Muscat

When you think of Gulf capitals, your mind jumps straight to eye-stabbing skyscrapers, artificial islands and Ferrari-lined highways — and Muscat is the exact opposite: the capital of Oman is a low-rise city stretched along a wild coastline between the sea and black volcanic cliffs. Unlike its neighbours (Dubai or Abu Dhabi), you will find no glass towers here — there is a strict and remarkably aesthetic city law that bans tall buildings (most stay to three or four storeys) and requires a traditional Omani architectural style, painted white or beige with arches and decorated windows; the result is a city that looks like a clean, modern oasis rather than an oligarchs’ playground. And here is what the brochure won’t tell you: you don’t have to drive five hours north to Musandam for “the fjords of the Gulf” — just south of Muscat, in an area called Bandar Khayran, nature erupts into a maze of small fjords, emerald-green water and mangroves, where you rent a simple kayak or a local fishing boat and within 20 minutes of the city find yourself swimming alone with sea turtles between black cliffs. The Mutrah Souq holds a secret too: the dominant scent filling the lanes is not ordinary spices but frankincense — Oman is the world capital of frankincense — and don’t buy the cheap white kind meant for burning; look for the green, semi-transparent resin from the Dhofar region, which locals chew like gum or dissolve in a cup of hot water in the morning. And the coffee here is not what you expect either: Omani Kahwa is a whole ritual — a very light, pale coffee brewed with a generous amount of cardamom, saffron and rosewater from Jebel Akhdar (the Green Mountain), served in tiny handleless cups and always, always alongside moist, sweet dates to balance its botanical bitterness. And an easy final tip: don’t use the regular street taxis — they are unjustifiably expensive for tourists; download the local Otaxi app (Oman’s answer to Uber), cheap and functional, and skip all the exhausting haggling.

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