Muscat, Oman

Muscat, Oman

Muscat is the capital and is the most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. The city lies on the Arabian Sea along the Gulf of Oman and is in the proximity of the strategic Straits of Hormuz. The total population of MusCat Governorate was 1.4 million as of September 2018.

About Muscat, Oman in brief

Summary Muscat, OmanMuscat is the capital and is the most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. The city lies on the Arabian Sea along the Gulf of Oman and is in the proximity of the strategic Straits of Hormuz. Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in 1970, Muscat has experienced rapid infrastructural development. Muscat’s economy is dominated by trade, petroleum, liquified natural gas and porting. In 1793 AD the capital was transferred from Rustaq to Muscat. Founded 900 years ago and famous for its historical role, it is an oasis of greenery, cleanliness and order, characterized by a modern road network and advanced organized services. Evidence of communal activity in the area around Muscat dates back to the 6th millennium BCE in Ras al-Hamra, where burial sites of fishermen have been found. The port fell to a Sassanid invasion in the 3rd century CE, under the rule of Shapur I, while conversion to Islam occurred during the 7th century. The origin of the word Muscat is disputed. Some authors claim that the word has Arabic origins – from moscha, meaning an inflated hide or skin. Other derivations include muscat from Old Persian, meaning strong-scented, or from Arabic, meaning falling-place, or hidden. The name Muscat means anchorage or the place of \”letting fall the anchor\”.

It is also known as Cryptus Portus and Moscha Portus, and some scholars identify Pliny the Elder’s reference to Amithoscuta to be Muscat, while other scholars identify Omana as a reference to Oman, while Moscha referred to the city of Mus cat. The total population of MusCat Governorate was 1.4 million as of September 2018. The metropolitan area spans approximately 3,500 km2 and includes six provinces called wilayat. The region was ruled by various indigenous tribes as well as foreign powers such as the Persians, the Portuguese Empire, the Iberian Union and the Ottoman Empire at various points in its history. The Abbasids occupied the region until the 11th century, when they were driven out by the local Yahmad tribe. Power shifted over to the First Imadi dynasty, a local tribe, in the 9th century CE. The people of the Muscat region are prospered from maritime trade and close alliances with the Indian subcontinent at the cost of close cost, at the time of the Abbasids’ invasion of Oman. The first step in consolidating tribal factions under the banner of the Ibadi dynasty was the establishment of an Ibadi state in the First Imadi dynasty in 7th century CE. In the 10th  century, the people of Omani tribes became known as the Muscatter tribe, whose rule was consolidated by the Azdiahinah clan.