Close to a road that leads you to the centre of Muskat is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in the Wilayat district. The construction of this prime architectural feat is said to have taken six years to complete with the Mosque having the capacity to accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers at a time. The central square-shaped prayer room alone is capable of housing about 6500 individuals and has a beautiful dome that reaches about 50 metres in height.
The Mosque also has a very distinctive minaret that endows it with even more character than it already has. While the name of the Islamic religious leader is inscribed in Diwani script on the corridor’s front walls, the courtyard is inscribed with verses from the Koran in Thuluth script. If you are looking to stay the night over in the area and are looking for accommodation options, many Oman hotels are available to cater to your requirements. These Oman hotels come with a varied array of packages starting with the budget friendly to the lavish depending on what you are looking for.
It is said that the mosque’s prayer hall is topped with a single piece Persian carpet that is made up of 1700 million knots which it is said took 27 months to finish and weighs at a grand 21 tons. The mosque is filled with colour and character and also exudes a feeling of tranquillity which one can experience. Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque every day of the week save for Fridays from 8.30 in the morning to 11 in the morning as this is the prayer time. All visitors to the sacred grounds are expected to dress in modest attire which shows respect towards the place of worship while women are advised to cover their hair even if they are non-Muslims.
Fritzjames Stephen is a travel writer, who writes content based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life. Google+
