Secret Facts About Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
How much is the entry?
How to get there from Dubai?
If you are staying in Dubai the cheapest and easiest way how to get there is to go by bus. A return ticket from Dubai Metro station IBN Battuta to Abu Dhabi’s main bus station costs 50 AED = £10 and a taxi from the Abu Dhabi station to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque costs about 35 AED = £7. We went there with 2 couples so we shared the taxi = saving money. The final cost for the two of us was only 135 AED = £27.
We could go on a tour which starts from 400 AED = £80 per person or we could rent a taxi for 8 hours for 800 AED = £160, but then every extra hour costs 100 AED. Check out my vlog to find out all the details you need to know before going to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Enjoy!
The 3rd largest mosque in the World
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the third largest mosque in the world. It took 11 years to build this mosque and the cost is 2 billion dirhams = more than £400 million. The mosque is large enough to accommodate over 41,000 worshippers of which 7000 in the main mosque.
The largest example of marble mosaic in the World
The courtyard with its floral design measures about 17,000 m2, and is considered to be the largest example of marble mosaic in the world.
Marble used in the construction included:
– Sivec from Prilep, North Macedonia was used on the external cladding (115,119 m2 (1,239,130 sq ft) of cladding has been used on the mosque, including the minarets)
– Lasa from Laas, South Tyrol, Italy was used in the internal elevations
– Makrana from Makrana, India was used in the annexes and offices
– Acquabianca and Bianco P from Italy
– East White and Ming Green from China
The largest hand-knotted carpet in the World
The carpet in the main prayer hall is considered to be the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet designed by an Iranian artist. The weight of this carpet is 35 tons and is predominantly made from wool.
The third-largest chandelier in the world
The mosque has 7 chandeliers that were made in Germany incorporating millions of Swarovski crystals and 24 carats of gold. The chandelier in the main mosque is the third largest chandelier in the world.
Strict Dresscode
There is a strict dress code:
– Women – hair covered and long dress, if you come inappropriately dressed, they will borrow you ABAYA for free.
– Men – trousers have to cover at least the knees and the T-Shirt must cover the shoulders if you come inappropriately dressed, they will borrow you THOBE for free.
Strict rules for taking photos
You have to be very careful while taking photos because the mosque security will ask you to delete the photos immediately or even leave the mosque. For example, you are not allowed to have your hands up while taking a photo.
The singer Rihanna received negative criticism for taking photographs, with the Mosque in the background, during a private visit. During the incident, she was reported to have posed in a manner deemed offensive and provocative. The staff asked her to leave following the incident.
More recently, Selena Gomez was criticized by Instagram users for posing for pictures at the mosque with her ankle shown.
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