Getting Papped At Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat 

To mark the 30th year of his reign, the ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos, ran a competition to design a mosque as his gift to the Omani people which he then named after himself. The end result is the Grand Mosque in the capital city, Muscat.

During our stay in Oman we went to explore the spectacular structure. It was just a ten-minute cab drive away from our hotel, The Chedi. As we walked up to the large mosque, its manicured grounds had numerous water features and beautiful gardens evoking a peaceful place of worship.

Built in 2001, the Grand Mosque sits in a walled compound with a minaret at each corner and a fifth, large minaret in the middle.

Before we even entered the mosque, our daughter (who was two years old at the time) was accosted by a group of Indonesians wanting to get a picture…we duly complied and she was papped like a celebrity! She was quite a hit!

The mosque can take up to 20,000 worshippers and, after seeing the main prayer hall, I could understand why. The huge, spacious area is decorated with intricate, Islamic decor.

While a large Swarovski crystal chandelier hangs in the middle of hall. At 14m tall it is quite a statement and is apparently the second biggest in the world.

The other main feature in the hall is a huge Persian carpet measuring 70m by 60m. It’s the second-largest hand-loomed Iranian carpet in the world and it took 600 women four years to weave.

It is a shame these women are unlikely to have the privilege of walking and viewing the carpet themselves. The grand, main hall is for men only. The woman’s prayer room is far smaller and more subdued. It holds just 750 woman. It fact, it was so unremarkable, I only took one (slightly fuzzy) photograph of the rather dark room.

Long, opulent outdoor corridors connect the prayer rooms and provide a sanctuary from the sweltering midday heat…

And also provide a cool place to pose.

You need to take your shoes off when going into the main prayer rooms and visitors must dress modestly – covering arms and legs and avoid tight clothing (I was told leggings were a no-go when I visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul).

Women and girls (aged seven and above) must cover their hair. I left my scarf at the hotel but our cab driver came to the rescue and produced one for me to wear. Otherwise, they can be hired from the café and the gift shop for a small fee.

Tours of the mosque are also available. When we visited, there were a lot of helpful people on hand to answer our questions. In the women-only private musalla, there were two lovely ladies who spoke excellent English and answered any questions I had about the building and we also had a quick exchange about Islam in general. They were keen to express their frustration at the negativity which can surround the religion as a result of extremist groups using the religion to fight their causes.

In the men’s prayer hall, my husband had a long chat with a friendly gentleman who spoke at length about the building. I was left attempting to prevent Mrs T from running under the barriers onto the carpet, inbetween her getting papped…this time by a group visiting from India. If you are going with children, you do need to be keep them close to you when in this main room of worship.

The mosque is a magnificent structure and definitely worth a visit when in Muscat. We spent around 45 minutes at the Grand Mosque, Muscat – so you don’t need a lot of time to take in its impressive beauty.

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