'Oman is safest in Arab world'

Muscat: Oman is a dreamy destination increasingly appearing on the wish list of discerning travellers. Oman is the “quiet good-living country,” a British ‘Luxury Travel Blog’ has stated.
The report published by the British website added that His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said “has benevolently” transformed “his country from medieval to modern.”
Oman is probably the Arab world’s safest and most tolerant country, according to the International Terrorism Index, the website has remarked.
“Omanis have the greatest luxury of all. Time for each other, time for their guests,” the website observed.
With over 1,000 miles of coastline running from the Straits of Hormuz in the north, through the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Sea, Oman does not need to create artificial islands. Oman is blessed with cobalt-blue seas lapping on to a diverse coastline — sometimes craggy rocks, sometimes lengthy golden sand beaches and sometimes fjords. It is home to turtles and dolphins while scuba divers enjoy unspoilt coral reefs, the website has reported.
Oman’s beaches are often remote and deserted, and magical for an impromptu BBQ, the website stressed.
The British website said, “Looking inland towards Muscat from the traditional dhows bobbing on the Sea of Oman, past the low-rise white buildings dotted with mosques’ golden minarets, the backdrop is the crescent of the red-tinged Al Hajar Mountains. With the remains of monsoon season blowing in from Northern India, Oman’s mountains are well-watered. Fragrant roses are grown for rose-water and when the pickers are hungry they munch on a handful of petals.”
The British website highlighted the Royal Opera House Muscat by saying, “The palatial Royal Opera House built to the Sultan’s regal requirements in Muscat, makes Covent Garden look like a budget pre-fab. Not only does the Opera House pull in some of the world’s top ballet and opera companies, but tickets are heavily subsidised by the government.
“It (Oman) deliberately targets the luxury market segment. Those high-spending visitors savour Oman’s sophisticated hotels and also enjoy the open road. Beyond Muscat, traffic hold-ups are merely a theoretical concept,” it noted. The British website added, “Currently, oil and mineral-rich Oman has no income tax. Sultan-time and the living is easy. No wonder the people smile so much, and are so good natured.
“Built with the architecture of war — turrets, massive doors and chunky keys — Nizwa is Muscat’s former capital. A thick-walled testimony to Oman’s turbulent past. When the siege was intense, defenders poured boiling date syrup on the attackers below. Surrounded by 44 different varieties of palm trees, there is something biblical about the Nizwa
landscape.
“Oman’s souqs are a more laid-back civilised experience. Stalls are piled high with pashminas, spices, bronze ornaments, as well as domestic necessities,” it stated.
The British website continued, “The labyrinthine Muttrah souq in Muscat is probably one of the few remaining places on the planet where you can cross gold, frankincense and myrrh off of your shopping list within a few minutes.
“Admittedly, sometimes you have to queue up for the on-arrival visa issued at the airport, but Muscat is one of the world’s most tranquil capitals. It is an elongated ribbon of a city trapped between sea and mountains,” it added. “White, gleaming Muscat takes pride in its pristine appearance. Legally motorists may be fined for not washing their car.”