HM opens Grand Mosque and prays to God to bless and accept it as being constructed upon love and faith.

MUSCAT — His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said presided over the inauguration of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in the wilayat of Bausher, Muscat governorate, yesterday.  The inauguration ceremony began with the recital of verses from the Holy Quran.  His Majesty then gave a speech to mark the occasion.   In the speech, His Majesty sought the blessings and guidance of Almighty God and His messenger (peace be upon him).

His Majesty said: "We ask Almighty God to bless this day on which we inaugurate this blessed mosque; it is indeed a historic day for the benefit of Oman and the entire Islamic nation."

His Majesty added: "Upon this understanding and upon God’s will and success, we have set ourselves to make this blessed mosque a centre of culture and thought, to contribute in the rebirth of the Islamic heritage by the will of God, to highlight and project the civilised values of the Islamic nation and to update its means and ways of tackling its affairs and find solutions in a way that preserves its purity of origin and values."

His Majesty noted that at the same time that we will endeavour to be in line with human development in different walks of life. "As a first step along this long path that we should take in order to achieve our goal, some pre-requisite is necessary for this emerging religious and cultural edifice," His Majesty said, and added, "We think we have put a strong foundation for this mosque to play its set role in the community and no doubt the role will develop for the better in time. This will be achieved through intelligent awareness and renewed thought by the will of God."

His Majesty emphasised that mosques are the houses of God, who commanded us to mention His name and to worship Him through our prayers in them. His Majesty affirmed that the prayer is the pillar of religion and in the mosque we read the Quran and recite the words of His messenger (peace be upon him).

"They are lessons that lead to the truth and along the straight path," His Majesty remarked. (Full text in the Special Supplement) After the speech, His Majesty shook hands with members of the Arab and Islamic delegations present at the inauguration of the mosque, which included intellectuals scholars and prominent Islamic personalities, who congratulated His Majesty for the achievement that will serve Islam and Muslims.  His Majesty, then, left the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.

His Majesty was accompanied during the inauguration ceremony by members of the royal family, president of Council of State, president of Majlis Al Shura, ministers, advisers, commander of the Sultan’s Armed Forces corps, as well as heads of Arab and Islamic diplomatic missions accredited to the Sultanate, sheikhs and dignitaries of Muscat governorate.

Earlier yesterday, His Majesty performed Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque.  His Majesty was accompanied during the prayers by members of the royal family, ministers, advisers, commanders of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, honourable members of the Council of State, members of the Majlis Al Shura, undersecretaries, ambassadors of the Islamic countries accredited to the Sultanate, Omani ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry, the walis of the governorate of Muscat, judges, sheikhs and dignitaries of the governorate, large crowds of citizens and residents.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalili, grand mufti, led the prayers.  He delivered the Friday sermon, which he began by thanking Almighty God for His continued graces. He spoke about the great place that mosques have in Islam, saying that it was binding upon the believers in the one Almighty to construct and maintain the good conditions of mosques.

Sheikh Al Khalili added that mosques are places where Muslims meet to worship their God and thank Him for His graces. He also said during these meetings in the mosques Muslims do remember the Islamic values of sympathising with each other and they have to forget any grudge or spite.

He urged all Muslims to stick to the precious values of Islam and obey God. He concluded his sermon by praying to the Almighty God to reconcile Muslims and to guide them to the right path.  After performing the Friday prayers, His Majesty left the mosque.

A number of intellectuals, scholars and prominent Islamic personalities who took part in the inauguration of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque which took place here yesterday, under the patronage of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said expressed their delight with this state of the art mosque.

They said in statements to ONA, that the new mosque would undoubtedly help spread the Islamic culture and teachings.

They extended their heartfelt congratulations to His Majesty, the Omani government and people for the great achievement, which they said was, in addition, to the many accomplishments realised in the Sultanate during the reign of His Majesty.

Engineer Saif bin A’mir Al Shaqasi, director of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, has said the mother of all grants — the grant to establish Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque — was meant to bring about a religious, civilisational, cultural and social landmark, noting that the royal directives to build the mosque were issued in 1992 and that the designing phase and the implementation of the project began in 1995. The mosque was built within six years and four months, he said.  Al Shaqasi added in a statement that the architectural design of the project was a mixture of designs derived from several Islamic civilisations. — ONA

Minaret of new millennium

By Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali

THE opening of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is an exceptional event in the Sultanate’s history. It is another gift from the generous hand that gave to the nation without limits and led the Renaissance process of construction and building, which brought about a qualitative change in the people’s lives.

