The 2-hour bus ride revealed a mixture of Portuguese Forts and medieval, traditional and modern architecture and a 2km strip of car show rooms selling every conceivable brand of car. Buildings are restricted to 8-storeys so unlike Dubai and Abu Dhabi there are no skyscrapers jostling for space, rather the planners are encouraging the city to grow outwards rather then upwards. One very apparent and pleasing aspects to Muscat are the many green spaces and parks and the central reservations of the dual carriageway which abound in colourful flower beds mainly of petunias and marigolds, all spray watered in what is a very arid climate.
Muscat sits on the edge of the Monsoon rains and for a short time the surrounding desert and mountains are greened but like many states in this region Oman is reliant on desalination using oil for the supply of water. So I was not surprised to learn the Oman has a Ministry of Greening, equivalent to our city parks departments.
Children are also very well catered for in Muscat with many recreation grounds and theme parks for older children.
Other notable features are the impressive sculptures in the central reservations of roundabouts the most notable of which is a Dhow floating on rippling water in front of the equally impressive Parliament building (See photos).
A wide Corniche winds from the old city of Muscat down to the port and is dominated by a giant Incense Burner Statue in the Al-Riyam Park (See Photos). It is possible to climb to the top of the burner, which must provide some wonderful views over the harbour, and both the old and new cities of Muscat.
I was also amazed to find a large reserve of Mangroves nestling between the city and one of its many sandy beaches. This area is a sanctuary for wildlife and birds but sadly none were on view in the late morning heat.
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