Sultan Qaboos Mosque Salalah (also known as Sultan Qaboos Masjid) is named after the great leader of Oman, Qaboos bin Said Al Said (Arabic: قابوس بن سعيد آلسعيد). He is the Sultan of Oman since 1970, and is the longest serving Arab Leader.
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The largest Mosque in Dhofar
Sultan Qaboos Mosque in Salalah is the largest mosque of Dhofar Governorate in Oman and the largest mosque in the southern part of Oman.This masjid is the landmark of Salalah and is located in the city center at 23rd July Street.
Islamic Architecture of the Mosque
The architecture of Sultan Qaboos Masjid is Islamic. It has two domes and two tall minarets. The minarates are on the Northern and Southern part of the mosque.
Worship Area in Sultan Qaboos Masjid
There are two sections of worships, one is dedicated to men and another for women, where they pray 5 times a day. Both of these praying places are with air conditioning.Interior of the main male prayer hall isworth a visit, specially the huge wooden doors at the entrance splendid chandelier at the center below the main doom.
There are eight other smaller Chandeliers around the larger one, making 3 on each side.
Inside, the Holy Book of Muslims, Al Quran Al Karim, is placed at various places. Muslims read it before and after the 5 daily prayers or any time of the day and night.
The carpet on the floor is soft and has a light green base. There are patterns made with different shades of Green, and Orange.
The orange colour straight lines run parallel on the carpet. When Muslims pray in congregation, these lines help them in standing straight all across. This is called Saf.
The direction of praying is towards Kaaba in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The Courtyard
Courtyard of the mosque is splendid and arch shaped corridors connects the indoor praying area with the entrance.
From the roof hangs black color lamps, which have quite nice design.
Ablution Area at the Masjid
Sultan Qaboos Masjid Salalah has both indoor and outdoor ablution areas to make Wadu (cleaning of body part before praying).
The outdoor ablution area is in the garden of the masjid and have a gazebo constructed with an Islamic architecture, most prominent part of which is the dome. There are eight pillars on the structure.
The indoor ablution area has a bigger capacity to make wadu.
Can Non Muslims Visit Sultan Qaboos Mosque Salalah?
Muslims can visit the mosque any time of the day and during the prayer times as well. Non-Muslims can also visit this splendid place of worship following some guidelines.
They can visit every morning from 8am to 11am except Friday, which is a day of larger prayer congregation in the afternoon.
Non Muslim men and women both must wear decent clothing. Men should be wearing pants that cover their knees. Women should cover head with scarf, wear full length trousers and shirts with full sleeve.
Shoes are not permitted inside the mosque and must be put in the designated shelves at the entrance.
There’s a blue color mat laid specifically for the purpose of visitors. No one should walk outside of the mat and touch any thing on the mosque.
Any immoral act or that which is not permitted in Islam shouldn’t be carried out inside the mosque.
Stay near Sultan Qaboos Mosque
There are many hotels and apartments around Sultan Qaboos Mosque, which can be booked online. Following are the recommended hotels to book.
City Hotel Salalah, 2 Star
Intercity Hotel Salalah, 3 Star
Ad Dyafa Hotel, 4 Star
Book a Tour to Sultan Qaboos Mosque
The tour is covered in Salalah City Tour, which is of 4 hours approximately. You can book this trip at TripAdvisor or at BeautifulSalalah directly.