A Visit to Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

The Middle East offers many exquisite tourist attractions, including the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Without seeing this site, an excursion to Abu Dhabi is not complete.

There are 82 remarkable domes, soaring minarets, and acres of shining white marble that make up the magnificent sacred structure. The mosque is also record-breaking, being the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the third-largest in the world, with a housing capacity of over 40,000 worshippers and visitors. This mosque receives millions of visitors every year, who either come to worship or sight-see.

The mosque is named after one of the founders of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who proposed its creation in 1996. It was named to honor his memory after passing before its completion in 2008. He was buried in the courtyard of the mosque.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a great place to visit because of its symbolic significance and elegant blend of European and Middle Eastern architecture, like its Ottoman and Mamluk architectural styles and its Middle Eastern style doorways. Moreover, it reflects the advancement of contemporary Islamic architecture because it included the involvement of architects and workers from different parts of the world, like the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, and Egypt.

The mosque has many beautiful attractions worth seeing, like its gold-plated Swarovski chandeliers, which are said to be the largest chandelier ever in a mosque. Also, one of its many appeals is its Guinness World Record-winning carpet, believed to be the largest hand-woven ever made. It was described as very heavy and took two planes to transport it.

For tourists who want to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, there is a schedule and certain rules they must follow. For example, there is a strict dress code for men and women who wish to enter the mosque. Women, for instance, are not allowed to have their hair open in the mosque or wear clothes that reveal their shoulders and knees. The same goes for men, except they don't need to cover their hair. To make this rule easier to adhere to, the mosque provides women hair covers or abayas free of charge.

With regards to the schedule of the mosque, it has it available on its official site. Its regular hours run Saturday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm, with its last entry passes being granted at 09:30 pm. On the other hand, on Fridays, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is open from 9:00 am but closes at noon for Friday prayers. Then, it reopens to the public from 3:30 pm to 10:00 pm, with its last entry passes being granted at 09:30 pm.

In addition, it is worth noting that the schedule is different during the holy month of Ramadan, which is usually between April and May. Therefore, it does not have a predetermined opening time and varies during that period. So, its official site comes in handy here.