User:Rpoyer1/sandbox

A major feature of the design of the interior is the prayer carpet which covers the floor of the prayer hall. It contains, 1,700,000,000 knots, weighs 21 tonnes and took four years to produce, and brings together the classical Persian Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan design traditions. 28 colors in varying shades were used, the majority obtained from traditional vegetable dyes. It used to be the largest single-piece carpet in the world, but is now the second, after the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. This hand-woven carpet was produced by Iran Carpet Company (ICC) at the order of the Diwan of the Royal Court of Sultanate. The carpet measures over 70 ×, and covers the 4,343 m2 area of the praying hall.

Another design feature of the interior is the predominant tilework of Persian Kashi design known as "Lavish Safavid Splendour." These designs draw influence from as far back as the Mongol Ilkhanid Dynasty (1256-1353 AD), when the ruler Mahmud Ghazan (1295-1304 AD) embraced Islam. This absorbance of the Islamic culture resulted in a prolific change in the regions architecture and arts, including the tile production in Kashan. This, in turn, led to the word for these regional tile design, "kashi." The subsequent patronage of the Safavids (16th-18th C) brought about new color schemes as well as an emphasis on new geometric features. The selection of these features exhibited in the mosque are contemporary, depicting flowers of heaven.

Another form of interior tilework exhibited in the mosque are tile mosaics, and the fact that there seems to be blue and gold everywhere you look inside. The niche designs of these particular mosaics are dense and exuberant, drawing inspiration from Persian, Ottoman, and Central Asian styles and motifs, resulting  in prolific geometrical patterns and floral designs. These designs combined with the dominant colors blue, terra cotta, and gold, creates an unmistakably undulating three-dimensional effect that draws your eyes to it.

A library that containing 20,000 reference volumes in science, Islamic culture and humanity, is safely tucked behind the southern corridors of the mosque. This visible screen also houses the Institute of Islamic Sciences, a place where young people go to learn religious knowledge, as well a dedicated meeting hall to host numerous seminars, capable of accommodating up to three hundred people.

As described during its construction, the inside of the mosque’s main hall is completely covered with white and dark grey marble. These walls are subsequently decorated with murals in a similar fashion of the tilework and other mosaics, depicting leafy, organic patterns and three dimensional geometrical designs. The main room has a very open floor plan, using four main pillars to carry the massive internal dome, made up of spherical triangles. Lastly, timber panels are used throughout the structure that stretch in such a way that reflects the traditional architectural of Omani ceilings.

The chandelier above the praying hall is 14 m tall and was manufactured by the Italian company Faustig. Since the mosque is 90 m high, the chandler looks proportional, but it used to be the world's largest chandelier, before again being replaced in this respect by the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. It weighs 8.5 tons, includes 600,000 crystals, 1,122 halogen bulbs complete with dimming system, and includes a staircase for maintenance within the chandelier. Thirty-four smaller chandeliers of the same design are hung in other parts of the building.

A library that containing 20,000 reference volumes in science, Islamic culture and humanity, is safely tucked behind the southern corridors of the mosque. This visible screen also houses the Institute of Islamic Sciences, a place where young people go to learn religious knowledge, as well a dedicated meeting hall to host numerous seminars, capable of accommodating up to three hundred people.