Muscat








 We got on the India Air flight and there were mosquitos in the cabin that they exterminated by de fumigating  us and them. Otherwise a flight as normal as any other. 

We arrived in Oman and the airport was state of the art with top quality materials and super clean.  Here are some men in white coming back from Mecca and a pilgrimage.

I have been to lots of mosques but this one, the Sultan Qaboos was the top.  Maybe it is the euphoria of coming down from a flight or maybe it is the frankincense they burn in the mosques but I was awed.  It was built in 1995 and it is breathtaking. No expense was too much for the Sultan.  There is a lot of money here.  Every second building is a hamman or beauty spa.  The riches are apparent in the craftsmanship of the tile work, stained glass, marble work and textiles of this mosque. All spanking brand new.  I thought this is what St. Peter’s felt like in the early 1600’s.
It can hold 30,000 worshipers inside and out. The carpet covers the entire inside and was woven in Iran by 800 weavers and weighs 21 tons. The chandeliers are all Swarovski crystals and they are massive like individual suns.The tile work is all exquisite and each section of the outer ailes is representing a part of the muslim world in the tile work style.













Closeup of tile work.


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