No visit to Muscat is complete without a stop at the magnificent Grand Mosque. I was fortunate to be able to visit twice, which was a good thing because it is so enormous that I couldn't really take it all the first time. Completed in 2001, the buildings are made from over 300,000 tons of a pale Indian sandstone,
much of which is covered with intricate carved decorations.
In spite of all the detailed designs, the monochrome exterior gives an overall effect of great calm and simplicity.
The square prayer hall (reserved for men - women have a smaller, simpler prayer hall) dominates the complex.
It is elaborately decorated from floor to ceiling.
On the floor is a magnificent handmade carpet, one of the world's largest. I was puzzled about how it was made and installed, as it went around the massive columns with no visible seams. I leaned, from a book I found in the mosque library, that it was made in pieces and then carefully hand stitched together once inside the mosque by specially chosen weavers.
The most dramatic part of the prayer hall is the highly decorated dome in which hangs a chandelier made from 600,000 crystals and over one thousand bulbs.
Surrounding the prayer hall are acres of polished marble pavements in a wide variety of designs.
These in turn are surrounded by four minarets and two sets of arcades on the long sides of the complex.
The insides of these arcades are decorated with beautiful mosaics based on Islamic art and design, from tribal weavings to tile work and painting.
I particularly like the graphic design and bright clear blues on this one.
This one reminds me of peacock feathers.
And this one reminds me of native American designs. Certainly lots of inspiration for quilts here!
Speaking of quilts, here is my most recent finish. I actually pieced part of it en route to Oman, so it is fitting to include it here.
Since so many of the squares include leaves, I quilted the white sections with a leaf design.
And to add a little spark, I used pink and purple stripes and dots from Tula Pink for the border.
much of which is covered with intricate carved decorations.
In spite of all the detailed designs, the monochrome exterior gives an overall effect of great calm and simplicity.
The square prayer hall (reserved for men - women have a smaller, simpler prayer hall) dominates the complex.
It is elaborately decorated from floor to ceiling.
On the floor is a magnificent handmade carpet, one of the world's largest. I was puzzled about how it was made and installed, as it went around the massive columns with no visible seams. I leaned, from a book I found in the mosque library, that it was made in pieces and then carefully hand stitched together once inside the mosque by specially chosen weavers.
Surrounding the prayer hall are acres of polished marble pavements in a wide variety of designs.
These in turn are surrounded by four minarets and two sets of arcades on the long sides of the complex.
The insides of these arcades are decorated with beautiful mosaics based on Islamic art and design, from tribal weavings to tile work and painting.
This one reminds me of peacock feathers.
Speaking of quilts, here is my most recent finish. I actually pieced part of it en route to Oman, so it is fitting to include it here.
Since so many of the squares include leaves, I quilted the white sections with a leaf design.
And to add a little spark, I used pink and purple stripes and dots from Tula Pink for the border.
