Muscat for Culture Lovers: Seven Places That Tell Oman's Story

Muscat wears its history lightly and its rules politely. It is a capital of low white buildings hemmed in by bare Hajar mountains, and its cultural landmarks are strung along that coast rather than clustered in a centre. Here is the order to take them in.

• Getting between them: taxis or a hire car; the city is long and there is no metro
• Dress: shoulders and knees covered at religious sites; women should carry a scarf
• Best months: most museums and the mosque favour mornings

1. Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Completed in 2001, and the single most impressive building in the country. The main prayer hall holds an enormous hand-woven Persian carpet and a vast chandelier, and the arcaded courtyards are a masterclass in restrained stonework. Non-Muslim visitors are welcomed during set morning hours on most days of the week, generally not on Fridays. Modest dress is required and headscarves for women are not optional. Check the official site before you go.

2. Royal Opera House Muscat

Opened in 2011 as the first opera house on the Arabian Peninsula, and still the clearest statement of modern Omani ambition. Carved teak, Omani stone, a season that runs roughly from autumn to spring, and daytime guided tours when the stage is free. Go for a performance if the calendar allows; go for the foyer if it does not.

3. National Museum of Oman

Opened in 2016 in Old Muscat, directly facing the palace, and the best single place to understand the country. Galleries move from prehistory through the maritime empire that once reached East Africa, with strong displays on frankincense, boatbuilding and the khanjar dagger.

4. Al Alam Palace

The ceremonial palace of the Sultan, with its flared blue-and-gold columns, is not open to the public, but the approach along the avenue to the gates is a set piece in itself and one of the most photographed views in Oman.

5. Al Jalali and Al Mirani forts

Two Portuguese-built fortresses of the late sixteenth century sit on the rock outcrops flanking Muscat harbour, guarding the palace on either side. They are generally closed to visitors, but seen together from the waterfront they explain the whole logic of the old city in a glance.

6. Muttrah Souq

One of the oldest markets in Oman, and still a working one. Under its carved wooden ceilings you will find frankincense and the burners to smoke it in, silver, pashminas and dates. It is at its best in the evening, when the heat drops and Omani families come to shop rather than browse.

7. Bait Al Zubair

A private museum of Omani heritage in Old Muscat, and the most personal of the city collections: costume, jewellery, weaponry and domestic life, presented at human scale. A good counterweight after the grandeur of the mosque and the palace.

Tip: Do the mosque first thing, the National Museum and the palace approach before lunch, then let the afternoon heat pass and take the souq after sunset. The city rewards that rhythm.