 Oman is a land of friendly people and dramatic landscapes peppered with forts. Although it remains, in many ways, very traditional, it is also one of the fastest growing and modern countries in the region.
Under the wise and able leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Oman has taken rapid strides in nation-building, with dramatic progress recorded in every sphere – from infrastructure and education to health, social upliftment and much more.
Time to visit Oman
The temperate months of mid-October to mid-March are the best time to visit. Avoid the June to September monsoon season in the south.
Events
Secular holidays observed in Oman are New Year's Day (1 January), National Day (18 November) and the Sultan's Birthday (19 November). The two latter holidays are somewhat fluid, and also tend to be celebrated twice. The National Day festival features all sorts of highly visible official celebrations, but the main significance of this day for visitors may be that everything closes down.
The Islamic holidays of Eid Al-Fitr (the end of Ramadan), Eid Al-Adha (the pilgrimage to Mecca ), the Islamic New Year and the Prophet's Birthday are all observed in accordance with the Muslim calendar. The two Eids are marked by traditional celebrations and dancing in the streets.
 Muscat
Oman's capital enchants visitors in a way that no other city in the Gulf can even begin to match. Maybe it's because Muscat doesn't have that slightly artificial feel which typifies so much of the rest of the region. Muscat, Mutrah and Ruwi are the capital's core districts.
Muscat, the old port area, is the site of the sultan's main palace and a fascinating place to wander around, but has few shops and sights except for the old city walls. Mutrah, just north-west of Muscat, is the main trading and residential port area. Ruwi is the capital's modern commercial district.
 Batinah Coast
Oman 's northern coast easily deserves a good two or three days. Most of the towns feature stunning forts, each different enough to warrant seeing. Some 175km (108mi) west of Muscat , Rustaq is best known for its imposing fort, though for a time in the Middle Ages it was Oman 's capital.
Barka, just west of Muscat, has a fort and a restored house showing how wealthier Omanis lived many years ago. Inland, the town of Nakhal, with its dramatic fort, leads to the lush spring known as A'Thorwarah, which emerges into a wadi here to form a stream and small oasis - perfect for a picnic.
 Nizwa
Oman's northern coast easily deserves a good two or three days. Most of the towns feature stunning forts, each different enough to warrant seeing. Some 175km (108mi) west of Muscat, Rustaq is best known for its imposing fort, though for a time in the Middle Ages it was Oman 's capital.
 Salalah
Zafar had its heyday around a millennium ago when it was an active trading port. A striking change from Muscat, Salalah is about the only corner of Arabia that catches the Indian summer monsoon, and it's also the best base for exploring the villages and archaeological sites of southern Oman.
Numismaticists will have a field day as coins from as far away as China have been found at the site. There are very good beaches all along the road to Mughsail, once you're about 5km (3mi) west of Salalah, near the ruins of Al-Balid, site of the ancient city of Zafar.
Mughsail
Mughsail is 45km (28mi) west of Salalah. In addition to the beautiful beaches around the town, there is spectacular inland scenery including several groves of frankincense trees about halfway to Salalah. The road beyond Mughsail toward the Yemeni border however is even more impressive.
Natural aesthetics and deep religious significance make Job's Tomb, in the Quara mountains not far from Mughsail, a must-see, especially for the biblical minded. You could almost see your house from the view - well if you lived in Salalah anyway.
Musandam Peninsula
Separated from the rest of Oman by the east coast of the UAE, the Musandam Peninsula is a rugged, starkly beautiful region of fjords, small villages and dramatic, mountain-hugging roads. It is not a particularly easy place to travel; paved roads are few and public transport is patchy and expensive.
The capital, Khasab, is a small, bustling port, popular for smuggling US cigarettes to Iran. Khor Najd is the only one of the Musandam's fjords accessible by conventional vehicle, though it's still very steep. Kumzar, on an isolated cove at the peninsula's northern edge, is only accessible by boat.
Sur has a lot going for it, starting with a nearly ideal location. It's a quiet place but has great beaches, impressive forts and an active dhow yard where traditional fishing vessels are built. At any given time, a dozen or more dhows may be under construction, making this a great place to visit.
Just beyond the dhow yard is a small ferry that will carry you across to Ayega, a village where many of the dhow builders live. Although Sur is only 150km (93mi) from Muscat as the crow flies, by actual road it is a bit over twice that distance.
Culture
Arabic is the official language of Oman, though English is widely spoken in business circles. In the northern coastal areas you can find traders and sailors and a large number of expatriates from the Indian subcontinent who also speak Farsi and Urdu. Most Omanis are Ibadi Muslims, belonging to one of Islam's earliest fundamentalist movements. The Ibadi are distinguished by their conservative doctrine and their system of hereditary rule.
Despite the modern appearance of much of Oman, the country remains intensely traditional. In the countryside hamlets and coastal villages, day-to-day life has changed little in centuries. Men can frequently be seen sporting bright blue, loose-fitting, floor-length shirt-dresses called dishdashas, often with a curved khanjar knife dangling from the waist. Women's dress is far more colourful than the simple black cloaks common in much of the rest of the Gulf region. Bright printed dresses are wrapped with even more colourful shawls and veils.
Oman has devoted a great deal of effort to preserving its traditional arts, dance and music, though you're more likely to see traditional dancing staged in a museum than spontaneously breaking out in a village street. Oman is particularly known for its curved, silver-sheathed khanjar knives and silver jewellery.
There is little in the way of traditional Omani cuisine; Indian-style curry is pretty much the national dish. The typical menu is little more than whatever curry the cook decided to make that day, but it is usually pretty good, especially in the myriad small restaurants of Muscat and Salalah. Alcohol is only available in larger hotels and expensive restaurants.
Environment
Oman occupies the eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, bordered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the north-west, Saudi Arabia to the west and Yemen to the south-west. At its northernmost point it's just over 50km (30mi) south of Iran across the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan and India are, respectively, 500km (300mi) and 1000km (600mi) across the Arabian Sea to the east. Oman is slightly smaller than New Zealand or the US state of Kansas, though the part of Oman's border with Saudi Arabia that runs through the Empty Quarter is in dispute, and Oman's exact size isn't known. The Musandam Peninsula forms the country's northern tip, which is separated from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates' eastern coast and includes the only coast Oman has on the Persian Gulf. The Omani enclave of Madha is entirely surrounded by the UAE and lies halfway between the Musandam Peninsula and the rest of Oman.
Oman's diverse geography includes rugged coasts, placid beaches, craggy mountains, salt flats, oases and deserts. The northern coastal strip along the Gulf of Oman is known as the Batinah coast, a sand and gravel plain separated from the rest of the country by the Hajar Mountains. The highest peak is Jebel Akhdar (‘Green Mountain') at 2980m (9775ft). Oman also has two large areas of salt flats, one in the central west and another opposite Massirah Island, off the eastern coast, and just south of the popular Wahiba Sands desert area.
Oman has one of the world's most rigorously green governments, and a fascinating array of animals thrives in the protected areas. Sanctuaries have been set aside for rare Arabian Oryx, giant sea turtles (which come to Oman to breed), the Arabian tahr (a wild goat which nearly became extinct but is now flourishing), Arabian wolf and leopard, striped hyena and the sooty falcon. The sultan has devoted much attention to the country's plant life: coastal areas are preserved and there are National Protected Areas scattered around the country.
Its varied geography means Oman has a wide variety of climatic conditions. Muscat is hot and humid from mid-March until October and pleasantly warm from October to March. In the southern Salalah area, humid weather with temperatures approaching 30°C (90°F) is common even in December. The Salalah area gets drenched by monsoon rains from June to September.
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