About a tour of the mosque in Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Zayed Mosque or White Mosque

09.10.2019

This work of art, created in the 20th century, can only be compared with a beautiful white pearl. It shimmers in the sun, beautiful at night, beautiful at sunset. Wonder of the world, and more!

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After the first impressions left from the grandiose outer shell, there seems to be nothing to be surprised at. You are wrong. The inside is even more luxurious than the outside. A chandelier, listed in the Guinness Book of Records for its size, hangs under the central dome and illuminates the main prayer hall. There are other "simpler" chandeliers:

German made of gold
crystal chandeliers made in Austria Swarovski
italian glass chandeliers

On the floor of this hall there is a carpet, also listed in the book of records due to its size. The carpet is woven according to the sketch of the Iranian artist Ali Khagili from 35 tons of wool, 12 tons of cotton for 2 years by 1200 artisans.

On the famous qibla wall, the lighting very subtly emphasizes the beauty of the gold and glass mosaic. There are 99 qualities of Allah written in traditional Kufi calligraphy.

How to behave

Respect the traditions of this people. In order not to desecrate the sacred feelings, it is necessary to know the rules of conduct in the territory. You can find out about this before visiting the temple. Clothing should be modest accordingly. Men's arms and legs must be covered. At the entrance, women are required to be given sheilas (a black scarf) and abayas (a black robe to the floor). After each woman, all this is washed, ironed and hung on a coat hanger. At the entrance to the mosque there are shelves for shoes. There you take off your shoes, leave your shoes, on the way back you get out right there and pick it up. Tours here are completely free.

How to get on your own

To start right on English language decide where we are going - Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque. In Dubai, not far from the Al Ghubaiba metro station, there is a bus station with the same name. They depart from it every half an hour. Shuttle Buses to the bus station in Abu Dhabi. The ticket price per person is $6.8. An hour and a half drive and you are there. Make sure the bus has a green lane. These buses all pass by the mosque. But, in order not to be mistaken, it is better to take buses with numbers 32, 44, 54. The ticket costs $1.1 per person. Get off at the Zayed Mosque stop. In general, you will see this magnificence for yourself. You won't pass by.

This monumental building made of snow-white marble looks like something from the tales of the Thousand and One Nights! I've seen photos of her before and honestly thought they exaggerated the beauty of the mosque a bit. What was my surprise when I realized that the photographs do not convey all the sophistication and grace of this magnificent building.

I will say right away that my photographs will not convey it to the end either, this mosque must be seen with your own eyes in order to fully appreciate its elegance and the skill of its builders. But I'll tell you a little about her anyway.

The first thing that caught my eye was how much this mosque resembles the palace of the Sultan from Disney's Aladdin. That is, the comparison with the Thousand and One Nights is fully justified.

I confess that I have a far ambiguous attitude towards huge religious buildings. , and on the one hand, I feel a little sorry to see how humanity spends a huge amount of time and resources building great temples to honor a higher power that, as it seems to me, does not exist. On the other hand, it is hard to argue with the fact that many of the most beautiful and interesting buildings created by mankind in its history are religious buildings. Cathedrals of Notre Dame and St. Peter in the Vatican - all these great monuments of mankind were built precisely for religious purposes.

And what monumental buildings did secular society build? No, of course they are, but as a rule they are less impressive than religious buildings.

Christians in the past built magnificent cathedrals, but today they have to save money. Even the century-old construction of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is evidence of this. The new parts of the cathedral are much simpler and more utilitarian than the old ones. What would these great monuments of Christian architecture look like if they were built today, using the latest technologies, but with the same astronomical budgets? Who knows. Today, only Muslims are capable of such delightful extravagance.

I am not a great specialist in mosques, from the big famous mosques of the world I have been only to the Blue Mosque of Istanbul before. I remember she impressed me, but what I saw here in Abu Dhabi is much cooler!

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which is popularly called the "White Mosque", was built relatively recently. The construction took more than ten years and cost half a billion dollars. More than 3,000 artists from all over the world participated in it! As a result, the mosque was opened in 2007. This is huge complex from white marble. The mosque has four hundred-meter minarets, a huge inner "yard" and 82 domes! From above, it looks like this:

Sorry, I don't have a helicopter, so the photo is satellite

The territory of the mosque is also impressive, both for its size and the degree of "combing".

