The tallest and most exquisite mosque in the nation is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is situated in the center of Muscat, the capital of Oman. The mosque opened for business on May 4, 2001. To commemorate thirty years of his reign, Oman’s then-sultan Qaboos bin Saeed constructed the mosque. An engineering competition was held in 1993 to choose the mosque’s design.
In 1992, Sultan Qaboos made the decision to construct the mosque. The next year, designs were chosen in a competition. Well-known international and domestic designers took part. In 1995, work on the project began. The renowned business Carlyon Alaoi is in charge. This company constructs significant structures in Oman, including the Royal Opera House, Majlish, National Museum, and Muscat International Airport.
Under the direction of the Qud Design Company of London and architect Mohammad Saleh Makiya of Iraq, the mosque was constructed in a period of six years and four months. Twenty thousand people are employed. renowned and pricey materials from throughout the globe are utilized. India’s mines provide thirty thousand metric tons of the highest quality sandstone that is imported.
The world’s largest carpet and chandelier are found in the magnificent mosque; however, the record for the largest carpet and chandelier in the world was originally held by the Guinness Book of World Records, but it was subsequently relinquished. The installation of a larger carpet in the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi in 2007 beat the record for the largest carpet. Furthermore, in 2010 the largest chandelier was put in the foyer of the Al-Hatmi Building in Doha, Qatar, missing the chandelier record.
Every day, thousands of fasting individuals from all around Muscat gather at this mosque to have iftar, which is organized in honor of the holy month of Ramadan. Because of its stunning architecture, the mosque is currently one of Oman’s top tourist destinations. Every year, a large number of tourists from throughout the world visit. Non-Muslims are only permitted to enter this one mosque in Oman.
In all of Oman, this mosque is the tallest structure. The mosque has four minarets, the tallest of which is ninety meters. In addition, the mosque has five unique pillars built as a representation of the five pillars of Islam. Additionally, it is Oman’s biggest mosque. Here, 20,000 worshippers can join together in prayer. 8,000 worshipers can be found outside, 6,500 in the main prayer room, and 7,500 in the women’s area.
The Sultan Qaboos Mosque is home to one of the biggest chandeliers in the entire globe. The 24-carat gold-plated chandelier, which is made in Italy, has 1,122 lamps and six lakh Swarovski crystals. The mosque has 34 smaller chandeliers of a similar design that are hung in the main prayer area. 21 tons of handmade carpets cover the main prayer chamber. Over four years, 600 Iranian women labored to create the magnificent carpet.
The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque’s five minarets, which were formerly a combination of five minarets representing the five pillars of Islam, are only one more indication of its breathtaking grandeur. The mosque has four lesser minarets, each around 150 feet high, at each of its four corners, with a larger, 300-foot-tall one flanking the central dome. Aside from this, Oman’s cultural hub is the two-story library located within the mosque complex. The quantity of volumes in the library is growing annually, with over 23,342 available on a variety of themes.
