Muscat (Arabic: ‫م ْسقَط‬,

َ Masqaṭ pronounced [ˈmasqatˤ]) is the capital and largest city

of Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National
Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat
Governorate reached 1.4 million as of September 2018.[2] The metropolitan area
spans approximately 3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi)[3] and includes six provinces called
wilayat.[citation needed] Known since the early 1st century CE as an important
trading port between the west and the east, Muscat was ruled by various indigenous
tribes as well as foreign powers such as the Persians, the Portuguese Empire, the
Iberian Union and the Ottoman Empire at various points in its history. A regional
military power in the 18th century, Muscat's influence extended as far as East
Africa and Zanzibar. As an important port-town in the Gulf of Oman, Muscat
attracted foreign tradesmen and settlers such as the Persians and the Balochis.
Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in 1970, Muscat has
experienced rapid infrastructural development that has led to the growth of a
vibrant economy and a multi-ethnic society. Muscat is termed as a Global City.

The rocky Western Al Hajar Mountains dominate the landscape of Muscat. The city
lies on the Arabian Sea along the Gulf of Oman and is in the proximity of the
strategic Straits of Hormuz. Low-lying white buildings typify most of Muscat's
urban landscape, while the port-district of Muttrah, with its corniche and harbour,
form the north-eastern periphery of the city. Muscat's economy is dominated by
trade, petroleum, liquified natural gas and porting.

Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
3 Geography and geology
4 Climate
5 Economy
6 Demographics
7 Notable landmarks
8 Culture
9 Notable people
10 See also
11 Bibliography
12 References
13 Further reading
14 External links
Etymology
Ptolemy's Map of Arabia identifies the territories of Cryptus Portus[4] and Moscha
Portus.[5] Scholars are divided in opinion on which of the two related to the city
of Muscat. Similarly, Arrianus references Omana and Moscha in Voyage of Nearchus.
Interpretations of Arrianus' work by William Vincent and Jean Baptiste Bourguignon
d'Anville conclude that Omana was a reference to Oman, while Moscha referred to
Muscat.[6] Similarly, other scholars identify Pliny the Elder's reference to
Amithoscuta to be Muscat.[4]

The origin of the word Muscat is disputed. Some authors claim that the word has
Arabic origins – from moscha, meaning an inflated hide or skin.[7] Other authors
claim that the name Muscat means anchorage or the place of "letting fall the
anchor".[8] Other derivations include muscat from Old Persian, meaning strong-
scented,[9][full citation needed] or from Arabic, meaning falling-place,[10] or
hidden.[11] Cryptus Portus is synonymous with Oman ("hidden land"). But "Ov-man"
(Omman), and the old Sumerian name Magan (Maa-kan), means sea-people in Arabic. An
inhabitant is a Muscatter, Muscatian, Muscatite or Muscatan.

History
See also: Timeline of Muscat, Oman
Muscat (Mascate) Portuguese Fortress in the 17th century. António Bocarro Book of
Fortress

Muscat harbour, ca. 1903. Visible in the background is Fort Al Jalali.

Royal Opera House Muscat

A view of Muscat ca. 1902

Evidence of communal activity in the area around Muscat dates back to the 6th
millennium BCE in Ras al-Hamra, where burial sites of fishermen have been found.
The graves appear to be well formed and indicate the existence of burial rituals.
South of Muscat, remnants of Harappan pottery indicate some level of contact with
the Indus Valley Civilisation.[12] Muscat's notability as a port was acknowledged
as early as the 1st century CE by the Greek geographer Ptolemy, who referred to it
as Cryptus Portus (the Hidden Port), and by Pliny the Elder, who called it
Amithoscuta.[13]

The port fell to a Sassanid invasion in the 3rd century CE, under the rule of
Shapur I,[14] while conversion to Islam occurred during the 7th century. Muscat's
importance as a trading port continued to grow in the centuries that followed,
under the influence of the Azd dynasty, a local tribe. The establishment of the
First Imamate in the 9th century CE was the first step in consolidating disparate
Omani tribal factions under the banner of an Ibadi state. However, tribal
skirmishes continued, allowing the Abbasids of Baghdad to conquer Oman. The
Abbasids occupied the region until the 11th century, when they were driven out by
the local Yahmad tribe. Power over Oman shifted from the Yahmad tribe to the Azdi
Nabahinah clan, during whose rule, the people of coastal ports such as Muscat
prospered from maritime trade and close alliances with the Indian subcontinent, at
the cost of the alienation of the people of the interior of Oman.

