Sheikh Zayed Mosque
Sheikh Zayed Mosque (White Mosque) is the most popular landmark of the United Arab Emirates.
An amazing architecture, grandiose dimensions and an unprecedented luxury make this religious shrine a truly unique construction. Millions of tourists flock to see the wonder-building - a real-life illustration of the "One Thousand and One Nights" fairy tale.
In the photo: Sheikh Zayed Mosque (Abu Dhabi) is amongst the top ten largest mosques in the world.
History of construction
The majestic mosque has been named after the founder of the UAE, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The ruler united disparate Bedouin Principalities and turned the country into one of the richest leading powers of the world.
It took 10 years to design the religious complex. 3000 specialists from 40 companies all over the world participated in the construction of the mosque. Marble was brought from Italy, Macedonia and China, luxurious chandeliers — from Germany, Swarovski crystals — from Austria. Engineering service lines were delivered from the UK and the USA.
The grand opening of the White Mosque was in 2007.
Interesting Facts:
● The area of the complex is 22,412 square meters.
● The cost of construction was $545 million.
● There is a luxurious floor carpet (a work of weaving art) in the main hall of the mosque. It is the largest carpet in the world. The carpet was made by 1200 weavers and craftsmen within two years.
● The grand hall of the mosque is decorated with seven magnificent chandeliers, each weighing 9 tons. The total cost of chandeliers was $8,2 million.
In the photo: The floor carpet and the central chandelier from the main prayer hall of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque are listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The area of the carpet is 5627 square meters, its weight - 47 tons. The diameter of the chandelier is 10 meters, the height is 15 meters.
Architectural features
The grand religious complex, built of snow-white marble, is characterized by its unthinkable scale and beyond luxurious decoration. The premises of the mosque, as well as the courtyard, are lavishly decorated with 24-carat gold.
82 large domes with golden spires dominate the monumental structure.
The marble walls of the prayer halls are decorated with gold floral patterns and multicolored mosaic. The ornament is encrusted with Swarovski crystals and semiprecious stones: amethysts, lazurites and red agates.
In the photo: Columns of the mosque are decorated with massive golden elements, colored mosaic and nacre.
The main prayer hall of the mosque can accommodate 9000 believers. At the same time, the capacity allows 40,000 people to be present on the territory of the religious complex.
The entrance of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque is open to both Muslims and other religious denominations.
