Teach Middle East Magazine June 2014 Issue 2 Vol. 1 | Page 41

know Your UAE

THE SHEIKH ZAYED
GRAND MOSQUE IN ABU DHABI

E

ach year, thousands of visitors,
including locals, expatriates
and international tourists, make
their way to the Sheikh Zayed
Grand Mosque (SZGM). Most are
usually drawn to the majestic beauty
of the building. The SZGM, however,
offers more than just a backdrop for the
perfect UAE holiday photographs. A trip
there provides the visitor interesting
and historical information on Islamic
culture, art and architecture.
The mosque is built at the entrance
of Abu Dhabi City and considered
to be one of the finest examples of
contemporary Islamic architecture
in the world. It is raised nine metres
above the land around it, allowing its
magnificent beauty to be seen from
the three main bridges connecting the
island (the Maqta, Mussafah and the
Sheikh Zayed Bridge).
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is
the official mosque of the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) and is named after
the founder and first president of the
country, the late Sheikh Zayed bin
Sultan Al Nahyan. It was Sheikh Zayed
who conceptualized the idea of the
Grand Mosque in the late 1980s and
was intimately involved in its building
and design. After his passing, his son
HH Sheikh Kalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
continued his father’s dream.
The Mosque opened in December of

2007 to coincide with the Eid Al Adha
(Feast of the Sacrifice). The mosque
can accommodate up to 40000
worshippers, 10000 inside and 30000
in the external areas.

Interesting Points:
• Throughout the Grand Mosque,
beautiful designs are displayed on
the ceilings, floors, carpets and
walls. Islamic art does not feature
human or animal forms. It uses the
elements, geometry, floral motifs and
calligraphy.
• The main hall features 96 columns in
groups of four. Arches rise to support
the towering domes from which
three exquisitely coloured designed
chandeliers hang.
• Approximately seven thousand
worshippers can fit shoulder to
shoulder in a straight line inside the
main hall.
• The Menbar or pulpit inside the
Grand Mosque is made of cedar
and is beautifully decorated with
floral and shells designs. It is the
earliest feature to be identified with
Islamic architecture. It is said that the
Prophet Mohammed spoke to the
community from a Menbar.
• Each week the Kuthbah (message)
is delivered from inside the Grand
Mosque and can be heard throughout
all the mosques in the UAE. It can
also be downloaded in English from
the website of Islamic Affairs.
• The timings for the daily prayers

are based on the cycle of the sun,
as such, the prayer times change
each day. Prayers can last between
5 – 10 minutes. Men pray in the main
prayer hall while women have their
own prayer areas.
• The carpet inside the main hall is the
world’s largest hand-knotted carpet
made with about 70% wool from
New Zealand and 30% cotton from
Iran. It was created over 12 months
by approximately 1200 artisans. It is
approximately 5,400sq metres and
weighs 35 tonnes.
• The Grand Mosque has a worldclass library, which houses various
books on many different subjects in
more than twelve languages. The
SZGM Centre was established in
2008 to oversee the operations of
the mosque and to manage its wide
range of community services. It
has a book publishing programme,
provides calligraphy classes and
Ramadan Night programmes among
other services.
NB. The information contained in this article is
taken mainly from the (guided) audio tour at
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

After The Bell

June 2014

39