Royal Opera House

Muscat’s dazzling Royal Opera House has won over a wealth of fans since opening its doors back in 2011, claiming the title of the Gulf’s first opera house and cementing Oman’s reputation as a burgeoning arts hub. With its dramatic colonnaded façade, gold-inlaid marble interiors and elaborate handcrafted stuccos, the inspired design of the Royal Opera House is a fine example of contemporary Islamic architecture, constructed from Omani desert rose stone and encircled by landscaped gardens.
Commissioned by Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the 80,000 square-kilometer complex was designed to be as functional as it is stylish, with a state-of-the-art adjustable-acoustic auditorium and innovative subtitle touchscreens attached to each of its 1,100 seats. With its performance season running from September to June, the Royal Opera House has already cultivated a reputation for diversity with Western, Asian and Arab theater, opera and ballets all taking to the stage, as well as providing the home ground for the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra.