Tuesday 17th Dec 2024
We are almost at the end of this amazing journey with only a few stops left. We arrived in Muscat, Oman. Muscat is the capital of Oman, a sovereign country. Muscat has been important since the 6th century BC, when Persians controlled the port. It was under Portuguese domination from 1508 to 1650, and subsequently the Iranians gained control of the city. Muscat became the capital of independent Muscat and Oman in 1741- the country’s name was changed to just Oman in 1970. We arrived at 7am and it was like a sea fog was covering the mountains.
Once we were cleared by immigration, we headed out to see some of Muscat.
We visited the stunning Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the largest sanctuary in Oman. The mosque and gardens cover 4 square kilometres.
Construction started in 1995, and it was opened in 2001.
It is now winter here but gets up to 50 degrees in summer. The flowers in the mosque gardens were lovely and it is hard to imagine how much work is involved to keep everything alive in summer.
We have seen a lot of mosques in our travels, but this was one of the most beautiful we had visited.
Some of the buildings around the mosque complex.
The ablutions block.
The main prayer hall accommodates 6500 worshippers. The carpet was made by hand in Iran and is one of the largest carpets in the world. It is one piece and weighs 21 tons. It was made in 4 years by 600 professional women. The chandelier is 14 metres high and weighs 8 tons. It has 1122 bulbs. It is considered one of the largest chandeliers in the world. It was manufactured in Germany using Swarovski crystal.
We then visited the vibrant Muttrah Souq, where scents of exotic Arabian perfumes and spices filled the air and we roamed among a multitude of shops offering Omani daggers, or khanjars, as well as handmade Omani attire, antiques, traditional silver jewellery and handicrafts made from copper, camel bone, wood, and leather. Although we were harassed quite a bit, it was a lovely market to wander through.
We drove past the Opera House.
We visited Bait Al Zubair, a private museum housing extensive collections of traditional Omani items including photographs, paintings, and maps.
We drove up a narrow road so we could see Old Muscat. From the viewpoint we could see the forts and palace.
The gates between the old and new Muscat.
Then we stopped at Al Alam Palace, the official residence of Sultan Qaboos. Once again, the gardens were so well kept. The opulent palace, which boasts excellent vistas over Muscat Bay, was built in the 1970s.
From the palace we could see both Al Jalali and Al Mirani, two imposing 16th-century fortresses constructed by the Portuguese.
There were also several old watch towers. Part of it looked a bit like the Great Wall of China.
One of the dominating sites in the Harbour is a giant incense burner.
Then it was back to the ship. On the way back we got to see the Royal Yacht.
The big incense burner from our ship.
It was getting dark as we sailed away so go we got to see one of the forts and the incense burner lit up.
We then went to Prime 7 for dinner. This is a steak specialty restaurant. Shane had a 16-ounce porterhouse steak. It was massive.
Wednesday 18th Dec 2024
Today we were in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Fujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, on the Gulf of Oman. Fujairah is the only Emirate of the U.A.E. that is almost totally mountainous, surrounded by the ruggedly majestic Hajar Mountains.
To our surprise we had a US Navy boat guarding us today.
We headed out today to see some of the sights.
We first saw Al Bidya, the oldest mosque still standing in the United Arab Emirates. Its four domes are a rare feature. It was built around 1446 AD.
To get there we drove through Khorfakken which is an exclave of Sharjah.
There were lots of lovely buildings and roundabouts. Considering they only get around 7 days of rain a year, there were quite a few water features. The incense burner in the middle of the roundabout even had smoke coming out of it.
We then drove to the Friday Market. Despite its name, the market is open daily. It is more of a local market than for tourists, but it was interesting looking at all the household items for sale.
We then drove a bit inland, where we saw the lush Bithna oasis, an unexpected sight considering the bone-dry desert that surrounds it.
The fort there was built to guard the nearby pass through the mountains.
