Your visit to the capital city of the United Arab Emirates is certainly in vain without paying a visit to the Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque as per best travel blog. The grand mosque is humongous and beautiful. It is a great example of modern Islamic architecture. One of the first places I always wanted to visit was the Sheikh Zayed mosque. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is simply the best place you will visit in Abu Dhabi.
Establishment of the Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque was designed by Syrian architect Yousef Abdelky, it was constructed between 1996 and 2007, it covers more than 30 acres area, it is perfectly aligned in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late president of the UAE, launched the project.
Architectural beauty
Ottoman, Mamluk and Fatimid architectural styles have been combined to make the beautiful design of Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque Minarets.
Greece, Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Austria, India, New Zealand, and China are the main countries from where a variety of building materials were sourced.
You can see the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet in the main prayer hall, Around 1,200 workers made this 5,700 square meters carpet. It took around 20 months make it and 2 months to transport, trim and weave the pieces together.
The chandelier in the main prayer hall weighs around 12 tons and is one of the largest chandeliers used in a mosque. Faustig, a Germany-based firm specializing in crystal chandeliers, supplied seven crystal chandeliers housed in Sheikh Zayed Mosque. Gilded stainless steel and brass have been used to make these chandeliers. Approximately 40kg of 24 karats galvanized gold has also been used.
Persian and Mughal architectural styles inspired the design of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.
Photography pointers
Please be careful while taking photographs as it’s a religious place. Follow the signs and use your common sense before posing.
Best time to visit
The Grand Mosque is completely air-conditioned hence, heat is not a problem, you might like to visit the mosque during the day as well as in the evening to see the grand lights.
Timings to visit
Opens every day, Saturday to Thursday 09:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Fridays 04:30 PM to 10 PM (Morning time is reserved for people coming for prayer only)
During the Ramadan, visiting hours are Saturday to Thursday from 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM
Fridays are closed to visitors.
Dress appropriately
Just keep in mind that it’s a religious site which you are visiting, so behave accordingly. Wear full-length cloths covering your entire body. Mosque gives a full-length dress called Abaya free of cost so that you can enter the mosque gracefully.
How to get there
Admission to the mosque is free, it is 01:30 Hour’s drive from Dubai, from Abu Dhabi airport mosque, is 20 minutes drive. It is easy to get taxis from Dubai or any other place.
