Page 411 - Neglected Arabia (1916-1920)

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Muscat in Winter

Rev. G. D- Van Peursem

So much has been said about the heat of Muscat that the place is
proverbially signified by the people of the Gulf as Gehennam. Many
people seem to think in fact, that gazelles are always found roasted in
r the desert sun, and that the soldier must watch lest his sword melts in
the scabbard. Some folks believe anything about Muscat, howsoever
bad it may be. I am writing no apology for the climate of Muscat, for
no one will deny that the summers are most oppressively hot and steamy.
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But we must disabuse our minds of the idea that Muscat is always a
steaming caldron or a roasting pot.

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REV. G. D. VAN PBURSBM AND AN ARAB FRIBND

From November to March the weather is good and one can be very
t comfortable. In winter the weather is more pleasant than it is in many
places of the Gulf. During these months the thermometer ranges from
65 degrees to 75 degrees. Sixty degrees is the minimum of tempera­
ture in Muscat. When the atmosphere cools down that much, the sun
feels good along the house, and away from the wind.
During these months life is renewed, and Muscat is really alive if
It ever is- Nature then assumes an entirely different aspect. The land
between these rocky hills, scorched by the summer’s sun, seems unable