These buildings are along what is known as “the corniche” area of Muttrah. In case you didn’t know, corniche comes from French/Italian and means “a road built along a coast and especially along the face of a cliff“.
The projected wooden balconies of these whitewashed houses really give them character. 
These merchants’ houses are some of the oldest residential buildings in Oman going back to the 18th century. They look even more impressive at night with the neon lights highlighting their beauty.
These buildings, near the Al Lawatiya Mosque, were built by the Lawati community who immigrated to Oman from India three centuries ago.
I really love the turquoise blue framework and window shutters on some of these buildings.
This last photo is of the Baranda walkway in front of the Bait Al Baranda Museum.
These photos really don’t do justice to the true beauty of Muttrah and the entire seaside avenue of Muttrah Port. By far, one of my favorite places in Oman-Muttrah!!!
4 responses so far ↓
muscati // May 21, 2009 at 1:15 pm |
Hi Andy, that house with the big balcony and the turquoise blue shutters is my grandfather’s house. My father was brought up in it and I spent part of my childhood in too. It is not exactly an ancient house. It was built in the early 1940’s and was probably completed around 1944, which makes it 65 years old this year.
I would love to see this house converted into a museum like Bait Al Zubair. Of course, millions of rials will have to be spent on renovating it. This house has more history than Bait Al Baranda, which incidentally has no historic value at all in comparison. At the time being, the house is still inhabited.
I have some pics from the inside of the house on my Flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muscati/sets/1284071/
andydbrown // May 22, 2009 at 10:55 am |
Wow! Your grandfather’s house?! Amazing! Small world, huh? Thanks for all the info and the link to your personal pics!
Sherman McCoy // November 21, 2009 at 4:36 pm |
Since you mentioned the Corniche in Muttrah, and your favorable review of it, I’m wondering your opinion on other neighborhoods. I am moving to Muscat in January, and need to find an apartment for my family. I’ve only visited Muscat once, and it seems very spread out compared to Abu Dhabi.
It seems like there are a lot of properties to let in “The Wave”, but I’m not sure I want to be that far away from the center of town, especially since I will be working on the east end. The beach area near the Hyatt looks ideal, but seems like it might be dedicated to locals. Do western ex-pats favor any particular area, such as near the American School?
I’d really appreciate your opinion on this, since I’m committing to a 1 year lease and I’d like to get it right the first time
andydbrown // November 26, 2009 at 6:25 pm |
There are many great areas of Muscat. Shati al Qurum is a very nice location. Al Khuwair continues to be a popular place for expats to live. Madinat al Qaboos is also great.
There are so many excellent locations that one could live in here in Muscat. I would just try to make sure that you are not too far from your work place to avoid traffic. (If you can get a villa close to the beach, that would be a big bonus, I think!) My wife thinks that Shati al Qurum is the best place of all to live although the housing is quite expensive there. Blessings as you try to choose the best place for you and your family!