The Grand Mosque, Oman

Jokingly described by some Omanis as a "tourist attraction, not a masjid" or by those less cynical as "a dawah tool for outsiders" the Grand Mosque is undoubtedly the single most impressive structure in Oman and probably the most beautiful masjid I have ever set foot in, outside of Sultan Hasan in Cairo, and Sheikh Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi (I have yet to travel to Mecca and Medina).

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The Grand Mosque

The Grand Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Qaboos and it truly lives up to its name. It is enormous, finely crafted down to the last detail, and an interesting mix of the ancient and ultra-modern. Also, according to the 'mohandis' (engineer) who took me around, there are a lot of steel hooks involved. At virtually every stop, he showed me exactly where the steel hooks fit into the grand scheme of things. You gotta love engineers.

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