Muscat, Oman

 We arrived in Muscat, the capital of Oman this  morning. The harbor is very attractive, and surrounded by rugged mountains that border the water.

View of Muscat harbor from the deck of the ship.

The scenic harbor drive with the sultan's two large yachts in the distance.

We learned a little more about the transformation and modernization of Oman. Oman had a very conservative sultan since 1938, and the population was poor, and illiterate, with high infant mortality.  The population had begun to rebel against the sultan until until his son Qaboos seized the throne and expelled his father from the country in 1970. Oil had also been discovered, and the new Sultan Qaboos used the oil revenue to extensively modernize the country. He introduced public funded education for all, public medical services and modern infrastructure. Both boys and girls now have equal access to education, and students with the highest grades are given full scholarships to attend international universities.  Students with lower grades can still attend fully funded universities in Oman. Although Oman is Muslim, there is tolerance for all religions. Sultan Qaboos died in 2020 and was succeeded by his cousin Haitam bin Tariq Al Said. There is apparently growing dissatisfaction among younger citizens who  are demanding less authoritarian rule, so it remains to be seen how the future will develop in Oman. Currently about 46% of the citizens of Oman are under the age of 19.
Immaculate Al Alam Palace lawn.

Palace plantings


Public building with remnants of old Portuguese fortifications on the mountain behind.

Muscat is immaculately clean and citizens are expected to personally embrace high standards. For example, a person can receive a ticket for a dirty car, or a car that has not been repaired after experiencing body damage in an accident. Truly, we saw only bright shiny immaculate cars during our tour! This area of Oman is very dry, but with extensive desalination and irrigation there are beautiful green boulevards and plantings everywhere. We did not see any graffiti on buildings, and no garbage or litter in the streets. Very impressive! To maintain the clean and pristine appearance, buildings are required to be painted white or light beige unless a different color is specifically approved by the government.

The Grande Mosque which holds up to 20,000 people. 

The garden surrounding the Grande Mosque








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