You’re standing in front of Bab al-Mathaib, one of Muscat’s former city gates. It once marked a controlled passage between the heart of the city and the surrounding areas, forming part of the defensive system that protected Old Muscat until the 20th century. Like the other historic gates, it was closed each evening and carefully guarded, strictly regulating who could enter or leave. Today, woven into the modern city, Bab al-Mathaib is a reminder of a time when Muscat was a walled town, organised around a handful of strategic access points linking the sea, the mountains and the main trade routes.