MUSCAT OMAN TRAVEL DOCUMENTARY OMAN SERIES PT 1

the sultanate of oman is country characterized by breathtaking landscapes and thriving culture this small nation occupies the south eastern coast of the arabian peninsula where the persian gulf meets the arabian sea oman has used its oil wealth to modernise whilst honoring its age-old traditions and thanks to the late sultan caboose oman has transformed from what was once largely underdeveloped provincial backwater into modern and prosperous society nowhere is this more evident than in its radiant capital muscats great symbol of sultan caboose's legacy who sadly passed away in 2020 is the grand mosque in muscat the mosque which took six years to build was present from sultan caboose to the people of oman it's absolutely beautiful here it's really really grand mosque and it holds around 25 000 worshipers and it's made of around 300 000 tons of indian sandstone so you can get sense of how big this place is religion is at the heart of oman and omanis mainly practice moderate branch of islam called ibidism the faith underpins many of oman's values such as tolerance and open-mindedness which are reflected in the incredible hospitality of the omani people the men's prayer room is just as beautiful as the outside of the mosque everything from the hand-woven persian carpet to the crystal studded chandelier is symbol of opulence the mirhab stands tall at the front of the prayer room signaling the direction of prayer towards mecca and is adorned with golden tiled mosaics some people may be surprised to hear that the sultan never had any of his own children but he would often say that there was no need to because for him the people of oman were his children matra is port town in the capital of moscat and like most port cities it has rich history of commerce and trade met up with yasser local omani to learn more about oman's history and how it still influences much of the culture today we are now in matasuk the one of the old suga in the middle east and especially here in oman and this look here when you enter inside you just dismiss the frankincense before the discovery of oil frankincense was oman's most lucrative trade the smoldering resin comes from the boswellia sakura tree and oman is one of the only places in the world to grow these the francis is coming from the south of oman that's where you find the frankincense trees that's true and this is type of the frankincense with the different price with the different types we have like the number ones which is more white green see this one the best quality see the colors that's like kind of green white white green and you can eat it like chin gum see you can try it's me like it is good for the teeth and it's good for stomach it tastes like it's not meat so when you walk around you can really smell the frankincense most of the shops are burning it smells absolutely incredible the soup sells lots of traditional omani products and one that wanted to learn more about was the kanja knife the kanja used for hundreds of years as weapon is now defining symbol of oman you can see them everywhere around oman and even on the omani notes normally wearing this like in the wedding okay if we meet some special guest like we have like festival or something one of the oldest shops in the souk alibaba also has an incredible collection of kanjas the owner akhtar belushi showed me one that was worn by member of the royal family and is made of rhino tusk and gold it's amazing to see how proud omanis are of their heritage at the end of mantra harbour is muscat's lively fish market which is primary place locals come to buy their fresh fish and there is an incredible variety on offer the three good quality in oman one they call king fish kingfish and tuna and jamun yeah this is the three famous best quality effect quality fish and how do you cook it with spices and things or how do you cook it like traditional tuna you can cook in different way okay like curry like with sauce like barbecue fishing has traditionally been the main source of income for many omanis and to this day it continues to provide living for fishermen in oman's villages and coastal cities without the stingray never actually thought that you could eat stingray never thought that that was something people could eat in oman we eat it the test is very good very if you try it you want to eat it every time i'm here at the cornish of muscat which is beautiful promenade along the gulf of oman and it's such beautiful place to come and wander along and you can see lot of the locals coming out and all gathering together it's beautiful place to come at sunset you can hear the call to prayer from the local mosque signaling the final prayer of the day it's very atmospheric and you feel like you're truly in the heart of arabia traditional wooden dow boats which were historically used for trading can still be seen on the gulf of oman and are powerful reminder of oman's once mighty empire which stretched along the east coast of africa and up to pakistan nowadays dow boats are used for tourism and sunset boat trip is perfect way to see muscat's historic coastline oman fell victim to foreign invaders due to its prime position on trade routes to south east asia in 1507 the portuguese succeeded in invading and conquering the coastal region in muscat they controlled the region for more than hundred years before being driven out by omani forces the only remaining symbol of the portuguese occupation are two forts standing above the city reminder of oman's once turbulent past the view of the cornish from the boat is so beautiful you have the matcha sook and the mosque and then you've got these beautiful mountains behind and at this time as well when the sun's setting everything just looks so incredible muscat is mystical city which is rich in culture and history felt like got true taste of authentic arabia