Thanks to the wisdom of our leader, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Sultanate has the recognition of the world for its fruitful endeavours. His Majesty’s great deeds sparkle in every inch of the country’s soil.

The Sultanate enters the third millennium with these outstanding achievements. His Majesty’s gifts are a testimony to the attention and care His Majesty accords to all issues. His Majesty knows well that the Omani people adhere to their religion and are proud of being a major part of the Muslim world. History tells us that the Omani people had embraced Islam voluntarily and contributed a lot to the cause of their religion and fellow brothers.

With the opening of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, there is a new institution, where the mosque is easily the biggest in the country and the Islamic Studies Centre a place of learning for the new generation. In the centre, they will find rich material that will help them to absorb elaborate religious information. The library, with a capacity of 20,000 volumes, is a sound place for those who love reading, because it provides them with religious books that broaden their cultural horizons. The new mosque, together with other mosques, is a reflection of the leader’s care to the brain and soul and his total belief that the success of the future depends on the youth’s strong adherence to their religion and total control of the keys of new technology.

The new mosque is a religious landmark for Muscat and a jewel in the crown of other civilisational landmarks. It is a fascinating and attractive architectural wonder. The five minarets stand high and proud as symbols of Islam’s five pillars. The architectural engineering with its fine details tells the coming generations something about the success and innovation of their grandfathers. It is a comprehensive picture that portrays the originality of Islamic engineering as a unique and pioneering school of architecture.

Under the leadership of His Majesty, Oman has received special care and attention from its good son, who has unreservedly dedicated his energy and time to serve his people and country. No doubts, many achievements have been carried out in accordance with a well-prepared plan and vision.

The royal attention has been complete and comprehensive; the infrastructure strong; the economic establishments in sound health; the hospitals well-equipped for providing health care; and the educational institutions, including universities and colleges, providing effective education to all Omanis so that the future generations adhere to their roots and are in control of the latest tools of technology.

The mosques show the pride of the Omani people in their religion and their adherence to the teachings of their religion in word and deed.

Crowning glory of Oman’s Islamic heritage

MUSCAT — Although His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said attaches great importance to the country’s economic and social development, he has always recognised that it is just as vital to promote the spiritual and intellectual sides of the Omani character, in order to ensure a comprehensive, balanced form of development which gives equal weight to both the material and the spiritual aspects of life.

This integrated approach is clearly illustrated in the fact that since the dawn of the Renaissance His Majesty the Sultan has always made provision for the construction of a number of large mosques at his own personal expense.

The first Sultan Qaboos Mosque was built in Ruwi, in the 1970s: this was followed by the construction of several other Sultan Qaboos Mosques in other major Omani towns and cities.

As the city of Muscat expanded, and as its population continued to grow, His Majesty decided that the time had come to build a Grand Mosque which would be a major landmark of Islamic architecture in the historic city of Muscat.

In the year 1412AH (1992) His Majesty issued directives for the construction of the biggest mosque — a mosque which would not only provide a place for prayer and worship, but which would also function as an active centre of the Islamic religion, where the fruits of Islamic knowledge, civilisation, history, literature and culture could flourish.

Following His Majesty’s directives, an international architectural competition was held in 1413AH (1993) and Arab and international consultants were invited to submit their plans for the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque project.

A site was chosen for the mosque in the wilayat of Bausher near the road linking the heart of the city of Muscat directly with the Sultanate’s other wilayats, towns and cities.  Work began on the construction of the mosque in 1415AH (1995). It took over six years to complete.

The site covers an area of 416,000 square metres and the complex is built over an area of around 40,000 square metres. The three entrances consist of three pedestrian passageways leading into the grounds of the complex, each ending in its own separate open area, off which lead a series of arcades.

The main entrance courtyard sits on the cross axis with the main minaret which continues up to a height of 91.5-metre. To the east and west of the main entrance are the two secondary entrances. All of them lead into the outer paved ground which surrounds the prayer halls. The paved ground covers a total area of 24,400 square metres.

