Muscat

Muscat, the port capital of Oman, is located on the Gulf of Oman, surrounded by mountains and desert. Its history dates back to ancient times and mixes skyscrapers and luxury shopping malls with iconic sites on cliffs, such as the 16th-century Portuguese forts, Al Jalali and Mirani, which rise above the port of Muscat. The modern Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, covered in marble with a 50-meter dome and a huge Persian carpet, can seat 20,000 people. Neat, refined, pleasant and beautiful, the capital of the Arab country has countless attractions and is also one of the safest and cleanest cities in the world. It is considered the Switzerland of the Middle East due to its condition of a calm, neutral and discreet island in a region that is sometimes hectic where the largest Dubai-style hotel still floods everything. That's not to say that Oman has a low profile. Quite the contrary: anyone who sets foot in this (still) unknown country on the Arabian Peninsula will find a surprise packed with beaches with turquoise waters, dizzying mountains, a movie-like oasis and one of the most pristine deserts on the planet.