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is named after the first president of the country (). It is one of the few in the Emirates where non-Muslims are allowed to enter. Anyone can get here, and it's free. The authorities wisely decided that such a treasure should not be hidden from representatives of other faiths. Predictably, visitors are asked to dress conservatively. Anyone who has more than expected in sight will be given special clothing covering the shame.

Already at the entrance you can see beautiful domes and minarets.

The building of the mosque is surrounded by shallow pools with clean water. Notice the wall cladding - it is made of marble slabs of different sizes.

The shady galleries look like they go off into infinity. The columns here are decorated with patterns of climbing plants.

Through the arches of the gallery one can see the courtyard and the main building of the mosque.

Minarets mark the corners of this courtyard, which is also completely covered in marble.

Agree, this is the spitting image of the Sultan's palace!

By the way, the floor of the courtyard is not only marble, but also lined with colorful flowers - this pattern is considered the largest marble mosaic in the world.

Look at the quality of the work! Pieces of colored stone are so precisely embedded in the surrounding white marble that not the slightest crack is visible. There is no cement here either. Such a high quality of work can be seen wherever you look in the mosque. This is what makes it stand out from the background of many, in which, if you look closer, you can notice many flaws.

Let's go inside. As you know, you cannot enter the mosque in shoes. There are shelves in front of the entrance where you can take off your shoes and leave your shoes.

Look at these huge gates. They are two and a half human height, and lead to the "dressing room" of the mosque. The interiors of the premises are air-conditioned, as in Abu Dhabi, as in Dubai heatwave. Therefore, these gates are constantly closed. They work on a photoelectric cell. There is something almost magical about how silently and smoothly this door automatically opens when a person is about to pass through.

In the waiting room, the walls are also covered with mosaic vegetation.

There is a chandelier here. All the chandeliers in the mosque were made in Germany using Austrian crystal from Swarovski. Pay attention to the ceiling. Incredibly complex patterns in the mosque are found on almost all surfaces, you just need to look closely. The only place where I have seen anything even resembling such complexity of knitting before is the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

Another giant gate on a photoelectric cell leads from the dressing room inside the mosque.

This is what the room looks like inside. More columns, another German chandelier. All this is clearly very rich, but it is also obvious that it is done with taste.

Again, the level of detail is amazing!

There is a huge Persian carpet on the floor. It was woven in Iran especially for this mosque. It was delivered in nine separate sections, which were already connected here, on the spot. Visitors to the mosque walk barefoot on it - it is fabulously soft, it is a very pleasant feeling for the feet.

The walls of the main hall are decorated with patterns of semi-precious stones. Note that some of them glow!

These are translucent stones, behind which lamps are installed. The effect is as if the stones radiate an inner glow.

On the main wall, among the luminous curlicues, 99 titles of Allah are written. These inscriptions were made by one of the most famous masters of Arabic calligraphy. This wall also has a recess for the preacher. Every Friday, the main sermon of the country is heard here.

By the way, in the United Arab Emirates, the state controls all imams through the Department of Religion. Every week, the department announces a topic for the Friday sermon, and each imam must himself come up with a speech on this topic and recite it during the Friday prayer. Imams are monitored to make sure none of them try to radicalize their flock. For calls for violence and other fundamentalism, they face jail or deportation.

Here, even the Quran shelf is trimmed with mother-of-pearl!

For tourists, the mosque leads free tours in different languages. In order not to scream, the presenter has a microphone, and receivers are given to visitors.

Let's go for a walk outside...

Large domes of the main building. Up to seven thousand worshipers are placed in the middle hall, three thousand more in the side ones. If a lot of people come, then people pray in the yard. In this case, the mosque can accommodate forty thousand people!

Drinking fountains hang on the walls in the galleries. These are probably the richest fountains I have ever drunk from!

This is what the white marble from which the mosque is built looks like. Marble from different parts of the world is involved here. Special breeds were brought from China, India, Macedonia and Italy!

