Mosques in Dhofar reflect the governorate’s rich history and culture and put Salalah as an important place on the religious map of the Middle East. This gem of Arabia located south of Oman attracts scholars from different segments and is known among religious scholars as a place which has strong positive vibrations. It raises their curiosity, forces them to come, stay and come back again to experience its serenity and strong religious vibes.
Ali Mohsin al Ghassani, Administrative Manager at Directorate General of Endowment and Religious Affairs in Dhofar, said that the Dhofar mosques, which are approximately 650 in number, are directly linked with the day-to-day people’s life and serve the community in many ways.
“Out of these 650 mosques, about 455 belong to the Awqaf and rest either to Diwan of Royal Courts or to private citizens. Some 145 among those 650 are Jumah mosques, while others are mosques for five-time prayer,” he said.
The Jumah mosques serve both the purposes of five-time prayer as well as Friday prayer, which attract a large of people from across the communities.
“There are other categories like five-time prayer mosques which also serve the purpose of tarawiyah (during Ramadhan), but majorly the broad categorisation is Jumah and five-time prayer mosques,” said Salalah resident Bakhit al Sahri.
Among important mosques in and around Salalah are Sultan Qaboos Mosque; Al Jama Mosque in central Salalah; Jama Sheikh al Afeef in Taqah (one of the oldest mosques in Dhofar); Abdulaziz Mosque in Dahariz; Abdullah Tuhami, Al Mahdar and Bahaiwa in Al Hafa. The old mosques are found mainly on the coastline for the convenience of seafarers and local population, which used to live mostly on the coastlines.
Aqeel Mosque, which was built in 1779, is the oldest mosque in Salalah.
Salalah’s Sultan Qaboos Mosque is definitely the most important mosque in Dhofar and known among tourists as a piece of architectural grandeur.
“It is difficult to list important mosque because every mosque is important. In terms of size and age and we can mention Jama Bagaith in West Awqad, Jama Shanfari in Salalah, and Jama Badrag in East Awqad,” said Mohsin al Ghassani.
Some historians, however, try to distinguish the mosques based on their architecture. “Some of them have so intricate architecture that they need good research about their resources and building technology because some of them are very old still very rich in design and architecture,” said a European tourist who is also a historian and loves to visit ancient places.
Pictures source: Hamad al Khatiri & Directorate of Awqaf
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