Muscat shopping runs on two speeds: the 200-year-old lantern-lit lanes of Mutrah Souq where frankincense resin is sold by the scoop, and glossy malls stocking Omani design labels. Three days covers silver khanjars, Bahla pottery and Salalah luban.
Open 08:00-13:00 and 16:00-22:00, the covered lanes sell silver khanjar daggers (OMR 40-300), Bedouin bracelets sold by weight at roughly OMR 0.6-1 per gram of silver, pashminas, and Omani halwa in ceramic pots.
Oman's royal fragrance house runs free 45-minute factory tours (Sun-Thu, book ahead) showing frankincense and rock-rose distillation, ending in the boutique where 100ml of Gold or Interlude runs OMR 130-180 and travel sprays start near OMR 45.
The cluster of luban dealers near the souq's sea-gate grade resin by colour: dark Sha'bi is cheapest at around OMR 1-2 per kilo, milky-green Hojari from Dhofar reaches OMR 25-40 per kilo. Clay mabkhara burners cost OMR 3-12.
Snøhetta's wave-roofed 2017 market has a quieter upper level of Omani craft and date stalls above the seafood halls. Vacuum-packed Khalas dates, date syrup and camel-milk chocolate run OMR 2-8 per pack, open until roughly 20:00.
A 1980s arcade with a mock-souq wing of gold traders, tailors who cut a bespoke dishdasha in 48 hours for OMR 25-60, and textile shops selling Omani cotton by the metre. Open 09:00-13:00 and 16:30-22:00, closed Friday mornings.
The museum's gift shop is one of the few curated craft outlets in the city, stocking silver-inlaid khanjar replicas, Jebel Akhdar rosewater, hand-bound notebooks and Omani art prints. Museum entry OMR 2; shop accessible with the ticket.
Oman's largest mall opened 2021 with 350 stores, a Snow Oman park and the region's Omani-designer wing carrying labels like Endemage and Amal Al Raisi. Open 10:00-22:00, until midnight Thursday-Saturday.
The Al Khuwair mall's ground floor mixes Omani honey and dates boutiques with a large English-language bookshop strong on Gulf history, Wilfred Thesiger reprints and Arabic calligraphy sets. Trading until 22:00, 23:00 at weekends.
A non-profit gallery paying artisans directly for Bahla pottery, Sur silverwork, palm-frond baskets and Jebel Shams goat-hair rugs. Fixed prices, no haggling, with provenance cards naming the maker's village. Open 09:00-19:00, closed Friday.
A workaday inland market where Omani families buy limes, dried lemons (loomi), Jebel Akhdar pomegranates in season and bulk spice mixes. Loomi at around OMR 1.5 per kilo and bezar spice blends make flat, sturdy souvenirs.
Two streets of Indian and Omani goldsmiths quoting 22-carat by daily gram rate with a modest making charge, far below mall jewellers. Traditional Omani shumaisi bead necklaces and silver anklets sit alongside modern chains.
Small perfume houses blend custom attars from oud, Jebel Akhdar damask rosewater and Dhofari frankincense oil while you wait, filling engraved 12ml bottles. Open into the evening around 21:00, aligned with local shopping hours.