The N5, also officially known as Sultan Qaboos Road () and formerly designated as Route 1 (), is a

national road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

in the

Sultanate of Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

, connecting

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

, the capital city in the Sultanate and a hub for commercial activity, to the many coastal cities of Oman that sit alongside the Sea of Oman such as

Seeb Al-Seeb, As Seeb, As Sib, or Seeb () is a coastal fishing province, located several kilometres northwest of Muscat, in northeastern Oman. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 470,878. Landmarks include the Naseem Garden, the Royal Stables ...

and

Sohar Sohar () is the capital and largest city of the Al Batinah North Governorate in Oman. An ancient capital of the country that once served as an important Islamic port town on the Gulf of Oman, Sohar has also been credited as the mythical birthp ...

. It also connects Muscat to the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Route description

The N5 begins in

Muttrah Muttrah, () administratively a province, is located in the Muscat Governorate of Oman. Before the discovery of oil in Oman, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman (Muscat). It is still a center of commerce as one of the largest seaports of ...

which contains many important ministry buildings and most prominently the parliament building called Majlis Oman. After the roundabout it goes through the Muttrah Corniche. After the Corniche it goes through two roundabouts and then splits into two; one goes to the root of the city of

Ruwi Ruwi () is a commercial hub and the main business area of Muscat, the capital of Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It sha ...

while the other continues straight passing through the suburbs of

Qurum Qurum (; also written Qurm) is an upscale suburb of Muscat in Oman. Its main attractions are the Qurum Natural Park, the Qurum City Centre and the Qurum Beach. Qurm Nature Reserve Qurum is the site of Qurm Nature Reserve, a national nature ...

. Both roads merge becoming a dual carriageway with three lanes per carriageway and leaves westward. From there the route continues crossing through many cities and the

Muscat International Airport Muscat International Airport , formerly Seeb International Airport, is the main international airport in Oman. It is located in Seeb, Oman, Seeb, from the old city and capital Muscat within the Muscat metropolitan area. The airport serves as th ...

. After entering province of Seeb the route becomes a four-lane dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction and staying like so until the end of the route. After entering the Governorate of South Al Batinah the route starts to have oval-shaped landmark

roundabouts A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

and typically from this part of the route all the way to the border crossing the route is called Al Batinah Highway. Through South Al Batinah the route passes through many important and big cities such as Barka and Al Suwaiq. From there, the route continues through the Governorate of North Al Batinah passing through many major cities such as the city of

Saham Saham () is a coastal town in Al Batinah North Governorate, in northeastern Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land ...

and the city of

all the way to the border crossing of Khatmat Malaha.

History

The N5 opened in 1974 becoming one of the first major highways in Oman as during this time Oman was going through major changes as change of sultans meant the country was undergoing modernization by the late

Qaboos bin Said Qaboos bin Said Al Said (, ; 18 November 1940 – 10 January 2020) was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Said dynasty, he was the longest-serving leader in t ...

and one of his first projects to be completed was to connect the country via a road network. The N5 was the first one to be completed, going from the capital of Muscat all the way to the border of the United Arab Emirates while passing through very important and historical cities such as Sohar and Seeb. After the N5 was opened the cities that the route passed on experienced massive growth as the highway became the epicenter of Oman. In the mid-2000s, many landmark roundabouts in the Muscat section of the route were changed to traffic light junctions to improve traffic flow. In 2019 the Ministry of Transport issued a new Road Numbering and Classification Guide which included the reclassification of Route 1 into the N5. In January 2025, royal directives were issued in Oman to change names of several roads, including the N5 road which is now known as the Sultan Qaboos Road.

References

{{Highways in Oman National roads in Oman Roads in Oman Muscat Governorate Al Batinah South Governorate Al Batinah North Governorate

Route description

History

See also

References