Muscat, Oman
Public history museum. in Muscat, Oman
The Muscat Gate Museum sits inside the tall modern gate on Al Saidiya Street, at the entrance to Old Muscat on the road from Mutrah. The gate was built in 1995 on the line of the old city wall, echoing the historic gate, with one difference: it is always open. The old gates were shut every evening at sunset and nobody could enter or leave until morning, a rule dropped at the start of Sultan Qaboos's reign in the 1970s. The museum inside opened in January 2001 and presents Oman's history from the Neolithic to the present, focusing on Muscat's growth from a trading port into a modern capital. Its displays explain the aflaj irrigation channels, traditional architecture, springs, wells and underground channels, souqs, houses, mosques, harbours and forts, through photographs, models and maps. The highlight is the roof of the gate, looking over Old Muscat and Al Alam Palace on one side and the coastal road to Mutrah on the other.
It is small: thirty minutes to an hour is enough, and climb to the roof for the view. Wikivoyage lists morning-only hours, so go early. It lies between Mutrah and Old Muscat, a natural stop on the way to Al Alam Palace and Bait Al Zubair.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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AttractionMuscat, Oman
