The Grand Mosque and the Sultan's Palace 12/24

The day before Christmas. We were picked up by Mohammed's driver Idriis for a day of exploring Muscat and Mutrah. Once separate and fortified ancient communities, they are now part of greater Muscat.

Above is the modern gate between Muscat and Mutrah.


A strange structure in the form of a gigantic incense burner near the Corniche, a street curving along the harbor in Mutrah.

First we went to visit Sultan Qaboos's Grand Mosque. It is the largest in Oman, and is, in effect, the official mosque of the country.

I had to cover up completely, to my ankles and wrists, and wear a headscarf that threatened to fall off at any moment (scarves designed for western wear are just not large enough to be held securely in place).

The beauty and scale of the mosque is impossible to describe. From the outside there are four minarets at the four corners of a large enclosure with many archways. It is not unlike the Taj Mahal in it's effect.

Here is the Grand Mosque from the entry way.

Above the main hall is a huge dome, with an intricate lattice pattern, which is strikingly beautiful when illuminated at night. That's Idriis, our driver and tour guide, standing wit me in the foreground.

Inside, on the floor of the main hall, is the largest one-piece Persian carpet in the world (the blue cloth is rolled out during visiting hours).


A huge chandelier is suspended in the center of the dome. Gilded designs and calligraphy cover every wall.

Multiple nooks on every side hold copies of the Koran to be used during worship. Men and women pray in separate rooms off the main hall, and must wash both hands and feet before entering.

Sultan Qaboos's palace was similarly spectacular, although we couldn't go inside of course.

It was on the scale of Buckingham Palace, with a huge area out front for the pomp and circumstance that accompanies royalty. In the center is the palace itself, which was seen at night in an earlier post.

The palace is surrounded on three sides by mountains, on which are a series of five 16th and 17th century forts and watch towers. Above is Fort Mirani, now home to His Majesty's Royal Guards.

A series of three watch towers on a mountain overlooking the palace grounds.

One of two forts guarding the entrance to the harbor.

Next we went to lunch at the Automatic Restaurant, in Muscat, pictured on the left, above. I imagined little doors with dishes inside, like the old Automats still in New York as late as the early '70s, but alas, it was not to be. Instead we found ourselves in a good Lebanese Restaurant where we had an excellent lunch and take-out for dinner home at the farm.