Oman Council building in Muscat

The Portuguese admiral Afonso de Albuquerque sailed to Muscat in 1507, in an
attempt to establish trade relations. As he approached the harbor, his ships were
fired on. He then decided to conquer Muscat. Most of the city burned to the ground
during and after the fighting.

The Portuguese maintained a hold on Muscat for over a century, despite challenges
from Persia and a bombardment of the town by the Ottoman Turks in 1546.[15] The
Turks twice captured Muscat from the Portuguese, in the Capture of Muscat (1552)
and 1581–88. The election of Nasir bin Murshid Al-Ya'rubi as Imam of Oman in 1624
changed the balance of power again in the region, from the Persians and the
Portuguese to local Omanis. On August 16, 1648 the Imam dispatched an army to
Muscat, which captured and demolished the high towers of the Portuguese, weakening
their grip over the town. Decisively, in 1650, a small but determined body of the
Imam's troops attacked the port at night, forcing an eventual Portuguese surrender
on January 23, 1650.[16] A civil war and repeated incursions by the Persian king
Nader Shah in the 18th century destabilised the region, and further strained
relations between the interior and Muscat. This power vacuum in Oman led to the
emergence of the Al Bu Sa‘id dynasty, which has ruled Oman ever since.[17]

"Muscat is a large and very populous town, flanked on both sides with high
mountains and the front is close to the water's edge; behind, towards the interior,
there is a plain as large as the square of Lisbon, all covered with salt pans.
[T]here are orchards, gardens, and palm groves with wells for watering them by
means of swipes and other engines. The harbour is small, shaped like a horse-shoe
and sheltered from every wind."
—Afonso de Albuquerque, after the fall of Muscat, in 1507.[18]
Muscat's naval and military supremacy was re-established in the 19th century by
Said bin Sultan, who signed a treaty with U.S. President Andrew Jackson's
representative Edmund Roberts on September 21, 1833.[19] Having gained control over
Zanzibar, in 1840 Said moved his capital to Stone Town, the ancient quarter of
Zanzibar City; however, after his death in 1856, control over Zanzibar was lost
when it became an independent sultanate under his sixth son, Majid bin Said
(1834/5–1870), while the third son, Thuwaini bin Said, became the Sultan of Oman.

During the second half of the 19th century, the fortunes of the Al Bu Sa`id
declined and friction with the Imams of the interior resurfaced. Muscat and Muttrah
were attacked by tribes from the interior in 1895 and again in 1915.[20] A
tentative ceasefire was brokered by the British, which gave the interior more
autonomy. However, conflicts among the disparate tribes of the interior, and with
the Sultan of Muscat and Oman continued into the 1950s, and eventually escalated
into the Dhofar Rebellion (1962). The rebellion forced the Sultan Said bin Taimur
to seek the assistance of the British in quelling the uprisings from the interior.
The failed assassination attempt of April 26, 1966 on Said bin Taimur led to the
further isolation of the Sultan, who had moved his residence from Muscat to
Salalah, amidst the civilian armed conflict. On July 23, 1970, Qaboos bin Said, son
of the Sultan, staged a bloodless[21] coup d'état in the Salalah palace with the
assistance of the British, and took over as ruler.

