Picture Of The Entrance To Muttrah Souq (Muscat Oman)

A traditional Arabic marketplace is referred to as a souq. You’ll find a lot of little souqs in Oman ,  all over the country, but one of the oldest souqs that you’ll find is the Muttrah Souq Oman.

At the  Omani souq in Muttrah , it’s almost like stepping back in time ! – There’s heaps of wood carvings,  ornaments and spices sold throughout the marketplace. The only way you can describe it , is as a maze of different passageways. It’s like time has gone back 200 years or so. The only tell tale signs that we’re in the year 2009 would be the electrical goods that can be found at stalls inside the marketplace.

Muscat Souq - Antique Shop

Normally,  people travel to the Arabic markets or souqs as they are called in Oman to get ther hands on household goods that will make for excellent pieces of souvenirs throughout the home. However, be aware that household goods are not the only things that you’ll find when you visit  the souq in Muttrah !

The wide array of different vendors makes it possible to find an impressive artifact to take home with you after your travel to Oman has ended. Infact you could easily wind up pocket less , if you don’t learn the art of knocking the prices down !

The gold and silver that’s sold at the souq is weighed on old fashioned scales- and sold by weight. There are a plethora of merchants that avidly line the streets to commence in the selling of their goods – shouting things like ” welcome, welcome ! ” – OK you get the picture, but it all adds to the traditional effect. It’s easy to get taken aback into the ‘old days’ I love a good trip around the souq in Muttrah.

A Picture Of One Of The Stalls At The Souq

If you don’t haggle the price, you lose the whole concept of going to the souq ! One thing that I’ve found is that the traders have put the prices up a LOT in recent years. They often start with a price that’s 50% higher than the price it could really be sold for. You need to be patient- have an idea of the price that you WANT to pay, and only then do you part with the cash ! The traders are generally friendly , and when I took a trip there, taking pictures of  Muttrah Souq stalls, they were welcoming. It’s not an unusual site to find a tourist wandering around Muttrah , taking pictures or videos.

In the past, the market was built from mud and palm leaves. This way of building suited the extremely high desert temperatures and held up under any adverse weather conditions. The market first began as a primary source for the people of Oman to buy supplies that they were in need of. Today not much has changed at Muttrah souq Oman ! It’s magnificent to walk around the narrow streets and passages. Something like a scene from Aladdin!

Picture Of One Of The Amazing Stalls At Muttrah Souq Oman

Most of the goods that were sold at the marketplace in the past, were imported from other countries and then sold off to residents that were in need of them. Local products were also sold at these markets as well. Local products included fruit, textiles, vegetables and dates. Today theres a mixture of souvenirs available to those whom are in need of a souvenir. You can find Omani clothing, Indian clothing, Turkish clothing , Iranian products such as saffron . Fragrances, and Oud are at large, and there’s so many things there you will be spoilt for choice.

A stall at Muttrah Souq Selling Omani Clothing

The marketplace has become very popular amongst recent years, that’s part of the reason why the prices have taken a hike on the higher side !

If you’re planning on visiting the souq then you need to try to buy a few items from the stores to take back with you after your trip has ended, you’ll regret it if you don’t.

The Muttrah souq has recently been renovated and consists of paved lanes instead of the old fashioned normal desert sand beneath your feet style! .

Picture Of Oman Souq  – As You Walk Further Inside The Marketplace – Hidden Treasures Un ravel !

The Muttrah souq is definitely a major tourist attraction that you do not want to miss out on while visiting Oman. Tour guides will be expensive, its probably a better idea to be brave, and take the tour yourself  !Everyone speaks English , and you really wont be faced with problems. The only thing I would recommend is to take a trip there in the evening, as the heat is immense, and the variety of fragrant aromas can gt to be a little too much !

Opening Times

The souq is open from around 10am – 1pm ,m closes for the early afternoon and reopens at 4.30pm – 10pm . There’s also a lot of stalls along the front where you can pick up a bite to eat (go to pictures of the front of Muttrah )