Arab emirates mosque in abu. The White Mosque in Abu Dhabi is an architectural heritage of the Emirates. What does the Grand Mosque look like inside?

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque (Abu Dhabi) is the most majestic and expensive building in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the construction of which began in 1996. More than $545,000,000 was spent on its creation. And, clearly, the result justified such expenses - today it is one of the largest and most beautiful temples on the planet, and photos of the White Mosque in Abu Dhabi can often be seen in the most famous magazines.

General information

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is a huge Muslim temple, a monumental building and the personification of the luxury and wealth of the UAE. Contrary to popular belief, the White Mosque was not built in Dubai, but in Abu Dhabi. It was solemnly opened in 2007, and it bears the name of the first ruler and founder of the United Arab Emirates, whose grave is located nearby. This is the only mosque in the city of Abu Dhabi that anyone can visit: since 2008, both Muslims and followers of other religions can come here.

However, this is not the only thing that attracts tourists to the white mosque of Zayed. In addition, here you can see the largest carpet in the world (its area is 5627 m²), which was created by more than 1000 weavers. It will also be interesting to take a look at the second largest chandelier in the world, generously inlaid with Swarovski crystals and covered with gold leaf.

The scale of the mosque is amazing: it can accommodate 40,000 people, about 7,000 of which are in the prayer hall. The remaining rooms can accommodate 1500-4000 visitors at the same time.

Architecture and interior decoration

The White Mosque in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi has been under construction for almost 20 years and covers an area of ​​more than 12 hectares. About 3,000 workers and 500 engineers worked on such a huge project, and professionals from different countries competed to become the chief architect. As a result, Jozef Abdelka was chosen, whose ideas were brought to life.

Initially, the White Mosque was built in the Moroccan style, but later elements characteristic of the Persian, Mauritanian, Turkish and Arabic directions began to appear. The main task of the builders was to create a perfectly white building that would look spectacular not only under the rays of the sun, but also at night. Macedonian marble did an excellent job with this task, with which the outer side of the mosque was lined. On the facade of the building, you can also see inserts of bright crystals, precious stones and gold. The grandiose construction is crowned with 82 snow-white domes. Photos of the white mosque in Abu Dhabi resemble sketches from the famous Arabic fairy tale “1000 and 1 night”.

The Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is surrounded by artificial but picturesque canals that reflect the majestic structure at night.

The inner courtyard of the temple (its area is 17,000 m²) also deserves attention: high white columns are decorated with floral ornaments and gold that are not traditional for mosques, and a bright floral mosaic is laid out on the marble square itself.

The interior of the White Mosque of Abu Dhabi is even more majestic and expensive: pearls, emeralds, gold, Iranian carpets and German chandeliers are everywhere. The main room in the mosque is a prayer hall, which houses a kind of center - the Qibla wall, which depicts 99 qualities of Allah. The interiors are illuminated by 7 huge chandeliers inlaid with rare stones and multi-colored crystals. The heaviest and most beautiful of them is in the prayer hall.

The illumination of the facade of the building changes periodically. It depends on the time of day and month of the year. In the photo you can see that most often the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is painted in blue, gray, white, blue and purple.

Although the Sheikh Zayed White Mosque is open to people of different faiths, it is still a sacred place for Muslims in Abu Dhabi, so you must adhere to the following rules: Al Ghubaiba

You can get to it from the Dubai Bus Station (Al Ghubaiba) by regular bus for $6.80. However, it is worth considering that it will take about 20 minutes to walk from the final stop to the mosque, which is not always possible due to the weather. Therefore, it is worth considering taking a taxi. The trip will cost 90-100 dollars.

You can get to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque from Abu Dhabi in the same way: either by regular bus (ticket price - $ 1) or by taxi - $ 15-20.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and one of the 6 largest and most beautiful mosques in the world. The mosque in Abu Dhabi bears the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and first president of the UAE, who is next to it. Among the guests and residents of the capital of the Emirates, this is one of the most visited places.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque, opened in 2007, covers an area of ​​12 hectares. Its dimensions allow to accommodate about 41,000 believers. The main prayer hall can accommodate up to 7,000 people. 2 additional prayer halls, one of which is open to women only, can accommodate an additional 1,500 people.

