A quiet road in a mountainous area of Oman with street lamps and some buildings on the side.

Roads in Oman

Roads in Oman

Written by: Michaela Eckmüller Last updated at: May 21, 2025

The infrastructure in Oman is modern and has now been well developed. When the oil business was started in 1967, it was hardly present. However, a good infrastructure was necessary to bring the progress that Sultan Qaboos envisioned for Oman and which he has continuously advanced since coming to power in 1970. In this respect, most roads in the country were only built in the 1970s or later.

Expansion of the road network

The road network in Oman is about 60,000 kilometers long. Almost every small town in the country is now connected to the network of paved roads. In recent years, 2000 kilometers of highway have been built to simplify transportation within the country. The well-developed roads, which lead through deserts and remote wadis to connect urban centers and small towns, are viewed differently. While supporters praise the progress and simplification of travel that the expansion of the roads brings, opponents criticize the ecological damage that is caused.

Means of transportation

The days when people in Oman rode camels through the desert to get from one place to another are long gone. Most Omanis own a car. Newer models, mostly from Japan, are driven. Jeeps are also frequently encountered on the roads. After all, there are still areas where one must switch to off-road driving. Off-road tourism, which was once one of the main branches of tourism in Oman, is being restricted by the ongoing expansion of the road network, as guided bus tours can now easily reach remote places.

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History of Oman

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The territory of today's Sultanate of Oman was inhabited as early as the Stone Age. Around 2000 BC, Magan, as the region was then called, experienced a peak in copper mining. From 563 BC, Oman was ruled by various Persian rulers. The Persians facilitated the rebuilding of overseas trade with India, Ceylon, and East Africa. An important innovation introduced by the Persians was the so-called 'falaj'. These are canals that secured the water supply in the villages and the irrigation of the fields and are still used today. When in 630 AD the population of Oman voluntarily accepted the faith of I...

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The climate in the Sultanate of Oman varies from region to region. In the coastal areas of the north and east of the country, it is hot and humid (subtropical climate). The humidity is - 80%. In the desert regions of the interior, which are separated from the north of the country by the Hadjar Mountains it is dry and hot. The south differs significantly from the rest of the country, as the monsoon winds blow here. In Oman, the year can roughly be divided into summer and winter. Summer lasts from May to September. Winter sets in around mid/end of October and lasts until the end of March. The a...

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Public transport in Oman

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Public transport in Oman differs from that in Germany, for example. There is an extensive bus network only in the capital. Otherwise, public transport mainly consists of taxis, the white vehicles with the taxi sign on the roof. If you want to travel back and forth between cities in Oman, you choose the airplane or the coach. A railway line does not exist at the moment. By taxi through the city There is a phone number to order a taxi only in Muscat. In the other cities in Oman, you literally have to look for a taxi. However, this is not difficult, as they drive around everywhere in the city. ...