure projects.

Al Kamil Old Fort Museum occupies a historic fort in wilayat Al Kamil Wal Wafi, South Ash Sharqiyah Governorate, a wilayat that lies some 57 kilometres from Sur and counts roughly 80 forts scattered across its 40 or so villages and towns. Inside, the museum gathers archaeological pieces and folkloric heritage, traditional hand tools, distinctive jewellery and old manuscripts. Fort supervisor Khulfan bin Khames Al Hashemi describes it as an oasis that keeps the authentic spirit of the past alive while still pulsing with everyday life, tracing how the region has developed across different eras.

The Hafeet archaeological site sits on the Omani side of Jebel Hafeet, the mountain straddling the border between Al Buraimi and Al Ain that gives its name to the Hafit period, the earliest Bronze Age culture of southeast Arabia, dating to roughly 3100 to 2700 BC. Its beehive shaped stone tombs once held imported pottery from Mesopotamia, evidence of early copper trade routes linking the Oman interior to Iraq, and the site is counted among Al Buraimi's most important tourist attractions, reflecting the deep history shared between the Hafit and later Umm an Nar civilisations.