<\/p>\n

It’s not very often, check that, almost never, when a non-Muslim, female at that, are able to saunter around\u00a0the world’s third-largest mosque.\u00a0Open to non-Muslims only for a few hours in the mornings, Sabina Lohr\u00a0took <\/span>advantage with a guided tour\u00a0through The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman, and\u00a0shared her experience at InTheKnowTraveler.<\/a><\/p>\n

I’ve never been, or will be, for that matter (but I don’t want to rule that out),\u00a0in anything\u00a0quite\u00a0as impressive as\u00a0what is described in the article. The ten-acre, finely-manicured complex of buildings, sitting in the middle of a one-hundred acre parcel of land,\u00a0is said to\u00a0be able to hold 20,000 worshipers. From the moment the pair stepped foot on the grounds they could see its shimmering, white marble paths leading to places described with such adjectives as ornate, impressive, and majestic.<\/p>\n

The grandeur of the\u00a0mosque’s main attraction, the\u00a0men’s prayer hall,\u00a0is that\u00a0of wordlessness:<\/p>\n

I froze immediately inside the door to stare at an eight-ton crystal and 24-carat gold chandelier. Photography is allowed here, but it was of little use. My point and shoot camera was not of the ilk to capture the majesty of that sparkling wonder. I tried to memorize it instead, as I do believe this was the only man-made structure that I\u2019ve ever had to wrench my eyes away from in my life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The white marble columns, intricately carved wooden doors, and domed ceiling\u00a0were nothing compared to the centerpiece: a 21-ton Persian rug. At\u00a0230 by 197\u00a0feet, the narrow walkway visitors are allowed to\u00a0use is covered by a blue protective mat lifted only during worship sessions.<\/p>\n

Despite the marble, the columns, the rug, and the ceilings, the real magic to behold is when the hall, capable of holding 5,000, becomes so full\u00a0of worshipers they\u00a0“spill out of the prayer hall, carpeting the walkways outside with their prayer rugs.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s not very often, check that, almost never, when a non-Muslim, female at that, are able to saunter around\u00a0the world’s third-largest mosque.\u00a0Open to non-Muslims only for a few hours in the mornings, Sabina Lohr\u00a0took advantage with a guided tour\u00a0through The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman, and\u00a0shared her experience at InTheKnowTraveler. I’ve never been, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,2562],"tags":[1550,1549,1548,1551],"yoast_head":"\n