The main musalla (prayer hall) is square (external dimensions 74.4x74.4 metres) with a central dome rising to a height of fifty metres above the floor. The dome and the main minaret are the mosque’s chief visual features.

The women’s musalla, to the east of the main musalla, forms an extension to the main musalla via the inner courtyard. The inner courtyard and the women’s musalla are enclosed by arcaded passageways (rawaq) and there are six domes at the front ends of the entrances.

The main musalla has been designed to hold over 6,500 worshippers, while the women’s musalla can accommodate 750 worshippers. The outer paved ground can hold 8,000 worshippers and there is additional space available in the interior courtyard and the passageways, making a total capacity of up to 20,000 worshippers.

The northern and southern passageways (riwaq) form the transitional space separating the complex’s worship areas from its other facilities and utilities.   Each of them has an internal length of 221 metres.  The passageways are roofed with a series of domes which take their inspiration from the architecturally unique mosque of Bilad Bani Bu Ali in the Sharqiyah region.

The walls of the southern passageway take the form of a double screen enclosing a number of the complex’s functional facilities, including its library, which contains 20,000 reference volumes covering a range of Islamic and human sciences and culture.

The 300-seat meeting and conference hall is to the west of the passageway and the ablution areas are along the centre section behind the passageway adjacent to the outer paved ground.  The initial impression is that the passageway operate as a protective wall around the actual structure of the mosque.

However, they extend as far as the four 45-metre-high minarets which mark the boundaries of the site. Taken together, the mosque’s five minarets symbolise the five pillars of Islam.

The facades of the musalla (prayer hall) are extensively articulated with blind and open arches and vertical buttresses. These buttresses have a structural function and also operate as ventilation ducts like the wind-towers (barajil) which are a common feature of the local architectural tradition.

The walls of the main prayer hall are topped with parapets of the type originally found in Omani forts. The mihrab (niche facing Makkah) projects through the outer Qiblah (direction of Makkah) wall: this is a traditional feature of the Qiblah walls of Omani mosques.

His Majesty the Sultan’s entrance is in the Qiblah wall on the south side of the Mihrab. The imam’s entrance to the Minbar (pulpit) is in the Qiblah wall on the north side of the mihrab.

A rich variety of Islamic ornamentation has been incorporated into the designs engraved in the prayer hall’s wooden doors, each of which is topped with Quranic verses in the Thuluth scripts (a sprawling, decorative calligraphic style).

The engraved wooden doors between the inner courtyard and the women’s prayer hall have projecting, latticed windows panes of coloured glass, emphasising the unity and indivisibility of the area designated for prayer.

The outer walls are ornamented with engraved design, which include depictions of plants, as well as geometric shapes and Quranic verses in the Thuluth script.  The ornamentation gradually becomes more intense and elaborate as one proceeds towards the interior of the building and its inner sanctum: the walls of the prayer hall are set with stained glass windows with geometric designs and pictures of plants.

The upper walls of the prayer hall and the inner courtyard are girdled with a richly decorated band of Quranic verses in the Thuluth script and the arches  over the passageways are filled with Islamic geometric designs, above which is a band comprising chapters from the Holy Quran. This style of ornamentation is found in all the arches of the main entrances.

The names of God are engraved in the Diwani script in the spaces between the arches, on the facades of the passageways and in other places.

The southern facade of the base of the main minaret is inscribed with the words of the Azan (call to prayer), while the name of the mosque is engraved on its northern facade.

The entire floor of the complex is paved with marble slabs arranged in harmonious geometric patterns, while each individual marble slab paving the inner courtyard and outer paved prayer mat.

The garden to the east of the complex is laid out in the traditional Islamic style.  There is a pavilion with a patio, as well as passageways and an Iwan (sheltered area) with a marble pool at its centre. A falaj (channel) flows from the pavilion to the centre of the garden. A retractable canopy has been installed over the inner courtyard and can be opened out when necessary to provide shade for the open space.

The inner walls of the main prayer hall are completely covered with off-white and dark grey marble and are decorated with geometrically patterned gilded murals in a predominantly safavid style. The open-plan hall has four main pillars which support the inner structure of the dome. By the northern and southern walls are arcades with embossed ornate arches in the mamluk architectural decorative tradition which open onto the prayer hall.

