For travellers who are looking for a historical area to visit that is near the capital city of Oman, Matrah is the place you must visit. While most people think that Matrah is simply a district of Muscat, it is actually a separate city that is located in the northern part of the country. Also called Muttrah, this place was once considered the center of commerce for the country before oil was discovered in the region. Despite the transfer of commercial centers, the city is still considered a major commercial center in the region and still has one of the biggest sea ports here.
Since Matrah is so near Muscat, very few people find it necessary to stay there overnight and instead choose to make a trip to Matrah part of their trip to Muscat. The people who travel to Matrah in Oman do so to visit certain old historical landmarks that are found there such as the Souq Muttrah, which is a traditional bazaar that is part of the old commercial district of the area and the Sour Al-Lawatiah which is an old walled community that consists of old small houses.
Visitors to Matrah might want to check out the gold shops in the bazaar there where you can have custom made gold jewelry made for you. You can also drop by the Bait al Zubair museum which is found here as well and have a tasty and traditional Omani breakfast at one of the many small cafeterias you can find in this city as well when you arrive for your tour of the area.