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Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
2h · Admission ticket included
Imposing from the outside, this glorious piece of modern Islamic architecture was a gift to the nation of Sultan Qaboos to celebrate its thirtieth year of reign. The main prayer hall is breathtakingly beautiful. The Persian carpet alone measures 70 meters by 60 meters wide, making it the second largest Iranian hand-shaped rug in the world; it took 600 women for four years to weave. Mwasalat buses stop in front of the mosque.
The mosque is built on a site that occupies 416,000 m2 (4,480,000 square feet) and the complex covers an area of 40,000 m2 (430,000 square feet). The new great mosque was inaugurated by the Sultan of Oman on 4 May 2001 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his reign.
The mosque, which can hold 20,000 faithful, including 750 women in a private room (prayer hall), is an active place of worship, particularly for Friday prayers.
An important feature of interior design is the prayer rug that covers the floor of the prayer room. It contains 1,700,000,000 knots, weighs 21 tons and took four years to produce and brings together the classic Persian design traditions Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan. 28 colors were used in various shades, most obtained from traditional vegetable dyes. It was the largest one-piece rug in the world, but now it is the second, after the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. [8] This hand-woven rug was produced by the Iran Carpet Company (ICC) under the order of the Diwan of the Royal Court of Sultanate. The carpet measures over 70 by 60 meters (230 by 200 feet) and covers the surface area of 4,343 m2 (46,750 square feet) of the prayer hall.
The chandelier above the prayer hall is 14 meters high and was manufactured by the Italian company Faustig. Since the mosque is 90 meters high, the chandler seems proportional, but it was the largest chandelier in the world, [7] before being replaced in this regard by the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. [9] It weighs 8.5 tons, includes 600,000 crystals, 1,122 halogen bulbs with dimming system and includes a scale for maintenance inside the chandelier. Thirty-four smaller chandeliers of the same design are hung in other parts of the building.
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Royal Opera House
30m · Admission ticket not included
Photo stop The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) is Oman's premier venue for musical arts and culture. The opera house is located in Shati Al-Qurm district of Muscat on Sultan Qaboos Street. Built on the royal orders of Sultan Qaboos of Oman, the Royal Opera House reflects unique contemporary Omani architecture, and has a capacity to accommodate maximum of 1,100 people. The opera house complex consists of a concert theatre, auditorium, formal landscaped gardens, cultural market with retail, luxury restaurants and an art centre for musical, theatrical and operatic productions.
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Mutrah Souq
1h · Admission ticket included
our next stop is stroll in Muthra souq, if you want to buy and see market you have to go inside and can find many handicraft items, wooden work and silver jewelry antique and new.
Many people come to Mutrah Corniche just to visit the souq, which retains the chaotic interest of a traditional Arab market albeit housed under modern timber roofing. Shops selling Omani and Indian artefacts together with a few antiques jostle among more traditional textile, hardware and jewellery stores. Bargaining is expected although discounts tend to be small. Cards are generally accepted in most shops, but bring cash for better deals. The main entry is via the Corniche, opposite the pedestrian traffic lights.
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Al Alam Palace
Pass by
We have after photo stop Sultan Qaboos palace, which is build in 1972 between 2 Portuguese forts, mirali and jailai.
The palace, one of six royal residences of the ruling monarch, Sultan Qaboos,[2] has a history of over 200 years, built by Imam Sultan bin Ahmed the 7th direct grandfather of the current Sultan. The existing palace, which has a facade of gold and blue, was rebuilt as a royal residence in 1972.[3] The inner grounds of the palace remain off-limits but visitors are permitted to stop near the gates and take photographs.[4] Al Alam Palace is surrounded by the Mirani and Jalali Forts built in the 16th century by the Portuguese.[5][6]
The Palace is used for official functions and receiving distinguished visitors and in January 2012, the Sultan received Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands at Al Alam Palace during her state visit to Oman.
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Mirani Fort
Pass by
Al Mirani Fort in Muscat was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. It, along with neighbouring Al Jalali Fort, looks out to the Gulf of Oman and would guard the port of Muscat in the past. The Mirani Fort and Al Jalali Fort are located on either side of the palace. Although closed to the public, visitors can view this fort from outside. This fort was extremely instrumental in the downfall of the Portuguese. The fort has many ancient war tools on display.
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Al Jalali Fort
Pass by
The massive Al Jalali Fort, also known as Ash Sharqiya Fort, was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Interestingly it once used to be a prison which has been converted to a heritage private museum. Being located on the harbour, the Al Jalali Fort offers a beautiful view of the entire city of Muscat. The only entrance to this place is through a steep flight of stairs in the front. The entry to this fort is strictly by permit only.