A visit to the mosque is available to everyone, regardless of faith. Tourists were allowed to enter the territory of the Muslim shrine in March 2008. When visiting, please note that a certain dress code is observed on the territory, according to which it is impossible to enter in clothes with bare shoulders, knees, bare head (for women) and tight-fitting clothes.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque opening hours

The mosque is open for believers and tourists every day and seven days a week:

• Sat-Thu — from 9:00 to 22:00,
• Fri - from 16:30 to 22:00 (in the morning - only for believers).

Tours are also held daily:

• Sun-Thu — at 10:00, 11:00, 17:00,
• Fri - at 17:00, 19:00,
• Sat - at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 17:00, 19:00.

Mosque opening hours during the holy month of Ramadan:

• Sat-Thu — from 9:00 to 13:00,
• excursions - at 10:00, 11:00,
• Fri - the mosque is closed to the public.

Library opening hours:

• Sun-Thu — from 9:00 to 18:00,
• Sun-Thu (Ramadan) - from 9:00 to 14:00,
• Fri-Sat - closed to the public.

Architecture

The construction of the mosque lasted from 1996 to 2007 by 3,000 workers, designed by the Syrian architect Yousef Abdelka. The natural materials that were used to build and decorate the mosque have natural beauty and durability - marble stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics. They were brought from many countries, including India, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, China, Great Britain, New Zealand, Macedonia and the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque is impossible not to see when entering Abu Dhabi. It is visible from all 3 road bridges connecting the island, on which the capital of the United Arab Emirates stands, with the mainland. The beautiful mosque shines with white Macedonian marble from afar. It is crowned with 82 domes, the largest of which is located above the main prayer hall. The building of the mosque has as many as 4 minarets (towers from which believers are called to prayer) each 106 meters high. They combine several different shapes and styles - the Moroccan-style square base, the Mameluka-era octagonal shape, and the Ottoman-era cylindrical shape. It is in one of the minarets that the library is located - the only one in the world located in such a place.

The galleries of the mosque are decorated with 1096 columns, which are instructed in a special Italian technique of the 16th century with precious and semi-precious stones - lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst and mother-of-pearl. Around sparkling pools, the total area of ​​which is 7874 square meters. Their bottom is lined with all shades of blue, and the white walls and columns of the mosque are reflected in the mirror water.

The 17,400 square meter courtyard is lined with marble mosaics and can accommodate up to 31,000 worshipers. It is believed that the marble mosaic is one of the largest in the world. The evening illumination of the mosque is amazing in its uniqueness - it changes every day, corresponding to the lunar cycle, from imitation of dark gray-blue clouds to bright moonlight.

prayer hall

In the main prayer hall, there is an amazing 5,700 square meter carpet weighing 35 tons, which is considered the largest handmade carpet in the world. For about 2 years, 1200 craftsmen worked on its creation - for about 8 months the project and design were developed, for about 12 months work was carried out on the creation of individual canvases, after which for several months individual fragments were delivered to the mosque and woven together. The composition of the unique carpet is 70% wool and 30% cotton.

Nearby hang 2 copies of a smaller size weighing 8 tons each. A 2-ton copy hangs in the hall. In total, there are 7 crystal chandeliers made by the German master. All of them are made of steel and tin, covered with 40 kilograms of 24 carat gold. The design also featured glass panels with Swarovski crystals.

1 of 4

The minbar for the imam to read the Friday sermon is made of cedar wood and decorated with mother-of-pearl, glass mosaics and white gold. The mihrab is reminiscent of "Paradise" from the Holy Quran, according to which rivers of honey and milk flow in heaven. After all, the golden glass mosaic in the mihrab of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque is very reminiscent of rivers of golden honey.

The North Minaret houses a one-of-a-kind library with a collection of around 7,000 books related to Islamic art and architecture. Among them, in a special safe zone, more than 100 rare specimens of historical value are stored.

