OMAN: MUSCAT
The first view of Muscat for TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales will be the view from the sea of a small bay, dominated by the Al Alam Palace and the mountains surrounding it and by sixteenth century Portuguese forts on either side. The town lies in a small area of flat land behind the Palace. In the last 15 years it has become but one of the six substantial communities forming the capital area.
Evidence of the British role, present and past, abounds. The naval base, to the west, is usually full of ships from the Sultan's small but powerful navy, brought from Britain and staffed, to an extent, by British loan and contract officers. The Embassy lies alongside the Palace. Built by contractors from Karachi in 1890, it was built on a site occupied by British representatives since 1800.
WWHAAX (7)
