Sheikh Zayed Mosque - Abu Dhabi ....{by Bassam}

Original details of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque Project were designed by: Yousef Abdelki, a Syrian architect.

• Design and construction sourced from countries including Austria (Swarovski crystals in chandeliers), China, Germany (chandeliers), Greece, India, Iran, Italy (glasswork), Morocco, New Zealand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (UK).

• Over 3,000 workers and 38 contracting companies were involved in the construction project.

• Materials used included ceramics, crystals, gold, marble, semi- precious stones, stone.

• Maximum capacity is 40,960 people - 22,729 in the open Sahan (courtyard), 7,126 in the main prayer hall, 1,960 in the open prayer hall, 980 in the open prayer hall female section, 682 in the main prayer hall entrance, 784 in the main hall entrance.

• Total area is 22,412 square meters (about the same as 5 football fields). Courtyard area is about 17,000 sq m. Area of reflective pools surrounding the courtyard is 7,874 sq m.

• Domes - 82 domes of Moroccan design decorated with white marble. Main dome outer shell has a diameter of 32.8 meters, and height of 70 m from inside and 85 m from the outside. It is the largest dome of its kind according to the Research Centre for Islamic History and Culture in Turkey.

• Columns - the Mosque has about 1,000 columns in its outer areas, clad with over 20,000 marble panels inlaid with semi-precious stones including abalone shell, amethyst, lapis lazuli, mother of pearl, red agate. The 96 columns in the main prayer hall are decorated with mother of pearl.

• Minarets - there are 4 minarats, each with a height of about 107 metres.

• Lighting system was designed by lightning architects Jonathon Speirs and Major to reflect the phases of the moon.

• Main glass door of the mosque: height 12.2 m, width 7 m, weight about 2.2 tonnes.

• Chandelier in main prayer hall is the world's largest: diameter 10m, height 15m, weight about 9 tonnes.

• Carpet in the main prayer hall is the world's largest hand-knotted carpet with 2,268,000 knots. Designed by Iranian artist, Ali Khaliqi, and hand-crafted by 1,200 artisans in small villages near Mashhadin in Iran.

• Qibla wall (facing towards the Holy City of Mecca): height 23m, width 50m. The Qibla wall features traditional Kufi calligraphy, designed by UAE calligrapher Mohammed Mandi, showing the 99 names (qualities) of Allah. Fibre-optic lighting is also used. Calligraphy from the three styles of Kufi, Naskhi, Thuloth is used in the mosque, designed by calligraphers from Jordan, Syria, and UAE.

• Cladding - total of 115,119 sq m of cladding used on the mosque and minarets.

• Panels - 80 hand-crafted Iznik panels, or ceramic tiles, feature Thuloth style calligraphy from Sheikh Hasan Celbi of Turkey.

• Marble - 28 different types of marble used in the mosque, including SIVEC from Greece and Macedonia on the external cladding, Lasa from Italy in the internal elevations, Makrana from India in annexes and offices, Aquabiana and Biano from Italy, East White and Ming Green from China.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque, or Grand Mosque as it is often called, is an impressive sight when driving into Abu Dhabi. The words 'huge', 'enormous', 'massive', etc seem to understate the size of the mosque substantially. You'll understand when you drive past it or visit it. Don't forget to charge up your camera battery before you do. The mosque looks particularly spectacular early in the morning just after sunrise, or late afternoon as the sun sets. It should be one of the top items on a "must see" list of sights for anyone living in or visiting Abu Dhabi, Dubai, or anywhere else in the UAE.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the eighth largest mosque in the world. The mosque site is equivalent to the size five football fields approximately.

As the country's grand mosque, it is the key place of worship for Friday gathering and Eid prayers. It is the largest mosque in the UAE and numbers during Eid can be more than 40,000 people.

Capacity over 40,000

Domes 82 domes of seven different sizes

Dome height 85 m (279 ft)

Minarets 4

Minaret height 107 m (351 ft)