Muscat Geotourism Guide

Oman is located on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. It has great geological diversity with mountain ranges reaching 3,000 metres high in the north, green oases in the south, and a desert plain in between.

A geologist once said that Oman is one big wonderful outdoor geological Museum with unique geological values. It is the only country in the world composed mostly of oceanic crust and rocks that originated from the mantle - deep below the earth's surface. In addition, evidence can be seen of continental drift and geological processes that have dominated the earth's surface for many millions of years.

Geotourism has been described as a form of natural area tourism that specifically focuses on geology and landscape. It is based on the magic of discovery and the power of authenticity experienced through contact with the natural heritage of the land. In Oman, geological stories can be found everywhere. Some of these are presented on a dramatic scale such as in the massive folding and faulting that can be seen on parts of Oman's 700 km long mountain range, or the huge piles of pillow lava in Wadi AI-Jizzi which are evidence of underwater volcanoes releasing magma to be rapidly cooled deep on the ocean floor. Others stories are found in smaller detail, such as how the fossils of sea creatures can be found deep inland or the story of once mighty forests in areas that are now barren deserts.

These stories can even be found in the hustle and bustle of urban areas. For example visitors to Muscat Corniche need only to stand and face the ocean in order to imagine the scene back in time around 90 million years ago, when a several kilometer thick slab of the oceanic crust started to push its way over the top of the northern coastline of Oman. This unusual over thrusting continued for around 20 Million years, pushing rocks originating from deep within the ocean hundreds of kilometers inland.

In order to provide tourist information and to create awareness about the rich geology in the Muscat Governorate, 30 geological attractions have been developed for a unique Geotourism experience. We invite you to explore the region around Oman’s capital Muscat and to learn more about the history of our planet.

With support of this application you can easily visit the different geoheritage sites. Wherever the topography of a location allows, you will find sign boards with illustrated information about the site. This application enables guidance to the geoheritage sites utilizing the global satellite navigation system (GPS) along with serving multilingual multimedia information to give you a better understanding of the geological processes.

We invite you to discover the beauty and rich geological heritage of the Muscat Governorate. Explore its geological wonders with support of latest technologies, which will enhance your learning experience and at the same time boost your enthusiasm for understanding the surroundings in a way that is both fun and instructive.

Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Note: When you first start the application about 50 MB of video and sound data is downloaded. It is recommended to load these data via a wireless connection.

The app is available in Arabic, English, German and French.

Copyright: Ministry of Tourism