Muttrah Fish Market Muscat, Oman

2019 On Site Review Report by Hossein Rezai 4946.OMA Muttrah Fish Market Muscat, Oman Architect Snøhetta Client Municipality of Muscat Design 2009-2012 Completed 2017 2 Muttrah Fish Market Muscat, Oman I. Introduction Muttrah Fish Market is a two-storey building under a large roof canopy. It sits on the fringe of the corniche, very close and accessible to the sea and the port where large tourist liners dock. The building footprint is just under 2,300 square metres on an overall site area of 22,249 square metres. The new building complex replaces the old fish market and adds a vegetable souk, as well as rooftop restaurants and cafés, to the site. The architecture of the building is highly unusual in the context of the controlled urban planning guidelines prevailing in Muscat where colours are neutral and subdued, and building heights limited to 50 metres. The Fish Market sits comfortably in this context, yet is a successful attempt to expand the city’s architectural horizons. The choice of exposed steel for the extensive roof canopy, which is of a curvilinear and organic form hovering above, distinguishes the building, yet demonstrates an intellectual level of congruency with the tradition that is commendable. From a social perspective, the development aims at dignifying the fishing industry through destigmatisation of occupations in this sector which have been increasingly disregarded by the local population in the post- oil economy. II. Contextual information A. Brief historical background Country: Among the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, Oman is the least investigated (Benkari 2017). Situated on the south-eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, it is geographically embraced by the United Arab Emirates in the north-west, Yemen in the south-west, Saudi Arabia in the west, and the open waters of the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean to the north and east. Politically, Oman is an island of stability and continuity in a much disrupted neighbourhood. Unlike all other countries in the region which have been involved in devastating wars during the last half-century, Oman has in fact maintained a neutral political position (both internally and externally) by focusing on its socioeconomic development. Since the 1970s, Oman has been in a new historical phase often called “Renaissance”. Three major events marked this new beginning: the discovery of oil (1964) and its exportation (1967 onwards); the end of the Dhofar War (1962–1976); and the ascension to power of Sultan Qaboos bin Said (1970). Sultan Qaboos, regarded by domestic and international public opinion as an illuminated and sensible sovereign, has guided the country towards steady development in terms of infrastructure and urban planning, diversification of the economy, as well as sociocultural enrichment. Before Sultan Qaboos’s ascension (through a palace coup), his father Sultan Said Taymur (1932–1970) had already defined priorities for infrastructural development of the country by focusing on Muscat and Muttrah as important centres. In fact, the last decade of Sultan Said Taymur’s reign saw the construction of the Muscat municipality building, a post office, schools, government offices and residences for his British advisers (Peterson 2007). Between 1959 and 1962, the road between Muscat and Muttrah was paved, laying the groundwork for today’s conflation of the two locales. Yet the advent of Sultan Qaboos and the discovery of oil favoured the acceleration of this urban development’s process. For example, plans for a new port and corniche in Muttrah 3 were already approved in the 1960s, envisaging four phases staggered until the 1980s; yet Sultan Qaboos revised the plan by bringing forward the completion of all phases to 1974 (ibid.). City: Muscat is the capital, as well as the largest and most congested city in Oman (Benkari 2017). In fact, over 30% of Oman’s population lives in a city which covers 5.3% of the total area of the country, i.e. 1,459,249 out of 4,559,963 people (ibid.; Sultanate of Oman’s National Centre for Statistics & Information, 2017 data). Muscat has been at the very centre of development plans since the early 20th century. Its urban area has been growing through what scholars define as “sprawl and refills” development (Benkari 2017), i.e. gradual geographical extension alternating with construction of incorporated areas. This strategy began in the 1960s, when Muscat was first linked to Muttrah, then continued in the 1970s and 1980s by spreading over 60 kilometres to the west along the coast, and eventually culminated in the late 1980s when the urban expansion started to fill the gaps between the built-up areas (ibid.). Today, the capital stretches along 160 kilometres of the Sea of Oman coastline. The urban growth of Muscat (and to a lesser extent that of other parts of the country) has been guided by a robust set of regulations and procedures introduced in the 1970s with the