Welcome to Oman: The 2015 'It' Destination

On the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula lies an oasis of calm inside the storm of the Middle East: Oman. Named in almost every publication’s 2015 next big destinations list, and despite being perched precariously between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the sultanate is peaceful, religiously tolerant, and welcoming.

Of course I had to go check it out for “A Broad Abroad.”

I wasn’t disappointed.

The waterfront in Muscat. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Small towns dot the country that are straight out of “The Arabian Nights.” Sinbad the sailor was from here, as well as the famed Queen of Sheba — who is rumored to have once had ownership of the Ark of the Covenant. The whole country is like a fairy tale come to life, with hidden oases around every corner. But unlike the leaders of the other Westerner-friendly country on the peninsula — Dubai — Oman’s sultan refused to tear down historical buildings and instead, upon taking power in the 1980s, focused on infrastructure (there are paved roads crisscrossing the land that are so free of potholes my cameraman kept exclaiming, “What is this? Why don’t we have roads like this?”). All new buildings are done to fit in seamlessly with historical structures.

The Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman. (Photo: Thinkstock)

The tallest building in the country, in the capital, Muscat, is only 17 stories high, and although there are modern conveniences, outside of Muscat life goes on much as it has for more than 1,000 years.

Related: How Women Torture Themselves for Beauty in the Far East

In this video, I explore the Muttrah souk in Muscat — which has been in operation for hundreds of years — and the high-fashion world of Islamic clothing with the queen of Omani fashion, Nawal al Hooti.

Paula trying on one of Nawal’s gorgeous designs. (Photo: Andrew Rothschild)

If you want to travel in style in Oman, it will cost you. Nawal’s modern take on the burqa and the salwar kameez are all hand-beaded and hand-sewn and start at 1,000 Omani rials. At $3 to every rial, it was way out of my price range.

And don’t even get me started on the jewelry. The gold headband that fastened at the ears was over 1,200 rials. But it was fun to play dress-up, if only for the hour.

Thank you to Mountain Travel Sobek for arranging the trip. To learn more about our Yahoo Travel press trip policy, please click here.

Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. And check out Yahoo Travel’s original video series “A Broad Abroad.”