Oman » Going Out

Waiter service is usual. Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol, but most hotel bars and restaurants have a bar for guests. Visitors are only allowed to drink alcohol if they purchase drinks from licensed hotels and restaurants. To buy alcohol for home consumption, Western nationals must obtain a licence from their embassy.

Shaking hands is the usual form of greeting. A small gift, either promoting your company or country, is well received. Dignity and respect are key in Omani culture and public criticisms are rare. As far as dress is concerned, it is important that women dress modestly beyond the hotel grounds, ie long skirts or dresses (below the knee) with covered shoulders; men should wear trousers and shirts with sleeves. Tight-fitting clothes should be restricted to hotel restaurants to avoid giving offence, although this is not strictly followed by some Westerners. Shorts should not be worn in public and beachwear is prohibited anywhere except the beach. Collecting seashells, abalone, corals, crayfish and turtle eggs is also prohibited. Dumping litter is forbidden. It is polite not to smoke in public, but generally no-smoking signs are posted where appropriate; smoking is banned in public places in Muscat. Homosexual behaviour is illegal.

Photography: Visitors should ask permission before attempting to photograph people or their property. 'No Photography' signs exist in certain places and must be observed.

Predominantly Muslim, including Shi'ite Muslim, Sunni Muslim and the Ibadi strand of Islam, the latter practised by 60% of the population (the only country in the world to do so). There are facilities for the worship of other religions. Around 13% of the population are Hindu.

Numerous restaurants have opened in recent years, but many people retain the habit of dining at hotels - in Muscat at least. There is a wide variety of cuisine on offer, including Arabic, Indian, Oriental, European and other international dishes. Traditional coffee houses and international-style chain coffeeshops are popular. In other parts of the country, except in Salalah and Nizwa, most people eat at home so the main options for dining are small coffeeshops, occasional Lebanese or Turkish restaurants and roadside shwarma (shaved meat) stands.

Omani food tends to be less spicy than typical Arabic food but is cooked with lots of marinades, herbs and spices. It is served in large portions, so expect to be served with a whole fish. Chicken, fish and mutton are regularly used in dishes. Although spices, herbs, onion, garlic and lime are liberally used in traditional Omani cuisine, unlike similar Asian food, it is not hot. There are also regional variations, with some of the dishes prepared in Salalah (in the south) being markedly different from those in Muscat (in the north). However, dates remain a symbol of Omani hospitality throughout the country and are served with kahwa, or Omani coffee, as are nuts.

Special dishes are cooked for festive occasions including the two main religious festivals - Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha. In Dhofar and Wusta, the festivities start with ruz al mudhroub (a dish made of cooked rice and served with fried fish) and maqdeed, special dried meat. In Muscat, Al Batinah, Dahira and Sharqiya regions, muqalab (a dish of tripe cooked with crushed or ground spices) is popular. Other dishes served during Eid festivities include arsia, a dish of lamb meat cooked with rice, and mishkak, skewered meat grilled on charcoal.

Other dishes include:
• Shuwa (meat cooked slowly for up to two days in underground clay ovens, marinated with herbs and spices).
• Mashuai (spit-roasted kingfish served with lemon rice).
• Maqbous (rice dish with saffron cooked over spicy red or white meat).
• Halwa (sticky, gelatinous sweet made from dates or sugar and flavoured with saffron, cardamom and rosewater).
• Lokhemat (balls of flour and yeast flavoured with cardamom and deep fried, served with sweet lime and cardamom syrup).

Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol, but most hotel bars and restaurants have a bar for guests where waiter service is usual. Visitors are only allowed to drink alcohol if they purchase drinks from licensed hotels and restaurants. To buy alcohol for home consumption, Western nationals must obtain a licence from their embassy. It is a punishable offence to drink, or be drunk, in public.

Typical drinks include:
• Laban (a salty combination of yoghurt and buttermilk; yoghurt drinks, flavoured with cardamom and pistachio nuts are also very popular).
• Kahwa (coffee: strong, bitter and flavoured with cardamom, served with halwa and lokhemat).
• Mixed fruit juice (mango, pomegranate, orange and avocado layered in long glasses).

Tipping is not expected but becoming more common; 10% should be given in hotels and restaurants with licensed bars but is not expected in more casual restaurants.