The architectural style of the mosque is also mixed from different Muslim traditions. Persian, Moorish and Arabic styles are mixed here into one beautiful whole.

This is how the small domes in the ceiling of the galleries look from the inside. Everything is covered with the most complicated Arabic script.

Such a large-scale complex requires a considerable team of janitors to keep everything clean and tidy. These guest workers wash floors, clean walls, and sweep up trash.

The area around the mosque is quite green - especially for Abu Dhabi. Under each tree and bush, a hose will be stretched from which irrigation water flows. Otherwise, everything here will quickly die from heat and drought.

I'll turn around for one last look at the mosque.

Undoubtedly, it deserves a place in the list of modern Wonders of the World.

Well, it's time for me to go

The island of Abu Dhabi, located off the mainland in the northeastern part of the Persian Gulf, was uninhabited until the middle of the 18th century. There is nothing surprising in the fact that there are no ancient structures on the territory of the largest federal district of the UAE. The extremely rich and developed capital of the country clearly needed a building, from the mere sight of which everyone, without exception, would take their breath away, and there would be no analogues in the whole world.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque was built on the island of Abu Dhabi, in the eponymous capital of the UAE, which is located in Persian Gulf twenty-five kilometers from the continent (you can find it at the following coordinates: 24° 24′ 43.2″ N, 54° 28′ 26.4″ E).

Currently, the island is connected to the mainland by three road bridges, so getting to the capital to see the Sheikh Zayed Mosque is not difficult. For example, from the main city of Dubai, the emirate neighboring Abu Dhabi, despite the fact that the distance between cities is a little more than 140 km, the mosque can be reached by bus in just 2.5 hours (the trip will cost $ 20).

From Dubai to the capital goes fixed-route taxi(it goes faster, but you have to pay ten dollars more). If you manage to take a transit bus (you need to catch it on the highway) that goes to Abu Dhabi via Dubai, the trip will cost only $15. The most expensive trip from Dubai is by taxi - about 70 dollars.

Sheikh Grand Mosque

Despite the fact that the Sheikh Zayed Mosque was built only a few years ago, in 2007, it was almost immediately recognized as one of the most beautiful mosques on the planet: unlike other low-key and laconic temples of the capital, this building resembles rather a chic palace, which is the most a real work of art.

This shrine is primarily notable for the fact that here, for the first time, during the construction of the mosque, the traditions of Islamic culture were harmoniously combined with the cultural trends of the whole world.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque got its name for a reason: the initiator of the unique project was the first President of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a man who played an important role in the history of his country. He managed to unite six independent principalities (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al-Qaiwain, Fujara and Arjah) into one country, creating the UAE federation. After that, he was able to achieve independence from Great Britain, and with the help of the money earned for oil, make the country a rich and prosperous state.

In gratitude for his contribution to the development of the country, in particular, the island of Abu Dhabi and the emirate of Dubai, the sheikh, who did not live to see the opening of the temple for some three years, was buried on the right side of the mosque, and over his grave from the day of the funeral the attendants reciting the Quran without stopping.

Planning and construction

For the planning and construction of one of the most grandiose structures of the United United Arab Emirates it took more than twenty years and five hundred million dollars. Competition for the design of the temple, which was first announced in the UAE and others Arab countries, rather quickly acquired an international scale and its competitive works, and architects began to send proposals from all over the world. More than 3 thousand workers and 38 organizations were involved in the construction of the mosque.

At first, it was decided to build the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in the Moroccan style, but already during the construction process, the project was somewhat changed, elements of the Arab, Persian and Moorish directions were added, and external walls temples were made in the classical Turkish style.

In order for the Sheikh Zayed Mosque to retain its original architectural appearance as long as possible, only the highest quality building materials were purchased for the construction of the temple, primarily Macedonian marble, and gold, ceramics, precious and semi-precious stones were used to finish both the inside and the outside. stones, gems, multi-colored crystals, crystal.

After the opening of the temple, which took place in 2007, it turned out that the shrine, whose area exceeds 5627 m², is one of the six largest mosques in our world and can accommodate more than 40 thousand believers.

