Tour of the Grand Mosque

Samuel and I were able to jump in on an embassy tour of the Grand Mosque. This was his first time there and we were able to take pictures and hear a lot about it which I had been able to do when I went with Matt and Eli and Brigham last year. 

The carpet itself is made of wool and natural dyes. It is over ? BILLION knots and took 600 women 4 years to make inside the mosque. At one time it was the largest carpet in the world. It's incredible ornate and beautiful.

Our funny tour guide Khlifa worked for Shell for years and lived in many countries. He volunteers to tell visitors about the Mosque and answer any question about Islam. He assures us that we worship the same God. He says that anyone who worships 1 God believes in Islam. He said that Islam believes Jesus was the greatest prophet and Mohammad was the last prophet. The only woman mentioned in the Holy Quran is Mary, mother of Jesus. He told us that Islam started with Adam, because Adam worshiped 1 God. We share many believes Khalifa and I.

The Mosaics are stunning. The ones around the Grand Chandelier in the dome(which is over 5 stories tall(the chandelier) and has over a thousand light bulbs, is covered in gold and cost over $50,000.

The belief in one God is a pilar of Islam and is so important that the only decor outside geometric patterns, that is allowed in a mosque are phrases from the Holy Quran. They have them beautifully written though.

This was our group, embassy folk and their visitors/family.

One of 5 minarets. I didn't know it but according to Khalifa there is not hierarchy in Islam. He said that anyone can sing the call to prayer. Anyone from anywhere. I thought it was the job of the Imam to lead the prayers but he said whoever is available can be an Imam. I think there's a little more to it and I'll have to ask someone else because it doesn't quite make sense. Another interesting bit is that the women's prayer hall is MUCH smaller. Tiny in fact. Because women are allowed to pray at home. They have more flexibility than the men in where they pray which makes sense I guess. I would rather be able to pray at home than have to go to the Mosque at 5am. He mentioned that in some countries it wouldn't be safe as well. Hmmmm. Anyway, he did say later than the men come because the prayer at the mosque is believed to be 6 times(10 x's? I can't remember) stronger than prayer at home. 😟 So what does that mean for the prayers of the women or is that more flexible too?

one of my favorite parts are these tile niches in the outside corridors? I don't know what they're called Naves?  The designs come from all the periods of Islamic heritage.

This design screams Omani tents and majalises. The Omani floor cushions they recline on and have for centuries. I probably have a picture somehwere.