Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan Grand Masjid- Abudhabi

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Masjid, Abu Dhabi is named after the revered His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He was the president of UAE and the masjid was named after him to pay respect to his achievements."The mosque is dedicated to the father of the nation, whose vision was founded on dialogue between religions, civilisations and cultures,"

The biggest mosque in the UAE and considered within the Top 10 biggest mosques in the world.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Masjid, which is built in pure marble, is an amazing place to be at.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Masjid, Abu Dhabi is spread over an area of 22, 000 square meters. Some surprising facts about this beautiful place of worship stun the traveler. Some 210,000 cubic metres of concrete and 33,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement was used in its construction.

The exquisite Sheikh Zayed Grand Masjid, have the capacity to hold at least 30, 000 worshipers at a time.
The architectural design of the mosque as a landmark building focused on the factors that would make a lasting impression on the worshiper.
Biggest Carpet: The centrepiece is a 6,000 square metre (64,583 square feet) hand-made Persian carpet, said to be the biggest in the world. 1200 Iranian women spent 2 years weaving the carpet, weighing in at a huge 45 tonnes. The carpet covers the floor of the main prayer hall at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which can accommodate up to 9,000 faithful.


The mosque has four minarets on the four corners of the mosque with a height of about 107 metres each. The mosque consists of 57 domes covering the outside yards, main and side entrances. All the domes of the mosque are decorated with white marble and the interior decor was made of the white gypsum. The best types of the colored floral marble and mosaics have been used to pave the courtyard of the mosque which is about 17,000 square metres.

The mosque has achieved three entries into the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest carpet, the biggest chandelier as well as the largest dome of its kind in the world.The Qibla wall, on the other hand, is 23 metres high and 50 metres wide, and is subtly decorated so as not to distract worshippers from prayer. The 99 names (qualities) of Allah are featured on the Qibla wall using traditional Kufi calligraphy and are subtly back-illuminated using fibre-optic lighting. Twenty-four carat gold, gold leaf and gold glass mosaic were also used in the mehrab (the niche found in the middle of the Qibla wall) and the crescents topping the domes.Furthermore the Mosque features seven 24-carat gold-plated chandeliers which were imported from Germany, all designed with thousands of Swarovski crystals. The largest of these chandeliers, which hangs from the main dome of the Mosque, is considered the biggest in the world; it measures 10 meters in diameter, 15 metres in height, and eight-to-nine tonnes in weight.The Mosque has 80 Iznikpanels - highly decorated ceramic tiles popular in the 16th century - which feature distinctly in Istanbul’s imperial and religious buildings. Traditionally hand-crafted, each tile was designed by Turkish calligrapher Othman Agha. Three calligraphy styles - Naskhi, Thuloth and Kufi – are used throughout the mosque and were drafted by Mohammed Mendi (UAE), Farouk Haddad (Syria) and Mohammed Allam (Jordan). The Mosque can accommodate up to 40,960 worshippers from its prayer halls and courtyard.

Biggest Dome: The main dome is also "the biggest" mosque dome in the world, 75 metres (246 feet) high with a 32.2-metre (105.6 feet) diametre.
Biggest Chandelier: One of seven German-made chandeliers. It is 10-metre (32.8 feet) tall, 10-metre wide and weighs nine tonnes."Built 100% with Italian marble, the mosque has four 107-metre tall minarets, 82 domes of seven different sizes, 96 columns inside and 1,048 outside,"

The mosque was built by thousands of workers, nearly all from the Asian subcontinent, were involved in building the mosque, he said. The sculptors were Moroccan.

Thousands of rare and semi-precious stones, some encrusted in marble, have been used to decorate the structure.

The centrepiece of the mosque is a 6,000 square metre hand-made Persian carpet, said to be the biggest in the world.

"More than 1,200 women from the Khorasan region in eastern Iran spent two years weaving the carpet, which weighs 45 tonnes and cost more than $8.5 million," Al-Ameri said.

The carpet covers the floor of the main prayer hall, which can accommodate up to 9,000 worshippers.

Two rooms next to the main prayer hall, with a 1,500-capacity each, are for the exclusive use of women, who can follow sermons delivered by prayer leaders on giant television screens. Islam requires men and women to pray separately.

The main dome is also claimed to be "the biggest" mosque dome in the world, according to Al-Ameri, who said it is 75 metres high with a 32.2-metre diameter.

Another breathtaking piece is a huge crystal chandelier in the main prayer hall, one of seven German-made chandeliers costing more than $8 million. It is 10 metres tall, 10 metres wide and weighs nine tonnes.

The total cost of the mosque has been at more than two billion dirhams ($545 million), Al-Suleimani said.

Dress and Behaviour Code

Visitors must be dressed appropriately on arrival; if not, entry will be denied.

• - Modest, conservative, loose fitting clothing; long sleeves, long skirts and trousers
• - No transparent (see-through) clothing
• - No shorts for men
• - No shorts and skirts must be ankle length
• - No tight clothing, no swimwear and no beachwear.
• - Shoes will be removed before entering the mosque, so we recommend slip off shoes
• - Headscarf for ladies is essential (these can be provided when you arrive)
• - Intimate behaviour; i.e. holding hands or kissing is not acceptable in a Muslim place of worship
• - For safety and respect to worshippers, visitors should stay within the areas of the mosque that are permitted and not roam freely around. Smoking and food are not allowed in the mosque area
• - Visitors are requested not to touch the Holy Quran (Holy Book) and other architectural elements inside the main prayer hall