How to Visit a Mosque in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

I am rolling the sleeves of my shirt down to my wrists. In my bag, I grab a pareo that I carefully wrap up around my head in order to hide my hair. I motion with confidence towards the women’s entrance of the mosque, when I am called back: my pants show my bottom and that is not acceptable here at Sheikh Zayed Al Kabeer Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Also known as Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, this half-a-billion euro place of worship is the largest of the UAE, and can host more than 40,000 worshipers. I am taken to the cloakroom where abayas of every size are hanging. I choose one, put it on fast, check that my hair is well covered, and go back to the entrance of the mosque.

I wander around the massive white building topped off by its high and slender minarets from where the muezzin calls for prayer. The aesthetically shaped dome looks imposing. This is under this dome that the main prayer hall is located. To access this very sacred place, I store my shoes amongst hundreds of pairs and walk bare feet on the cold marble that feels refreshing in the heat of the evening. I walk around the spacious courtyard admiring the reflections of the extraordinarily lit mosque on the shiny marble.

Passing by hundreds of precious stone inlaid columns, I eventually reach the main prayer hall. It shows the typical features of a mosque. The dome provides echo to let everyone hear the prayer. The mihrab, or wall niche, points towards Mecca, hence the direction faced by Muslims when praying. The architecture inside that room shows geometric and floral elements along with some calligraphy from the Quran that are kept simple to not be distracting when praying. This is also why men and women pray in different rooms. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).