Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque stands in the heart of Abu Dhabi as a memorial to the founder of the modern Emirates. Construction began in 1996, and craftspeople from countries ranging from India and Italy to Egypt and China contributed to its design. The mosque opened in 2007, and tourists were admitted for the first time a year later. Its architecture blends Arab, Persian, Moorish and Indian influences. Eighty-two marble domes rise above the complex, dominated by an enormous central dome, one of the largest in the world. Four minarets over one hundred metres high emphasise the building’s scale. The white walls are decorated with floral inlays of semi-precious stones, while calm reflecting pools mirror the domes and golden details, deepening the sense of grandeur and tranquillity.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is associated with many remarkable facts. When it opened, its main chandelier entered Guinness World Records: the immense structure weighs almost 12 tonnes and is as tall as a three-storey building. Another record-holder lies in the prayer hall, a vast carpet made in Iran by more than a thousand craftspeople from tens of tonnes of wool, covering thousands of square metres and containing millions of knots. The complex’s lighting is highly symbolic: its colours change each evening with the phases of the moon and the Islamic calendar, becoming especially expressive during Ramadan. The courtyard contains an enormous marble mosaic of tulips, lilies and irises, while the interior is defined by complete symmetry, with the eastern side mirroring the western side down to the smallest detail.