Zayed Grand Mosque is situated in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE which is located between Mosafah Bridge and Maqtaa Bridge. I interviewed Mr. Ahmed Al Muhairbi who is head of the Educational Mosque tours in Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
I asked first about the initial design of the mosque. Ahmed said it was first initiated by the late President of the United Arab Emirates, HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, fondly thought of as the father of UAE. First considerations to build the mosque began in the late 80’s and much thought was given to its location and its design over the next decade. The initial architectural design was agreed upon and the inaugural cornerstone was laid in the late 90’s. Although the original design was Moroccan, the final design features eventually incorporated many global features. Generally, a mosque is a domed structure with one or more minarets (towers) from which the Muathin traditionally delivers the call to prayer (Adhan) five times a day. Inside the mosque the direction of Mecca (qibla) is clearly indicated by the mihrab, a decorated niche in the wall.
The mosque stands as a symbol of the warm hospitality and traditions of Abu Dhabi. Travelers will be amazed by the magnificent beauty and grandeur of this architectural masterpiece covering a footprint building area of 22412 m2 (around the size of 5 football fields), Ahmed said. Before commencing the construction itself, the land upon which the mosque sits was raised 8-9 meters and now sits approximately 11 meters above the datum of reference of Abu Dhabi. After the completion of the land elevation, the basic skeletal structure was carried out by the Italian contractor Impregilo-Rizzani and was completed in 2003. Work on the interior design then commenced. I asked Ahmed what kind of materials they had chosen for the mosque. And he said overall, natural materials were chosen as a preference for the design and construction of the mosque as there is no better lasting building materials than those that can be found naturally. There are many materials that are used throughout the architecture like marble, stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics.
All Muslims pray in the direction of the Ka'aba in Mecca. This is why typically the main prayer hall is rectangular in shape so that there is sufficient length to accommodate the rows of people praying inside the mosque. "The Direction wall (Qibla) is 23 meters high and 50 meter wide," Ahmed said. The decoration on this wall is subtle in colour and design. This is to ensure that worshippers are not distracted and can focus on their prayers. "There are 99 names (qualities) of Allah featured on this wall using the traditional Kufi style calligraphy and they are subtly back-illuminated using fiber-optic lighting (new technology)," Ahmed said.
I asked Ahmed that how many domes and columns there were in the mosque He answered that "There are 1096 columns in the outer areas of the mosque and 96 columns in the main prayer hall area. Over 20,000 handmade marble panels using semi precious stones are used in the columns. There are 82 domes in total. "The outer shell of the main dome is 32.8 in diameter and a height of 70 meters and is the largest of its kind in the world according to Turkey's Research Center for Islamic History and Culture. I asked him, "Tell me about the carpet and chandelier in the mosque?" He said that the impressive structural and decorative features include the world's largest carpet which was designed by the Iranian artist Ali Khaliqi; the carpet was hand-woven by 1200 of artisans in Mashhad in Iran. The carpet pieces with artisans were flown over to hand sew each of the pieces together for the final fitting. Now, Ahmed said, it is one single piece weighing 35 tons and is a total area of 7119 m2. There are seven chandeliers inside the mosque and the three largest chandeliers are found inside the main prayer hall and the largest weighing 8-9 tons sits under the main dome (at the middle). Thousands of Swarovski crystals from Germany were used in the chandeliers.
The mosque is a lovely and magnificent place to visit. In Abu Dhabi, this mosque stands as a symbol of the traditions of Abu Dhabi. One senses a feeling of positive optimism after visiting Sheikh Zayed Mosque.
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