Ibra Souq

Oman


Ibra has a lively souq that is at its most active on a Wednesday morning. Arranged around a double courtyard, the greengrocery takes pride of place in the centre, with local melons and aubergines making colourful seasonal displays. To reach the souq by car, turn right off the Muscat–Sur Hwy at a sign for Al Safalat Ibra, just past the Sultan Qaboos Mosque, and the souq is about 500m on the right.

A working silver souq, where khanjars (traditional curved daggers) and veil pins are crafted, occupies several of the shops around the outer courtyard, muscling in between carpentry shops where elaborately carved doors are still made. Look out for a shop called ‘Sale and Maintenance of Traditional Firearms & Rifle Making’: there’s always an energetic huddle of old men engaged in comparing ancient weaponry around the tables outside. You will probably also notice piles of flattened and dried fish – a local delicacy, still prized despite the modern road system that brings fresh fish to Ibra via the neighbouring wet fish market.

If trying to reach the souq by bus, say you’re heading for the souq and ask to be set down near Al Yamadi turning.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Oman attractions

1. Women's Souq

0.08 MILES

Once a week this souq, opposite the main market, attracts women-only buyers and sellers from all over the region, selling a variety of handicrafts such as…

2. Ibra Old Quarter

0.84 MILES

The old part of Ibra is a honeycomb of crumbling mud-built houses of two or three storeys. There's a paved walkway of several kilometres through some of…

3. Beit Al Yahmadi

5.62 MILES

Brown signs lead off old Hwy 23 to this fortified mud-brick mansion house. Built possibly around 300 years ago, and now buried in the Ibra suburbs on the…

4. Al Wasil Fort

18.31 MILES

This large fort with a mighty round tower with a unique, detached (and arched) external stairway is of passing interest for those heading into the sands…

5. Al Mintirib Fort

24.18 MILES

In the days before the housing of Al Mintirib encroached on its space, this solid-walled fort with its sunken door must have been an impressive sight,…

6. Bidaya Museum

24.19 MILES

This quirky little museum on the edge of the sands preserves the history of the Hijri Tribe, written in Arabic on goat skins. A collection of spears and…

7. Wadi Khabbah

26.13 MILES

This wide and luscious wadi meanders along the western base of the Eastern Hajar Mountains and provides a fascinating alternative route between Muscat and…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "oman/sharqiya-region/ibra/attractions/ibra-souq/a/poi-sig/1529153/361119",
      "destination": "Oman",
      "continent": "Middle-East",
      "country": "Oman",
      "position": "superzone"
    }