The Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi
And a Surprise Mall…
My husband and I spent Christmas 2023 in Dubai visiting my son and his girlfriend. As our second visit, we wanted to see more of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We decided to visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in the capital, Abu Dhabi. Renowned for its beauty, it’s also a centre of learning about Islamic culture, visited by several million a year.
On arrival, we saw the mosque, majestic in the distance. Joining the crowds we passed shops selling abayas for women and kandoras for men; long, loose-fitting, light robes that cover the arms and legs. Women must cover their arms, legs and hair, and men are required to wear trousers (no shorts) and shirts. This modest dress code is a requirement to enter the mosque. They also sold headscarves, an absolute necessity for women.
Beautiful and tempting as they were, I felt a bit smug. I’d packed a dress, leggings, cardigan and a light scarf in readiness to conform with the dress code. Why spend money on an abaya that I would probably never wear again? Big mistake actually, but more of that later.
Next, we were funnelled by security guards down an escalator for access to the mosque and a surprise large underground shopping mall complete with a food court. A mall and food court? We have small gift shops in our churches and cathedrals, but imagine if Westminster Abbey had an attached mall with a Burger King and Costa.
Cue lots of people and noise. It turns out that although it’s free to enter the mosque (extra for guided tours), you need to obtain an online ticket, join a security queue, have your clothes checked and approved, and listen to an etiquette talk (no PDA and women must have their head covered at all times).
Yes, they check your clothes, and yes, I heard some disrespectful comments.
I changed into my outfit and was approved as being respectful; even if my headscarf was more babushka (as pointed out by my son) than Emirati elegance.
Finally we were on our way, via a long tunnel that took us to the entrance of the mosque.
Completed in 2007, using marble, gold, semi-precious stones and ceramics, the mosque dazzles. It can accommodate over 40,000 worshippers, has four minarets (from which we heard the call to prayer) and the courtyard is inlaid with a floral marble mosaic. The main prayer hall has a hand-knotted carpet that took two years to make and chandeliers decorated with crystals. I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.
What looked majestic from a distance was absolute splendour up close. Stunning, magnificent, exquisite, breathtaking and enthralling are just a few adjectives that only come close to describing the mosque. I won’t say any more, you can make up your own mind.
I took photos, of course. I also just stood in appreciative awe, committing the mosque to memory.
Did we indulge in retail therapy and visit the food court? Of course. Subway meal deals all around. And we bought a soft toy camel. It seemed rude not to.
It was 30 degrees on the day of our visit. Not particularly hot for the UAE. But baking to be wearing leggings and a cardigan. Big mistake, huge. I should’ve bought that abaya.
