Madinat Qaboos
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Madinat Al-Sultan Qaboos (or Madinat Qaboos or MQ for short), is a residential suburb in Muscat, capital of the Sultanate of Oman. It has a population of approximately 51,400 and is located at 23.63°N and 58.54°E. To the north it is bordered by the upscale residential suburb of Shati Al-Qurm, separated only by Sultan Qaboos street, an arterial highway that links the city together and till recently was the only main road to exist in that capacity. To the east lies Information City, Al-Qurm and in the south and the west lies the commercial and residential district of Al-Khuwair.
History
In Arabic, Madinat Al-Sultan Qaboos, means the City of Sultan Qaboos, who since July 1970 has been the ruler of Oman. Until his assumption of power, Madinat Qaboos was nothing more than an empty quarter of rugged hills and rocks, interrupted only by the wadis (or dried up river-bed) at irregular intervals.
Miscellaneous
Even though Madinat Qaboos is a predominantly residential suburb there is a shopping complex (recently renovated) situated on the top of the hill. A British Council, British School, Omanoil (formerly British Petroleum) Petrol Station, Post Office, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), Baskin Robbins and Starbucks are all located within close distance of each other. Garden-court houses (a rectangular complex of approx. 20 houses) are a common sight unique to Madinat Qaboos and were one of the earliest developments. After PDO (Petrol Development Oman) and Shati Al-Qurm, Madinat Qaboos is the most popular residential destination for western expatriates living in Muscat.