aim of preserving the traditional architecture and natural landscape of the place. Among other areas of the capital, Muttrah is perhaps one of the best examples of such commitment to preservation. District: The district of Muttrah appears as a gem encapsulated in a beautiful seafront corniche, in which traditional merchant houses lean against a mountainous framework. As with the rest of Muscat, and despite a lack of corroborating evidence, there is no reason not to assume that a fishing village existed in Muttrah since prehistoric times and that coastal and possibly long-distance trade took advantage of Muttrah’s protected harbour and inland access to Omani markets (Peterson 2007). Yet its historical importance as a fishing hub did not translate into proper port facilities until the late 1960s and early 1970s, when a fish market was also built. While today the old fish market is already demolished to leave space for the Snøhetta- designed one, the atmosphere of a fishing centre remains. At the intersection of formality and informality, fishermen continue to sell their fresh products both inside the market and on their boats in the shade of the new Fish Market’s iconic canopy. Suspended in an undefined time, the local community made of fishermen, fishmongers and their customers blends with the growing number of tourists attracted by a glimpse of authenticity. B. Local architectural character, including prevalent forms and materials The local architectural character is marked by an almost monochromatic palette in shades of white, cream and beige, with traditional merchant houses (mostly rebuilt in the 20th century) and other low-rise buildings complementing the brown and grey of the rocky outcrops. C. Climatic conditions Generally, the climate of Oman is considered to be arid and semi-arid, but it differs from one region to another. In Muscat, summers are hot and very long, while winters are warm. As in other locales of the Persian Gulf, annual rainfall in Muscat is low (diurnal precipitation is less than 100 millimetres) and mainly happens between December and April. Yet the area has been hit by several storms and cyclones in the last two centuries. In 1890, a heavy storm killed more than 700 people in Muscat and Muttrah; in 1962, a series of storms hit Muscat, and the main gate of the city (al-Bab al-Kabir) collapsed; while more recently two severe cyclones, respectively in 2007 and 2010, caused flooding and heavy damage. 4 D. Immediate surroundings of the site, including architectural character, access, landscaping, etc. The project is located in the corniche of Muttrah, surrounded by mountains and facing the Sea of Oman. The architectural landscape is characterised by old merchants’ houses in the traditional palette of whites and beiges, with a turquoise mosque standing out as a unique element of contrast. E Topography of the project site The site is effectively flat and is partially reclaimed from the corniche. The reclamation happened as part of a larger masterplan for the area which includes development of the entire Royal Port. Since the completion of the Fish Market building, the masterplan has changed and is currently under review. The work has been awarded to a Dubai-based development company (Damac Properties) for re-planning and implementation. III. Programme A. History of the inception of the project; how the project was initiated The Muttrah Fish Market is part of a broader urban development plan called “Majestic Muscat”. Presented to the public in 2011, “Majestic Muscat” included 23 projects aimed at enhancing the attractiveness of the capital. The then Head of Muscat Municipality, Sultan Hamdoon Al Harthi, was the brain behind this vision. Among the suggested 23 projects, only three have so far been developed (the Muttrah Fish Market, the Al Azaiba Park and the Al Seeb Coastal Promenade). The remaining 20 projects, as well as the completion of those already initiated, have stalled because of changes within Muscat Municipality and lack of adequate fund allocation due to shifts in development priorities. B. How were the architects and specialists chosen? Impressed by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt, the then Head of Muscat Municipality thought that Snøhetta could be the right architects to work on the Fish Market in the corniche of Muttrah. He personally wrote an email to Snøhetta, presenting the Fish Market in “romantic and exotic terms”. Snøhetta agreed to send a proposal for the Fish Market, together with those for a few other “Majestic Muscat” projects (which ultimately did not go through). Other consultants for the Fish Market project were sourced by Snøhetta, and appointed directly by the Muscat Municipality. In the broader context of “Majestic Muscat” projects, Sultan Hamdoon also approached a number of other architects, town planners, landscape architects and other international designers (from across the globe, but with an emphasis on Scandinavia).

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