Travel Photo of the Day: Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Oman

One of the largest and the most decorated of all mosques in Oman, Muscat’s Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque named after its current sultan is quite a sight. This mosque is home to the second-largest single piece carpet woven in the world. It houses the second largest chandelier in the world. And the mosque can cater to an insane number of people. The next time you visit Muscat, do check out the opulence and grandeur of this mosque for yourself.

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Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque: Stunning Monument of Worship

This mosque is one of Oman’s most iconic places. It is a great architectural marvel and also their most important place of worship. This is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque located in Muscat, the capital of Oman. Apart from being an important place of worship, this place has several credits to it.

 
It houses the world’s second largest single-piece hand woven carpet. Made in Iran and weighing at 21 tons, this carpet took 4 years to prepare. This mosque is also home to the second largest chandelier in the world. This was made in Germany.

 
Sandstone was brought in from the state of Rajasthan in India. Teak wood was brought in from Burma (Myanmar). Other raw materials were procured from all over the globe. Specialist workers were brought from all across the world to build this mosque. And all this was the vision of one man, Sultan Qaboos, the Sultan of Oman.


You can get a good feel of this opulence and attention to detail as you make your way through the corridors and prayer halls of this beautiful mosque. On my visit here, I simply remained astounded at this stunning architectural wonder where people pray.


The best thing about this mosque is the sheer feeling of peace it induces. You can gape in wonder for hours at the intricate work on its walls, pillars, doors and much more. Apart from being tastefully designed, the mosque offers a great setting with comfortable carpets, water and air-conditioning for its people to pray. I really liked this aspect about the mosque.


On regular days, all tourists are allowed into the mosque. The only exception to the rule are religious festival days when only Muslims are allowed. However, all tourists are required to wear clothes that cover that hands and legs completely. Women also are required to wear a head scarf.

 
The mosque is located somewhere in between the old city of Muscat and the airport. Hence, if you are staying near Mutrah Fort, you might need to take a taxi commute of 20 minutes to reach here.

 
Whether you are visiting Muscat for a short weekend trip or you are on a long holiday to Oman, do make sure that you spend at least 2-3 hours in this mosque exploring its different corners and making a connection with its spirituality.

 
Personally, I would love to return to this place. There is something about the carvings in the men’s prayer hall that have had me captivated!

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Mutrah Souk: Rich Middle Eastern Shopping in Muscat

What is a souk? It is a middle eastern market that is very much like our Indian bazaars, but one which is cleaner and more organized. If you are heading to Oman soon and love a good shopping experience, then you should make it a point to visit the lovely Mutrah (pronounced as Matrah) Souk in the old part of Muscat, Oman’s capital.


This air-conditioned ground level market located by the Corniche area and surrounded by many mosques and old buildings is full of vibrant colors and rich aroma. At every nook and turn, you will be offered to test the local perfumes. And above this, you will catch the smell of the burning frankincense wafting through the entire market.


Then, there is the dash of rich colors through lovely Kashmiri and Turkish carpets, bedazzling Mundoos’es (jewel boxes), the sparkle on the iconic Omani Khanjar, colorful local clothes and lots of Omani handicrafts and art crafts.


As you weave through the different lanes of the Mutrah souk, you will notice a very interesting and nice attribute of this market, which is non—persuasive shop keepers. Unlike other markets in this part of the world, the shop keepers give a lot of space to the shoppers and only start talking about their products when you ask them.
 

The Mutrah Souk is also the best area in Oman to pick up traditional tourist souvenirs like fridge magnets, postcards, Mundoos boxes, Perfumes, Dish Dasha, Khummah, Dates and much more. Do remember to bargain here as prices are typically quoted double if not more. A healthy bargain is appreciated by all shopkeepers.


The ideal half day in this part of town would be to have lunch and then spend shopping in the post afternoon session in the air-conditioned lanes of Mutrah Souk. And on sun down, grab yourself a nice glass of cold fruit juice and then head to the Corniche area for a walk by the sea with the evening breeze blowing in your hair.

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Travel Photo: Royal Opera House of Muscat

Most government buildings of Oman are pretty grand, but the royal opera house of Oman is opulence exemplified. The Sultan of Oman loves his opera performances and hence it comes as no surprise that he has really splurged to enjoy his passion along with his countrymen. I didn’t get a chance to see a live performance here, but did get to see the insides and outsides of this building at close quarters.


This picture of the Royal Opera house was taken from the outside of this beautiful building. The outside itself is so well done up and maintained that many of us were joking that a lot of Indians would love to picnic with their families here. The insides wear an even more stunning look with its regal size and finish. I hope I get the opportunity to see a live opera performance here some day.

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Park Inn by Radisson: Great 4 Star Property in Muscat

On my recent trip to Muscat, the capital city of Oman, I stayed at the Park Inn by Radisson Muscat. This is a 4 star property that is comfortably located in the heart of the city. The below review is based on my recent experience of staying 3 days and 2 nights here.

1) This is a very comfortable business friendly 4 star hotel that is located right in the heart of Muscat. And the costs are very affordable at about USD 125 for their entry level rooms.

2) The hotel is located only about 15 minutes from the airport and about 30 minutes from the Corniche area and the central business district.


3) There is a lot of construction happening around the hotel, so there might not be eye catching views all around, but one can get good views of Muscat’s wide open spaces from their roof top bar.

4) They are one of the few premium places to have a bar license and have a excellent bar and lounge that is located around the roof top swimming pool.

5) The rooms in this hotel are not that big, but they have all the amenities of a good business class 4 star hotel.

6) The hotel is one of the few hotels in Muscat to have blazing fast internet.


7) Park Inn has 2 in-house restaurants. One of them specializes in steaks. The food is of good quality, though there is nothing exceptional about it.

8) The staff are very customer oriented, but their front desk face some English language issues and are slow when they come up against multiple customers.

9) The hotel is located next to shopping malls and is not far away from most of Muscat’s top tourist attractions like Sultan Qaboos mosque, the Sultan’s palace and much more.

Whether you are a business or leisure traveler, if you are looking for a good 4 star hotel in Muscat, you should give this place a try. I would love to stay here again.

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