Monday 06 / May / 2024
In Oman you will never find glitzy, glamorous buildings that aim to touch the sky.
Buildings in the Sultanate – even those that are designed for royalty – are of a more subdued, subtle nature, which convey to visitors and to those who live in the country a different sort of awe.
Located in the heart of Muscat, and featuring a stunning yet humble series of blue-and-gold edifices and tapering columns, Al Alam Palace in the middle of the old city is one of the homes of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
Al Alam (which in Arabic means ‘the flag’), is one of the many royal residences of His Majesty the Sultan. It was first built 200 years ago by his ancestors.
Rebuilt as a royal home in 1972, Al Alam Palace is a popular destination for tourists, residents and nationals alike: to stop and take pictures.
In many ways, it is a symbol of what Oman stands for, symbolising modesty and humility instead of vast, sprawling grandeur, even when the means to showcase such qualities are readily available.
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“The ceremonial palace of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Al Alam Palace was rebuilt as a royal residence in 1972 and is located in the heart of Old Muscat,” said the Ministry of Tourism. “It is flanked on either side by the impressive twin Jalali and Mirani Forts originally built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Both of these majestic buildings are still in use, and although they are not open to the public, tourists can admire the architecture from the yard and at the gates.”
The Ministry added, “At the heart of Old Muscat is Al Alam Palace, the most important of the six royal residences of the ruling monarch, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, which are dotted around Muscat, Salalah and Sohar. Built in 1972, the palace is Oman’s most flamboyant example of contemporary Islamic design, with two long wings centred on a colourful, cube-like central building, its flat, overhanging roof supported by extravagantly flared blue and gold columns. The palace isn’t open to the public, although you can get a good view of the facade from the iron gates at the front.
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“The palace complex is impressively stage-managed, approached via a long pedestrianized boulevard framed by two arcaded colonnades, with copious amounts of highly polished marble covering every available surface,” added the ministry. “On either side stretches a cluster of impressive government buildings: huge, snow-white edifices sporting crenelated rooftops, traditional wooden balconies and window shutters. Look right as you approach the palace and you’ll also see a fine section of the original city walls snaking up the hillside, punctuated with three large watchtowers en route.”
