Today we were going to drive out of Muscat and head off into the desert mountains. But before leaving Muscat, our guide (a new one) took us to see the Sultan Qaboos mosque, a.k.a the Grand Mosque.
The Grand Mosque was a short drive from the Radisson BluThere is no entry fee, but the mosque is only open to public from Saturday to ThursdayIf you are a lady, you can only enter if you are covered from head to toeThe rulesThe lawn was really nice
We walked around a bit before going inside the main prayer hall
I was appreciating the Islamic designThe mosque is built using 300,000 tonnes of Indian sandstoneWe removed our shoes, placed them on the racks…… and entered the main hallW-O-W!Look at that chandelier!The stunning chandelier was built by a German company called Faustig. It is the second largest chandelier in the world.The main prayer hall can accommodate 6500 (male) worshipersThis carpet is the second largest single piece, hand-woven carpet in the world. Made in Iran. The largest is in the Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi.Everything inside was impressive
The mosque took 6 years to build
Still, I couldn’t help but look up all the time. The lights are truly astonishing.Truly amazing insideI took this photo using my GoPro before leavingWe made a quick stop next door to see the lady’s prayer hall. It’s much smaller.This is what the exterior dome looks likeA panorama of Sultan Qaboos mosque exteriorWe made our way outJust as we were on the way out, a bus load of tourists had entered the premises. So I’d say it’s a good idea to visit the Grand Mosque early, say before 10am.We returned to our Toyota Prado. We were going to leave Muscat now.We hit the highway to head to our next stop: Nizwa
Divakaran
23/04/2015The interior of the Grand Mosque is stunningly beautiful… and so is your photography