Grand Mosque Mr Bn Alkhtab

Rising above the residential quarter of Bawshar in the Muscat governorate of the Sultanate of Oman, Jami Umar bin al Khattab honours the second rightly guided caliph, Umar ibn al Khattab, may God be pleased with him. His embrace of Islam in Mecca was a turning point that allowed the early believers to pray openly around the Ka'bah, and his caliphate oversaw the founding of Basra, Kufa, and Fustat, the building of the register system of the diwan, and the institution of the Hijri calendar. Omani Muslims cherish Umar's memory alongside that of Abu Bakr, Uthman, and Ali, may God be pleased with them all.

Oman's own Islamic history is ancient and gentle. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, sent a letter to Jayfar and Abd, the rulers of Oman, inviting them to Islam, and they accepted without bloodshed, a distinction remembered with pride. The companion Amr ibn al As, may God be pleased with him, is said to have carried that letter. Bawshar itself is an old farming oasis on the Batinah plain, watered by falaj channels descending from the Hajar Mountains, its date palms and lemon trees shading homes that have gradually become modern villas around newer mosques like this one.

Architecturally the building follows the quiet Omani style favoured across Muscat. Pale sandstone walls, low domes clad in glazed blue tiles, a single pencil slim minaret, and arched windows screened with carved mashrabiya keep the interior cool through the long coastal summer. Inside, soft green carpets embroidered with mihrab motifs cover the floor, and Qur'anic calligraphy in Thuluth script circles the dome. A women's gallery, a wudu court, and a small library of fiqh and hadith manuals complete the complex.

Current daily prayer timings for Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha at Jami Umar bin al Khattab are listed on this page, along with the Bawshar address, a map pin, and hospitable tips for any visitor approaching from Qurum, Ghubrah, or the Grand Mosque of Sultan Qaboos. During Ramadan the congregation shares trays of dates, laban, and fragrant shuwa with every neighbour, and the tarawih imam is admired across Muscat for a measured, reverent recitation. Travellers passing between the corniche and the Hajar peaks are warmly invited to pray beside the Omani worshippers, to breathe the frankincense scented air of the hall, and to ask God to have mercy upon the just caliph whose name blesses the building.