Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque Essay

SULTAN QABOOS GRAND MOSQUE
General Information:
The Sultan Qaboos grand mosque is located in Muscat, Oman, designed by Mohammed Saleh Makiya and Quad Design for His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to be the largest most beautiful mosque in Oman, and to stand out a unique piece of architecture. The mosques can be visited by non-Muslims except on Friday, and it is considered as a contemporary Islamic architecture.
Construction:
The conceptual design of the mosque started at 1992, while the construction took 6 years starting from 1995 ending 2001. The mosque is constructed on a raised podium to lift the mosque from the street level and this is a feature of Omani traditional mosques. The reason behind the slow moving of construction is reflecting the amount

The main dome has an outer wood shell structure, inside the shell is a gold mosaic, at night the dome can be illuminated with light to a give an amazing glowing look.
Interior:
In the inside of the men’s prayer hall, the internal wall are clad in off-white and gray Italian marble, with carving of Qur’anic calligraphy as well as geometric patterns, and niches of Persian designs. The ceiling have marble centered with floral pattern, aligned with Islamic arches, and the Mihrab is made out of blue mosaic with Muqarnas design. Two walls have large stained glass windows. The inside of the woman’s prayer hall wall are clan in pink stone, with marble panels.
Features:
The mosque has many Islamic and traditional features, however the standout features are the carpet and the chandelier place in the main prayer hall which are one of the world largest carpet and chandelier.
The carpet is Persian handmade, took 4 years to finish, weight 21 tons, and covers the prayer hall in one piece. The chandelier have Swarovski crystal, it is 14 meter long, and 8 meters wide, placed in the center of the men’s prayer