The majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, an icon of national pride

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is located in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. This is the third biggest worldwide after the ones in Mecca and Medina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is named after the founder and first President of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al NAHYAN (his last resting place). He chose the location and influence the design and architecture of the building. He wanted it visible from all directions and for this the mosque was built with the rise of 9,5 meters above the street level and 11 meters above sea level.

The complex cover an area of 22,412 square meters, the Four Minarets rise about 107 meters, the courtyard measures about 17,000 square meters and it is considered to be the largest example of marble mosaic in the world.

The mosque was finished wit a decoration of Greek and Italian white marble, which is considered to be among the purest of the world. Major international companies specialised in the manufacturing of crystal chandeliers garnished the mosque with seven gold-plated chandeliers in different sizes, made of Swarovski crystals. The largest of the lustres is the largest in the world. The main dome is the largest mosque dome in the world: 85 meters high with a diameter of 32.8 meters.

The Carpet in the main prayer hall is 5,625 square meters large. It has been hand-knotted by about 1,300 Iranian craftsmen out of 35 tons of wool and 12 tons of cotton.