Watch: No, this is not the Arctic, it's Oman; snow drapes mountain as temperature hits sub-zero in Gulf country

Jebel Shams — one of Oman's highest mountains — is a top tourist spot in the country, offering a spectacular view of the 'Grand Canyon of Arabia'

Snow has blanketed a mountain in Oman, prompting a flurry of social media videos and pictures that could definitely be mistaken as views from a destination in the Arctic.

Weather monitoring account @storm_ae was among those that have shared a clip of the frosty morning scenery on Jebel Shams (see above).

Adventurers appeared to have started flocking to the mountain as the winter cold hits sub-zero temperatures.

Google's weather platform recorded a 2°C temperature in the mountain at 9.30am, predicting that it could even drop to -1°C. A video clip that circulated on social media in the morning showed a temperature of -0.3°C.

Snow has started falling on the mountain since Monday evening, according to Times of Oman, and it was expected to continue today.

An official from Oman Meteorology confirmed to the newspaper that Jebal Shams in Al Dakhiliyah recorded a temperature of -1°C and high humidity, which led to "freezing rain falling on Monday evening, locally known as slate".

Much like in the UAE, where winter temperatures are starting to hit lows of 4°C, other parts of the sultanate are reporting noticeable drops in mercury readings.