Muscat: The museum, forts, and castles in the Sultanate attract visitors generally during the months between August and March when temperatures are relatively moderate in the country for both international and domestic tourists.
According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the months of August (31,585), October (17,658), November (26,225), and December (26,588) saw the most government museum visitors, while castles and forts received 381,233 visitors in 2022, compared to 111,211 in 2021 and 133,922 in 2020.
The month of December received the most visitors to the castle and forts (80,647) compared to 61,331 in November, 44,098 in March, 37,366 in February, and 26,632 in January.
Nizwa and Muttrah forts are among the most popular in the country.
Generally, the best time to visit Oman is between November and April when the temperatures are warm while December and January are among the coolest months.
In 2022, Muttrah Fort received 37,700 visitors compared to 8,112 in 2021 and 14,781 in 2020, while Nizwa Fort is the most popular attraction in the country with 193,194 visitors in 2022, compared to 55,636 in 2021 and 44,047 in 2020.
Nizwa Fort is an example of Omani architectural mastery and engineering ingenuity with its construction dating back to the middle of the 17th century, the unique cylindrical construction of this fort distinguishes the stronghold from others.
Nizwa is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Oman, intermittently serving as its capital from the middle of the eighth to the middle of the 12th century.
This city links the Sultanate with Muscat and the Dhofar region.
Managed by Omran, the daily operations of Nizwa Fort are handled by Bawader International, an Omani company.
Muttrah Fort is a historic fort in Wilayat Muttrah in the Governate of Muscat, overlooking the Port Sultan Qaboos, which would have made it quite an impregnable position to defend Muttrah from attacks while also allowing observation of the surrounding areas.
The fort is thought to have been built originally in 1507AD, only to be modified and upgraded with towers and stronger walls by the Portuguese during their occupation of Oman in the 1560s.
Currently, a private enterprise manages the Muttrah Fort following an agreement signed with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.
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