National Museum

Top choice in Muscat


Housed in an imposing new building in the heart of Old Muscat, the National Museum makes a fitting consort for the Sultan's Palace opposite. The emphasis of this contemporary museum is on quality rather than quantity, with space, light and height used to enhance the selective displays showcasing the heritage of Oman. Giant screens and high-tech devices bring the artefacts alive. There's a particularly strong and innovative multimedia section on maritime history.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Muscat attractions

1. Omani-French Museum

0.25 MILES

With galleries detailing relations between the two countries, this museum provides an interesting snapshot of mostly 19th-century colonial life in Muscat…

2. Sultan’s Palace

0.3 MILES

If you stand by the harbour wall on Mirani St, the building to the right with the delightful mushroom pillars in blue and gold is the Sultan’s Palace. On…

3. Bait Al Zubair

0.32 MILES

In a beautifully restored house, this much-loved privately owned museum exhibits Omani heritage in thematic displays of traditional handicrafts, furniture…

4. Al Mirani Fort

0.38 MILES

Sixteenth-century Al Mirani Fort was built by the Portuguese at the same time as nearby Al Jalali Fort. Although closed to the public, its presence looms…

5. Al Jalali Fort

0.43 MILES

Guarding the entrance to the harbour to the east, Al Jalali Fort was built during the Portuguese occupation in the 1580s on Arab foundations. The fort is…

6. Muscat Gate Museum

0.59 MILES

Straddling the road between the Corniche and the old walled city, this museum, with the original gates used until the 1970s to keep land-bound marauders…

7. Kalbuh Bay Park

0.96 MILES

Kalbuh Bay Park juts into a sea that's boiling with sardines. Located at the end of the Corniche, it makes a good pausing place on a hike between Mutrah…

8. Al Riyam Park

1.2 MILES

Beyond Mutrah Fort, the Corniche leads to the leafy Al Riyam Park, with fine views of the harbour from the giant ornamental incense burner. There is a…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "oman/muscat/attractions/national-museum/a/poi-sig/451867/361117",
      "destination": "Muscat",
      "continent": "Middle-East",
      "country": "Oman",
      "city": "Muscat",
      "position": "superzone"
    }