Hotels near Mutrah Souq

Mutrah Souq has traded on this spot for around 200 years and still functions as a working market rather than a tourist set piece. Omani families come for frankincense, silver khanjar daggers, halwa and bolts of fabric. Under the carved wooden roof the lanes narrow, split and double back, and the air carries frankincense smoke from the burners at nearly every stall. Prices are negotiable and expected to be negotiated. Start at about half the opening figure and settle somewhere near two thirds.

Opening hours split into two shifts, roughly 9am to 1pm and 5pm to 9pm, with most stalls shut through the afternoon heat. Good frankincense (the resin, not the perfume oil) costs 2 to 8 OMR (about 5 to 19 EUR) depending on grade, with Hojari the top tier. Silver is sold by weight, so ask the seller to put the piece on the scales before you talk price.

Pro Tip: Go at 7pm rather than mid-morning. The evening shift is when Omanis actually shop, prices soften, and the walk out onto the lit Corniche afterwards takes 30 seconds.