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Oman

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The Grand Mosque in Muscat was commissioned by Sultan Qaboos in 1992. It was inaugurated in 2001 and can accommodate up to 20,000 worshipers.
The 70 x 60 m (230 x 197 ft) prayer carpet in the main prayer hall of the Grand Mosque in Muscat is the second largest hand-woven, single-piece carpet in the world and took four years to complete. The primary chandelier, a smaller version of which is shown in this photo, is 14 m (46 ft) tall.
Following President Martin Van Buren’s signing of a Treaty of Friendship and Commerce in 1840 with the Sultanate of Oman, the Imam of Muscat presented him with 148 pearls as token of gratitude. The pearls, originating from the Persian Gulf, were fashioned into a necklace for the president’s daughter-in-law who was the acting first lady since Van Buren was a widower. Upon leaving office, the president returned the pearls to the United States Government and they are on display in the First Ladies Exhibit in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Pearls are unique among gems as they are the only one formed entirely within a living creature-an oyster. Natural pearls occur when an irritant enters the oyster’s shell and the mollusk protects itself from the foreign body by secreting layers of nacre. The formation of a cultured pearl utilizes the same process with the exception that a shell bead is surgically implanted into the oyster to induce nacre production. (Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History)
The Souq Muttrah is a traditional bazaar in the largest seaport in the region. Before the discovery of oil, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman.
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