Grand Mosque

When I visited Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock in 1998, I thought it was the most beautiful building I had ever seen, both inside and out.  While the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat can't compete in terms of historical and spiritual significance, it is a remarkably beautiful place.

 

Women have to cover their hair and bodies down to the ankle to enter the mosque courtyards.  It was a quiet, beautiful morning and reminded us of walking around Temple Square in SLC.  

 

 

Each corridor displayed niches of a different style.  

Below:  Hijaz, Ottoman, Arabian, Mamluk, Indian, Mesopotamian

 

Ablution fountains (above and below) for ritual washing before prayer

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Near the entrance of the main prayer room.  

Every direction we looked we were surrounded by beauty.  

 

Main prayer room.  The enormous chandelier was shaped like a collection of minarets (towers that broadcast the call to prayer)

Left:  Library of Korans inside the women's prayer hall 

Right:  David's female students are constantly adjusting their headscarves, so he knew exactly how to arrange mine for me.