Muscat is the capital city of Oman, a country on the south-east corner of the Arabian Peninsula, on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It is Oman's main city: the government sits there, and much of the country's business and travel passes through it. Always write a capital M. In the news, 'Muscat' can stand for the city and, a little loosely, for Oman's government, the way people say 'Washington' for the US government. The English name of the city comes from Arabic masqaṭ. Though actually English also has muscat as a grape and a (often sweet) wine — that is a different word, borrowed from French, not from Arabic. This entry is the city.