Every month, more than 300 thousand tourists come to look at the unique shrine: unlike other mosques, the entrance here is open not only to Muslims, but also to representatives of other faiths. Thus, it became the second UAE temple open to non-Muslims: the first is the Jumeirah Mosque (Dubai).

The only requirement for tourists is to be dressed in accordance with accepted canons (if a woman came in an inappropriate outfit, according to their concepts, she must be given special clothes to visit the temple).

What does the Grand Mosque look like from the outside?

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque has a spacious courtyard lined with white marble slabs with large floral ornaments, the area of which is about 17 thousand m². It also performs a practical function, which is important for the hot climate of the UAE: its numerous colonnades (and their number outside is more than a thousand pieces) form a light warm breeze.

The pools and canals surrounding the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the total area of which is almost 8 thousand m², affect the cooling of the air. The reservoirs are placed in such a way that they reflect the picturesque view of the mosque in all its glory (the display of the mosque looks especially gorgeous at night). They also have a symbolic meaning, since with all their appearance they speak of the hospitality of the local culture, which gives travelers life-giving moisture among the arid sands of the desert.

Since the walls of the temple were lined with white marble slabs, during the day the Sheikh Zayed Mosque shimmers under the sun's rays with white and golden colors, and at night the temple is illuminated by a backlight that changes color depending on the phase of the moon (from white to dark blue).

Particularly beautiful at the mosque are 82 cupalas made of white marble in the Moroccan style, decorated with golden crescents at the top. Rising at a height of 85 m, the main dome of the temple, whose diameter is 32.7 m, is considered the largest dome of this type in the world.

At the corners of the temple, the builders erected four minarets, the height of which exceeds 107 meters. The tower, located on the north side, has a library, which contains a huge collection of both modern and ancient books on science, culture, art, and calligraphy.

What does the Grand Mosque look like inside?

Sheikh Zayed Mosque can accommodate more than forty thousand believers. There are three spacious rooms for worshipers. The central prayer hall is intended only for men and is designed for 7 thousand believers. Two adjacent rooms are equipped for women, while each room can accommodate 1.5 thousand people.

The halls are lined with marble panels and decorated with semi-precious and precious stones. The walls of the halls are decorated with golden mosaics, floral ornaments winding throughout the building attract attention. Inside the building there are 96 columns, most of which are installed in the prayer rooms.

In the central hall there is an openwork wooden pulpit for the imam, inlaid with jewels and white gold. On the Qibla wall, which is 50 meters wide and 23 meters high, ninety-nine names of Allah are written. The wall is backlit with fiber optics, designed so as not to distract the faithful from prayer.

In the central hall, there are seven steel chandeliers, completely covered with the thinnest sheets of gold and decorated with Swarovski crystals (they were made by the German company Faustig). In the same hall, there is the largest chandelier in the world that has ever been installed in a mosque: its diameter is 10 m, its height is 15 m, and its weight is 12 tons.

On the floor of the central hall lies the world's largest carpet: its area exceeds 5.5 thousand m², and its weight is almost 50 tons. It was made by hand, according to the sketch of the Iranian artist Ali Khaliqia. More than a thousand weavers worked on a unique carpet for two years, using about 35 tons of wool and 12 tons of cotton.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque or White Mosque, is one of the largest in the Emirates and around the world. It is located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and is named after the founder and first leader of this state, who was buried on its territory.

This is a very young Muslim temple, which was opened in 2007, i.e. he is only ten years old. This mosque is one of the few religious buildings where non-Islamic tourists can enter to touch this world religion.

Previously, such "democracy" was not welcomed and even condemned by local spiritual leaders. But time goes on, and today mosques open their doors to people of all religions and even atheists.

Islam in the past was a rather closed religion, but today it is getting closer to people, explaining its principles and foundations. That is why in 2008 the Emirates Ministry of Culture allowed tours of three local Muslim temples.

There are several things in the Zayed Mosque that can be safely sent to the Guinness Book of Records. After all, it was originally built with the intention of making the most big temple for the largest number of believers who come to communicate with Allah.