Muscat harbor during World War I

With the assistance of the British, Qaboos bin Said put an end to the Dhofar
uprising and consolidated disparate tribal territories. He renamed the country the
Sultanate of Oman (called Muscat and Oman hitherto), in an attempt to end to the
interior's isolation from Muscat. Qaboos enlisted the services of capable Omanis to
fill positions in his new government,[22] drawing from such corporations as
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). New ministries for social services such as health
and education were established. The construction of Mina Qaboos, a new port
conceived initially by Sa`id bin Taimur, was developed during the early days of
Qaboos' rule. Similarly, a new international airport was developed in Muscat's Seeb
district. A complex of offices, warehouses, shops and homes transformed the old
village of Ruwi in Muttrah into a commercial district.[23] The first five-year
development plan in 1976 emphasised infrastructural development of Muscat, which
provided new opportunities for trade and tourism in the 1980s–1990s, attracting
migrants from around the region. On June 6, 2007, Cyclone Gonu hit Muscat causing
extensive damage to property, infrastructure and commercial activity.

Early photographs of the city and harbor, taken in the early 20th century by German
explorer and photographer, Hermann Burchardt, are now held at the Ethnological
Museum of Berlin.[24]

Geography and geology

Muscat by SPOT Satellite

Muscat's rugged terrain, with plutonic Central Hajar Mountains dotting the
landscape
Muscat is located in northeast Oman. The Tropic of Cancer passes south of the area.
It is bordered to its west by the plains of the Al Batinah Region and to its east
by Ash Sharqiyah Region. The interior plains of Ad Dakhiliyah Region border Muscat
to the south, while the Gulf of Oman forms the northern and western periphery of
the city. The water along the coast of Muscat runs deep, forming two natural
harbours, in Muttrah and Muscat. The Central Hajar Mountains[25][26] run through
the northern coastline of the city.

Volcanic rocks, predominantly serpentinite and diorite are apparent in the Muscat
area and extend along the Gulf of Oman coast for ten or twelve 16 kilometres (9.9
mi) from the district of Darsait to Yiti.[27] Plutonic rocks constitute the hills
and mountains of Muscat and span approximately 30 miles (48 km) from Darsait to Ras
Jissah. These igneous rocks consists of serpentinite, greenstone, and basalt,
typical of rocks in southeastern regions of the Arabian Peninsula. South of Muscat,
the volcanic rock strata are broken up and distorted, rising to a maximum height of
6,000 feet (1,800 m) in Al-Dakhiliyah, a region which includes Jebel Akhdar, the
country's highest range. The hills in Muscat are mostly devoid of vegetation but
are rich in iron.[citation needed]

The halophytic sabkha type desert vegetation is predominant in Muscat.[28] The

Qurum Nature Reserve contains plants such as the Arthrocnemum Macrostachyum and
Halopeplis Perfoliata. Coral reefs are common in Muscat. Acropora reefs exist in
the sheltered bays of the satellite towns of Jussah and Khairan.[29] Additionally,
smaller Porites reef colonies exist in Khairan, which have fused to form a flat-top
pavement that is visible at low tide. Crabs and spiny crayfish are found in the
waters of the Muscat area, as are sardines and bonito.[30] Glassfish are common in
freshwater estuaries, such as the Qurum Nature Reserve.[31]

The Sultan Qaboos Street forms the main artery of Muscat, running west-to-east
through the city. The street eventually becomes Al Nahdah Street near Al Wattayah.
Several inter-city roads such as Nizwa Road and Al Amrat Road, intersect with Al
Sultan Qaboos Road (in Rusail and Ruwi, respectively). Muttrah, with the Muscat
Harbour, Corniche, and Mina Qaboos, is located in the north-eastern coastline of
the city, adjacent to the Gulf of Oman. Other coastal districts of Muscat include
Darsait, Mina Al Fahal, Ras Al Hamar, Al Qurum Heights, Al Khuwair, and Al Seeb.
Residential and commercial districts further inland include Al Hamriyah, Al Wadi Al
Kabir, Ruwi, Al Wattayah, Madinat Qaboos, Al Azaiba and Al Ghubra.

Climate