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Muscat, Oman

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of the Middle
East

                                                     CAPTION: Muscat, Oman


                                                 Location of Muscat, Oman

                                    Classification                    City
                                            Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said
                                              Area              3,500 km²
                                        Population
                                   - Total ( 2005)
                                         - Density
                            - Oman calculated rank
                                                                   606,024
                                                              184.57/ km²
                                                                      1^st
                                         Timezone:               ( UTC) +4
                                          Latitude
                                         Longitude       23.61° N 58.54° E
                               Official website: http://www.omanet.om

   Muscat (Arabic: مسقط Masqaṭ, IPA: [mʌsqʌtˁ]) is the capital and largest
   city in the Sultanate of Oman. It is the largest city in the mintaqah (
   governorate) of Muscat (sometimes referred to as Masqat to
   differentiate it from the city). The city of Muscat has a 2005
   estimated population of 600,000 .

   The greater metropolitan area of Muscat, known locally as the 'Capital
   Area', currently covers an area of approximately 1500 km². Since Oman's
   'Renaissance' of modernization began in 1970 (see below), Muscat has
   seen an explosion of infrastructure development and urbanization, and,
   as has been the case in so many other cities worldwide, towns which
   were once distinct have been subsumed within the sprawling growth of
   the city's expanding metropolitan area. Pockets of dense residential
   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 sizeable public parks, and
   grass, shrubs, and flowers decorating many traffic circles and other
   public areas.

   The IPA transcription of the city's Standard Arabic name is /mʌsqʌt^ʕ/.
   The pronunciation is sometimes approximated in English as /'mʌskæt/,
   /'mʌskɛt/, or /'mʌskət/ (homophonous with "musket").

History

   Muscat is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. It has been
   known since the second century AD. Some 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) of
   frankincense was transported each year by ship from southern Arabia to
   Greece, Rome and the Mediterranean. The centre of this trade was in a
   place called Khour Rouri, which the Greeks called "Muscat". (Note that
   Khour Rouri is now recognized as an archaeological site in the Dhofar
   region of the country, more than 500 miles south of present-day Muscat,
   far closer to the present-day city of Salalah).

   The first foreign presence in Muscat was in the form of the Portuguese
   explorer Vasco da Gama, who landed in Oman on his way to India. The
   Portuguese returned in 1507 to sack and capture Muscat. In 1649, the
   Imam Sultan bin Saif defeated the Portuguese under André Pereira dos
   Reis and drove them away east to Goa, India.
   Fort Jalali, Muscat This image has an uncertain copyright status and is
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   Fort Jalali, Muscat
     __________________________________________________________________

   This image has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion.
   You can comment on the removal.

   With the superior, captured warships of the Portuguese navy, the Imam
   established an empire that spanned from Zanzibar in the south to Gwadar
   in 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 Admad bin Said defeated them and was subsequently
   elected Imam.

   In 1803, the Wahabbis of Saudi Arabia attacked Oman, but were repulsed
   by Sayyid Said bin Sultan. The sultan then set up a colony in the
   fertile areas of Zanzibar and essentially ruled Oman from a foreign
   island. Later, 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. After Indian independence in 1947, the Sultan, with the
   help of the British, defeated the Imam, unified most of Oman taking
   command of the Buraimi oasis.

   The Dhofar War began in 1964 which was a communist insurrection staged
   from the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen against the Sultan of
   Oman. The insurrection was opposed by Omani, British and Iranian forces
   and was successfully put down. Six years later, Prince Qaboos bin Said,
   son of Sultan Said bin Taimur staged a palace coup and claimed the
   throne. The old Sultan was flown to London by the British Royal Air
   Force. The coup, staged by Prince Qaboos, with his close friend and
   confidant Tim Landon at his side, was the beginning of a new
   consolidated, modern sultanate.

Economy

   Al Alam Palace, Muscat
   Al Alam Palace, Muscat

   Muscat, like much of Oman, is dominated by trade. The more traditional
   exports of the city include dates, mother of pearl, frankincense and
   fish. Many of the souks of old Muscat and 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.

   Muscat also has major trading companies such as Suhail and Saud 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
   DaimlerChrysler brands such as Dodge.

   Mina Sultan Qaboos, Muscat's main trading port, is an important 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.

   All infrastructural facilities are owned and operated by the government
   of Oman. Oman Telecommunications (Omantel) 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

Society and religion

   Dome of the popular Riyam Park, Muscat
   Dome of the popular Riyam Park, Muscat

   Omanis constitute about 60 percent of the local population. Muscat has
   a sizable expatriate population, mainly in the form of skilled and
   unskilled workers from the Indian subcontinent, the Sudan, Egypt and
   other GCC countries.

   Arabic is the official language of the state. Swahili, English, Hindi
   and Malayalam are widely spoken.

   Most of the city's residents are followers of Islam, the Sultanate's
   only recognized religion. 75 percent of the people are Ibadi Muslims.
   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 locality.

Transport

   The main airport is Seeb 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 one of the three headquarters of Gulf
   Air and the headquarters for the local Oman Air, both of which fly to
   several destinations within the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent
   and East Africa. In addition, Gulf Air flies to select destinations in
   Europe, Great Britain, North Africa and East Asia. Other airlines such
   as British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, Swiss International Air Lines,
   Kuwait Airways, Air India and Thai Airways also fly through Seeb
   International Airport.

   The Muscat area is well serviced by paved roads and dual-carriageway
   connects most major cities and towns in the country.
   View of the Muttrah corniche, Muscat
   View of the Muttrah corniche, Muscat

   Public transportation in Muscat, and Oman in general, leaves much to be
   desired. 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.

   Unlike in some other wealthy countries in the Gulf, taxi and bus
   drivers in Oman are exclusively Omani nationals.

   Taxis will also generally take passengers to locations out of the city,
   including Sohar, Buraimi and Dubai.

Administrative Divisions

   Muscat governorate consists of six wilayats: Muscat, Mutrah, Bawshar,
   Seeb, Al Amerat and Qurayyat.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscat%2C_Oman"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