Thus, the carpet sent to the mosque today is the largest in the world, it has an area of more than 5.6 thousand square meters. meters. More than a thousand skilled weavers worked on its manufacture, and its total weight is almost 50 tons.

In the main prayer hall of the mosque, there are seven huge chandeliers made in Germany. They are decorated with gold and Swarovski crystals produced by a well-known company from Austria. For a long time, the main chandelier was the largest in the world, until an even larger one was installed in nearby Qatar.

mosque architecture

This is a very large complex. The mosque can accommodate more than 40,000 worshipers. Four minarets over 100 meters high were erected at each corner of the main building, and more than 80 domes were installed on its top.

Domes of the purest white color, because. they are covered with marble slabs. The walls and interiors are decorated with the same stone. And the courtyard near the mosque is lined with beautiful multi-colored marble tiles. The temple evokes a feeling of unearthly splendor.

Its middle name is the White Mosque, because it is all marble, all luxury and grandeur under the blue skies of Abu Dhabi. It is worth coming to the Emirates only for the sake of this state, cultural and religious symbol and monument.

In general, the temple is a beautiful work of architecture, from which you simply cannot take your eyes off. Muslims come here to pray or admire millions of tourists from all over the world. This is one of the best attractions in the UAE, as if it came out of the "Tale of a Thousand and One Nights."

When visiting the White Mosque on your own or with a guided tour, you should follow the rules established here. This is important because otherwise, you risk offending religious and national feelings. And the people there are very temperamental.

The dress code here is quite strict, otherwise you may simply not be allowed into the mosque. Men must wear clothes that cover not only the body, but also the arms and legs. T-shirts and shorts are completely excluded, they are decent only on the beaches.

Women must cover their heads with a scarf. Hair should not be visible during the entire time spent in this temple. Muslims are convinced that the dark forces of our world are hidden from the female essence and in her hair in particular.

From women's clothing, a long skirt or dress is possible. It should not be tight or provocative. There is absolutely no one to seduce in the mosque. In addition, you must take off your shoes when entering.

In no case should you eat, drink alcoholic beverages or smoke in the temple or near it. Here people turn to Allah, and do not indulge in earthly pleasures. Actually, everything is exactly the same as in the Christian church.

How much does it cost to visit the White Mosque?

Visiting the temple is completely free. But you can take a guide with you for a fee, incl. speaking Russian. He will tell you everything about the architecture and history of this temple, lead you through the halls, share Muslim traditions, etc.

These snow-white domes against the backdrop of a bright blue sky replace the dull desert landscape on the absolutely straight and level Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway. They grow as if from underground, the majesty and beauty of this Mosque involuntarily evokes a sigh of admiration.
Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, which is national pride UAE. It is called the "Great Mosque", the construction of which brought together masters from different countries world: Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, Turkey, Iran, China, Greece and the United Arab Emirates. It began to be built under President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE. And recently, even non-Muslims have been allowed access to it.

The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque has 80 domes decorated with white marble. The vault of the main dome is 32.7 meters in diameter, its internal height is 75 meters, and its external height is 85 meters. During its construction, natural materials such as marble, stone, gold, semi-precious stones, rock crystal and ceramics were used.
Outside, the mosque is framed by 1096 columns, inside the main prayer hall there are another 96 columns, covered with more than 20 thousand hand-crafted marble panels, which are inlaid with semi-precious stones - lapis lazuli, red agate, amethysts, mollusk shells and natural pearls. In addition, at the four corners of the mosque there are beautiful minarets, which soared up to 107 meters.
White Italian marble and patterned mosaics adorn the prayer halls, while the interior walls of the mosque are adorned with 24-carat gold-doped glass mosaic elements.

The main prayer hall is famous for its 7,119 square meters of the world's largest hand-woven Persian carpet and chandeliers of stunning beauty.

This beauty reaches 10 m in diameter, 15 m in height, and weighs 9.5 tons. Multi-colored crystal pendants from 9 mm to 15 cm long are made by Swarovski.

