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Muscat is the capital of the Sultanate of Oman
Muscat is the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, as it is located in the northeastern part of the country, and has an area of about 3,797 square kilometers. The city is also divided into six provinces called states, with a population of about 1,560,330 people, which makes it the most populous city. In Oman, where the population density is 450 people per square kilometer, the city is characterized by being partially surrounded by plains, and includes two natural ports, and its northern coast is characterized by the western Hajar Mountains.
History of Muscat
The name Muscat appeared in written sources dating back to the thirteenth century AD, but it was not known exactly when it was established, and it occupied a prominent position during the sixteenth century AD, after it was seized by Portugal, and they built two great fortresses in it, and Portugal ruled it until It was restored by Omani rule in 1649 AD, as the city flourished as an important trading center in the Indian Ocean, as it was a center of maritime navigation and the maritime empire, and in the late eighteenth century after its exit from Iranian control, the city returned as a major trading center in the western Indian Ocean, where Controlled by a Navel Al-Bu Saeed.
The commercial status of Muscat declined in the 1830s, as the city of Zanzibar became the first commercial center in the region, and during the nineteenth century the British presence grew in it, and it became a coal station for ships wandering between the property of the Indian Empire and the Middle East, and by the twentieth century, Muscat had become a stagnant port The economic depression reduced the number of the population to more than 4000 people from about 30,000 people who lived there in the middle of the eighteenth century, but after the coup in 1970 AD, life returned to the city.
The most important tourist places in Muscat
The city of Muscat includes many tourist and archeological sites, the most important of which are:
- Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.
- Oman Center for Oil and Gas.
- French Omani Museum.
- Muscat Gate Museum.
- Royal Opera House.
