Bait Al Zubair

Top choice in Muscat

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In a beautifully restored house, this much-loved privately owned museum exhibits Omani heritage in thematic displays of traditional handicrafts, furniture, stamps and coins. The museum has evolved into the cultural centre of Muscat, hosting international exhibitions of contemporary art in Gallery Sarah within the museum's grounds. A modern cafe and a shop selling quality souvenirs usually entice visitors to stay longer than they expected.

If you're visiting the cafe, take a look at the wind tower for an idea of how old buildings in Muscat coped with the heat before the invention of modern air conditioning.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Interior of the Mutrah souk in Muscat, the capital of the sultanate of Oman.

    Mutrah Souq

    1.65 MILES

    Many people come to Mutrah Corniche just to visit the souq, which retains the chaotic interest of a traditional Arab market albeit housed under modern…

  • Grand Mosque

    Grand Mosque

    12.94 MILES

    Quietly imposing from the outside, this glorious piece of modern Islamic architecture was a gift to the nation from Sultan Qaboos to mark his 30th year of…

  • The Sultan's Palace. Muscat, Oman

    Sultan’s Palace

    0.33 MILES

    If you stand by the harbour wall on Mirani St, the building to the right with the delightful mushroom pillars in blue and gold is the Sultan’s Palace. On…

  • Sunset in Muscat

    Mutrah Corniche

    1.78 MILES

    Mutrah stretches along an attractive corniche of latticed buildings and mosques; it looks spectacular at sunset when the light casts shadows across the…

  • National Museum

    National Museum

    0.32 MILES

    Housed in an imposing new building in the heart of Old Muscat, the National Museum makes a fitting consort for the Sultan's Palace opposite. The emphasis…

  • Bandar Khayran

    Bandar Khayran

    10.77 MILES

    Beyond Mutrah, the headland close to Muscat shatters into a series of khors (inlets) and bandars (natural harbours), the most extensive of which is Bandar…

  • Seeb Corniche

    Seeb Corniche

    27.47 MILES

    This 2km corniche, to the west of Seeb, has a landscaped area for walking, enjoying sea views, sniffing drying sardines and watching the fishermen mending…

  • Old Souq

    Old Souq

    26.19 MILES

    Between the main road and the sea, this traditional souq is housed under some makeshift awnings in a sandy-coloured complex of buildings just off the…

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Nearby Muscat attractions

1. Omani-French Museum

0.13 MILES

With galleries detailing relations between the two countries, this museum provides an interesting snapshot of mostly 19th-century colonial life in Muscat…

2. Muscat Gate Museum

0.28 MILES

Straddling the road between the Corniche and the old walled city, this museum, with the original gates used until the 1970s to keep land-bound marauders…

3. Al Mirani Fort

0.3 MILES

Sixteenth-century Al Mirani Fort was built by the Portuguese at the same time as nearby Al Jalali Fort. Although closed to the public, its presence looms…

4. National Museum

0.32 MILES

Housed in an imposing new building in the heart of Old Muscat, the National Museum makes a fitting consort for the Sultan's Palace opposite. The emphasis…

5. Sultan’s Palace

0.33 MILES

If you stand by the harbour wall on Mirani St, the building to the right with the delightful mushroom pillars in blue and gold is the Sultan’s Palace. On…

6. Al Jalali Fort

0.53 MILES

Guarding the entrance to the harbour to the east, Al Jalali Fort was built during the Portuguese occupation in the 1580s on Arab foundations. The fort is…

7. Kalbuh Bay Park

0.66 MILES

Kalbuh Bay Park juts into a sea that's boiling with sardines. Located at the end of the Corniche, it makes a good pausing place on a hike between Mutrah…

8. Al Riyam Park

0.89 MILES

Beyond Mutrah Fort, the Corniche leads to the leafy Al Riyam Park, with fine views of the harbour from the giant ornamental incense burner. There is a…