Top 5 New Openings in Oman: Places To Visit

In Muscat, Oman’s first oceanarium and aquarium are currently under development alongside the city’s cruise terminal. Permanent exhibitions will showcase coral reefs, tropical fish native to the Arabian Sea and sharks. Sections will also be dedicated to the amphibians, reptiles and birds that populate the country’s tropical coastlines.

Muscat's Natural History Museum is currently undergoing extensive renovation and expansion. The museum houses fossil remains dating from an incredible 260 million years ago, as well as prehistoric animal teeth and whale skeletons.

Muscat’s Ghalyas Museum of Modern Art will be opening six new areas: this additional exhibition space will allow the museum to exhibit pieces from their permanent collection that have never been on show to the general public.

A new, 13,000m2 National Museum is due to be completed in Old Muscat. Opposite the Al Alam Palace, its displays will cover Omani history from prehistoric times to the present day. A twisting helical staircase will connect the museum's ground-floor halls and first-floor historical galleries, and will be lined with exhibits detailing more than 10,000 years of rich archaeological history. An incredible 1,672 artefacts have been restored over the past two years in preparation for the museum’s opening. 

The Oman Botanic Garden, a new world-class development to celebrate, research, cherish and protect the unique plants, environment and botanical heritage of Oman is located just outside Muscat and is a long-term project.
The 420ha project is currently under construction; when complete it will be the largest botanic garden in the Arabian Peninsula. Visitors will experience the diverse habitats of Oman, investigate the orientation center, explore the site, discover traditional Omani skills at the craft village, learn at the field studies center, buy Omani plants at the plant shop and much more. To follow its development path see www.omanbotanicgarden.com.

Discover more about Oman: www.omantourism.gov.om