Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Rising majestically from manicured gardens and visible from the bridges joining Abu Dhabi Island to the mainland, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an impressive welcome to the city. With more than 80 marble domes on a roof-line held aloft by 1000 pillars and punctuated by four 107m-high minarets, it's a masterpiece of modern Islamic architecture and design. Conceived by Sheikh Zayed, and marking his final resting-place, the mosque is one of the few in the region open to non-Muslims. More than 90,000 tonnes of pure white marble from the Republic of Macedonia were used in its construction. Delicate floral designs inlaid with semi-precious stones, such as lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone, jasper and mother-of-pearl, decorate a variety of marbles and contrast with the more traditional geometric ceramic details. While it includes references to Mamluk, Ottoman, Fatimid, Moorish and Indo-Islamic styles, the overwhelming impression is contemporary and in...