Mutrah: the souq, the fort and the port

By the Muscat seaside you will find Mutrah (sometimes spelled Matrah), one of the most visited and interesting places in the city.

It is a short hop from the more modern center of Muscat and you know you are there once you get to the beautiful walking path in front of the port and by the seaside: the corniche. There you can decide to either begin or end your trip to Mutrah by taking in the sea breeze, looking at the amazing boats or turning around and looking at life slowly go on as you take a comfortable seat and perhaps enjoy a snack.

Across from the port and up on the hill you will find something perhaps less interesting to you but certainly eye catching to me. On that hill is the fort built in the 1580's by the Portuguese who for a period of time controlled this land. And as I sat by the corniche looking at it I thought about the incredible journey it had to have been to each and every Portuguese sailor who made it there in the late 16th century. About how long it took them to get there, about how incredibly uncertain the trip was and about what it meant to leave everything you know, your family, your friends, your entire world to go to a place so far away that your mind cannot begin to imagine where it is. Those were the true explorers and I felt humbled by them when contemplating my own trip to this land.

The fort itself isn't all that big and we didn't even attempt to reach it given my sutured foot but even from a distance it was an interesting sight and certainly made me think about how far globalization has come.

Finally, there is of course the souq which is the reason why most would choose to go there.

It is a large indoor structure filled with all of the things that shoppers love to see. Silk scarves and traditional clothing for the ladies, jewelry of all kinds, trinkets for the house, good luck charms, old coins and traditional knives for the avid collectors. It feels everything like what the mind would expect from an Arab souq while maintaining an elegant feel to it.

Beauty, history and shopping, Mutrah was a lot of fun!