Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque opening hours

The mosque is open for believers and tourists every day and seven days a week:

• Sat-Thu — from 9:00 to 22:00,
• Fri – from 15:00 to 22:00 (in the morning – only for believers).

Tours are also held daily:

• Sun-Thu — at 10:00, 11:00, 17:00,
• Fri – at 17:00, 19:00,
• Sat – at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 17:00, 19:00.

Mosque opening hours during the holy month of Ramadan:

• Sat-Thu — from 10:00 to 18:00, from 21:00 to 23:30,
• excursions – at 10:00, 11:00,
• Fri — from 14:00 to 18:00, from 21:00 to 23:30,

Library opening hours:

• Sun-Thu — from 9:00 to 18:00,
• Sun-Thu (Ramadan) – from 9:00 to 14:00,
• Fri-Sat – closed to the public.

Architecture

The construction of the mosque lasted from 1996 to 2007 by 3,000 workers, designed by the Syrian architect Yousef Abdelka. The natural materials that were used to build and decorate the mosque have natural beauty and durability – marble stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics. They were brought from many countries, including India, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, China, Great Britain, New Zealand, Macedonia and the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque is impossible not to see when entering Abu Dhabi. It is visible from all 3 road bridges connecting the island, on which the capital of the United Arab Emirates stands, with the mainland. The beautiful mosque shines with white Macedonian marble from afar. It is crowned with 82 domes, the largest of which is located above the main prayer hall. The building of the mosque has as many as 4 minarets (towers from which believers are called to prayer) each 106 meters high. They combine several different shapes and styles – the Moroccan-style square base, the Mameluka-era octagonal shape, and the Ottoman-era cylindrical shape. It is in one of the minarets that the library is located – the only one in the world located in such a place.

Prayer hall

In the main prayer hall, there is an amazing 5,700 square meter carpet weighing 35 tons, which is considered the largest handmade carpet in the world. For about 2 years, 1200 craftsmen worked on its creation – for about 8 months the project and design were developed, for about 12 months work was carried out on the creation of individual canvases, after which for several months individual fragments were delivered to the mosque and woven together. The composition of the unique carpet is 70% wool and 30% cotton.

Nearby hang 2 copies of a smaller size weighing 8 tons each. A 2-ton copy hangs in the hall. In total, there are 7 crystal chandeliers made by the German master. All of them are made of steel and tin, covered with 40 kilograms of 24 carat gold. The design also featured glass panels with Swarovski crystals.

Rules of Attendance

Sheikh Zayd Mosque opens its doors every day except Friday from 9 am to 10 pm. On Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

During Ramadan, the schedule varies: Thursday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and on Friday the mosque is always closed. The mosque is also closed on the Feast of Sacrifice and the Feast of Dinner.

You can visit it absolutely free of charge. For tourists available guide service for a fee or guided tours. With his help you will learn about the history of the mosque and its architecture, walk the halls and learn about the traditions of Muslims.

Tour times are from 17:00 and 19:00 on Friday, at !0:00, 11:00, 14:00, 17:00 and 19:00 on Saturday, and from Thursday to Sunday at 10:00, 11:00 and 17:00.

The schedule also changes during Ramadan: 10:00 and 11:00 from Thursday to Saturday.

The tour lasts about 1 hour. You can visit them throughout the year. You must come to the tour 15 minutes before the start, during the gathering of the group. The guide will lead you to the east side of the mosque – this will be the starting point.

You can take your children on the tour, but they need to be supervised at all times.

If you want to visit the mosque without a guide, by yourself, take an electronic guide with you. A small device with headphones will help you learn about the architecture, decorations, and other information. This tour is available in many languages, including Russian. Leave your ID for the guide.

For people with disabilities, there are wheelchairs that the staff will provide you with. There is also a mini-car that runs regularly between the tour start location and the parking lot.

Whether you visit the temple on your own or with a tour, you need to abide by the rules there. Otherwise you may offend the feelings of the faithful and take a risk, because the people there are very temperamental.

As for the dress code, it is quite strict. If you do not comply with it, you will not be allowed into the mosque.

Clothing for women: always a scarf on her head (not that you can see the hair). Closed arms and legs. Loose dress, pants or skirt to the floor. It is forbidden for clothes to be tight around the body and transparent.

Clothing for men: a shirt and pants. T-shirts, shirts and breeches can not be worn.

Important! If you have arrived in the wrong form – it’s not a problem, in the mosque you can take abaya (women’s dress) for the duration of the visit.

Also, when entering the inside for women and men there is an immutable rule: remove your shoes.

It is forbidden to eat or smoke, drink alcohol near the religious site and even more so inside it. In this place people communicate with Allah, and not indulge in earthly pleasures. It is required to observe silence, so phones should also be switched to silent mode.

Important! Photos and videos are allowed.

How to get there

If you’re coming from Abu Dhabi Bus Station (Main Bus Station), buses 32, 44, and 54 will be fine. The stop is Zayed Mosque. You can also get there by cab (pretty fast) or private car. There are no shuttles between the mosque and the train station, so you need to think about getting there on your own.

On your own

• You can order a cab, also in case you go by car, you can park in the southern part of the temple in a special free parking lot.
• From Abu Dhabi you can take a cab, which is the official one in Abu Dhabi and has the same name.
• Both an Uber and a trip with a navigator will easily get you to the mosque. By the way its coordinates are: 24.412604, 54.475340.

If you live in Dubai, you can use car rental (if you have any plans to visit the sights on your own), cab (which will be quite expensive, since the road from Dubai to Abu Dhabi is about 140 km) or take an individual or group tour.