Saturday, 15 September 2012

A look inside the Grand Mosque in Muscat

As you probably know, it's not common for non-Muslims to be able to go inside a mosque, but the Grand Mosque here in Muscat is open to visitors for a few hours in the morning, in between prayer times, a few days a week.  Thankfully my timing was good today, and my day started with a visit to the Grand Mosque.

Pictures simply don't do it justice - it truly was "grand".  Everything that looks like it could be marble is SOLID marble, the wood is teak, there's gold everywhere, the crystal chandeliers were enormous... it's incredibly ornate!  And the carpet on the floor is all one piece.






After leaving the mosque I had a stop at the fish souq --- as you can probably imagine, a much smellier souq than some of the others I've been to but still just as interesting to see!  A real taste of daily life in Muscat.



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2 comments:

  1. Unknown15 September 2012 at 15:39

    So Cheryl, are there lots of tourists where you are now, or do you definitely stand out amongst the locals?

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  2. Cheryl Howe15 September 2012 at 21:00

    A little bit of both. The area is not unfamiliar with tourists but I do definitely stand out. And some of that is the time of year that I'm here... summertime in the Gulf is definitely not when most tourists are here.

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