The 3 billion dirham mosque, which was built using the best construction materials from around the globe, is equivalent to around the size of five football fields and can accommodate 40,960 worshippers.
More than 3,000 workers and 38 renowned contracting companies took part in the mosque’s construction, using artisans and materials from countries such as Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, Turkey, Iran, China, Greece and the UAE.
The mosque features 82 domes of Moroccan design, all decorated with white marble. The main dome’s outer shell measures 32.8 meters in diameter and stands at a height of 70 meters from the inside and 85 meters from the outside — the largest of its kind, according to the Turkish Research Center for Islamic History and Culture.
The mosque has about 1,000 columns in its outer areas which are clad with more than 20,000 marble panels inlaid with semi-precious stones, including Lapis Lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone shell and mother of pearl. The 96 columns in the main prayer hall are round in shape and inlaid with mother of pearl. Additionally, the mosque has four beautiful minarets standing at almost 107 meters each at the four corners of the mosque. Reflective pools, totaling 7,874 sq meters and laden with dark tiles, surround the mosque, whilst colored floral marble and mosaics pave the 17,000 sq meter courtyard which is decorated with white marble from Greece.
Its interior is decorated with Italian white marble and inlaid floral designs adorn the prayer halls. Interior walls have decorative gold glass mosaic features, particularly delicate on the western wall. The main glass door of the mosque is 12.2 meters high, 7 meters wide and weighs about 2.2 tons. The main prayer hall features the world’s largest chandelier under the main dome — being 10 meters in diameter, 15 meters in height and weighing over 9 tons. The mosque’s seven colored chandeliers from Germany feature thousands of Swarovski crystals from Austria and some glasswork from Italy and cost about 30 million dirhams.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center is keen on identifying visitors and briefing them on the features of the structure which portray the aesthetics of the Islamic art and the peculiarities in Abu Dhabi, through continuous tours from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. every day.
A number of UAE guides provide a detailed explanation about the mosque and its architectural significance in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the region. Visitors also praise the center's library, including its books, rare manuscripts and encyclopedias about the Islam, its civilization and relationship with the rest of the world civilizations, making it a distinct regional and international reference in this regard.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs is sponsored and supported by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of presidential affairs.
