Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Photos : Interior, Chandelier, Calligraphy and More

by Hilya Safa · Published September 14, 2015 · Updated August 7, 2016

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Pictures

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one of the magnificent and famous mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE. One that so its appeal is open indefinitely to tourists of all faiths and even atheists. Curious? Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque can be regarded as one of the largest mosques in the world. Obviously, the extent reached 22,412 square meters which is equivalent to five football fields, and can accommodate more than 40,000 worshipers. Not to mention, the mosque is surrounded by beautiful pools. But, that’s not the main attraction of this mosque.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Pictures

According to the BBC Travel website, the appeal of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the diversity of cultures in it. Just so you know, the style of the building is a mixture of two different architectural styles. Namely Mughal (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) and Moors (Moroccan). Then, the carpet in it came from Iran that the material is made of genuine wool from New Zealand. This mosque has minarets with various styles. Some of them are Egyptian-style tower and tower-style Turkey. Then, in the prayer hall there is a chandelier weighing two tons, waow !! And the chandelier is referred to as the largest chandelier in the world are made in Germany.

You could say, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a reflection of various cultures that exist in the world. It is also the idea of Sheikh Zayed, the builder of the mosque and a key figure who sparked the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This mosque was built starting in 1996 and completed in 2007. Unfortunately, Sheikh Zayed died in 2004 so he could not see the mosque. Construction of the mosque was continued by his son.

When it comes to grandeur, you can only shake your head. Chandelier in the prayer room called the largest in the world, adorned by 40 million Swarovski crystals. Talk about the carpet, the carpet in the prayer room has an area of 5,700 square meters which is done by 12 thousand craftsmen carpet for 16 months. The carpet designer is the third generation of Ali Khaliqi, maestro designers and famous artists from Iran.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque grandeur was not only for Muslims. This mosque can be visited by all religions indefinitely. This is a vision initiated by Sheikh Zayed. “Everyone should go to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, either Jewish or atheist. This mosque is not only used as a place of Muslim worship, but a place of cultural exchange.” said a tour guide, Leila Ahmed.

In fact, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque also has a library in the north, with a collection of books on Islamic knowledge, Islamic history, Islamic cultures and calligraphy. A unique, published books there are in English, French, German, Italian and Korean. During the month of Ramadan, tourists were allowed into the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Mosque tourist regular schedule starts at 09:00 to 22:00 local time. When Friday, tour the mosque opened at 16:30 to 22:00 because there Friday prayers.

Not surprisingly, the number of visits at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque reached an average of 1 million tourists per year. Tourists who want to visit this mosque are required to wear decent clothes. Female tourist will lend the veil before entering the mosque. “Cultural diversity and anyone who may come to the mosque, it is so distinctive of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque,” added Leila Ahmed.