Muscat, Oman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Muscat مسقط |
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| Muscat | |
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  Muscat
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Wilayat | Muscat |
| Government | |
| - Type | Absolute monarchy |
| - Sultan | Qaboos bin Said |
| Area | |
| - Metro | 3,500 km² (1,351.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | |
| - Metro | 731,730 |
| Time zone | Oman standard time (UTC+4) |
| Website: http://www.omanet.om | |
Muscat (Arabic: مسقط, transliteration: masqaṭ) is the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Oman. It is the largest city in the Governorate of Muscat (sometimes referred to as Masqat to differentiate it from the city). In 2005, the governorate of Muscat had an estimated population of 600,000. The greater metropolitan area of Muscat, also known locally as the "Capital Area", currently covers an area of approximately 1500 km². Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman, Muscat has seen a growth of infrastructural development and urbanization. Pockets of dense residents and commercial districts are interspersed with undeveloped land. The major centers of development can be split into three main groups:
- West Muscat: Al-Seeb, Udhaybah, Bawsher, Al-Ghubbrah and Ghala
- Central Muscat: Al-Khuwair, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Shati-Al Qurm, Qurm and Ras Al Hamra
- East Muscat: Wuttayah, Ruwi, Matrah, Kalbuh, Old Muscat, Sidab and Al-Bustan
In general, Muscat presents a relatively homogeneous appearance of low (rarely more than five story), generally white buildings, with residential, government, and commercial architecture frequently recalling, at least by allusion, historic regional styles. For a city at the edge of the Arabian peninsula and in Oman's sometimes fierce climate, Muscat is remarkably green, with tree-lined main streets linking the various districts, several sizable public parks, and grass, shrubs, and flowers decorating many traffic circles and other public areas.
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[edit] History
Muscat is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. It has been known since the second century AD. The Portuguese returned in 1507 to sack and capture Muscat. A number of surviving inhabitants of Muscat had their noses and ears chopped off by the victorious Portuguese[1].
In 1649, the Imam Saif bin Sultan defeated the Portuguese under André Pereira dos Reis and drove them away east to Goa, India. With the superior, captured warships of the Portuguese navy, the Imam established an empire that spanned from Zanzibar in the south to Gwadar in what is now Pakistan in the east. Slaves were brought in from Zanzibar and Balochistan to work in Oman and traded elsewhere. This was a period of relative stability and prosperity in Muscat and Oman.
The country was torn apart by strife and unrest upon the death of the Imam in 1679. Muscat was then invaded by the Persians in 1737, albeit briefly, since Ahmed bin Said defeated them and was subsequently elected Imam. Persian occupation was described as a 'tragi-comedy' with the Persian's mainly Huwala soldiers repeatedly mutinying[2]. Muscat became the Capital of Oman during the reign of Hamid bin Said 1786 to 1792. In 1853, the Sultan transferred the title of "capital" of Oman to Zanzibar. Thus began to decline of the fortunes of Muscat and Oman.In 1913, Sultan Taimur bin Faisal became Sultan and the territory was renamed "Muscat and Oman" with the Sultan ruling Muscat and the Imam ruling Oman. During the 1950s Sultan Said bin Taimur bin Faisal re-occupied Oman and thereby unified the country.
On June 6, 2007, Muscat was hit by Cyclone Gonu causing extensive damage to properties and rendering electricity, telephone lines and the international airport inoperative. An estimation of the damage to life and property caused by the cyclone is yet to be released. [3] Commercial centres and residences at Qurm, Ghubra and Ghala localities were among the worst hit. [4]
[edit] Economy
Muscat's economy, like that of Oman, is dominated by trade. The more traditional exports of the city included dates, mother of pearl, and fish. Many of the souks of Muttrah sell these items and traditional Omani artefacts. Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has been central to Muscat's economy since at least 1962 and is the country's second largest employer, after the government. PDO's major shareholders include Royal Dutch/Shell, Total, and Partex and its production is estimated to be about 720,000 barrels per day (114,000 m³/d). Muscat also has major trading companies such as Suhail Bahwan, which is a trading partner for corporations such as Toshiba, Subaru, Seiko, Hewlett Packard, General Motors; Saud Bahwan Group whose trading partners are Toyota, Daihatsu and Hertz Rent-a-Car; and Zubair Automotive whose trading partners include Mitsubishi, and Chrysler brands such as Dodge. The private Health Care sector of Muscat,Oman has numerous hospitals and clinics.
