Editing Muscat (section)

==Demographics==
According to the 2003 [[census]] conducted by the Oman Ministry of National Economy, the population of Muscat is over 630,000, which included 370,000 males and 260,000 females.<ref name="Oman Census 2003, p.6">Oman Census (2003), p.6.</ref> Muscat formed the second largest governorate in the country, after [[Al Batinah Region|Al Batinah]], accounting for 27% of the total population of Oman. As of 2003, [[Omani]]s constituted 60% of the total population of Muscat, while expatriates accounted for about 40%.<ref>Oman Census (2003), p.9.</ref> The [[population density]] of the city was 162.1 per km{{sup|2}}.{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}}
[[File:Shangri La resort in Muscat.jpg|thumb|218x218px|Shangri la in Muscat]]
The governorate of Muscat comprises six {{Transliteration|ar|[[wilayat]]s}}: [[Muttrah]], Bawshar, [[Seeb]], Al Amrat, Muscat and [[Qurayyat, Oman|Qurayyat]]. Seeb, located in the western section of the governorate, was the most populous (with over 220,000 residents), while Muttrah had the highest number of expatriates (with over 100,000).<ref name="Oman Census 2003, p.6" /> Approximately 71% of the population was within the 15–64 age group, with the average Omani age being 23 years.<ref>Oman Census(2003), Data and Other Indicators</ref> About 10% of the population is [[literacy rate|illiterate]], an improvement when compared to the 18% illiteracy rate recorded during the 1993 census. Expatriates accounted for over 60% of the [[labour force]], dominated by males, who accounted for 80% of the city's total labour. A majority of expatriates (34%) was in engineering-related occupations, while most Omanis worked in engineering, clerical, scientific or technical fields. The [[Royal Army of Oman|defense]] sector was the largest employer for Omanis, while construction, [[wholesale]] and [[retail]] trade employed the largest number of expatriates.

The ethnic makeup of Muscat has historically been influenced by people not native to the Arabian Peninsula. [[British Parliament]]ary papers dating back to the 19th century indicate the presence of a significant [[Hindu people|Hindu]] [[Gujarat]]i [[merchant]]s in the city.<ref>British Parliamentary Papers (1876), p. 189.</ref> Indeed, four [[Hinduism|Hindu]] [[Hindu temple|temples]] existed in Muscat ca. 1760.<ref>Kechichian (1995), p. 215.</ref> [[Christianity]] flourished in Oman (Bēṯ Mazūnāyē "land of the Maganites"; a name deriving from its Sumerian designation) from the late 4th century to the 7th century. Missionary activity by the [[Assyrian People|Assyrians]] of the [[Church of the East]] resulted in a significant Christian population living in the region, with a bishop being attested by 424 AD under the Metropolitan of Fars and Arabia. The rise of Islam saw the [[Syriac language|Syriac]] and Arabic-speaking Christian population eventually disappear. It is thought to have been brought back in by the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] in 1507.<ref>Fahlbusch (1999), p. 829.</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=September 2022}} [[Protestant]] [[missionaries]] established a hospital in Muscat in the 19th century.

Like the rest of Oman, [[Arabic (language)|Arabic]] is the predominant language of the city. In addition, [[English (language)|English]], [[Balochi language|Balochi]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Swahili language|Swahili]] and [[India]]n languages such as [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi]], [[Konkani language|Konkani]], [[Malayalam]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Tulu language|Tulu]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[Urdu]]<ref>Peterson (2004), p. 34.</ref> are spoken by the residents of Muscat.

[[Islam]] is the predominant religion in the city, with most followers being [[Ibadi]] [[Muslim]]s. Non-Muslims are allowed to practise their religion, but may not [[proselytize]] publicly or distribute religious literature. In 2017 the Sultanate of Oman unveiled the ''Mushaf Muscat'', an [[Interactive computing|interactive]] [[Calligraphy#Islamic world|calligraphic]] Quran following a brief from the [[Omani Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs]].<ref>[[Martin Lejeune]], 15 June 2017, [https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/oman-unveils-world-s-1st-interactive-calligraphic-quran/842512 Oman unveils world’s 1st interactive calligraphic Quran] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523075112/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/oman-unveils-world-s-1st-interactive-calligraphic-quran/842512 |date=2021-05-23 }}</ref>