The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — built between 1996 and 2007 on the orders of the founding president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (whose tomb is within the mosque grounds), and designed by a team of international architects led by Syrian architect Yousef Abdelky — is one of the largest and most architecturally extraordinary mosques in the world: a building of 22,000 worshippers capacity (40,000 on special occasions such as Eid al-Fitr), its brilliant white Macedonian marble exterior reflecting in the surrounding water pools with an effect of extraordinary purity, its 82 domes and 4 minarets (each 107 metres tall) visible across Abu Dhabi's western approach. The mosque is one of only three mosques in the world that welcome non-Muslim visitors — and it is unquestionably the most architecturally accessible and visitor-welcoming of them — making it simultaneously a functioning place of Islamic worship and one of the most visited tourist attractions in the Arabian Peninsula.
The statistics of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque give some sense of its scale and its commitment to quality: 1,000 columns of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones (lapis lazuli, abalone, amethyst, red agate and mother of pearl), 24-carat gold-plated chandeliers decorated with Swarovski crystal (the main prayer hall has the world's largest chandelier, at 10 metres in diameter and 15 metres in height, weighing 12 tonnes), and the world's largest hand-knotted carpet (covering the 5,627 square metres of the main prayer hall, containing 2.268 billion knots, weighing 47 tonnes — knotted by 1,200 Iranian artisans and assembled from 35 pieces over two years). The overall effect is of a building assembled from the finest materials in the world with a consistent level of craftsmanship that places it among the most extraordinary interiors in human architecture.
The Main Prayer Hall & Chandeliers
The main prayer hall — the largest single covered space in the mosque, entered through a sequence of outer courtyards and colonnaded walkways, its floor covered by the extraordinary Iranian carpet and its ceiling decorated by the three enormous chandeliers (the largest in the world) whose Swarovski crystal and 24-carat gold-plated fittings reflect across the marble below — is one of the finest interior spaces in the contemporary world: a vast room of overwhelming decorative richness and architectural clarity, its white marble columns inlaid with floral patterns of semi-precious stones, its stained glass windows (the work of German master glassmakers, their geometric patterns inspired by traditional Islamic geometry) casting coloured light across the carpet in patterns that change through the day. Photography is permitted throughout the mosque (outside prayer times); the chandeliers and the carpet are the primary photographic subjects and reward close examination on foot through the hall. Guided tours are available free of charge at the mosque entrance (departing regularly; check the tour schedule board at the visitor centre).
The Courtyards, Columns & Reflections
The outdoor courtyards — three symmetrical marble-paved spaces connecting the entrance to the main prayer hall and surrounded by the colonnaded walkways whose columns are inlaid with the same semi-precious stone floral patterns as the interior — are the finest exterior spaces in the mosque: the central courtyard (the largest, overlooked by the main dome and the four minarets) has the reflecting pool that creates the mosque's most famous photographic effect (the building doubled in the still water at its base) and is the primary gathering space between prayers. The columns — approximately 1,000 in total, each faced in white Macedonian marble with inlaid floral designs that use 21 types of semi-precious stone — are best examined individually, as the quality of the inlay work (the individual stone pieces cut to shape and assembled into botanical designs with remarkable precision) becomes increasingly apparent the longer you look. The mosque's exterior photography (from the approach boulevard or from the far side of the reflecting pools) is the finest subject in Abu Dhabi and one of the finest architectural photography subjects in the Middle East.
Visiting Practicalities
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is open to non-Muslim visitors Saturday to Thursday, 9am–10pm (last entry 9pm); closed during the Friday prayer period (approximately 11:30am–1:30pm). Entry is free. The dress code is strictly enforced: both men and women must cover shoulders and legs; women must cover their hair (the mosque provides free abaya robes and headscarves for women who require them, available at the visitor centre entrance — functional and graciously provided). Photography is permitted everywhere except during prayer times (when the main prayer hall is in use by worshippers). Free guided tours depart from the visitor centre at scheduled times (check the board at the entrance; tours operate in English, Arabic and several other languages). The mosque is 25 minutes from Abu Dhabi city centre by taxi (approximately AED 30–40); or accessible by public bus (Bus 054 from Al Wahda Bus Station). The most dramatic photography occurs at dawn (30 minutes before sunrise, the sky turns gold behind the white marble) and at night (the mosque is dramatically illuminated after dark, reflecting in the pools).
