The largest crystal chandelier in the world is currently hanging in the Sultan Qabos Grand Mosque. Estimated to hang four stories tall, the chandelier weighs nearly nine tons. Most of that weight can be attributed to the over 600,000 Strass crystals and nearly 1,200 halogen bulbs. All of the exposed metal is actually 24 carat gold.
The first Sultan Qaboos Mosque was built in the mid 1970’s in the town of Ruwi. As the town and its population increased, the need for a larger Mosque grew. It was decided that a Grand Mosque should be built and in 1992 the Sultan declared that it would be world’s largest and most lavish Mosque. In 1993, an architectural contest began to find the architect that would be able to design such a large Mosque. In 1995, construction was finally able to begin.
Situated on nearly 103 acres the Mosque is nearly 10 acres in size. There are at least three open entranceways and one massive entrance courtyard – all of which lead to the prayer hall. The men’s prayer hall can hold as many as 6,500 worshippers. They are surrounded by open passageways and walls adorned with Islamic art. The floor of the Mosque is marble stone arranged in symbolic patterns.
A 2830 square foot carpet has been placed on the floor of the men’s prayer hall. The design and assembly took over four years and it weighs 21 tons. There are 35 chandeliers in the main hall, all of them decorated with Swarovski crystals.
December 18th, 2006 by Webmaster
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