Gold, frankincense & myrrh. Talk about the classics. Wise men -- & wise women too -- will find what they need for gifts in the delightful markets of Old Muscat town. What better way to round off your Oman adventure than by taking our tour guide Brigitte Wensauer's half-day jaunt through Old Muscat, where you can see the Sultan's palace, the harbour by daylight & also after dark, plus the piece de resistance?

And that would be Muscat's world-famous Souq, or public market, where you can find some of the best bargains for quality gifts anywhere in Southwest Asia. Many non-Omani Arabs agree that Muscat's Souq is a special place in the Arab world. There are a few key reasons why this Souq is unique:

• There are strong social mores here that forbid local merchants from fleecing customers, whether local Omanis or tourists. Integrity is built into the Omani trading system. When an item is marked sterling silver or 24-carat gold, you can take that to the bank -- literally & figuratively -- because Souq merchants in Muscat do not mess around with knockoffs. The Sultan's government simply would not allow it.

• The sheer quality of local crafts in this Souq are immediately evident to anyone who shops for bargains. The silver is solid sterling, the gold is an honest alloy, the frankincense is the purest & sweetest-smelling you will find anywhere in the world, the Persian carpets are mind-massaging in their complexity & colors. Even the T shirts were well-made, with thick fabric & good stitching. Omanis do not sell crud to you because Omanis will not buy crud themselves. If only Caribbean & Central American states could follow this lead, then souvenir hunting in our hemisphere would be more of a joy & less of a flimflam minefield.

• Omani merchants are relaxed & friendly. They give you space & seldom hover. And with just a modicum of assertiveness, delivered in a respectful tone, you can ask for & receive up to 35% discounts off anything you choose. Most Muscat merchants will not make you haggle yourself hoarse. What's more, you can speak English & chances are many of these sellers are reasonably conversant. So no worries about mastering Arabic, which is a beautiful but complex tongue.

• Prices are surprisingly low for everything from dates & local nuts to clothing, & on to precious metals & rare incenses. Silver & gold items are priced by gram weight, with a little extra tossed in for workmanship. The prices are very fair, but you can still bargain for a deal any time. Spend a few good hours in this Souq for sure, so you can return home to your wife, kids, girlfriend, boss, whoever you wish, & delight them with something of real value from a country that shows respect for its visitors by offering quality handmade goods. Here are some of the best items to look for:

FRANKINCENSE & MYRRH:
Remember the time-honored Bible story about the three Wise Men who came to visit the newborn Jesus, bearing gifts of regal value? Well one of those good kings most likely got his precious frankincense from Oman. That's where it came from in the ancient days, as it still does today. Nobles used to fight pitched battles over the frankincense trade centuries ago, that's how valued it was. For many centuries, the purest frankincense was an essential part of religious rituals & upper-class court life all over the ancient world, from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean. In fact, at the time the Wise Men gave their gifts to the infant Jesus, frankincense was far more valuable than even gold.

Typical home of a prosperous family in Muscat.
© Copyright 2000 - 2005 John Hessburg, USDT.

KHANJARS:
These are the classic curved-blade daggers that slide down into an ornately decorated silver sheath, which most Omani gentlemen wear to formal occasions, much in the same way western swells wear a necktie & a nice shirt to a business meeting. The older versions of these ceremonial knives often had handles made of rhino horn or animal bones. But that's verboten these days, of course. Because enlightened travelers would NEVER purchase anything that exploits rare animals in Africa or Asia, for both moral & legal reasons (you'll get busted in the USA amigos), please make sure that the khanjar you buy does not utilize any endangered animal parts. Most of the really good knives have wooden handles now. But the polished steel blade & the silver scabbard are the real draws.

STERLING SILVER:
The silver jewelry boxes, & trinket boxes you can buy in this Muscat Souq are amazing -- handmade & intricately fashioned with rococco floral designs that took their artisans weeks to fashion. Yet I bought one prized specimen of solid silver for Susan, for less than USD $80 & a rough guess would place its giftshop value here in the States at more than double that. There are also countless varieties of Bedouin silver jewelry from chest ornaments to bracelets to necklaces. The quality is self-evident, you will see. Remember, you CAN & must dicker for discounts with these merchants. They expect it, & they will honor your efforts with a good-faith price reduction, as long as you are persistent & respectful in your bargaining. If you try to gouge more than 35% you will notice the merchant's face contort in a grimace of sincere pain, & that's when you back off, because you have approached the No-No Zone of Heinous Haggling. After all, these good folks need to make a living too.

SHEESHA PIPES:
These are a classic Omani souvenir & among the most exotic gifts you can lug home from Muscat's marketplace. It's a pain in the neck to disassemble one of these weighty pipes for packing home, so maybe only antique collectors should bother. They are basically Omani hookahs, used for smoking sweetly scented tobacco flavored with fruits or flowers (NEVER that wacko tobacco, mind you.) These sheeshas are eye-catching ornaments for the living room of curio collectors who may favor Nouvelle Hippy Motif, but since I absolutely detest smoke in any hue or form, I spent zero time perusing sheeshas available in the Souq.

