Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Why go

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a congregational mosque in Abu Dhabi named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates; the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, set up by decree in 2008, is charged with promoting and preserving the mosque and encouraging cultural, academic and tourist visits. The Centre's page on the mosque says construction began on 5 November 1996, that the inner prayer halls first opened for worship at Eid Al Adha in 2007, and that the Quran is recited at the founder's mausoleum. The Centre's site says worshippers may enter directly without an entry ticket, while visitors pre-book their visit and obtain an online access pass. Its FAQ says the Centre runs guided walk-in tours in English and Arabic, that visitors may also go round without a guide, that men and women wear long, loose, ankle-length clothes and women a headscarf, and that visitors may not bring food or drink, even water. This record is the mosque and its grounds, not the Centre as an institution and not the Wahat Al Karama memorial opposite.