Admire the best museums and galleries in Muscat, Oman

With thousands of artefacts and other valuables of historic importance housed under one roof, it is worth visiting a museum, like these five museums right here in Muscat.

Al Madina Art Gallery

Based in the Muscat suburb of Madinat Qaboos, the Al Madina Art Gallery first opened its doors in 2004. Since then it has excelled in exhibiting Omani and expatriate amateur artists, as well as more established painters and photographers. The gallery includes workshops and field trips for all ages; reconnecting Oman’s growing and diversifying population with its vibrant and historic culture.
The gallery also has an impressive gift shop full of intricate Omani artefacts, many of which are made in the gallery’s workshop. Al Madina holds exhibitions for local and international visual artists in the region like French-born Juliette Thomson’s, whose work resonates with her surroundings in Oman.

The National Museum Oman

A newcomer to the cultural scene, The National Museum Oman was established in 2013 to display Oman’s cultural heritage, from prehistoric times to the present. The institution aims to spread appreciation and recognition of Oman within the Sultanate, but also to educate the international community about Oman’s role in history.

With an exhibition space and over 10 galleries, the museum hosts a permanent collection and also has a gallery for temporary exhibitions. On display are some rare gold coins and utensils found in a recently excavated 16th-century shipwreck, thought to be part of Vasco Da Gama’s fleet, among other surprising things.

Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum

Inaugurated in 1988 by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the Armed Forces Museum is a treasured monument that houses a variety of clothes, weapons, and other defence systems from the Omani armed forces, as well as walk you through the stages of its development throughout history.

Stal Gallery

Whilst the previous Omani galleries mentioned are increasingly international in their outlook, Stal Gallery focuses on Muscat’s residents and local artists. Set up by the non-for-profit Alserkal group in September 2013, the gallery serves as a shining beacon for the artistic community of Oman. The space serves as a hub for visual art lovers and artists; with exhibitions of refreshing mixed media; from photography to lithography.

One artist currently exhibiting at Stal, Alia Alfarsi, has gained recognition from her series of striking portraits of women. The artworks are created using a collage of textures, from real fabrics to create the woman’s clothing from torn pieces of writing as if to capture the woman’s conversation.

Muscat Gate Museum

As guests ascend the stairs to the Muscat Gate Museum, they can take in a spectacular view of the city. Inside, the museum showcases Oman’s history and unique architecture, with an emphasis on the capital. There is also information about the ancient Aflaj irrigation systems, which Oman is famous for, and date back to 500 AD.

See more: Top places to visit Oman

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7 traditional foods to try in Oman

One of the wonders of the unique Omani culture is the exceptional mouthwatering traditional cuisine. From dates and coffee, to rice and grilled meat, here are the top Omani dishes that every visitor must try during their visit to the country.

Shuwa

Shuwa is a celebratory Omani dish that is only prepared on special occasions like Eid. During the festival, many families in Oman begin cooking their Shuwa on the first day and consume the dish on the second day.

The making of the dish is a very long and elaborate process. On the first day of Eid, the meat, which is typically lamb, goat or camel, is marinated with all kinds of spices. Each household has their own blend of ingredients that they use, including spices like coriander, nutmeg and cumin. Then the meat is wrapped in banana leaves and thrown into an underground sand oven. It is cooked underground for a day or two and then hoisted up from the ground ready to be eaten. Once the meat is taken out of the ground, it is tender with a layer of crispy spices around it. It is served with rice and tomato sauce.

Dates

Palm trees are the most frequently seen plantations around Oman. They produce mouth-watering dates. Differing in size, color, and tenderness, these dates are one of the essential meal items that are presented to every guest as part of the wonderful Omani hospitality. Sometimes, Omanis mix dried dates with sesame paste and sesame or ground coconut. They also use them in preparing different types of desserts and Omani sweets.

Harees

Harees is a porridge-like dish made from wheat and ghee, mixed in with some type of meat (often chicken). The word Harees comes from the Arabic harasaor even older, the Akkadian ‘harasu,’ which refers to the mashing of meat with barley or shelled whole grains of wheat. The bone-in meat is often first cooked separately before combining with the starch, de-boned and then rhythmically pounded into a smooth paste. It is undoubtedly one of the most ancient and popular iftar dishes across the Gulf countries during Ramadan.

Halwa

Halwa means dessert in Arabic. However, Halwa is also the name given to the most famous Omani sweets. It has a strong texture that is thicker than custard. Although Halwa is brown-colored, there is no chocolate used in its preparation. Omani Halwa consists of sugar, honey, rose water, eggs, several Omani spices and nuts. It is usually served with kahwa and dates. Omanis present it on one big plate with several spoons so that guests and visitors can share in the deliciousness.

Mushaltat

A well-known delicacy in Oman is Mushaltat, which is soft flatbread stuffed with honey, meat, spinach or cheese.  The bread is made out of refined wheat flour and kneaded into thin cakes, stuffed with ingredients and baked for about 5 minutes.

Mashuai

Mashuai is a tasty Omani fish dish. It consists of grilled kingfish with a special savory lemon sauce. With the traditional Omani spices, this dishes is uniquely mouthwatering and should not be missed on a visit to the country.

Bablou Soup

Omani paplou soup is a fish or seafood soup. It is often made with tuna and tuna roe, however shellfish and other types of fish can also be used. This dish is loved in the coastal regions of Oman. It has a wonderful citrus flavor that counterbalances the heat along with a wonderful paste made from garlic, ginger and cilantro. The soup is served over a heap of basmati rice and garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

See more: Top places to visit Oman

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