During my stay at Abu Dhabi, I had the chance to take a very interesting and informative tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque here in Abu Dhabi. It’s a free tour, so I highly recommend it when you come to visit Abu Dhabi.
It’s definitely an impressive and big mosque It’s currently listed as the 8th largest in the world, according to this blog, and it can hold 40,000 to 50,000 people (some of whom arrive 2+ hours early for Fridays prayer.
Somehow, the configuration of the stones in the middle courtyard makes them cool despite being directly in the sun on a 100 F degree day. Apparently it’s because they’re fairly small and white, but it’s hard to believe when you take off your shoes and step on it.
Each dome is topped with real gold, which is part of the reason the cost is so far estimated at $545 million. The Mosque is home to the world’s largest carpet (handmade by over 1,000 people in Iran) and the world’s largest chandelier (made in Germany) and cost around AED 30 million.
The wall also has an interesting glow that subtly moves from vine to vine, creating a cool effect if you’re paying attention. The Mosque is lit with different colors at night depending on the phase of the moon .
Apparently every mosque has an area like this which used to allow the prayers to echo more. Today, they just use microphones, which is good because the calls to prayer done at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque are transmitted to all mosques in Abu Dhabi (over 1,000 mosques).
I really liked this side room to the main prayer room.
Overall, I really love Sheikh Zayed Mosque and it is a must-visit place for those who planning to visit Abu Dhabi.
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