Mutrah souq                                                                                     This page is revised on the 1 August 1999

In the Mutrah quarter of the capital area Muscat we find the wonderful souq (Arabic for market and marketplace). I spend many hours there just walking up and down the alleys, looking at and enjoying the scenery of busy people and activities mixed with the famous Arabic tranquillity. It is an unique place for smells and striking impressions. The souq is still used by the locals as the local supermarket. It is not (yet) a place where many palefaces are seen. It is a very local experience.

Let's go in through the main entrance:

Gold shops, street traders, everyday necessities. A wonderful mixture.

A gold shop.

Or the more modest silver shops where you can buy silver jewellery.

Another more crowed silver and souvenir shop.

Omani people like pleasant smell. Therefore it is a prominent part of life in the souq to sell and to buy perfumes and similar of all variations (and all qualities.....). Also the men like going perfume shopping. It is for a western man a special experience together with an omani friend to go to a perfume shop and try all sorts of different perfumes.

Otherwise it is basically about to walk around and look:

The souq is also for daily necessities. Here is a look into the shop for 'camel pots'.
It's true! You take a camel, chop of head and legs and boil the rest (several hours)......

Well, to be honest; the camel is taken completely apart. But still, it needs one of these big pots to cook 'camel stew' for a big party.

Spices for sale:

Small streets:

 
Here are two women from Salalah and a man selling different types of incense.

Some women are completely covered, but mostly not.