GRAND MOSQUE, SOHAR, OMAN

Описание: Friday mosque located in Sohar, in the governorate of Al Batinah North, in the Sultanate of Oman.
The mosque was named in honor of the previous Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said.
The main prayer hall can hold over 4,600 worshipers, while the women's area can accommodate 740 worshipers.
its four tall minarets and dazzling cupola being impossible to miss along this stretch of the main highway to Muscat.
It's a truly extraordinary piece of architecture on a jaw-dropping scale.
The site spreads over 181,000 square metres, with wide flower-filled gardens. The main entrance is a celebration of colour and artistry, with mosaics of geometric patterns, Arabic calligraphy and trailing flowers welcoming you inside.
It's neck-craningly magnificent, and you need to stop at the top of the steps, look up to take in the intricate detail, and try not to fall over backwards as you do so.
The main courtyard is enough to halt you in your tracks, a huge expanse of marble so highly polished that the prayer hall and its accompanying minarets are reflected in it.
The cupola, with its turquoise tiles that shimmer in the bright sunlight, is reminiscent of the Bibi Khanym mosque in Samarkand.