10 Facts: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi (2024)

Planning to visit Abu Dhabi? Your tour of the UAE capital

will not be complete without visiting the Grand Mosque. One of the largest and most beautiful mosques in the world has some interesting facts.

It is not only a beautiful architecture but the intricate details that make up this luxurious mosque in Abu Dhabi make it one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

1. One of the largest mosques in the world.

The mosque covers about 12 hectares of land with an area of 290 meters (960 ft) by 420 meters (1380 ft). In fact, it is the third largest mosque in the world after the mosque in Mecca and Medina (Saudi Arabia).

2. It can accommodate a large number of worshippers

Did you know that the Abu Dhabi grand mosque can accommodate about 41,000 worshippers at the same time? About 41,000 people can go here to worship and the main hall can accommodate a large crowd of 10,000.

3. Materials used to build the mosque were imported from different countries.

The designers sourced building materials from different countries such as New Zealand, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Pakistan, Italy, Germany, Austria, China, and India.

4. A mix of designs

The grand mosque has minarets which are a combination of Mamluk, Ottoman, and Fatimid architectural designs.

5. The world’s largest hand-knotted carpet

The main prayer hall carpet is the largest hand-knotted carpet in the world. It took about 8 months to finish the design, a year to knot it and 2 months to bring it in one place and knot it all together. About 1,200 workers worked hard to create this carpet of about 5,700 meters.

6. Crystal Chandeliers

Faustig, a German-based firm specializing in crystal chandeleiers, made the seven Sheikh Zayed Mosque crystal chandeliers. It weighs 12 tons and one of the largest in the world, made from stainless steel and brass and 24 karats of gold.

7. Various sizes of domes

There are about 82 domes in the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. The largest one is located at the center of the main hall. The inner parts of domes are made with Moroccan artistry.

8. Unique Lighting System

This unique lighting system is made in a way that it will resemble the phases of the moon. There are a total of 22 light towers which project clouds in ‘bluish gray’ color outside the mosque. Every night, this light changes according to the phase of the moon. How cool is that?

9. Persian & Mughal Architecture

Influenced by the Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque in Alexandria, Egypt, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is inspired by Persian & Mughal architecture.

10. Construction took 11 years to finish

The construction of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque began in 1996 and finished in 2007. Over 3,000 workers and 38 contractors who worked together to finish this mosque. Finally in 2007, it was opened to the public.