Mina Sultan Qaboos, Muscat's main trading port, is a trading hub between the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East with an annual volume of about 1.6 million tons. However, the emergence of the Jebel Ali Free Zone in neighboring Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has made that port the premier maritime trading port of the region with about 44 million tons traded in cargo annually. Many infrastructural facilities are owned and operated by the government of Oman. Omantel [[1]] is the major telecommunications organization in Oman and provides local, long-distance and international dialing facilities and operates as the country's only ISP. Recent liberalization of the mobile telephone market has seen the establishment of a second provider — Nawras[[2]] .
[edit] Demographics
Omanis constitute about 60 percent of the local population. Muscat has a sizeable expatriate population, mainly in the form of skilled and unskilled workers from the Indian subcontinent, Sudan, Egypt and other GCC countries. Arabic is the official language of the state. Balochi, Swahili, English, Urdu, Malayalam and Hindi are widely spoken. Most of the city's residents are followers of Islam, the Sultanate's religion. much of the population are Ibadi Muslims. In 2001 the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque was opened. Muscat also has foreign minorities of Hindus and Christians. Oman allows non-Muslims to practice their religion, but they may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious literature. The city has two Hindu temples — a Shiva temple and a Krishna temple, and a Saints Peter & Paul Church in the city's Ruwi and Azaiba localities.
[edit] Transport
The main airport is Muscat International Airport around 25 km from the city's business district of Ruwi and 15 to 20 km from the main residential localities of Al-Khuwair, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Shati Al-Qurm and Al-Qurm. Muscat is the headquarters for the local Oman Air, which flies to several destinations within the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and East Africa. Other airlines such as Royal Jordanian, British Airways, PIA, Jet Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, Swiss International Air Lines, Kuwait Airways, Air India and Thai Airways also fly through Muscat International Airport.
The Muscat area is well serviced by paved roads and dual-carriageway connects most major cities and towns in the country. Public transportation in Muscat does not include rail and bus services are limited in their route coverage. There is no rail or metro network in the country. Several forms of public transport are popular in Oman. Most popular are the "Baiza" buses, so named for the lower denomination of the Omani Rial, the baisa (an adaptation of the Indian lower denomination paisa). These are relatively inexpensive and service all major roadways, as well as a wide and loose network of smaller byways in the greater Muscat metropolitan area, opportunistically dropping off and picking up passengers at any location. Less popular and slightly more expensive are large public buses, coloured red and green, whose service is limited to major roadways and point-to-point travel routes between Oman's major cities and towns. Taxis, also colour-coded orange and white, provide semi-personal transportation in the form of both individual hire and the same opportunistic roadway service as Baiza buses.
Baiza buses and colour-coded orange-and-white taxis are unmetered, after several government initiatives to introduce meters were rejected. The fare is set by way of negotiation, although taxi drivers usually adhere to certain unwritten rules for fares within the city. In many countries, one is advised to negotiate a fare with the driver before getting into a taxi. However, in Oman, asking for the fare beforehand often demonstrates a passenger's newness and unfamiliarity with the area. One should always find out the normally accepted fare for one's journey from one's hotel or host before looking for a taxi. Taxis will also generally take passengers to locations out of the city, including Sohar, Buraimi and Dubai.
[edit] References
- ^ Charles Belgrave, The Pirate Coast, G. Bell & Sons, 1966 p6
- ^ Charles Belgrave, The Pirate Coast, G. Bell & Sons, 1966 p20
- ^ Cyclone lashes Oman as Iran batters Down. Khaleejtimes.com. June 7, 2007
- ^ Commercial centres and residences at Qurm, Ghubra and Ghala localities were among the worst hit. . freetheweek.com. June 6, 2007
[edit] External links
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Official Ministry Of Tourism site
- Oman Air The National Airline
- Muscat Travel
- Ministry Of Information site
- Muscat, Oman Travel and Tourism Portal
- Muscat, Oman photos
- Muscat, Oman is at coordinates Coordinates:
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