Muscat

Muscat (Arabic: مسقط, tr. as Masqaṭ) is the largest city and capital of the Sultanate of Oman, located on the shores of the Gulf of Oman. It has an estimated population for 2010 of 769,090 inhabitants, a number that increases to 1,211,976 in your metropolitan area.

History

It was a Portuguese possession from 1507 to 1580 and from 1640 to 1650; of Spain between 1580 and 1640. It is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East.

There is evidence of communal activity in the area around Muscat from the 6th millennium BC at Ras al-Hamra, where fishermen's burial sites have been found. The tombs appear well formed and indicate the existence of burial rituals. South of Muscat, remains of Harappan pottery indicate some level of contact with the Indus civilization. Muscat's notoriety as a port is recognized as early as the first century AD by the Greek geographer Ptolemy, who refers to it as as Cryptus Portus (the Hidden Port), and by Pliny the Elder, who calls it Amithoscuta.

The port fell to a Sasanian invasion in the III century AD, under Shapur I, while the conversion to Islam occurred during the 7th century. Muscat's importance as a trading port continued to grow in the following centuries, under the influence of the Azd dynasty, a local tribe. The establishment of the first Imamate in the IX century d. C. was the first step to consolidate the disparate Omani tribal factions under the banner of the Ibadi state. However, tribal skirmishes continued, allowing the Baghdad Abbasids to conquer Oman. The Abbasids occupied the region until the 11th century, when they were driven out by the local Yahmad tribe. Power over Oman shifted from the Yahmad tribe to the Azdi clan of Nahahinah, during whose rule the populations of coastal ports like Muscat prospered through maritime trade and close alliances with the Indian subcontinent, at the cost of population alienation. from inside Oman.

Puerto de Mascate, ca. 1903. Behind it is visible the Fort Al Jalali.

Portuguese conquistador Afonso de Albuquerque attacked Muscat in July 1507. A bloody battle ensued between the Portuguese and forces loyal to the city's Persian governor. After the fall of the city, Albuquerque massacred most of the remaining inhabitants—men, women, and children—after which the town was occupied and looted.

The port of Mascate during World War I.

The Portuguese held a post in Muscat for almost a century and a half, despite challenges from Persia and the bombardment of the town by the Turks in 1546. The Turks twice captured Muscat from the Portuguese, in the Capture of Muscat (1552) and 1581-88. The election of Nasir bin Murshid al-Yaribi as Imam of Oman in 1624 shifted the balance of power in the region again, from the Persians and the Portuguese to the local Omanis. On August 16, 1648, the Imam launched his army against Muscat, and captured and demolished the tall towers of the Portuguese, which weakened his control over the city. Decisively, in 1650, a small but determined body of the Imam's troops attacked the port during the night, forcing the final surrender of the Portuguese on 23 January 1650. A civil war, and repeated raids by the Persian king Nadir Shah on the 18th century destabilized the region, and closer relations between the interior of the region and Muscat. This power vacuum in Oman led to the rise of the Al Bu Sa'id dynasty, which has ruled Oman ever since.

Sultan Qabus bin Said Al Said Palace in Mascate.

Muscat's naval and military supremacy was increased in the 19th century by Said bin Sultan, who gained control over Zanzibar, who moved his capital to Stone Town, in the old quarter of Zanzibar City, in 1840. However, after his death in 1856, control was lost over Zanzibar, which became an independent sultanate under his sixth son, Majid bin Said (1834/5-1870), while his third son, Thuwaini bin Said, became Sultan of Oman.

