First Things

One of the first places we visited in AD was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Located directly across the street from the hotel we stayed at for two weeks (before our apartment was ready), I was awed by the Mosque from the beginning. Our second day in country, we walked over to explore.

The Mosque opened in 2007 and sits on the Eastern part of the island. From the Mosque's website:

The Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan "May God rest his Soul" founded  this great landmark, featuring four minarets and eighty-two domes, representing different Islamic styles, in support of noble Islamic cultural values, and to express its genuine religious concepts and values. The mosque accommodates more than 40,000 worshippers; 10,000 in the internal areas and 30,000 in the external areas.

The Sheikh is also buried onsite.

Inside the Mosque

The beautiful chandelier was made in Germany and is considered one of the world's largest, 

weighing around 12 tons.

Courtyard

 There are 82 domes and 1,000 columns at the Mosque and particular attention has been paid to the materials (white marble), the lighting (each day after dark the blue lights reflect on the white marble to mirror the moon's cycle), and the prayer hall (which house the world's largest handmade carpet). The Mosque can accommodate 40,000 worshipers.

I went back again during our second week to admire from the highway overpass. The building is stunning, especially so at sunset when the marble seems to be glowing soft pink. I imagine this will be high on all our visitors' lists of things to see, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of going.