Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one the world’s largest mosques and a massive architectural work of art that intentionally blends different Islamic architectural schools.
The mosque was built with materials from around the world. It was built with 100,000 tonnes of white marble imported from Macedonia.
The mosque draws on classic Mamluk, Ottoman, and Fatimid architectural styles, and features a lighting system that reflects the lunar phases, projecting colors onto the mosque’s exterior that change nightly according to the moon. Its interior marries classic Middle Eastern arched doorways and geometric shapes with contemporary, innovative design.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the UAE and is believed to be the third-largest mosque in the world. Spread across 12 hectares of land, the mosque is big enough to accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers at a time.
The Grand Mosque is named after the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He was the ‘founding father’ and first-ever president of the United Arab Emirates.