MENDOOS CHESTS:
For those travelers who really want to buy something old-fashioned & unique in Oman -- though you'll have to ship this back separate from your luggage & pay a duty -- the mendoos dowry chests are antiques that will be the envy of any estate sale maven. These magnificent carved creations used to be presented to an Omani girl by her father when she got engaged. The classic mendoos chests are carved from teakwood & fitted with hundreds of brass & copper studs that stick out in ornate patterns. These chests typically have solid brass handles on the side plus a hinged lid & sometimes little drawers tucked down on the side panels, or inside. A genuine Omani antique mendoos chest might cost close to USD $4,000. However, local craftsmen still make chests that imitate the centuries-old styles, & you can get these for one tenth of that price if you sniff around for a deal. These artful replicas are not quite the real McCoy, but they still are beautiful to look at, & give to a loved one.

Dusk nudges the tranquil shores of Muscat's ancient harbor.
© Copyright 2000 - 2005 John Hessburg, USDT.

Muscat fisherman.
© 2005 Werner Thiele.

OLD MUSCAT TOUR:
Now there's more to Muscat than sleuthing for deals around the Souq. Brigitte will take you on a fascinating romp across this ancient city, showing you the sleepy beaches of the old town harbour, some classic mosques, traditional whitewashed Arabic architecture, the Omani traffic roundabouts with their huge 7-story tiled towers in the middle, the elusive Sultan's so-called "working palace" near the harbor, the floodlit harbor fort & a host of other cultural treats. Here are some pictures to whet your appetite for a cultural tour you just should not miss. I had a ball & would do it again in an eyeblink.

Peering through gates, the Sultan's Palace by night.
© Copyright 2000 - 2005 John Hessburg, USDT.

Oceanside view of the Sultan's Palace.
© Copyright 2000 - 2005 John Hessburg, USDT.

Ancient Omani fort, Muscat Harbor.
© Copyright 2005 John Hessburg, USDT.

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First things first for your Oman scuba diving holiday. Please remember that you will need to secure a formal visa from the Omani Consulate closest to your hometown, before you will be allowed entry into Oman. Visas for most U.S., Canadian & European citizens are very easy to secure, & take only a couple weeks. In many cases, you will be able to get your entry visa right when your plane lands in Muscat. The Oman Embassy staffers in Washington, DC are exceptionally gracious & helpful. They are geared up to encourage eco-responsible tourism; this is quite evident. Visa fees are nominal & paid via cashier's check to the Omani Embassy or Consul General nearest to you. Make sure you prepare well for your Oman scuba diving trip.

OMAN VISA PROCESS -- Passport & visa required for all tourists, & for all Oman vacations. Tourist/business visas for multiple-entry issued for stays up to 6 months & valid for 2 years. Both business or tourist visas require a special official application form & cholera immunization if arriving from infected area & a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of passport by mail. For transit & road travel, please check with the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman, 2535 Belmont Rd., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008 (202/387-1980, -1981 or -1982).

All package prices listed here for Oman diving holidays are subject to possible change in this steadily evolving travel market. Land prices are traditionally stable, while air prices may fluctuate for Oman vacations. Until air tickets are issued, all airlines reserve the right to change airfares without notice -- a longtime industry standard, per FAA rules. We at U.S. Dive Travel will price-protect you to the utmost of our professional ability; & that has been our pledge for one decade now. We normally secure excellent discount air tickets. Remember please, the federal government has deregulated airlines, so only they control their pricing -- not any travel professionals. But our lodging & Oman diving contracts are set for one year at a time, & therefore are rock solid nearly all seasons.

Unless specifically noted, these above packages are prices for only the land-based or vessel-based portion of your Oman scuba diving vacation, in most cases reflecting double-occupancy rooms. At most vacation resorts there will be no triple-occupancy rooms offered. Some exceptions may be noted. International air tickets & commuter "island-hopper" airfares are always extra above these land costs. Nominal service fees are also extra for air tickets & the lodging + diving components of all Oman vacations. The baseline tariffs for all clients start at $35 per person for the land portion + $20 pp for published-fare air tickets. Late-booking clients may receive slightly higher tariffs on the lodging + diving. Solo clients will always pay a single supplement to secure a private room on their Oman diving holidays -- normally 35% to 50% more -- & possibly a doubling of the standard double-occupancy rate at some resorts.

For our U.S. or Canadian clients, the preferred payment mode for all lodging, diving & side tours is by cashier's check or wire transfer in U.S. dollars. All clients living outside the USA or Canada will need to pay only via direct wire transfer in U.S. dollars -- no exceptions please. No personal checks will be accepted for the lodging or land-tour portions of any Oman dive vacations, please. Thank you for your gracious understanding. Our service level is the highest & our prices the lowest in this industry, & thus we need to preserve a reasonable margin to keep the Ship of State afloat, thereby ensuring that your Oman diving holidays will be brilliant & affordable.

For published-fare air ticket bookings on your Oman dive vacations, USDT always accepts Visa & Mastercard, even from non-U.S. clients. For discount wholesale air tickets, however, USDT accepts only cashier's checks or wire transfers, please, since we are giving you exceptionally low net rates, below the lowest published discount fares available.

Remember, all clients to all foreign destinations will be asked by local officials overseas, upon departing the airport on your final day, to pay a nominal government departure tax, usually between USD $25 - $45 per client. USDT cannot collect this tax beforehand, so you simply pay it down there, in your host country. Be sure to stash away a little cash for this final moment at the airport, so you'll get your exit visa stamped quickly with no fuss; & away you go. Best of luck with your travel plans. We hope your Oman dive vacation is a safe & satisfying adventure. Blessings & best wishes.

Best fishes too!

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