Learn Oman before you go

10 phrases to learn

In Omani Arabic. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.

At the table

• Hospitality is a point of honour. A guest is offered kahwa, dates and often halwa first, and it is polite to accept at least one cup.
• Hold the coffee cup in your right hand. When you do not want more, gently shake the empty cup from side to side before handing it back.
• Many families eat sitting on a mat on the floor around shared platters. Eat with your right hand only, and from the part of the platter in front of you.
• Take your shoes off before stepping onto the mat or carpet where food is served.
• Muslims do not eat pork or drink alcohol. During Ramadan, do not eat or drink in public during daylight hours; the day's meal starts at sunset, often with dates, water and luqaimat.

Local tips

Dishes to try

• Shuwa (شواء): Oman's great festive dish: lamb, goat or camel rubbed with a paste of dried chillies, garlic, cumin, coriander and vinegar or date syrup, wrapped in palm or banana leaves and a sack, then lowered into a sand pit lined with hot coals and sealed. It cooks slowly for a day or even two, until the meat falls off the bone, and is served with rice.
• Maqbous (majboos) (مكبوس): Spiced rice cooked in the broth of the chicken, lamb or fish that goes with it, flavoured with onion, tomato, dried black limes, cardamom, cinnamon and a pinch of saffron. The meat is often browned at the end and laid on top of the golden rice, with fried onions and nuts.
• Harees (هريس): Whole wheat grains cooked very slowly with lamb or chicken and water until the meat melts and the mixture is beaten into a smooth, thick porridge. It is served in a shallow dish with a pool of melted ghee on top and sometimes a little cinnamon.
• Madrouba (مضروبة): A soft, savoury porridge of rice, or sometimes cracked wheat, cooked with chicken or fish, onion, tomato and spices, then beaten hard until everything breaks down into one creamy mixture. It is eaten warm with a squeeze of lime.
• Mishkak (مشاكيك): Small skewers of beef, lamb or chicken marinated in tamarind, garlic, chilli and spices, grilled over charcoal and eaten hot, often with a tangy tamarind sauce and bread.
• Khubz rukhal (Omani flatbread) (خبز رخال): A paper-thin round bread made by spreading a runny wheat batter in one quick sweep across a very hot, slightly domed iron plate. It dries in seconds into a crisp sheet. For breakfast it is eaten with Omani honey or an egg, and at dinner it is crumbled into curry.
• Omani halwa (حلوى عمانية): A glossy, sticky sweet of sugar, starch and ghee cooked for hours in a big copper pot and stirred all the time, then flavoured with rosewater, saffron, cardamom and nuts. Black halwa, coloured with caramelised sugar, is the classic; saffron halwa is golden.
• Luqaimat (لقيمات): Small balls of yeast dough flavoured with cardamom and saffron, deep-fried until golden and crisp outside and soft inside, then drizzled with date syrup and sometimes sesame seeds.

Cities to see

• Muscat (capital): The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muttrah Corniche and its souq, Al Jalali and Al Mirani forts above the harbour.
• Sohar: Sohar Fort, white and square, The legend of Sinbad the Sailor, A big modern port and industrial zone.
• Buraimi: The twin town of Al Ain across the border, Al Khandaq Fort, Date palm gardens watered by aflaj.
• Rustaq: Rustaq Fort, one of the largest in Oman, Hot springs at Ain al-Kasfa, Its role as an early capital.
• Nizwa: Nizwa Fort and its great round tower, The Friday livestock market, Pottery, silver khanjars and halwa.
• Ibri: Nearby Bronze Age tombs, a World Heritage Site, The old mud-brick quarter of Al Sulaif, Dates and farming.

Landmarks and the city map are on the Oman trip