The Royal Opera House Muscat - Bagpipers, Bugles and Drums!

Royal Opera House Muscat

Bagpipers, Bugles and Drums at ROHM

A few days ago, I read in the papers about a musical show to be held by the Royal Military force of Oman at the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) from 6th to 8th Nov. And I thought that would be so boring!

Military music reminded me of the numerous Hollywood battle movies that showed the military troops marching away in glory, with the bagpipers, bugles and drums, accompanied by some military music in the background.

No ways, I was not going to the Opera House to listen to that! 

But then a thought crossed my mind. Whenever we go to Qurum by the Sultan Qaboos road, we always pass by the ROHM and I always admire its architectural details, but we had never been on the premises whatsoever. So that day curiosity took over and ended my boredom! 

A visit to ROHM had to be made to get a closer look and what day would be better than a Friday when a military music show was being held. This was a free Military Music show planned over a three day period, and it began on Thursday. Luckily for us, we managed to catch it on Friday evening since on the following day, the city received showers and the show was probably canceled.

It was a moonlit night and the Opera House looked stunning with the LED lights. We could see the rays of light emanating from the ROHM building from quite a distance from the road too. The entire building which is white in color was completely transformed into hues of purple and pink due to the LED lights used. A feast for the eyes!

The welcoming entrance by moonlit and LED rays

The open air space for the musical performance

The Musical Band of the Oman Military

Most of the performances were over. However, I heard later that there were ensembles from New Zealand, dancers from Scotland, British singers, traditional Omani dancers for the grand event. We had missed it all. But we were on time to catch the Royal band playing not only the military music but also jazz, opera and pop music. 'The Maidan' (meaning in Arabic - an open ground or space in a marketplace or a parade ground) was assembled with people from all over the city. 

The crowd busy taking videos and snaps

The 'maidan' viewed from the first-floor level

The music played by the band was so catchy that we couldn't stop ourselves from tapping our feet along with it. I was glad we came!

Exploring the ROHM premises - Awed by its Architecture and Interior Design

After the show was over we just walked around to explore the place a little a bit more. The Architectural design of the building, its circulation pattern, the interiors adorned with intricately handcrafted decors, the grand entrance - are all a reflection of the modern Omani Palaces.

         Walking through the colonnades in the Opera House

The Ruler of Oman is a lover of music and the arts. Thanks to the Sultan (for Oman doesn't have the culture of Opera), it was on his order that this beautiful Opera House was built and officially opened in October 2011. This Art complex designed by the Architects WATG (Wimberley Allison Tong and Goo) reflects contemporary Islamic Architecture with its porches, arched colonnades, and terraces. 

The main structure is made of reinforced concrete with block infill and it is finished in locally available desert rose stone and contemporary style stucco. The entire complex is spread over 80,000 sq m of area with nearly 40,000 sq m of area being reserved for gardens. We couldn't access the Grand Auditorium which has a capacity is of 1,100 seats and is of horseshoe shape.

A fusion of Classical Omani and Modern style is reflected in the interiors through the rich crystal chandeliers, hand-carved wooden fixtures, and marble inlays.

East Entrance to the Opera Galleria

The beautiful wooden ceiling 

A closeup view of one of the many Chandeliers

The Opera Galleria is a retail development adjoining the Opera House following the same style and pattern as used in the Opera House. It was officially opened in 2013 and houses a host of multi-cuisine restaurants, luxury souks, retail stores and coffee shops. There are some 50 shops here offering gems, apparels, perfumes, watches and many branded outlets. 

We were glad to spot an Indian restaurant by the name of 'Indus'. A quick look at the restaurant's menu items clearly indicated exotic Indian cuisine while the prices indicated it was aimed at people with money! We took a quick look at the interiors of the restaurant; it did have an impressive look.

Musicians at the main entrance of the Galleria 

The Indus - An Indian Restaurant

The ceiling design in the Galleria

The vaulted colonnade through the mall on level 1

Antique furniture outlet 'Khazir'

An Omani store with its traditional dhows & mabkharas on display

The ceiling design and colorful murals 
in the atrium at the 1st floor level

View of the parking lot - capacity to hold 540 cars

View of the exit road from the Opera Galleria

A parting shot of the Opera Galleria

We missed most of the performances that evening and I hope to catch up next year. But a walk through the ROHM premises that evening, exploring the beautiful building and the grand interiors of the Galleria, certainly made our day. 



sources referred:
www.watg.com
www.rohmuscat.org.om/venue/opera-galleria
Gulfconstructionworldwide.com