Muscat, Oman

Muscat (Arabic ???? Masqa?), population 880,200 (2005) can mean:

Transportation

The main airport is Seeb International Airport located around 25Km from the city's business district of Ruwi and approximately 15-20km from the main residential localities of Al-Khuwair, Madinat Qaboos, Shati Al-Qurm and Al-Qurm. Muscat is one of the three headquarters of Gulf Air and the headquarters for the local-based airlines Oman Air, both of which fly to several destinations within the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and East Africa. In addition Gulf Air flies to select destinations in Europe, Great Britain, North Africa and East Asia. Most popular airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, Swiss International, Kuwait Airways, Air India and Thai Airways also fly through Seeb International Airport.

Related Topics:
Airport - Seeb International Airport - Gulf Air - Oman Air - Middle East - British Airways - Lufthansa - Emirates - Swiss International - Kuwait Airways - Air India - Thai Airways

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There are also two seaports in Muscat, one located in Mina Al-Fahal that caters solely to the oil refinery district of PDO (Petroleum Development Oman) and the other in Mina Qaboos (Mutrah), a regular seaport.

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The Muscat area is well served by roads and a highway runs from the North of Oman through Seeb, and through Ruwi.

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Public transportation in Muscat and Oman in general leaves much to be desired unfortunately. There is no rail or metro network in the whole of Oman. The two most popular forms of public transport include the Baiza buses, which inherit their name from the lower denomination of the Omani Rial, the baisa (an adaptation of the Indian lower denomination paisa). They are very cheap while slightly more expensive public buses also exist but do not usually go into the smaller streets and stick to the main highway.

Related Topics:
Omani Rial - India - Paisa

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Baiza buses on the contrary travel both the main highways but also the smaller bylanes and inner workings of Muscat city. The other form of transport is by way of taxis, which are unmetered. The fare is set by way of negotiation, although taxi drivers usually adhere to certain unwritten rules for fares within the city.

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Taxis will also generally take passengers to locations out of the city, including Sohar, Buraimi and Dubai.

Related Topics:
Sohar - Buraimi

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