Grand Mosque

This morning we ventured out towards the airport, about 25 minutes out of town, to view the Grand Mosque. It was quite a sight - and I felt quite privileged to view it.

The Sultan has allowed public viewing of the Mosque, which opens from 8-11am Saturday to Thursday (Thursday and Friday are 'the weekend' here in Oman).

We walked up and were instantly hit by the heat. I admit I haven't been up and about at 9am in the morning here yet, so was surprised it got that hot that early. Upon thinking about it, that makes sense, because the Sun is quite low in the sky (coming into the depths of 'Winter' here in the Northern Hemisphere) so the heat is predominantly in the morning and early afternoon until about 2pm.

There is a long causeway that joins the parking area to the entrance way to the Mosque, and as I wandered up I instantly began to feel a sense of power of the place.

We were inspected by the two guards at the front entrance, as everyone should be dressed 'conservatively' - women must be clothed to their ankles and wrists and have no hair showing (so wrapped in a shawl) and men must wear 'respectful' clothing.

Once the guards were happy with our attire, we shuffled through the entrance-way and were greeted by a large marble paved area, with the sight of the large domed mosque to the right and a number of archways straight ahead.

It was quite a sensation to wander around the grounds of the Mosque. I first walked around, taking in the sight and feeling, before entering the dome to view the inside.

It was at this stage that I busted out the camera (as a number of tourists were clicking away) and took some snaps.

The main theme for the photos, I guess, is the symmetry and angle of the architecture (outside) while inside was predominantly just firing off shots at 'what I thought looked interesting'. Unfortunately, looking at them now, a few of them are off-centre, so you miss the point a bit. But imagine that they are straight. For now.

So I wandered through the cavernous entranceways and corridors, at times feeling like a Japanese tourist, but quite inspired by the sheer size and magnificence of the structure.

There were a number of gardens at the rear of the grounds which were beautifully manicured (and obviously continually watered) by local Pakistani 'grounds staff'.

By this stage the heat had really begun intolerable so I headed inside the dome to inspect the space.

At the entrance to the dome, there are a number of rules which 'non Muslims' must abide by. Rule number 1 is 'do not step off the blue carpet'. This is because apparently it is one of the highest 'offences' in Islamic tradition for a non Muslim to stand on the carpet inside a Mosque.

So around the edges and through the middle of the dome, you can see in the photos, is a blue carpet the tourists are skulking around.

As I entered, I was surprised how mod-con it was. Air conditioned, microphones, speakers and cameras. The air conditioning was a nice change from the blistering heat outside.

The main spectacle inside the dome was the massive chandelier that hung from the dome itself. It must have been about 15 metres in diameter. The art was also incredible. The intense colours on the polished marble walls and how they contrasted each other - forming quite beautiful Arabic art.

So I stood there for a few moments, underneath the chandelier and looking towards Mecca, imagining thousands upon thousands of people bowing and praying and chanting. And I can say that it doesn't do much for me. I appreciate some of the Islamic 'traditions' but dedicating my life to the religion doesn't appeal very much at all to me.

I could certainly appreciate the the size and presence of where I was... but couldn't help but (very quietly) chuckle as only word that came to mind was 'grandiosity' (grandiosity is part of the psychological make-up of the narcissist).

Once I'd over-indulged in the photos, I put my sandals back on and we were on our way.

On the way back through the entranceway, I noticed a small wooden door. Turned out it was a library. Now I didn't go in, but apparently had quite a magnificent collection of both Arabic and English books, available for loan. If I get time, I might wander back and see what is available to read (as I don't imagine I'd be able to take any of the books away on loan...)

Pants. That's all I have time for. I'm due back at the house tonight as I am heading out to dinner with some friends of Clare and George's, who are going to take us through the Muttrah Souk before dinner. Apparently they started the diving centre in Sur (south of Muscat) so I will interrogate them to my fullest ability and see what information I can get out of them.

Sultant al Qaboos Mosque

Andrew, signing out.