Everyday practical information for Oman

The basics

• Plugs are the British three-pin type G, 240 V. UK chargers work as they are.
• Arabic is the language and English is very widely spoken - in hotels, shops, taxis and government offices. Signs are bilingual.
• UTC+4 all year, no daylight saving. Note this is an hour ahead of Saudi Arabia and the same as the UAE.
• The weekend is Friday and Saturday. Sunday is a working day.

Dress, which matters more than you expect

• Oman is more conservative in dress than the UAE and less so than Saudi Arabia. Cover shoulders and knees, men and women.
• Women do not need a headscarf except in a mosque, where one is required along with covered arms and ankles.
• The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat admits non-Muslims in the mornings, with a strict dress code enforced at the gate. It is one of the great buildings of the region and worth arranging your day around.

The rhythm

• Everything shuts in the middle of the day in summer, and life happens early and late.
• Fridays: many businesses closed until after midday prayers.
• Ramadan changes opening hours across the country and restaurants serve after sunset.

Small things

• Omanis are notably courteous and reserved. Greetings are unhurried, and rushing a transaction reads badly.
• Ask before photographing anyone, and accept refusal.
• The khareef in Salalah, June to September, turns the Dhofar mountains green and misty while the rest of Arabia bakes. It is the single most surprising thing about Omani geography.
• Frankincense is Oman's souvenir, sold in the souqs of Muscat and Salalah, and the good stuff is expensive for a reason.