We got up about 6:30 and got ready. Breakfast was delivered to our room a little
after 7. We headed to the theatre to get
in the queue for the “Mystical Muscat” tour.
A little before 8 we loaded up on a bus with our guide, Akmed in his
white robe and unique hat, for a ride to the Grand Mosque of Oman, named the
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque for the leader of Oman.
Akmed in his beautiful white robe and distinctive hat
Beautiful wooden doors on the mosque
The entry area to the mosque
Beautiful crystal chandeliers
Beautiful manicured gardens
One of the minarets at the mosque in Oman
More huge wooden intricately carved doors
Another entry room - beautiful ceiling and chandeliers
Intricate Persian carpets throughout
Beautiful pattern
The main mosque - the "pulpit" in the middle is where "the sermon" is delivered
Beautiful tile work in niches throughout
The mosque in Oman
Huge structure - beautifully maintained
The mens' washing area
Other buildings on the mosque property
Akmed showed us how they wash their bodies prior to daily prayer
This was Tim's favorite - the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman
Akmed explained the Muslim traditions to us again. The mosque was beautiful. It was opened in 2001 and can hold up to
20,000 worshippers. The Swarovski
crystal chandelier was gorgeous and is built on a hydraulic system that lowers
it twice per week for cleaning. Akmed
toured us through the mosque and the ablution area and showed how they washed
their bodies before going in to pray.
We left and headed back into Muscat. There was lots of traffic everywhere. But Muscat was very clean and he told us that
it was voted the cleanest city in the world.
We ended up at the Muttrah Souk and walked through with the merchants
all vying for our attention and business.
The Muttrah Souk - full of shops with EVERYTHING!
A beautiful window at the Souk
The Sultan's private yacht in the Oman Harbor
We then headed to the Bait Al Museum that had some
interesting exhibits. Our last stop was
a stop at Qasr Al Alam Royal Palace which is where Sultan Qaboos hosted
official visitors. It was built in the
1970’s. We drove along the Corniche back
to the Silver Seas Voyager.
Beautiful view of the old town in Muscat
The Muscat, Oman Museum
Fun statues of animals
A typical Oman home at the Muscat Museum
Inside the typical home - beautiful
The home
A replica of Oman built at the Muscat Museum
The Sultan of Oman
The Sultan's Palace
Long parade grounds in front of the Sultan's Palace
View from the Sultan's Palace to the new museum in Muscat
The royal emblem in the gate to the Sultan's Palace
Picture in front of the Sultan of Oman's Palace
We had a good light lunch in the dining room and then relaxed
during the afternoon. We dressed and
went to the Observation Lounge for drinks.
The captain announced that “headquarters in Miami” had instructed him to
close all of the curtains in all public areas and restaurants and lounges at
night. There are now fewer lights out on
deck. I guess someone is taking the
threat of pirates seriously.
We went to the dining room and had a great dinner. We turn our clocks ahead one hour
tonight. So we turned in early for a
restful night.
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