The Sultanate of Oman is home to over 16,000 mosques, according to data available at the National Centre for Statistics and Information. However the most beautiful of them is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Azaiba, in the capital, which stands out like a golden majestic edifice – a perfect blend of traditional and modern architecture.
Of the 16,000-odd mosques in Oman, the oldest mosque built in the 600s, in Samail, is said to be the Masjid Māzin, founded by Mazin bin Ghaḍūbah who was considered the first Omani who adopted Islam during the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) lifetime. On the other hand, the Mohammad al Amin Mosque, in Bausher, (also referred to as the Bahwan Mosque after its private financiers) is the newest mosque in Muscat which was completed in 2014. The construction activity of this mosque had brought together designers, materials, technologies, artists and suppliers from Iran, Italy, Germany, Austria, India and the UK.
Capacity to accommodate 20,000 worshippers
In 1992, Qaboos bin Said al Said, the then Sultan of Oman, directed that his country should have a Grand Mosque. A competition for its design took place in 1993 and after a site was chosen at Bausher construction commenced in December 1994. Building work, which was undertaken by Carillion Alawi LLC, took six years and seven months to complete. It was inaugurated by the late HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said on May 4, 2001, to celebrate 30 years of his reign.
The Grand Mosque, with its imposing presence on the landscape on the way to the Muscat International Airport, is an iconic symbol of Oman’s religious fervour among the populace as well as a big draw for tourists and visitors from around the world.
This mosque has a capacity to accommodate 20,000 worshipers over an area of around 416,000sqm. However, the main prayer room under the central dome that rises 50m high can accommodate around 6,500 worshipers.
According to official information from the Ministry of Tourism, connecting the top of the mosque’s walls and the internal courtyard is a bar inscribed with verses from the Koran in Thuluth script, with Islamic geometric frameworks filling the corridor archways.
The corridors seem like a secure wall surrounding the mosque’s building and meet through the five minarets that delineate the borders of the mosque’s location and symbolise the five pillars of Islam. The length of the north and south corridors is 240m each. These have been divided into halls, each containing a decoration from a specific Islamic culture.
The northern and southern corridors constitute the boundary between the places of worship and the mosque’s other facilities. A canopy of domes resembling the domes of Bilad Bani Bu Ali mosque in A’Sharqiyah Region (Eastern Region) crowns the top of the corridors.
The walls of the south corridor constitute a visible screen that houses the mosque’s various facilities, including a library that contains 20,000 reference volumes in science, Islamic culture and humanity, in addition to the Institute of Islamic Sciences where young people learn the disciplines of religious knowledge, and a hall dedicated to meetings and seminars which can accommodate three hundred people.
Splendid interiors
The walls of the south corridor constitute a visible screen that houses the mosque’s various facilities, including a library that contains 20,000 reference volumes in science, Islamic culture and humanity, in addition to the Institute of Islamic Sciences where young people learn the disciplines of religious knowledge, and a hall dedicated to meetings and seminars which can accommodate three hundred people.
The interior walls of the Grand Mosque’s main hall are completely covered with white and dark grey marble. These are decorated with murals of leafy patterns and geometrical designs. The room has an open plan with four main pillars carrying the internal dome. A corridor extends along both the north and south walls and opens into the mosque hall with its adorned arches. The dome is made up of spherical triangles within a structure of sides and marble columns, crossed with pointed arches and decorated with porcelain panels. Timber panels stretch in a fashion that reflects the architectural development of Omani ceilings.
Inscribed on the doors are Islamic embellishments topped by Quranic verses in the Thuluth script, while other doors have stained glass panels to emphasise the harmony and unity of the space dedicated to prayer. The selection of artwork in the halls reflects the evolution and multiple forms of architectural decoration and the culture that has spread its rich patterns from Andalusia to China. Holy verses are inscribed 2cm deep on stones in the outer areas, so they stay as long as the mosque remains standing.
The mosque’s main prayer hall floor is topped with a single piece Persian carpet composed of 1,700mn knots which took about 27 months to make, covering an area of 4,200 square metres, and weighing 21 tons. Around 28 different colours made from plant or natural dyes, in varying gradations, are used in this carpet’s weave.
When you visit Muscat, a visit to the Grand Mosque is inevitable. Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the mosque every day, except Friday, from 8:30 until 11:00 am. Visitors are asked to dress modestly and in a way befitting places of worship. Women are also required to cover their hair with a scarf before entering.
