When searching for flights between Australia and Africa we noticed that most flew through the Middle East (Dubai, Doha, Muscat etc..). We figured that since we’d already be flying through the Middle East why not stop over for a few days and see one of those cities? We didn’t really have a specific place in mind, so we just chose the cheapest flight. This decision landed us in Muscat, the capital of Oman.

The first thing we noticed when we stepped off the plane was the heat! Wow, summer in the Middle East isn’t a joke. During our stay in Muscat, the temperature never dipped below 38C/103F during the daytime. There was also never a cloud in the sky, which meant the sun was scorching everything at all times. Oh, and one additional note: We arrived in Muscat in the middle of Ramadan, the traditional month of fasting for Muslims. This means that people don’t eat or drink anything during the daytime (not even water). 103 degrees and no water!! We were determined to not be deterred however, and set out to explore what Muscat had to offer.

Our first stop was in “Old Muscat” where there are a couple of forts along the coast, the ceremonial palace of the Sultan, and a wonderful museum housing an eclectic mix of things pertaining to Omani culture and history. The streets were quite empty and there were essentially no other tourists around (not surprising since it was so hot), but even with the heat we enjoyed walking around the area. We found the forts and palace to be a bit underwhelming, but the museum was well worth the visit (and not just because it had air-conditioning!)

After spending the better part of two hours in the Bait Al Zubair museum we walked to the Muttah Corniche area, which is home to a beautiful little harbor. The walk probably only took us a total of 20 minutes, but it felt like an eternity in the baking sun. We had to stop halfway for a rest under a shady pogoda. I wouldn’t say it was cool in the shade, but it certainly was far better than being exposed to the sun. There was also a nice breeze blowing in from the ocean which helped a bit.

After spending a little bit of time admiring the views of the harbor, we decided to hail a taxi and go to the beach in the Al Qurm area of Muscat. I have no idea why we thought going to the beach in 103 degree weather, after we had already been roasted for 2-3 hours, would be a good idea. When we arrived we noticed that we had the entire beach to ourselves. Turns out, Omanis are much smarter than we are! We walked along the beach in our sandals (we couldn’t take them off because the sand was hotter than the surface of the sun) and eventually spied a shady area where we could escape the heat. Was that shady area under a beautiful palm tree? No. Under a sun umbrella with a cool drink? No. That life-saving shade was under a large concrete bridge. Built in the perfect location to provide idiotic tourists with a place to escape the murderous rays of sunshine pouring down from the sun. We hid out under the bridge for a little while, sneaking a few drinks of much needed water, before deciding to throw in the towel and head back to the comfort of our hotel room air conditioning. We also decided to stay in our hotel that evening for the traditional Iftar meal (the meal to break the day’s fast) so we didn’t have to go out in the punishing heat again!

The next day we visited the Grand Mosque of Muscat. As we expected, the Mosque was ornately built and absolutely massive. We spent a good hour just wandering around the complex, visiting the women’s prayer hall, the library, the gardens, and the main prayer hall. The main prayer hall was the most impressive. It is an absolutely enormous room, with the world’s second largest single carpet covering the floor (the carpet is 70m/230ft x 60m/196ft and weighs 21 tons!!). It is also home to one of the largest chandeliers in the world; a 14m/46ft tall behemoth weighing 8.5 tons and containing more than 600,000 Austrian made Swarovski crystals! After gazing at this amazing space, we made our way over to the Islamic information center where we had a very long and interesting discussion with a Muslim man about the Islam. We discussed many aspects of the Muslim faith and the Islamic perspective of the world. It was a neat way to end our visit to the Mosque as well as the city of Muscat itself.