After a nourishing breakfast of cereal, cold milk and fruits I worked out the itinerary for the day and packed the bag for the trip to Salalah. I was yet to find a place to stay there because Deepak Nair had told me that plenty of decent accommodation could be found because of the slack season. He was also trying to get Crowne Plaza to give me free boarding and lodging for the duration of my trip. In the end, be succeeded with a gratis stay for one night and I chose for it to be on the 14th, my birthday.
I started this day a bit later than usual because I had read that the Grand Mosque would open to public only between 8.30 and 11.30 am. The morning rush was evident on the roads but the superb infrastructure and disciplined driving ensured that I get to the Mosque in less than 15 minutes. The fines are rather steep for traffic violations, 10 OMR for speeding and 50 OMR for light violations. The speeds permitted range from 80 to 120 kph. Repeated violations also entail jail sentences.
The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque was a gift of the ruler to his people on the occasion of completing 30 years of his reign. Commissioned in 2010 the mosque was consecrated in 2016. Indeed a wonder how so much was done in so little time, just a little over 6 years. 300,000 tonnes of Indian sandstone was used in the construction with features drawn from Oman, Morocco, Turkey, Iran, Spain, India, etc. The mosque has five minarets (four of 45 metres and the main one at the royal entrance reaching up to 91 meters) signifying the five tenets of Islam - supremacy of Allah, praying give times a day, charity, Haj and fasting during Ramadan.
The main prayer hall is a marvel beyond compare. The Persian carpet is the largest single piece in the world weighing 21 tonnes, woven by 500 women for over 5 years. The main chandelier adorning the dome weighs 8 tonnes and was the heaviest till the one in the Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque outstripped it by a few 100 kgs a few years back. The elaborate mosaic works, pillars of sheer white marble, arches that have been designed on the Spanish Alhambra style, French glass windows fused in metal are some of the astonishing features of the Grand Mosque. All together, the complex can gather more than 20,000 worshippers. There is an Islamic centre where one can get literature, holy book and information about the religion, nay, way of life. I thanked Saud, my guide, for all the valuable information and company during the tour of the mosque and paid him the guide fee of 5 OMR.
I had some time to kill before I went to the office of The Arabian Stories for an interview. I googled and found a Lulu hypermarket not far away from the mosque and decided to go there to buy a few things I wanted to take back home. Very close to the hypermarket is the Grand Mall which has more than 150 retail stores and a landscaped oasis and an Arabian Souq within it.
The Arabian Stories was born out of the ambition and passion of Nishad Padiyarath, originally from Kayamkulam. Born and brought up in Muscat Nishad groomed in the Times of Oman and staked out on his own three years back. It was thrilling and informative to hear from him the developments that have happened in the country over the years and those that are on the anvil. He introduced his team and we got down to the interview, which he said he would put out on the website and also publish a digital version of the same.
The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) is a magnificent building and it took my breath away. The building houses shopping galleries, cafes and restaurants besides the Opera theatre. Built in 2011 the ROHM is opulence magnified with a seating capacity of 1100 guests. The Opera House was closed to the public due to ongoing rehearsals. The landscaped gardens are a lovely place to spend time if the weather permits. I was famished by the time I reached the ROHM. There are many restaurants and cafes to choose from. I browsed menus and settled for the Richoux Cafe for Chicken Parmigiana with sauteed mushrooms and fries for sides.
The sun was bright and the heat was intense. Deepak Nair asked me to try out the Qurum Beach from the Crowne Plaza hotel. The views of the hotel from the land side was awesome. Truly a luxury setting. I was a bit anxious about being refused entry to the beach side of the hotel. No one even asked what my purpose was there. From the crowd in the swimming pool and the exclusive beach of the hotel I could make out that the accommodation was close to full. Guests were having a good time in the water because of the searing heat. With every room facing the Sea of Oman and the beach the sight from the rooms must be one for the Gods. The Qurum Beach is one of the best in Muscat and is fairly long with many hotels, cafes and restaurants studding the vicinity.
The Said Bin Taimur mosque was built in 1999 and is styled on the Ottoman mosques, particularly Hagia Sophia. Smaller in size, the mosque, which is not open for non-Muslims, can accommodate 2200 worshippers. The mosque stands framed against the imposing Al Hajar mountains. It is possible to walk around the mosque enjoying the landscaping and the silhouette of the beautiful mosque in the setting sun.
The last program for the day was to return the rental car, which had served me well. The Kia Sportage had clocked more than 240,000 km, but was trouble free. The only problems were poor throttle capacity and excessive fuel consumption. The price of fuel is the equivalent of Rs. 40 per litre. Had it not been for the intervention of Binu I would not have been able to do what I did in Muscat. Added to that, the facilitation by Deepak Nair saw me getting covered in three newspapers and a channel.
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