The souq in Seeb is more than just a place to shop, it is a part of the daily rhythms of life for Seeb residents. It is a gathering place where residents, young and old, gather to catch up with each other on the events of the day, to share a coffee and some laughs. It is a hive of activity, and no matter how many malls are built, the city wouldn’t be the same without it.
“Located along the coastal road in Seeb, this souq is a sprawling market selling anything from stunning traditional jewellery and luxurious perfume oils, to livestock and locally grown fruits,” says Oman’s Ministry of Tourism. “Many of you will know Seeb Souq, to the north of the main Muscat International Airport, as a ring road consisting of local shops where you can buy your Arabic clothing, hats, mobile phone or opulent furniture and jewellery.
“A great starting place to explore Seeb Souq is to drive along the ring road until you reach Seeb Mall on your left,” added the ministry. “Park your car, and keep walking along the road, about 100m on your right will be a mosque, take the right hand turn here and you will come across a small vegetable market. What in a supermarket would cost you 1 OMR will here cost you 100 Baisa. This aside, the vegetables and meat are extremely fresh.
“Go early in the morning and you will find fish that have just come off the fisherman’s boat. As you move along these stalls the road will bend to the right and you will find a great 50m stretch of stalls with all sorts of goods, this includes local dates and halwa, which you can get for a tenth of the price of the supermarket. As you come to the end of this stretch of stalls you will find the traditional flour mill and more fish markets,” added the ministry.
For better connectivity, Mwasalat — the country’s national transport operator — has also organised buses that stop at Seeb souq, on its Maabela – Seeb souq – Mawaleh South – Burj A’Sahwa route.
Buses that go on this route begin at Mawaleh before stopping at Burj A’Sahwa, with stops at the Mawaleh Central Market, the Mawaleh souq, Al Tameer street, Mawaleh North, eshraq roundabout, Al Hail North, Al Nakhil street, Al Rodha roundabout, Al Obab street, Al Adiyat street, Wadi Al Bahaes, Seeb souq and Al Sharadi, before stopping at Maabela bus station.
