Isolated and separated from the Omani population, thou- sands of low-skilled migrant workers from mainly South Asia live in labour camps across the country. In-dispensa- ble for the national economic growth and the construc- tion business the workers make up an impor-tant part of the Omani population, yet they are often housed in in- appropriate conditions. An ethnographic study draws a closer look on patterns of inhabitation in labour camps in the Muscat Capital region in order to identify both con- ditions that are deemed insufficient as well as those that are worth preserving. These will ultimately be turned into a new approach for housing for migrant workers in Oman.