Muscat – the capital city of Oman
Sunday 7 May – we got up early this morning as we were keen to be on the bow of the ship when we came into port. Muscat is the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, a city of one million in a country of 5 million people and is the country’s political, economic and commercial hub.
It’s located between the Arabian Sea and the very rocky Western Al Hajar Mountains. As we slowly sailed in to the harbour, we could see low whitewashed buildings, the odd mosque, some old forts and the odd traditional dhow fishing boat bobbing about in the harbour. The city is a trove of royal and Islamic treasures and we were about to be able to witness some of them.
We were booked on a Muscat City Tour and were on the bus at 8.45am. First stop was the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, named for the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said Al Said, a fifteen generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said and the longest-serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world - from July 1970 until his death in 2020. He was educated at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst and served briefly in the British Army. Returning to Oman in 1966 and subject to considerable restrictions from his father, he ascended to the Omani throne in 1970 after overthrowing his father in a coup d’état with the help of the British. The country was then renamed the Sultanate of Oman.
We had been advised before we left the ship that men would need to wear trousers and women would need to have their heads, shoulders, cleavage and ankles covered. However, when we alighted from the coach, the guide told us that wrists also needed to be covered and if we needed it, there was a shop where we could rent appropriate items. I had left my scarf on the coach so took the opportunity of going the whole hog, (the only one in our group) and rented the full abaya as I also thought it would be interesting to see how hot it is walking around in 36 degrees with the sun blasting down on you, wearing full-length black and yes, you can imagine just how hot it was!
We were fortunate that we were able to visit both the Women’s and Men’s Halls in the Mosque. Built on a site covering 416,000 square metres, the complex covers an area of 40,000 square metres and is made of imported Indian sandstone, with the doors, windows and embellishments made of wood and glass. Five minarets surround the mosque, the main one being 95 metres high, and the other four 45 metres high. The outer, paved, ground to the men’s hall can hold 8,000 worshippers with additional space in the interior courtyard and passages, the men’s hall can hold 6,500 worshippers and the women’s can hold 750 – making a total capacity of up to 20,000 worshippers.
The women’s hall is much smaller and is really to host women who work or are away from their homes as it is felt that they are best praying at home. The men’s hall has a central dome rising to 50 metres above the floor and one of the major features is the design of the prayer carpet which covers the floor of the prayer hall. It contains 1,700,000,000 knots, weighs 21 tonnes and took 100 women four years to make. It incorporates classical Persian, Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan traditional designs and 28 colours, the majority obtained from traditional vegetable dyes. The chandelier above the praying hall is 14 metres high, weighs 8.5 tons and includes 600,000 crystals, gold leaf, 1,122 halogen bulbs and wait for it….a staircase inside the chandelier to access for the maintenance!
There is a recessed part for the Imam to stand in, which enables better acoustics. When he begins his message it is broadcast throughout the mosque and can be viewed on TV screens in the Women’s Hall. There are two doors within this place, the left hand door leading to the room where the Imam puts on his clothes and gets ready to pray and the right hand door leads to a staircase where he goes on Friday’s to give his messages ie last month a message for the end of Ramadan, and previously messages about Covid etc. We were also able to see the copy of the Koran, their manual for life, which most Muslim’s have on their I-phones along with a compass showing the direction of Mecca. One of the 4 pillars of Islam is that Muslims pray five times each day and before these prayers are expected to perform a purification ritual called Wudu which means washing the hands, mouth, nose, head, arms, back and feet some up to three times each. Our guide demonstrated this to us in the marbled washing area where this takes place. Each mosque has a Muezzin who is chosen for his good character, voice and skills to serve. He is responsible for keeping the mosque clean, rolling the carpets, cleaning the toilets and the washing area, and the calling to prayer, a familiar sound in Muslim countries.
Next stop was the Muttrah Souk – one of the oldest souks on the Arab peninsula. A maze of alleyways, it is divided into sections; gold and silver shops, household goods, shoes, clothes, perfumes and spices. Geoff bought some frankincense to burn in the incense burner he bought in Ajanta in India – there is an overwhelming smell of this in the souk. Frankincense is from the sap of the Boswellia sacra tree which grows in profusion in southern Oman. Traditionally it was used in religious rites (I remember it from my younger days of going to Benediction at school and in Church on Sundays) and for medicinal purposes. It is also regarded as a purifier for killing germs and healing wounds, and these days it’s used in aromatherapy and as a home air freshener.
Back on the bus we were driven through one of the entrance gates of Muscat to the Muhammad al Zubair Museum which houses a very eclectic, private collection owned by His Excellency Mohammad al Zubair, Advisory to his Majesty, the Sultan for Economic Planning Affairs. It was very interesting and beautifully laid out and we were able to enjoy viewing his items of Omani Heritage including weapons, jewellery, clothing, stamps, coins, paintings, photography and maps.
Last stop was a visit to the Al Alam Palace, one of the six residences used by the Sultan. It has a façade of gold and blue and was rebuilt as a royal residence in 1972. The inner grounds are off limits but we were able to stop near the gates and gardens. It is surrounded by the Mirani and Jalai forts which were built by the Portuguese in the 16th Century and is used for official functions and to receive distinguished visitors (Us?? No, sadly those gates remained firmly shut!).
All in all, a very enjoyable and informative 4 hours. Bloody hot walking around though, especially in trousers, so we were happy to arrive back at the dock. However, before embarking, we took the opportunity to walk across the wharf and admire a beautiful old dhow, and chat to some Pakistani sailors who had arrived on their old boat and were delivering a cargo of hay for the animals in Oman.
