Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, located in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, is one of the largest mosques in the world. It is the key place of worship for daily prayers. During Eid, it was visited by more than 41,000 people.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque architecture
It is an architectural masterpiece in its own right. It combines various architectural styles. The mosque features 82 domes and was built under the orders of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan as a symbol representing the message of peace, tolerance and coexistence preached by Islam. The largest of the domes is located in the centre of the main prayer hall. The domes feature pure white marble cladding, onion shaped ‘crowns’, and crescent-shaped finials decorated with gold-glass mosaic.
Artistic glass work is another important innovation in the architecture of the mosque. Mosaic, carved and sand-blasted glass, displays traditional Islamic designs of symmetry and repetition.
In 2004, when Sheikh Zayed died he was buried in the courtyard of the mosque.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Other facilities
The mosque administration offices are housed in the west minarets. The library is located in the northeast minaret. The collection comprises material in a broad range of languages, including Arabic, English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Korean. For two years running, it was voted the world’s second favorite landmark by TripAdvisor.
The 99 names (qualities or attributes) of God (Allah) are featured on the Qibla wall in traditional Kufic calligraphy. The Qibla wall also features subtle fibre-optic lighting, which is integrated as part of the organic design.
The mosque can accommodate over 40,000 worshippers, while the main prayer hall can hold over 7,000. There are two smaller prayer halls, with a capacity of 1,500 each, one of which is the women’s prayer hall.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Minarets
There are four minarets on the four corners of the courtyard which rise about 107 m in height. The courtyard, with its floral design, measures about 17,000 m2, and is considered to be the largest example of marble mosaic in the world.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque carpet
The carpet in the in the main prayer hall measures 5,627 m2, and was made by around 1,200-1,300 carpet knotters. This carpet is said to be the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet. The total project took two years, including eight months for the design and 12 months for the knotting.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque chandeliers
The mosque has seven chandeliers imported from Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier has 10 m diameter and a 15 m height.
