Our short time in Oman is coming to an end. It seems like a good time for a word on some of our general experiences with religion while traveling in these Islamic countries.
More than anywhere else in our lifetime of travels, we felt like foreign guests in Qatar and Oman. Like anywhere else we travel, we did our best to fit in and adhere to the customs that we observed. We had done some reading, which turned out to be useful to us mostly because we felt a bit more confident about how we should behave. In both countries, Islam is the state religion. It should come as no surprise to anyone reading the blog that we’re non-Muslim. Based on our very limited experience, there is little to no tolerance for open practice of other religions. We got this sense because we never saw any indication that other religions even existed, outside of the historical information provided about Islam. That doesn’t mean that they didn’t exist, just that we never saw them. I found it interesting that these histories openly acknowledge the importance of prophets such as Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus to the Prophet Muhammed, who founded Islam in the 7th century. Christianity has an important part to play in the Muslim world.
It feels strange to come out and say it, but we never felt pressured to discuss, practice, or convert to Islam. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we never found ourselves in the position of defending the actions and policies of our home country or president, which actually has happened to us on several occasions when visiting France and Italy. It was probably helpful that everyone assumed we were Australian. That in itself was refreshing because were weren’t fighting through any “ugly American” stereotypes, for whatever those are worth. Are there ugly Australian stereotypes? Do they all look like Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman? Do their last names all end in “man”? I DIGRESS.
Of course, mosques are all over the place and each time we were witness to the call to prayer, we were reminded of just how they peppered the landscape. Like church bells in Florence and tornado sirens at noon on the first Wednesday of every month in Wisconsin, they became part of the soundtrack of the landscape. Many of the mosques were clearly marked in English that they were for Muslims only. This was more a matter of practicality than exclusion, I think, because there are affordances that need to be made for non-Muslim visitors — most importantly there needs to be a separate entrance for us.
Due to our flight schedule on our exit day, we had a perfect opportunity to visit the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is a brand new mosque (by historic standards) with room for 20,000 worshipers. It was located on the way back to the airport and visiting hours for non-Muslims were limited to the morning hours. With our flight at 2pm, it was a great way to cap off our visit and still get back with ample time to return the rental car and navigate the flight check-in.
We entered the mosque through the visitors entrance, along with dozens of other people. Liz was prepared with a modest outfit, but she did have to do a bit of tweaking at the suggestion of the minders at the entrance. It was nothing compared to the struggles that some visitors would have. One dude showed up in shorts and a t-shirt; he was lent a thawb, the long sleeve garment that is typical daily wear for Arabic men, for the duration of his visit. Once we were on the grounds, we were left to our own devices to explore and take pictures.
The dome of the mosque itself was absolutely massive and impressive from both inside and out.
Geometric design and balance is ubiquitous in Islamic art. You won’t find portraiture and thematic/narrative scene paintings in mosques. Rather, you’ll find what I see as beautiful homages to God through mathematics and science and nature. I’ll let these photos speak for themselves.
- If we had been so inclined, there was a school/library where we could have dropped in to learn more about Islam. Our friend Jennie had mentioned this to us, and told us that she had a very positive experience speaking with the people hosting these sessions over a cup of Arabic tea. We were a bit less adventurous, however, and we were also running out of time. So we packed it in and headed back to the airport without any extra culture.
We followed signs to the airport and found ourselves in a bit of an unfamiliar setting, because we accidentally pulled up to the brand new Muscat International Airport. It turns out that it was scheduled to open in only a few weeks time — evident by the lack of much (any?) signage stopping us from checking it out. A bit of frantic handwaving from some helpful workers and a stylish U-turn put us on the road to the “classic” airport we knew and loved.
Oman, it was a whirlwind meal… just a tasting menu… but it was decidedly delectable! We’ll be back!
