Named after Qaboos bin Said Al Said — who is the current Sultan of Oman — the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque currently serves as the main mosque in Muscat, which is the capital city of the Sultanate of Oman.
Located just south of Sultan Qaboos Street — which is a limited-access highway — it is very easy to find. If you are arriving from Seeb International Airport, it is only a drive of approximately 20 kilometers east. Take the off ramp of the first exit after you pass the mosque and head back towards it.
I drove to the mosque in a rented car, which to me was the easiest way to get around Muscat and Oman. The parking lot was virtually empty. It was a warm but clear morning; and the sun was rising in the horizon. Despite the traffic on Sultan Quaboos Street and the chirping of the birds, it was a very peaceful morning at the mosque.
Polished marble floors reflected the sky as workers were preparing for the mosque to welcome its guests for the day; but their flawlessness appeared to be threatened by the birds flying overhead.
The entrance to the mosque was not open as of yet; but I was free to walk around the expansive grounds outside of the mosque to examine its architecture.
The landscaping of the grounds surrounding the mosque were manicured to near perfection, offsetting the arched stone block walls surrounding the mosque.
I could tell that the mosque was not in existence for very long: construction of the mosque was completed in 2001; and its inauguration occurred on May 4, 2001.
The mosque itself is enormous, as it can accommodate a combined total capacity of approximately 20,000 worshippers.
At precisely 8:00 in the morning, the entrance was open. Anyone — Muslim or not — is welcome to visit the mosque through 11:00 in the morning every day from Saturday through Thursday.
Because I have taken so many photographs of this mosque, I intend to post them in future reports in a series of articles. This article focused on photographs of the exterior of the mosque prior to its opening hour of 8:00 in the morning.
All photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
