When you enter the Grand Mosque you must take your shoes off in this area, the outer courtyard. You can see a beautiful flower design in the marble. The flowers were used to remind worshipers of the perfect gardens in heaven while they pray. This courtyard is white marble and is inlaid with precious stones. It is about the size of a football field, and it is breathtaking. Before a Muslim enters this area he or she must wash in a ritual cleansing. They are sure to wash their mouths so they will rid themselves of evil speech (gossip, swearing). They wash their heads to rid themselves of evil thoughts. They wash their hands to rid themselves of the actions they may have performed, and then they wash their feet because they are dirty. After washing they are pure before Allah (God).
This is the prayer rug in the main room of the mosque. It is the largest singular piece of carpet in the world. It is woven of New Zealand Wool. It took 26 Iranian women to craft the carpet. It was constructed in 9 pieces and then joined together inside of the mosque. The carpet weighs 35 tons and is 6000 meters squared.
Here is a close- up picture of one of the inlaid flowers. This is actually inside of the mosque on a pillar. Notice the colors? The stones that are inlaid are mother of pearl, amethyst, jade, onyx, sapphire and . . . I forget the yellow one - sorry! This method is used to decorate the inside of the mosque (which is air conditioned) as well as the courtyard.
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