Visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Ken & I approach the mosque from the parking lot, walking across the deserted courtyard. We haven’t seen a visitor’s entrance or signs for it and I’m feeling nervous; mosques are generally forbidden to non-Muslims. Suddenly, a guard appears, shouting at us and gesturing furiously for us to move. We move, and as soon as we do, the contents of a bucket of water hit the floor, right where we’ve been standing. The guard runs up apologizing: “They’re cleaning the minaret & I saw the water coming down on you,” he says.

Pillars surround the Courtyard

‘Are we OK here?’ I ask.
“There are only three rules: if you go inside the Mosque, take off your shoes; if you see any books, don’t pick them up – they’ll be the Qur’an – even us Muslims don’t touch them until we’ve done our ablutions; and, Sheikh Zayed’s grave is at the side of the mosque; please don’t take pictures of it.”

Sheikh Zayed was the driving force behind formation of the UAE over 40 years ago and the founding father of the Mosque; the first ceremony here in 2004 was his funeral. He conceived this Mosque for worship but also as a place to share understanding of Islam by welcoming visitors of all faiths.

…The guard might have added; ‘and, if you are a woman, you must cover your arms, legs and hair.’ We went inside.

The Garden Vines - detail

The courtyard is huge – the mosque can accommodate 40,000 worshippers and often does during Ramadan – the surface is inlaid with large flowers and is surrounded by white marble columns bearing semi-precious vines, reminiscent of palm trunks topped with gold leaf. 

Inside The Garden

On each corner is a minaret. Our guide explains that the muezzin used to climb the minaret and cry out the adhan (call to prayer) five times a day. “But, thanks to God for Sony, only the cleaners climb up there now...”  But, It is the most exotic sound – we hear it every morning from the mosque beside our house, starting at 4:30-5:00am depending on the time of year; listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUHDYlJHaOQ

Removing our shoes and leaving them in the courtyard, we enter through The Garden, an entranceway with walls of climbing vines set in relief; semi-precious stones in gleaming white marble, reflecting the designs on the courtyard pillars. You just have to touch the flowers...

The 99 Names of Allah - detail

Men's Prayer Hall

This leads into the largest room in the Mosque, the Men’s Prayer Hall – and this room is breathtaking, containing the world’s largest carpet, laid beneath the world’s largest chandelier. Worshippers face the 99 Names of Allah (the avenger, the pardoner, the giver of life, the bringer of death, the first, the last, the all powerful, the gracious, the King…). The room is broad, so broad our guide tells us that they only use it during major events such as Ramadan; the main prayer room itself can accommodate 7,000 worshippers; and they pray side by side, in a line, only starting a new line when the first one is full. The carpet has lines weaved into it to guide worshippers.

Women's Prayer Hall - carpet detail
showing prayer lines

During normal prayer times, the men use one of the two much smaller Women’s Prayer Halls. The one we enter has been constructed with an intricately carved ceiling that reflects the patterned carpet. I try to imagine how many thousands of hours it took to create.

Carol (before and after)

When Carol visited, she put on the black abaya (gown) and shelagh (headscarf) provided at the visitors entrance; she lightly wrapped herself as most Emiratis, and mosque visitors do, but on a visit to the washroom was helpfully re-dressed, in a more devout style, by a local worshipper.

The Mosque is a dazzling sight; perhaps the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen. I’ve lost count of the number of pictures I’ve taken of it…

http://www.szgmc.ae/en/ 

Woman's Prayer Hall ceiling detail