Back in town we visited the Fujairah Fort which offered a snapshot of the 16th century.
Showing the old and new.
We also got to see the Sheikh Zayed Mosque which is the second biggest in the UAE.
Thursday 19th Dec 2024
Today was our last port. We arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The discovery of oil in 1958 transformed this rural backwater into a modern metropolis with the highest per-capita income in the world. Today, Abu Dhabi boasts extraordinary skyscrapers, shopping malls, top quality hotels, tree-lined boulevards and picturesque gardens. The skyline as we sailed in.
We were off to experience Abu Dhabi as it said.
Once again, there were lots of round abouts with themes and lots of big sculptures.
We enjoyed spectacular views of Abu Dhabi, known as the Manhattan of the Gulf for its ultra-modern skyscrapers.
We visited Sheikh Zayed Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque, the largest in the U.A.E. and eighth-largest mosque in the world.
It really set out for tourists. You entered via a long mall of shops.
We then walked along the Tolerance Path.
We didn't think we could get anything more stunning than our last mosque in Oman, but this was so beautiful.
There are approximately 1,000 columns covered by more than 20,000 panels inlaid with semi-precious stones including lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone shell and mother-of-pearl.
A close up of some of the external mosaics.
Inside the mosque was just as spectacular. The chandeliers were amazing and very colourful.
We drove along the spectacular Corniche, a seaside roadway with cycle paths, fountains, and parks. We stopped to enjoy the view of the skyline.
Friday 20th Dec 2024
This morning, we arrived in Dubai. The skyline from the ship.
We then said farewell to our beloved ship Voyager. Part of the package was a couple of days in Dubai, so we headed to our hotel. We are staying at the MJ Marriott Marquis Hotel, which is one of the tallest in the world, consisting of two towers with 1608 rooms.
There are 70 floors. We were on floor 24 but still had a partial view of the Burj Khalifa.
Our big bathroom with massive bath.
Once we had settled into the hotel we headed off to the Dubai Mall. We had visited here some years ago but still enjoyed looking at the amazing things that can be found in the mall. It was lovely to see that Dubai really gets into the Christmas spirit. There were trees and decorations everywhere, they certainly go all out.
The aquarium is massive.
They have an ice-skating rink.
This beautiful inside waterfall, which this time even included xmas decorations.
A sculpture in the mall.
Then outside is the famous fountain in front of the Burj Khalifa.
A bridge decorated for Christmas.
Saturday 21st Dec
We had never seen this at breakfast before. In the bakery section, the donuts were actually hanging up instead of being on a plate on a bench.
Today we decided to head out for the day and catch the hop on hop off bus. We had a full day. We first caught the metro to the Mall of the Emirates where we picked up the bus. We first did the blue route which focused on "new Dubai".
We stopped at the Dubai Marina. Last time we were here they were just building the Bluewaters Island and Ain Dubai which is the wheel.
More Christmas displays.
As we continued on the bus, we couldn't believe the flying fox high up in the sky going across the top of 2 buildings. It was so high up.
Then we went across to the Palm Jumeirah where the Atlantis Hotel is.
This resort was really unusual.
Then we did the red route which had both "old and new Dubai".
Some more of the modern buildings.
These buildings have been built across a 6-lane highway.
The Museum of the Future was an amazing building.
The entrance to the Royal Palace.
The prince's residence.
We then went to the Dubai Creek, where there was a beautiful Christmas Tree.
We did a dhow cruise along the creek.
The Infinity Bridge.
The Gold Souk even has a gold Christmas Tree.
The Dubai Frame. It is an observatory, museum and monument in Zabeel Park. It holds the record for the largest frame in the world.
In the evening, we went back to the Dubai mall to watch the fountain show.
Sunday 22nd Dec 2024
Today we headed back to the airport to fly home. We have had an amazing time.
This featured blog entry was written by shaneandnicola from the blog Saudi Jordan & Cruise.
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