Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Opened in 2001, the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is Muscat’s finest building. Minarets rise above sandstone walls and clipped gardens, and the main prayer hall is laid with a single hand-woven Persian carpet that took several years to make, beneath a huge crystal chandelier.

Arched corridors around the courtyards are decorated with tile work in styles from across the Islamic world, and guides explain Omani traditions and the life of the late Sultan Qaboos, who built modern Oman.

Non-Muslim visitors are welcome in the mornings from Saturday to Thursday, so this is usually the first stop of a Muscat city tour. Arms and legs must be covered, and women need a headscarf. Shoes are left outside the prayer halls, and a quiet, respectful manner is expected throughout.