The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, located in the capital emirate of Abu Dhabi, is the largest in the United Arab Emirates. The late president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, envisioned a historical mosque, the culmination of modern Islamic architecture, linking the past with the present in a harmonious melody. The construction of the mosque began in November 1996 and was inaugurated in December 2007. The mosque can hold up to 50,000 people. The building complex measures approximately 290 by 420 m, covering an area of more than 12 hectares, excluding exterior landscaping and vehicle parking.
The location of the enormous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque plays a key role in attracting viewers, as it is distinctly visible from the three main bridges connecting the island to the mainland, the Maqta, Mussafah, and the Sheikh Zayed Bridge so that anyone entering the city can’t help but marvel at the beauty of the mosque. One can also view the entire mosque from Wahat al-Karama, a war memorial across the mosque. The mosque was designed by Syrian architect Youssef Abdelke and three other architectural designers from Syria: Basem Barghouti, Moataz Al-Halabi, and Imad Malas.
Central Architectural Features
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is built in three styles: Mughal, Moorish, and Ottoman. Ottoman architecture is known for its domes, ceramics, and sense of weightlessness; Mughal for its uniform appearance; and Moorish for its arches and gardens. The coming together of three different architectural styles is what makes the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque unique. The mosque is distinguished by its pure white SIVEC marble cladding, with marbles sourced from Macedonia.
Domes
The mosque has 82 domes in varying sizes, with the largest located in the centre of the main prayer hall. The inside of the domes features traditional Moroccan artwork that has been made from glass fibre-reinforced gypsum (GRG). Verses from the Holy Quran are moulded from GRG, painted in gold, and inscribed on the inside of the domes. The male and female ablution facilities are underground, and the roofs of those facilities are marked with 14 green glass domes that are visible above the ground. This showcases a unique feature of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s Islamic garden design.
Minarets
Minarets are a key feature of Islamic architecture. The four minarets of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are each 106 meters high. The base of the minaret is a square influenced by the Arabic Moroccan architectural style, followed by an octagonal trunk influenced by the Mamluk era, followed by a cylinder influenced by the Ottoman era. The crowning lantern, covered with a gold-glass mosaic, is influenced by the Fatimid era. The rectangular reflecting pools surrounding the mosque extend over 7874 sq m and are tiled in different shades of blue to reflect the magnificent arcades and columns of the mosque.
Columns
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has a total of 1096 columns around the arcade. The white marble panels are inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone shell, and nacre, the design of which was inspired by the local date palm. The three main domes are supported by 96 internal columns, which stand in groups of four and are clad with white pure marble inlaid with mother-of-pearl vines. This artwork was handmade predominantly in Dongguan, China.
Carpets
The carpet in the main prayer hall is a unique feature of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It is the largest hand-knotted carpet in the world, with 2,268,000,000 knots. The final single-piece carpet is 5,700 sq m, with about 70% wool and the rest of 30% cotton. The weight of this carpet is 35 tons, and it is predominantly made from wool originating from New Zealand and Iran.
Chandeliers
For the decor of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, seven chandeliers incorporated with millions of Swarovski crystals were imported from the company Faustig in Munich, Germany. The chandeliers are designed in the shape of upturned palm trees, which are considered a symbol of prosperity in the UAE. The largest chandelier in the mosque, which weighs approximately 12 tons, is the second-largest known chandelier inside a mosque and the third-largest in the world. It has a 10 m diameter and a 15 m height and is located in the main prayer hall.
Courtyard
The courtyard (sahan) of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an expansive and welcoming space where Islamic prayers and large gatherings take place. The courtyard, which is approximately 17400 sq m, is made of fine marble pieces, and the edges are adorned with floral patterns of flowers grown in the Middle East, such as tulips, lilies, and irises. The designs were illustrated by British artist Kevin Dean and are considered to be the largest example of a marble mosaic in the world.
Lighting
The lighting design of the mosque by Speirs and Major Associates is one of its unique features. It is synced to the lunar cycle, where the lighting schedule of the mosque changes every two evenings from cool white during a full moon to gradually deeper blue as the moon wanes. And on the fourteenth night of the cycle, the mosque is lit in its deepest blue, which signifies the ‘no moon’ in the sky. This creates an illusion of “a building that breathes with the moon.”
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a breathtaking amalgamation of tradition and modernity, a structure honouring the past while looking to the future. It is a beautiful reminder of the vision of the late president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and showcases the culmination of the UAE’s tradition and modernity.
Citations:
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (2019) Abu Dhabi Culture. Available at: https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/experience/historic-landmarks/sheikh-zayed-grand-mosque (Accessed: 12 April 2024).
General Architecture (2016) Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre. Available at: https://www.szgmc.gov.ae/en/ (Accessed: 12 April 2024).
✅ Sheikh Zayed Mosque – Data, Photos & Plans (2020) WikiArquitectura. Available at: https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/sheikh-zayed-mosque/ (Accessed: 12 April 2024).