Website materials used:
ttp://www.visitabudhabi.ae/ru/what.to.do/mosques.and.other.places.of.worship/sh.zayed.mosque.aspx

Emirates: White Mosque of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan - a snow-white miracle of Abu Dhabi

It is called one of the most impressive religious and national cultural monuments of Abu Dhabi. Its construction was initiated by the founding father of the nation, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It is one of the ten largest mosques in the world. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan White Mosque.

The beauty and grandeur of the White Mosque cannot be expressed in words. Judge for yourself: the total area of this white miracle is 17,000 square meters (five football fields could freely fit on it), 40,960 believers can pray in the mosque at the same time.

The 82 domes of the mosque are decorated with snow-white marble, and the four minarets of the mosque are visible from anywhere in Abu Dhabi. Still - this is at a 107-meter height!

The main dome of the mosque and even more so a curiosity! Its weight is 1000 tons, its diameter is 32.7 m, the height on the inside is 70 m, and on the outside it is 85 m! A real champion - there is no larger dome in any other temple in the world.

Around the White Mosque, like a guard, columns stand in orderly rows. Outside there are 1096 of them, and 96 more are housed in the prayer hall.

The prayer hall itself impresses with its luxury. More than 20,000 handmade marble panels are richly decorated with inlays of lapis lazuli, amethysts, pearls, red garnets and other semi-precious stones.

On the Qibla wall, which is 23 meters high and 50 meters wide, 99 names of Allah are inscribed, skillfully illuminated by a modern lighting system. The wall itself is decorated so as not to distract the faithful from prayer. And only the niche in the center of the Qibla wall and the crescents on the tops of the domes are decorated with gold, gilding and mosaic gold glass.

On the floor of the prayer hall lies the largest Persian carpet in the world. Of course, handmade. Its area is 5627 sq. m, and weight - 47 tons! About 1,200 Iranian craftswomen worked on its creation for almost two years, and it took two planes to deliver the miracle carpet to Abu Dhabi. Not surprisingly, the cost of the carpet reached the figure of 6 million dollars.

To match the interior luxurious interiors and lighting of the mosque. Seven gold-plated copper "candlesticks" decorated with Swarovski crystals are valued at $8.2 million.

And the largest chandelier, which is suspended from the main dome, weighs more than 8 tons. Its diameter is 10 m and its height is 15 m. It is not only the largest chandelier in the White Mosque, but also in the world.

The Sheikh Zayed White Mosque opened its doors in 2007 during the month of Ramadan. Moreover, it opened the doors for everyone - both for Muslims and for the infidels.

But Sheikh Zayed himself did not live to see this day. But, paying tribute to the memory of the first president of the UAE, a mausoleum was erected on the territory of the mosque, where the father of the nation found eternal rest.

Oriental luxury

The luxury of the East is fascinating, you can look at intricate patterns in one photo for a long time,
and the main thing is that you don't get tired of this luxury! The luxury of the East is refined and refined, it does not satiate,
but admires skill, wealth, beauty ...

Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates
and the sixth largest mosque in the world.
It is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and first president of the United Arab Emirates,
who is also buried there.

The mosque was officially opened during the Islamic month of Ramadan in 2007.
But of course, the main thing is not its size, but its stunning beauty and delightful oriental luxury!

During the construction, white marble and numerous inlays of precious and semi-precious stones were used.
The internal area of the temple is 22412 square meters.
The main dome of the Grand Mosque weighing 1000 tons is also considered the largest temple dome in the world,
also the mosque has 80 white marble domes

The area of the “rug” inside is 5627 square meters, approximately 1200 weavers, 20 technical groups and 30 workers worked on it.
The weight of this carpet is 47 tons - 35 tons of wool and 12 tons of cotton. There are 2,268,000 knots in the structure of the carpet.

Chandeliers made of Swarovski crystal with their size and uniqueness overshadow all ideas about the high cost, as such...
Seven copper gilded chandeliers were imported from Germany. The largest chandelier is 10 meters in diameter and 15 meters high.

Retrieved from http://www.leonidzl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=3674

Emirates: Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Zayed Mosque is one of the largest in the world, designed for 40,000 people and has four minarets. The building has 82 domes, 1,000 columns, and decorations include gilded lamps and the world's largest carpet.