During the second half of the 19th century, the fortunes of the Al Bu Sa`id declined and frictions with the imams from within re-emerged. Muscat and Matrah were attacked by tribes from the interior in 1895 and again in 1915. An attempted ceasefire was broken by the British, which gave the interior greater autonomy. However, conflicts between the disparate tribes in the interior, and with the Sultan of Muscat and Oman continued through the 1950s, eventually escalating to the Dhofar Rebellion (1962). The rebellion forced Sultan Said bin Taimur to seek assistance from the British in putting down the revolts in the interior. The failure of the assassination attempt on Said bin Taimur led to the subsequent isolation of the sultan, who moved his residence from Muscat to Salalah, amid conflict between armed civilians. On 23 July 1970 Qabus bin Said Al Said, the sultan's son, staged a bloodless coup in Salalah palace with the assistance of the British, and seized control as ruler.

With the assistance of the British, Qabus bin Said put an end to the Dhofar uprising and consolidated his rule over tribal territories. He renamed the country the Sultanate of Oman (referred to as Muscat and Oman earlier), in an attempt to end the isolation of Muscat's interior. Qabus made a list of capable Omanis to fill positions in his new government, in corporations such as Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). New ministries for social services such as health and education were established. The construction of Mina Qabus, a new port initially conceived by Sa'id bin Taimur, was developed during the first years of Qabus' rule. Similarly, the new international airport was developed in the Seeb district of Muscat. A complex of offices, warehouses, shops and housing has transformed Ruwi's old town in Muttrah into a commercial district. The first step of the five-year development plan in 1976 highlighted developments in infrastructure, which provided new opportunities for trade and trade. tourism in the decade of 1980-1990, attracting emigrants in the surroundings of the region. On June 6, 2007, Cyclone Gonu hit Muscat, causing extensive damage to property, infrastructure, and business.

Geography

Muscat is also the name of one of the governorates into which Oman is divided, made up of six vilayats: Muscat, Matrah, Bousher, Seeb, Al Amirat and Qurayyat.

Climate

Muscat has a hot and arid climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with long, sweltering summers and "winters" warm. Annual precipitation in Muscat is about 10 centimeters or 4 inches, falling mainly from December to April. In general, precipitation is sparse in Muscat, with several months on average seeing only a trace of rain. However, in recent years, heavy rainfall from tropical systems originating from the Arabian Sea has affected the city. Cyclone Gonu in June 2007 and Cyclone Phet in June 2010 hit the city with damaging winds and rainfall amounts exceeding 100 millimeters or 4 inches in a single day. The weather is generally very hot and also very humid in the summer, with temperatures sometimes reaching 45°C or 113°F.

Average climatic parameters of Mascate, Oman
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	34.6	38.2	41.5	44.9	48.3	48.5	49.1	49.2	47.2	43.6	39.4	37.8	49.2
Average temperature (°C)	25.5	26.1	29.8	34.7	39.5	40.4	38.6	36.2	36.3	35.0	30.5	27.1	33.3
Average temperature (°C)	21.3	21.9	25.2	29.8	34.2	35.2	34.3	32.0	31.4	29.7	25.7	22.6	28.6
Temp. medium (°C)	17.3	17.6	20.7	24.7	29.1	30.6	30.4	28.4	27.5	24.9	20.9	18.9	24.3
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	1.6	2.3	7.0	10.3	17.2	21.6	23.5	21.3	19.0	14.3	9.4	4.5	1.6
Total precipitation (mm)	12.8	24.5	15.9	17.1	7.0	0.9	0.2	0.8	0.0	1.0	6.8	13.3	100.3
Hours of sun	268.6	244.8	278.3	292.5	347.4	325.7	277.7	278.6	303.9	316.9	291.9	267.0	3493.3
Relative humidity (%)	63	64	58	45	42	49	60	67	63	55	60	65	57.6
Source: NOAA

Demographics

According to the 2003 census conducted by Oman's Ministry of National Economy, the population of Muscat was over 630,000, of whom 370,000 were men and 260,000 women. Muscat was the second largest province in the country, after the Al Batinah Region, and represented 27% of the total population of Oman. As of 2003, Omanis made up 60% of the total population of Muscat, while expatriates made up about 40%.

