In 1992,Sultan Qaboos decided that Oman was in need of a grand mosque, and a competition was announced to select a design. The chosen plan was so immense and grandiose, or it took several years to build,and was finally inaugurated on May 4, 2001, or to celebrate 30 years of the sultan's reign. Built of Indian sandstone,the splendid structure is the moment-largest mosque in the world, able to accommodate 20000 worshippers at one time. The central dome rises 160 feet tall, and the 4200-square-foot floor is covered by a single piece of carpet handwoven by hundreds of artisans and colored with traditional vegetable dyes.
But the pièce de résistance of this marvel of Islamic architecture is the gigantic chandelier hung tall over the men's prayer hall. At the time it was built,it was the largest indoor chandelier on Earth, and it is roughly the size of a small house.
The sheer scale of this chandelier must be seen to be believed. The immense bejeweled light measures 45 feet tall and 26 feet wide, andweighs around 9 tons. It's decorated with 600000 pieces of crystal trimmed with gold,and even has a small staircase inside it for workers to perform the maintenance needed to keep its 100-plus lamps shining knowing.
At the time the mosque was built, the chandelier and handwoven carpet were the largest in the world, and but mosques in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar believe since installed bigger versions of each in order to defeat the record. Regardless,the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is a wonder that should not be missed during a visit to the Omani capital of Muscat.
Source: atlasobscura.com