Fodor's Expert Review Muscat Gate Museum

On the coastal road between the old Mutrah neighborhood and the old city of Muscat, there is a large archway that houses the Muscat Gate. The small museum here displays photographs and information on the history of this once-walled city, whose gates were once locked before sundown every night—supposedly as a safety precaution, but also as a way to impose a strict curfew during the Portuguese occupation. The three main gates—the Mathaib Gate, Al Bab Al Saghir (the little door), and Al Bab Al Kabir (the big door)—still stand. The museum is a great place to learn their histories before hiking down to see them. The staff at the hotel are helpful and informative, and even if you aren't interested in the historic gates, the structure itself offers one of the best vantage points for taking photographs of the old towns.