The mosque is located at the entrance to the island of Abu Dhabi, on which, in fact, the city is located, just behind the three bridges leading to the city, so skip this monumental architectural structure impossible.

It is built on an artificial embankment, which significantly elevates the structure above all other houses and shopping malls, putting it first in front of the rest of the landscape. Actually, this was the task facing the architects, who wanted to show in this way that everything else fades into the background before the place of worship. It is worth noting that the presidential palace is located next to the mosque.

Why is the mosque named after Sheikh Zayed? Sheikh Zayed was the first President of the Emirates. He devoted much time to studying national history and traditions, and did a lot for the Emirates, including uniting previously disparate exclaves.

Now let's return from the world of spirituality to the world of architecture. The mosque opened its doors for the first official service in 2007, after almost 10 years of construction. Building materials were imported from many countries of the world, and the cladding of the building is made entirely of white marble.

The mosque has 1,000 columns throughout its territory, all columns have a date (if I'm not mistaken) palm hat, because. the palm symbolizes the national tree.

The mosque has 82 domes, the largest of which is located in the main hall of worship. Quotes from the Koran are written inside each dome. All domes are unique, ornaments do not repeat each other.

The worship courtyard has a capacity of 30,000 people. By the way, many people think, looking at photographs, that ornaments on marble are drawings. In fact, these are inlays made from other colors of marble, cut into the main white marble. When I saw all these inlays, it became clear to me why the mosque was built for 10 years, to make so many inlays so carefully is a truly titanic work.

There are also frescoes on the walls. But there are very few such drawings, they are found where there are the least people.

All windows of the mosque are decorated with mosaics. This figure symbolizes something, but what exactly I forgot. Actually, the Dubai skyscraper "Burj Khalifa" also has this sectional shape.

Around the main building are these pools. The fact is that due to the elevation above sea level, the wind constantly blows in the mosque, and the coolness from the water significantly reduces the temperature, which makes it easier for pilgrims to find them inside the building in the summer.

One of two halls connecting the outer courtyard with the inner worship chamber. Both halls are located on either side of the main worship court.

Candelabra with lamps. In total, there are 7 lamps in the interior, four of which are made of blue glass, weighing 2 tons each. They are located in the secondary foyers.

The skeleton of the lamps was made by the German company Faustig and made of stainless steel and bronze, and the glasses of the lamps were made by the Swarovski company on an individual order, of course.

Three other lamps are located in the interior of the mosque. These lamps are identical, differ only in size. Two smaller lamps, weighing 8 tons each, are located in the side domes of the hall.

In the main dome, opposite the pulpit, there is the largest lamp of the mosque. Its dimensions are impressive: 10 meters in diameter, 15 meters high and weighing 12 tons. All luminaires are suspended on a chain system that allows the luminaires to be lowered down for maintenance and cleaning of the glass surface.

The interior of the mosque is designed for 10,000 people. Near each column there are racks with the Koran and anyone can read and reflect on spiritual values at any time.

Interior frescoes on the walls. By the way, in interior on the floor is the world's largest hand-knotted wool carpet. It's not a lot of carpets, and it's not a carpet, it's a huge carpet made by third generation artisan Ali Khaliga. The design of the carpet ornament and its individual parts took 8 months. The carpet itself was woven by craftsmen in parts, and then, already inside the mosque, these parts of the carpet were sewn together into a single whole. The process of making the carpet took 2 years and required the labor of 1,200 workers. The result was a carpet with an area of 5,700 square meters. meters.

If you look closely, there are “waves” on the carpet, but these are not carpet joints, there are no carpet joints, because. it was woven as a whole. These are special waves that were made as markings for the placement of people, every three meters. It is along this "line" that pilgrims kneel. In the background is a pulpit made of cedar wood.

In total, 4 million 298 thousand 908 people visited the mosque in 2013, of which 2 million 293 thousand 101 people were tourists, which tells us that the mosque is also a tourist attraction of the city. But on Fridays, the mosque is closed to tourists and is open only to believers.