We have a five-day stopover in Dubai and rather than giant shopping malls and kitsch we’d like an authentic experience of Arabian culture. S. Hammond, Geelong VIC A one-hour flight will get you from Dubai to Muscat, capital of the Sultanate of Oman, one of the most fascinating, cultured and likeable of the Gulf States.
The covered souk in Muttrah, the commercial area of Muscat, still carries on its ancient business of spices and gold, supervised by the descendants of merchants who once traded carpets, camel skins and frankincense between India and the Mediterranean. A 90-minute drive inland takes you to Nizwa, a photogenic tangle of knotted alleys rising to a mud-walled fort surrounded by date palms. At its heart is a souk with an antiques market stuffed with copper plates, Bedouin chests and jewellery.
Thanks to its former conservation-minded Sultan, the late Qaboos bin Said, Oman has several refuges where exotic species such as leopard, tahr and the Arabian orxy still thrive. One of the most spectacular refuges is Ras al-Jinz, about a three-hour drive from Muscat, where green and loggerhead turtles wade ashore to lay their eggs in the sand. Peak egg-laying season falls between June and August, yet even in the low season you can often see massive turtles on the beach, and baby turtles scrambling from their nests and out to sea at dawn.
Local operators such as Nomad Tours offer comprehensive multi-day tour packages, including a Muscat city tour, cruises, a wadi tour and exp.