Additional services

The following additional services are available for visitors to the mosque:

• free parking,
• free tours in Arabic and English (45-60 minutes),
• abaya (Muslim dress) for the duration of the visit,
• audio guide in Arabic, English, Chinese, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Urdu, French, Japanese and Russian (deposit required),
• medical clinic (from 8:30 to 22:30),
• Cafe,
• gift shop,
• wheelchair rental,
• toilet rooms,
• transfer to Wahat al-Karama.

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 largest 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.

This monumental building made of snow-white marble looks like something from the tales of the Thousand and One Nights! I've seen pictures 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 technology, 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 a huge complex of 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 clear 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 insides of the premises are air-conditioned, as in Abu Dhabi, as in Dubai, there is a strong heat. 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 Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has 82 domes in seven different sizes. The largest is 85 meters in height (height from the inside is 70 meters), 32.2 meters in diameter.

columns

The courtyard is surrounded by 1048 columns lined with more than 20,000 marble slabs interspersed with semi-precious shells, amethysts, lapis lazuli, red agates and mother-of-pearl. Long colonnades look amazing, see the photo below, click on the photo to enlarge.

Ponds

From the north, south and east, the building of the mosque is surrounded by ponds (there are 10 of them in total). A special lighting system has been created for these ponds. The illuminated walls, columns and domes of the mosque are reflected in the waters of the ponds, reminiscent of the night sky with clouds and moonlight.

The brightness of the lighting changes depending on the current phase of the moon. The backlight is created by 22 special towers, it is impossible not to notice them. If you want to see it, come here after sunset.

prayer hall

The prayer hall is open to non-Muslims only during times when prayers are not being held. That is, between the morning (Fajr) and midday (Zuhr) prayers.

The main prayer hall accommodates up to 7,000 believers, two secondary ones - up to 1,500 believers. One of these secondary halls is for women. It is in the main hall that the main wonders of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are hidden.

There are 96 columns covered with mother-of-pearl in the prayer hall. On the walls you can see 80 Iznik ceramic mosaics from Turkey. The thuluth style inscriptions on these mosaics were created by the Turkish calligrapher Sheikh Hassan Celbi. Pay attention to the large glass gates, they are 7 meters wide, 12.2 meters long and weigh 2.2 tons.

In the main prayer hall, look up, you will see the large dome of the mosque from the inside. Please note that the hall is made in the shape of an octagonal star.

Carpet

In the prayer hall you need to look under your feet. The carpet covering the floor is the largest in the world (pictured above, click to enlarge). Its area is 5627 sq.m., it consists of 2,268,000,000 knots and weighs more than 35 tons. It was woven in Iran for two years by 1200 craftsmen.

The design of the carpet was developed by the Iranian Ali Kaliki, the production was supervised by the Iranian state company Iran Carpet Co. This carpet cost AED 30 million.

A masterpiece of modern technology (in the photo on the left, click to enlarge). The light on the Qibla wall is supplied by the EFO system, that is, it is transmitted from distant sources using optical fiber. The EFO system is powered by 250 remote lamps. The optical system was developed by Fiberstars EFO.

99 names (properties) of Allah are written on the wall in Kufic writing. These inscriptions were made by the famous calligrapher of the United Arab Emirates - Mohammed Mandi Al-Tamimi.

The Qibla wall is 50 meters wide and 23 meters high.

The prayer halls are illuminated by seven chandeliers manufactured by the German company Faustig. To get an idea of ​​how expensive it is, you can look on the Internet for the prices of regular Faustig home chandeliers. And the chandeliers for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are made from millions of Swarovski crystals.

The largest chandelier is located in the center of the main hall (in the photo on the right, click to enlarge), diameter - 10 meters, height - 15 meters, weight - 12 tons. At the time of the construction of the mosque, this chandelier was the largest in the world. Now the record has been broken, in 2010 in Qatar, in the building of Ali Bin Khalifa Al Hitmi & Co, an 18-ton LED chandelier was installed.

These seven chandeliers cost AED 30 million. The total weight of the gilding on them is 40 kilograms of 999 gold!

Have a good visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and read our useful and interesting articles about the United Arab Emirates for tourists ( links below).