Visiting Abu Dhabi? Don’t Miss the World’s 8th Largest Mosque
I do not have the words to describe how beautiful and grand the Sheikh Zayed Mosque is. It is, in my opinion, the most imposing religious and national landmark in Abu Dhabi since it was built in 2007.
According to one of Abu Dhabi’s websites that features the mosque, the initial architectural design for the Sheikh Zayed Mosque was Moroccan, but it evolved to include many global features, including exterior walls that are of traditional Turkish design. Natural materials were chosen for its design and construction due to their long-lasting qualities, including marble, stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics.
Tours are conducted for visitors—both Muslims and non-Muslims—twice a day, except during Friday prayers; there’s a morning tour that begins around 10 am, followed by a second tour at 5 pm. Modest, conservative clothing is required. For women, abayas are provided at the entrance of the mosque; almost everyone wore the black abaya. The traditional white dishdashas are also available for men.
Queen Elizabeth II toured this mosque sometime in November when she visited the United Arab Emirates.
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque was also featured in a collection of commemorative stamps issued by Emirates Post in September 2010. Stamp denominations of AED 1 and AED 5 are available at all post offices.
On our drive back home, we found ourselves near Burj Khalifa at midnight. We pulled up besides Sheikh Zayed Road to watch the fireworks, and later got stuck in the huge traffic jam for three hours.
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simply stunning! I had never seen the inside! your pictures are fabulous, and know I really would like to see it in person. great post!
Thank you so much, ilpomodoro. Welcome to The Purple Journal!
I have not been to this mosque yet! I will defiantly take your advice and pay it a visit the next time I am in Abu Dhabi
Thanks for sharing this information
You are most welcome, SS!
having lived in Abu Dhabi as a kid, i kinda miss it at times….i hope i can visit Abu Dhabi soon, that would be just awesome
InshaAllah, Leena. And when you do visit, we’ll plan on meeting 🙂
mashaAllah what a beautiful mosque!
PS: sis, sorry to write it here, but I applied on sisterswhoblog and my request hasn’t been accepted yet… any chance to contact the Admin somehow?? 😉 jazakAllahu khayran!
um almujahid, no problem at all 🙂
It took a few days before my request was accepted. But you can write to ambermisk @ gmail dot com (she’s the founder of the site)
It was super stunning, MashaAllah. May Allah bless Shk.Zayed. Aameen
Ameen.
Oh, I forgot to tell you that I’m so glad we went there at night. I think it looks more stunning in the evening with all the lights on than during the day 🙂
Hi Nadia !
i saw the making of this mosque on Discovery Channel … but never saw how it looks when completed – it’s a Beautiful mosque no doubt … n off course thanks for sharning 🙂
Hi Sharmila! You visited after a long time … welcome back 🙂
I’d love to see the making of this mosque; I’ll check youtube and see if I can find something.
It’s gorgeous, Subhanallah!
Seeing such majestical mosque make me proud of my own religion. It represents the grandeur and elegance that comes with Islam…
But may we utilise our mosques to do da’awah works well, to do ‘amal, and to find inner peace. Quantity does not equal quality. May the erection of our mosques not become just another display to show off, insyallah.
InshaAllah! I completely agree with you, lyemoon; our masjid should be used to do da’awah and charity-related works as well. I think that’s the main reason why they offer guided tours in this masjid.
Salams Nadia!
Hope you’re doing good. Your pics are amazing as usual. I read this article : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lou-manna/photographing-food-tips_b_801172.html#s215102&title=%20%20%20%20Crack%20the%20ISO%20code. and it reminded me of you. 🙂 Thought u might find it interesting. Tc keep clicking away!
Walaikum Assalam, Alisha! Loved that article, thank you so much for sharing the link here. It’s really very sweet of you *hugs*
*hugs back* glad u liked it! 🙂
Masya-Allah, the masjid is stunning at night. I instantly fall in love with the interior design. So beautiful! And grand! But I agree with lymoon. Let’s pray that this is not another one of the ‘show off’ kind of thing. Imagine if it is so… the wealth used to build this masjid is sufficient enough to be shared with our poor brothers and sisters in need all over the world.
But then again, I pray one day I can be there to witness its beauty with my own eyes, Insya-Allah. Thanks, Nadia. Great pics you got there. Wish I could be an expert like you. 😉
Ati, inshaAllah you will 🙂
You are most welcome, sis; I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures. You’ll be shooting stunning pictures yourself soon, so don’t forget to share them on the blog!
Salaam Nadia!
MashaAllah your photos are absolutely beautiful ♥
I remembering seeing this back in 2006 on my first and only trip to AD. Back then it reminded of the Wizard of Oz…it was absolutely beautifully back then being under construction still…I can only imagine what it looks like up close and in person 🙂
Walaikum Assalam MaryAnn!
So much has changed in Abu Dhabi since 2006, so you are due to pay another visit 😀 I’m sure you’ll love this masjid.
How beautiful!! I’m fond of Islamic architecture! Wish one day I’ll travel Arabic countries..
Harebeat, the Middle East is a unique experience. I hope you get to visit this part of the world one day (during the cooler months, of course :D)
What’s the temperature at the hottest?)
50 something ºC, plus humidity that makes even choking difficult.
Wow! No, that’s too much! 🙂
it’s a beautiful mosque and I am glad we were able to visit it (even though it was at noon). It definitely looks much better at night.
Mezba, welcome back! 🙂
Beautiful grand mosque. Lovely pictures as well.
Hi Nadia,
I’ve heard that this mosque is the 3rd largest mosque in the world..
Hello Fasna! Isn’t the Al-Aqsa Masjid in Jerusalem the third? Anyway, I’ll double check.
Thank you for stopping by!