Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: The Heart of Any Abu Dhabi City Tour
Ninety minutes down the highway from Dubai, past the last of the skyscrapers and out along the coast, the capital does things differently. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is usually the first stop on this route, and once you've stood under its domes, it's easy to understand why almost every Abu Dhabi itinerary is built around it. Why the Mosque Anchors Every Itinerary At 30 acres and roughly a decade in the building, the mosque isn't just another photo stop — it's one of the largest in the world, with room for around 40,000 worshippers at once. Numbers like that are hard to picture until you're actually standing at the entrance, dwarfed by white marble columns stretching in every direction. Marble, Chandeliers and a Carpet Worth Seeing Twice Inside, the details slow you down. Swarovski crystal chandeliers hang from ceilings covered in floral mosaics, and the main prayer hall holds a hand-knotted carpet often cited as the largest single piece in the world. It t...