The ‘Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque’ at Muscat is one landmark which no visitor to Oman can afford to miss. Adjectives like ‘awesome’, ‘fantastic’, ‘magnificent’, ‘superb’, 'majestic', 'incredible', 'stunning', 'amazing' have been used to describe it by various visitors on ‘Trip Advisor’. I can vouch for the fact that they are not exaggerating by using such terms to describe the monument. It is aptly called ‘Grand’, which it is in every sense of the word. It is grand in appearance, architecture, ambience and aura. This mosque is very close to my residence but I got the opportunity to visit it only recently when some relatives from India visited us.
The Grand Mosque took six years to build and was inaugurated in May 2001. The whole complex with landscaping covers an area of 416,000 sq mts, of which 40,000 sq mts is the area of the mosque itself. The main prayer hall has a capacity of over 6,0000 worshippers. With the surrounding prayer areas the capacity is over 20,000 worshippers. The surrounding gardens are beautifully landscaped.
Five impressive minarets mark the outside of the mosque which symbolise the five pillars of Islam. The central minaret towers over 90 meters while the other four are 45 meters each. Besides being a place of worship, the Grand Mosque is also a center of Islamic education and literature. The complex houses a three story library which holds over 20,000 books on Islamic religion and culture.
Until recently the mosque had the largest carpet in the world. It is a single spread Persian carpet that covers the floor of the main prayer hall. It measures 70 X 60 meters and is made of wool and cotton yarn. It consists of 1700 million knots and weighs 21 tonnes. It took four years to complete and 600 women weavers worked tirelessly to create this magic. The carpet is made up of 28 colours and was made in 58 pieces which were then joined and laid inside the hall by special weavers. Most of the colours were obtained from traditional vegetable dyes.
The main prayer hall has 35 chandeliers made of Swaroski crystal and gold plated metal work. The grand Central Chandelier is 14 meters high and is eight meters wide. It weighs 8 tonnes and the radiance it produces comes from 1122 lamps that constitute it. It is said that this chandelier is also the second largest in the world.
The interiors will take any visitor's breath away. The dome comprises of a series of stained glass triangles within a frame work of marble columns. Intricately carved wooden doors each of which is topped with Quranic verses. The inner sanctum is magnificent in size and grandeur.
The interior spaces have white marble courtyards and the panelling is made up of off white and dark grey marble. The Grand Mosque symbolizes the coming the coming together of traditional Islamic art and architecture that is set in a contemporary mode.
Following are some photos of this breathtaking mosque (click on the photos to enlarge to see the finer details):
A view of the Grand Mosque in the afternoon
The mosque at night
A view of the Dome and the Central Minaret from within the complex
Note the carving on the frame work
Intricately carved wooden door inside the main prayer hall
A view of the grand carpet
The sanctum sanctorum
The dome from within
The Grand Central Chandelier
A view of the Grand Mosque in the afternoon
The mosque at night
A view of the Dome and the Central Minaret from 
Note the carving on the frame work
Intricately carved wooden door inside 
A view of the grand carpet
The sanctum sanctorum
The dome from within
The Grand Central Chandelier