The Heart of Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is a pearl, so unique and so beautiful. It is in our top favorite cities ever visited. Here, the modernity perfectly embraces the tradition. Abu Dhabi is a city true to its roots and culture.
For most people it may look like a new developed, all glass buildings, modern city. I want to contradict them and tell that even though it may look modern and polished, every element is true to their culture, beliefs and traditions. We respect that and value our time spent there.
Abu Dhabi is a city that respects tourists, who respects their citizens. There are plenty of places to see, to have fun and to appreciate. Some of the most popular are: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World, Warner Bros World and Heritage Village.
We’ve seen them and we do have the funnies story to tell about Ferrari World, but I will leave it for an upcoming article. Today, I am excited to talk about the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
If Abu Dhabi is a beautiful pearl, this magnificent structure for sure is the most beautiful diamond necklace. The Grand Mosque is shiny and beautiful as a diamond, but also very close to one’s heart, exactly like a necklace. It is impressive how one can feel so little in this house of prayer.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an architectural wonder, that broke records and didn’t fail to impress. It is so beautiful, that words are not enough to describe it. For me, it is the most precious memory that I have in the United Arab Emirates.
The broken records
It is one of the biggest places of worship in the entire world.
- The entire complex is built in an area of over 12 hectares
- The Grand Mosque can accommodate 40100 worshipers
- The courtyard is covered in marble mosaic and measures about 17,000 m2 square meters, and it is the biggest marble mosaic in the world.
- The carpet in the hall, is the world’s largest carpet, measuring 5,627 m2
- Millions of Swarovski Crystals were used to decorate the 7 huge chandeliers
The Visit
If you stay in Dubai, you can book online, or at the hotel, a day trip to Abu Dhabi. Most of them, will include the Abu Dhabi Mosque. If you rented a car, you can go there by yourself. All you need to remember, that for a do-it-yourself trip, you will need to prebook your visit. This way, you will not have the surprise that the mosque is over crowded or the parking space is full. There is no entry fee applicable, it is a place of worship and it is free.
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Respect
Even though there is no entry fee, they are asking just one little thing: respect. The rules imposed are made to respect the house of prayer.
Some of the rules are:
Dress code – women: no skirts and shorts, no trousers, no see-through clothes, no tight/body revealing clothes, no short sleeve blouses, no big brand or profanities displayed.
-men: no shorts, no short sleeve tops
Here, or any other house of worship, you will have to dress humble and be covered. This in not the place for a public display of body. For those who understand, they are welcomed.
At the entrance, they provide women with abayas (dress that is traditional in Arabic world, that covers the entire body) that has a hood attached. You need to keep your head covered all the time.
As another rule, don’t manifest your love in public. In the Islamic world, it is forbidden and very disrespectful to do that. They are very careful with it. As a matter of fact, being captured by the beauty of the courtyard, we wanted to take a selfie and, in a moment, when we didn’t pay attention, my husband touched my shoulder and a guard gave us a warning. It was an involuntary act, we didn’t plan it or made it with other purposes, but it can happen, so pay attention.
Is it worth your time?
It is. Whoever has the chance to arrive in Abu Dhabi or has a holiday planned in Dubai, should reserve a day just for Abu Dhabi.
The visit of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque will take from 90 min up to 2 and a half hours. It is so big and impressive, that you will not pay attention to the clock. Some of the most important things to admire in here are: the central courtyard, the Sheikh Zayed Mausoleum, the foyer, the main Prayer Hall (in quiet and respect) with its chandeliers and the reflective pools.
The true fact is that the whole complex is so perfectly designed and so beautiful, that you will not be very attentive to which exact spot are you in or at the must visit list. Everything should be seen and admired.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is impressive, beautiful and worthy of your time and admiration. For us it was, and forever will be so:
Travelicious, that we want to return.