1 · POSITION
Muttrah Souq is the covered market of Muttrah, the harbour town of Muscat that was the commercial centre of Oman before oil, while Muscat itself served the navy. Its roofed lanes are known as Al Dhalam, the darkness, because they shut out the daylight. It is entered from the sea road, and it is the place in the capital where frankincense, silver and the khanjar are still sold over the counter rather than in a museum case. [1, 2]
2 · WHAT THE LANES HOLD
Deeper inside are frankincense, perfume oils, jasmine and spices; the frankincense comes from Dhofar, in the south of the country. Side streets sell Omani silver, which costs more than other silver, and the hand-etched khanjar dagger, some framed for display. Stalls carry dishdashas, kumahs and headscarves beside goods from across Asia — Kashmiri jackets, Nepalese necklaces, rugs and lanterns. Bargaining is expected, and expected to be courteous. [1, 2]
3 · A HARBOUR TOWN’S MARKET
The diplomat Edmund Roberts counted about 8,000 people in Muttrah in the early 1830s. Beside the souq stands Sur al-Lawatiya, the quarter of a community that arrived from Sindh in waves between 1780 and 1880 and has worked in incense, jewellery, clothing and general trade. The souq is busiest at Eid, when buyers come from across the country. [1]
4 · THE PORT BEHIND IT
In 1974 Sultan Qaboos established Mina Qaboos at Muttrah, run by the Port Services Corporation from November 1976. By 2017 the harbour itself was being turned into a tourism project, and the souq stands at its landing — what it has been since the town was Oman’s trading port: the harbour’s shop. [1, 3]
5 · ⚑ CANDOUR
⚑ Checked on 22 October 2026. The register called the souq one of the oldest markets in the Arab world. Atlas Obscura and others call it one of the oldest in Oman; the wider claim appears only as a description. One account dates the souq to two hundred years. The note now leads with Oman. [1–4]
Sources & Further Reading
Sources checked 22 October 2026.