Fodor's Expert Review Natural History Museum

One of the most popular of Muscat's museums, the Natural History Museum is divided into four sections. Diverse Physical Features is a collection of aerial photographs and exhibits that show the vast geographic diversity found in the Sultanate, from mountains to desert to sea. Through the Geological Ages has 260-million-year-old tree fossils from Al Huquf, 270-million-year-old coral reefs from Wadi Aasahtan in Rustaq, and the teeth of prehistoric animals. The Varied Wildlife section houses taxidermied displays like a caracal lynx shown pouncing on a bird, the Arabian Oryx, Arabian Tahr, local leopard, and all manner of birds from the coastal areas and wetlands. Finally, Creatures of the Sea has a Whale Hall with bones, skeletons, and skulls belonging to the different whale types, and other displays explaining the bountiful sea life found off the coast. Informative descriptions accompany each display, and the staff is helpful and friendly.