The mihrab assumes its position in the Qiblah wall as a separately designed original artwork. The frame is surrounded by Quranic verses and a twisted cable ceramic moulding, painted in gold, defines the corner outline recess.

Above the openings of the sidewalls there are stained glass windows decorated in a style compatible with the decorations on the walls.  Every architectural element of the interior combines various features of traditional Islamic arts and crafts, but in a contemporary manner appropriate to the general style of the mosque. The best examples of this can be seen in the design and construction of the prayer hall’s interior dome and the prayer  carpet, each of which is individually a huge artistic project and represents a real challenge in the fields of design, creativity and architectural execution.

The dome is assembled in segments between the marble ribs and columns from large pendent elements all inlaid in fine cut tiles. The wooden boards in the ceiling are in a style derived from the traditional Omani ceiling.  Omani styles provide the inspiration for all the decorative and architectural elements used in the design of the walls, ceilings and screens.

One feature of the design of the interior is the 263-square-metre prayer carpet which covers the floor of the prayer hall. It contains, 1,700 million knots, weighs 21 tonnes and took four years to produce, and brings together the classical Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan design traditions 28 colours in varying shades were used, the majority obtained from traditional vegetable dyes.

The carpet a single piece was designed in prayer-space-sized units separated by blue and white borders, containing decorations derived from traditional Omani weaving designs.

The main prayer hall has 35 chandeliers made of Swarovski crystal and gilded  metals. The central chandelier, which hangs from the highest point of the dome, is 14 metres in height and eight metres across, has 1,122 lights and weighs eight tonnes. The nine chandeliers in the women’s prayer hall are in the Ottoman style and are made of Turkish crystal.

Within the northern and southern passageways (rawaq) are a series of halls (six to the north and six to the south) finished on the interior with decorative designs depicting specific themes and styles. The decorations have been chosen to represent the rich range of styles and cultures that flourished from Andalusia to central Asia. The northern passageway starts with the art of the Sultanate of Oman and the Arabian Peninsula, followed by Ottoman art, then Mamluk architectural styles, Maghrib and Mesopotamian, ancient Egyptian and Byzantine decorative styles.

The chambers in the southern passageway depict motifs from Al Hijaz and Islamic Indian Mughal Pietra Dura, followed by the Timurid art of central Asia, Iranian Safavid art and contemporary Islamic art. Finally, there are some examples of the latest Islamic art. His Majesty’s sponsorship of the mosque and the directives issued by him during every stage of its construction have been targeted towards the fulfilment of a project that will highlight the Islamic architectural achievements and ensure continuity with the historic heritage of Islam. — ONA 

Proud contributor to architectural wonder

A PROUD contributor towards the completion of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is Al Turki Enterprises LLC. The company has successfully carried out a number of tasks involved in the construction of this Omani traditional architectural monument.

The company supplied Indian sandstone for the project. The entire sandstone, almost 1,500 containers, which is about 30,000 tonnes covering 65,000 square metres, was supplied by Al Turki Enterprises LLC. This stone was specially selected to suit the carving and to withstand the prevailing climatic conditions for years to come. The main criterion of uniform colour was achieved by relentless efforts of ATE staff at various mines in India.

Carved sandstone for the mosque was also organised by Al Turki LLC. The carving on stones for this project was of the highest quality and was carried out in Muscat and India. The company employed 60 carvers in Muscat and 200 carvers in India to achieve excellent quality.

All the carving of friezes, panels, corbels and screens was carried out by hand. The calligraphy carving was carried out on computer and cut under waterjet machine and hence the refined, crisp finished script can be read from far.

Architects, skilled craftsmen and engineers were relentlessly working day and night to achieve excellent quality.

ATE has designed decorative niches in the mosque. The eight niches at room No. 8 of south Riwaq were designed and prepared by ATE architects on a theme of the famous Moghul monument Taj Mahal. Semi-precious stones have been inlayed in white Makrana Marble in four niches and marble mosaic to the design was prepared in the balance four niches. All the niches were carried out under supervision of architects of ATE.  Interior stone cladding to women’s prayer hall is a work of ATE architects. The stone carving and installation was a display of excellent quality work by ATE. Hand-carved panels, screens, polished stones and corbels bring a warm feeling to the interior.

