Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, MuscatThe Grand Mosque in Muscat is one of the highlights of any visit to Oman. Free of charge to enter, tourists are welcome to visit before 11 am and suitable attire must be worn - for women this means being covered from wrist to ankle and covering the head. The mosque is a short taxi ride from Muscat (6 OMR from the Hyatt) and is definitely worth a visit.
On arrival, you will be wowed by the beautifully tended gardens and clean white architecture. However, dig a little deeper and talk to the staff who work here. They are the friendliest, warmest people we have ever met, in particular, the women at the information centre who called Mrs d2t 'sister', enquired openly whether she was an atheist and welcomed her with open arms (plus coffee, water, dates and air-con) even though she explained she was a scientist. Oman is a real showcase for Islam - this is a peaceful religion and the warmth of the Omani people was humbling for us. |
Inside the mosque, many staff are available to point out the highlights of the architecture or answer any questions you have about Islam. The men's prayer hall is the most elaborate part of the mosque with a huge Swarovski crystal chandelier, measuring 14 metres in height, taking centre stage (interesting fact - 6 men can get inside the chandelier in order to clean it). The finest materials were used in the prayer hall - the whitest Italian Carrara marble lines the walls and pillars, with huge elaborate mosaics beautifully covering the roof and parts of the walls. The carpet, which is the second largest in the world (after that in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi) covers over 4000 square metres in just one piece.
In total, the capacity of the mosque is 20,000, although many of these would have to worship outside in the courtyard (a canvas cover is electrically operated to provide the covered space as needed). Multiple ablution areas provide ample foot baths for worshippers to wash before prayer. In addition to the beautiful gardens, the mosque also provides a library and education centre. In the latter, literature in many languages is provided free of charge to visitors, to enable greater understanding of Islam - as we were told, ignore what you read in the papers. Visit Oman to understand what the religion is really about. |