Shangri the in Muscat

Muscat Governorate comprises six wilayat: Muttrah, Bawshar, Seeb, Al Amrat, Muscat and Qurayyat. Seeb, located in the western section of the governorate, was the most populous (with over 220,000 residents), while Muttrah had the largest number of expatriates (with over 100,000). Approximately 71% of the population were within in the 15-64 age group, with the median age for Omanis being 23. About 10% of the population is illiterate, an improvement compared to the illiteracy rate of 18% recorded during the census of 1993. Expatriates accounted for over 60% of the workforce, dominated by men, who accounted for 80% of the city's total workforce. Most expatriates (34%) were in engineering-related professions, while most Omanis worked in engineering, administrative, scientific, or technical fields. The Royal Army of Oman (and related) employed the most Omanis, while construction and wholesale and retail trade employed the largest number of expatriates.

Muscat's ethnic composition has historically been influenced by non-native people from the Arabian Peninsula. British Parliament documents dating back to the 19th century indicate the presence of a significant Hindu Gujarati population of merchants in the city of in fact, there were four Hindu temples in Muscat around 1760. Christianity flourished in Oman (Bēṯ Mazūnāyē meaning "land of the Maganites"; name derived from its Sumerian denomination) from the late 20th century IV to early V century. The missionary activity of the Assyrian people of the Church of the East gave rise to a significant Christian population living in the region, with a bishop attesting in AD 424. C. under the control of Fars and Arabia. With the rise of Islam, the Syriac-speaking and Arabic-speaking Christian populations eventually disappeared. Christianity is believed to have been recaptured by the Portuguese Empire in 1507. Protestant missionaries established a hospital in Muscat in the 19th century.

As in the rest of Oman, Arabic is the predominant language of the city. In addition, other languages are spoken by the population of Muscat, such as English, Balochi, Sindhi, Swahili and the languages of India such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Konkani, Malabar, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu...

The predominant religion in the city is Islam, with the majority of its followers being Ibadi Muslims. Non-Muslims may practice their religion, but may not publicly proselytize or distribute religious literature. In 2017, the Sultanate of Oman inaugurated the Mushaf Muscat, an interactive Quran Calligraphy, after a commission from the Omani Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs.

Religion

Most of the city's residents are Muslims, which is the official religion. In 2001, the Sultan Qabus Grand Mosque was opened. Muscat also has a minority of Hindu and Christian people.

Culture

The traditional Dhow, a lasting symbol of Oman.

Externally, Oman shares many of the cultural characteristics of its Arab neighbors, particularly those of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Despite these similarities, there are important factors that make Oman unique in the Middle East. They are the result of geography and history as much as of culture and economics. The relatively recent and artificial nature of the state of Oman makes it difficult to describe a national culture; however, there is sufficient cultural heterogeneity within its borders. to distinguish Oman from other Arab states of the Persian Gulf. Oman's cultural diversity is greater than that of its Arab neighbors, given its historical expansion towards the Swahili coast and the Indian Ocean.

Oman has a long tradition of shipbuilding, as sea voyages played an important role in the Omanis' ability to keep in touch with the civilizations of the ancient world. Sur was one of the most famous shipbuilding cities in the Indian Ocean. The Al Ghanja ship takes a whole year to build. Other types of Omani ships are As Sunbouq and Al Badan.

In March 2016, archaeologists working off the island of Al-Hallaniyah identified a shipwreck believed to be that of the Esmeralda of Vasco da Gama's fleet of 1502-1503. The wreck was initially discovered in 1998. Subsequent underwater excavations were carried out between 2013 and 2015 through a partnership between Oman's Ministry of Heritage and Culture and Blue Water Recoveries Ltd., a shipwreck recovery company. The vessel was identified through artifacts such as a "Portuguese coin minted for trade with India (one of only two such coins known) and stone cannonballs engraved with what appear to be the initials of Vincente Sodré, da Gama's maternal uncle and commander of the Esmeralda. "

Twinnings

• Haman, Jordan
• Nador, Morocco

Image gallery

• Mascate, Oman
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