From Mutrah Souq, our tour bus took a mountainous route to the next place of interest. Along the way, we could see the Old Muscat where Al Alam Palace is located.
Soon we reached Bait Al Zubair Museum, a cultural museum showcasing Omani relics, including weapons & costumes, plus a mini Omani village.
Photography is not allowed inside the museum, thus we only took photos of the exterior exhibits.
The museum is one of country’s architectural icons and in 1999 was the proud recipient of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos’ Award for Architectural Excellence, the first time it was awarded in Oman.
It's not a very big museum and we walked through the inside of the museum within 30 minutes. We returned to our tour bus and moved on to Al Alam Palace.
Al Alam Palace is the ceremonial palace of His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos. He rarely ever stays in Al Alam Palace as he seems to prefer his other residences in Al Seeb or Manah. However, this palace is the one used the most to receive high ranking official guests and has hosted in the past the likes of the Queen of England and the Queen of the Netherlands.
The palace is not open to the public, but tourists can walk around the yard and gardens in front of the palace at any time.
The palace is located in the heart of the Old Muscat and is surrounded by the Al Jalali and Al Mirani forts
After the visit to the palace, it's the end of our shore excursion in Muscat as we returned to our cruise ship at the port.
On our way back, we learned a bit more about Oman from the tour guide. Below are some interesting facts.
- Tax Free country, ie. no income tax.
- Most daily needs are heavily subsidised by the government.
- When a citizen reaches the age of 21, the government will give a plot of land for him to build anything he wants.
- Retirement age is 55 and after which, government will continue to pay out 80% of the salary to the citizen for life.
- There is currently an equality between male and female where both sexes receive the same education and earn same wages.
- There is currently female ministers and representatives in the parliament.
- The most surprising fact is that Oman has a Zero Index for Terrorism.
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