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The weekend in Oman is Friday and Saturday, meaning that school runs from Sunday-Thursday each week. On Friday, I took a quick walk to the nearby beach (about 15 minutes to walk there).
Some people on the beachMore beach
On Saturday, I joined an excursion group organized by my language program (they organize 2-3 trips or events each week). We drove about 15 minutes to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Qaboos_Grand_Mosque), which is a pretty amazing place. About 7000 men and 6750 women can pray there at once (in separate indoor areas). Including space outside, at least 20000 people could pray there. The whole complex is huge and the decorations are intricate. Also, the materials come from many different countries. Our guide, Naima, mentioned that the maple wood in the library was from the U.S.
Me and a bunch of other tourists heading to the mosqueThere is a dress code to enter the mosque. Women must cover their heads and men and women must be covered from ankles to neck and wrists. You can rent an abaya at the gift shop if you like. I wore my own clothing.You must remove your shoes before going into the buildings.Here I am in the women’s prayer area.Every detail was beautifully designed.This is our guide, Naima, going down a corridor. Naima and all the guides were extremely personable and earnestly seemed to want to introduce Islam to tourists. Most guide speak a little bit of several languages.In total, there are 5 minarets to represent the five pillars of Islam, which I guess are analogous to the 10 commandments in Christianity.
After visiting the women’s prayer area and walking outside a bit, we went into the men’s prayer area, which is the fanciest part of the mosque.
Second-largest handwoven, one-piece carpet in the worldSecond-largest chandelier in the world, made in Munich with Austrian crystals. Both the carpet and the chandelier were the world’s largest when the mosque was built, but soon, a neighboring Gulf country built even larger ones. Got to keep up with the Joneses.
The whole rotunda areaEverything was very colorful, but with peaceful hues, not distracting.WindowFrom the outsideAlthough we went at about 10 in the morning, it was very sunny and hot.One of the minaretsMountain backdropOne of the corridors had various styles of alcoves. This was my favorite kind.
The tour ends with some free Omani coffee (not the same as American coffee) and dates, which is a traditional way the Omani people entertain guests. Our guide also gave us free Korans and various informational pamphlets about Islam, sort of like the Gideons giving out bibles on campuses, I guess. If you ever come to Muscat, make sure to visit the Grand Mosque!