ATE built formal garden for the mosque. The separate building to the east of main mosque seen from the main highway is called ‘Pavilion Building’ with similar features of main mosque.  This building was an independent contract directly awarded to Al Turki. The contract also included complete landscaping, including falaj and fountains in Italian Travertine Marble inlay works and hand-carved, one-piece large fountain bowls. The whole landscaping and irrigation was carried out in-house by Al Turki Enterprises LLC.

Construction of the main gate and eastern secondary gate was also independent project awarded to Al Turki. The gates are fully clad with brown colour sandstones with the dome at the top and arcades on its sides with arches.

ATE made the hardwood ceiling. The harwood ceiling to ablution blocks, library courtyard, HM’s and imam’s entrance and minaret were carried out in special grade red meranti wood from Malaysia to the highest quality standard.

Eminent scholars attend Grand Mosque opening

MUSCAT — The prominent personalities and Islamic scholars who took part in the event included Dr Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, Sheikh of Al Azhar; Sheikh Dr. Nasr Farid Wasil, mufti of Egypt; Dr Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq, minister of awqaf, head of the higher council for Islamic affairs in the Republic of Egypt; Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Sabil, imam and preacher of the holy shrines; Abdul Wahid Belqaziz, secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Conference; Mohammed Nakhirah Al Dhahri, United Arab Emirates’ minister of justice, Islamic affairs and awqaf; Mohammed Jumah Salim, UAE undersecretary for Islamic affairs; Ahmed Mubarak Al Kindy, UAE assistant undersecretary for mosques affairs; Ahmed Yaqoub Baqir, Kuwaiti minister of justice and Islamic affairs; Sheikh Ali Abdul Rahman Al Hashimi, religious affairs and judiciary adviser at the presidential diwan of the UAE; Ahmed bin Abdullah Araab Al Muri, Qatari minister of awqaf and Islamic affairs; Dr Yousuf Al Qaradhawi, director of Prophet’s Sayings and Life Research Centre in Qatar; Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Bahraini assistant undersecretary for Islamic affairs; Dr Mohammed bin Ali Al Sitri, a Bahraini scholar and member of the Majlis Al Shura; Sheikh Nidham Yaqoubi, a Bahraini scholar, imam and preacher; Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Muttawa, head of the Kuwaiti Society for the Social Reform; Dr Haji Mohammed Zain bin Haji Sir Adeen, Brunei Darussalam religious affairs; Ayatullah Mohammed Waa’dh Khurasani, secretary-general of the World Council for Narrowing the Differences between the Islamic Sects in Iran, and his delegation; Dr Isam Ahmed Al Basheer, Sudanese minister of guidance and awqaf; Dr Farhan Nidhami, head of Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in the UK; Dr Mohammed Zaki Badri, president of the Islamic Academy and chairman of mosques preachers and imams in Britain; Justice Mohammed Taqi Al Othmani, a judge and mufti of Pakistan; Dr Mohammed Said Al Bouti, fiqh lecturer at the Syrian university; Abdulsalam Al Ayad, Jordanian minister of awqaf and Islamic shrines; Sheikh Ekrimah Sabri, mufti of Palestine; Dr Ahmed Al Kubaisi, a UAE scholar and preacher; Sheikh Isa Al Hairi Al Mana, director-general of Dubai awqaf; Qasim Ahmed Al Ajam, Yemeni minister of awqaf and guidance; Sheikh Hameed bin Jumah, head of the Islamic Council in Tanzania; Dr Sheikh Mohammed Rasheed Al Qabani, mufti of the Lebanese Republic; Sheikh Dr Mohammed Ali Al Jozo, mufti of Jabal Libnan; Dr Sheikh Thaha Al Sabonji, mufti of Tripoli and the north; and Dr Mohammed Ahmed Al Fatifi, director of the Libyan Islamic Centre in Malta.

Those present then toured the various parts of the mosque and were briefed on the phases of its construction.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has issued directives to establish the biggest mosque in the Sultanate to function not only as a place for worship and prayers but also as a centre for interaction with the soul of Islam and its literary and cultural heritage.

Work in the project began in 1415AH (1995) and it took more than six years to complete. — ONA