Mariastories

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Ramadan: more than the eye can see

A visit to the iconic Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat in the north of Oman, built in the style of Islamic architecture and combining the best materials of the West with the East, reveals that the design of this mosque – an everlasting legacy of late Sultan Qaboos – was mainly influenced by worship considerations. As the main prayer hall, the women’s prayer room, the paved outdoor area in the gardens, and the additional usable space of the courtyard and corridors can accommodate about 20.000 worshippers.

(click on thumbnail to enlarge the pictures)

But more striking is the way how the 14 meters high chandelier, made in Italy and containing  around six hundred thousand sparkling Swarovski crystals, led me in a straight line (an energy line) to the most important part that you can find in every mosque. Namely, the qibla wall orientated towards the sacred mosque in the city of Makkah. The qibla wall contains a wall niche called a mihrab decorated with superb mosaics.

At the Sultan Qaboos Mosque in Salalah in the south of the Sultanate, that can accommodate 14.000 worshippers, the panelled wall decoration of the mihrab in the main prayer hall, took four months to fix 20.000 miniaturized pieces of different types of marble on panels by using water jet cutting and laser.

In Muscat and Salalah the mosques are for special Friday prayers and are open for non-Muslims.

But the colors of the dome of Sheikha Salma Al-Ma’ashani Masjid (mosque) in Taqah – not open for non-muslims- make me stay still and meditate.

In the early centuries of Islam, domes were closely associated with royalty.

A Sheikha is a female member of a ruling Arab family. The mother of the late Sultan Qaboos calls Sheikha Mazoon bint Ahmad Ali Al-Ma’ashani. She died in 1992 and the late Sultan Qaboos had her buried in Taqah.

Over time, domes became primarily focal points for decoration or direction of prayer.

The more than 1000 halogen bulbs of the chandelier in the Sultan Qaboos Grand mosque in Muscat showed me a beautifully decorated dome, which to me symbolically represents the vault of heaven.

25 thoughts on “Ramadan: more than the eye can see

      1. MA SHA ALLAH how beautiful the mosques are.. and definitely visiting islamic places is a strong soul feeding & specially in Ramadan the blessings are different … no matter from which religion you are if the heart is pure you can sense inner peace🤍

    1. Although I lived in Salalah for many years and witnessed the construction of the Grand mosque, I never really took time to visit the insides. Thank you Maria for once again taking me back in time with your wonderful writing and pictures.

    1. wat een prachtige moskee🌼☀️ dat weten we ook weeral, thanks! geniet ervan 🌺

  1. As usual…wonderful…your writing about different cultures and things pertaining to other religions…beautiful…it expresses the beauty of your personality..

    1. Indeed…often you see square or rectangular shapes, symbolizing the earth and with the dome symbolizing the vault of heaven… and there is much more the eye can see…

  2. Merci Maria pour cette belle description! La mosquée est magnifique! J’aime la géométrie et les couleurs! ✨️
    Vos photos sont superbes!

  3. Mooi,mooi…!
    geniet van de bijzondere sferen en energieën die in zoveel schoonheid voelbaar zijn. ☆
    Groetjes

  4. What a meanfully text Mia 🙏🏻. I love the chandler and lovely mosques 🕌, thoughtfully build.

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