At the Grand Mosque Al Zayed of Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi and its Grand Mosque Al Zayed, I couldn’t miss this beautiful Mosque that I wanted to discover and photograph.

After a day at the Louvre of Abu Dhabi, I head for the Grande Mosque by taxi 1 to 2 hours before sunset, I wanted to see it with this fabulous color gradient that we all know very well at this time of the day.

Arrived at the Grand Mosque, I needed to find the entrance and once inside, I had to veil myself as it asked in the Holy places.

After passing the security door, I find myself in the enclosure of this huge Mosque that was setting up in front of me and more beautiful in real. The daytime began to move on the night time but it didn’t stop to be dazzled to this deep white with this blue background. It was so magical and in the matter of few minutes, colours started to draw in the sky. This time, I take out my camera and start to please me.

I started to move forward among the other visitors and stop to the different look out from where I took several photographs with sunset on the background. It was such beautiful ! Slowly, I head to inside then I came back outside where the night just arrived. They became to light the Mosque, so I did another tour to take new photos with the lights lightening the Grande Mosque. Magical ! 

While my visit, there weren’t lots of people, which was very good because I could take picture quietly without having thousand of people around me. It is stressed me a little bit. 

I highly recommend visiting the Grande Mosque in Abu Dhabi that is situated around 15-20 minutes by taxi from downtown and one hour and a half by bus. I came by taxi and them I return to the downtown by bus.

Do you know ?

This is one of the biggest mosque in the world that have been built between 1995 and 2007, its opening’s date.

Sheik Al Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyane is the founding father of the United Arab Emirates and he decided to build this Mosque in the idea to become the national symbol. This Mosque costed around 400 millions of Euros for 12 years of work. Sheik Al Zayed dead in 2004 didn’t see his project end up. This is his son who continued the building and gave the father’s name for the Mosque.

Sheikh Al Zayed led the country from its foundation on the 2th of December 1971 until his death, in 2004.

The Grande Mosque is made of 4 minarets with a height of 106 metres being building in different shapes and architectural styles such as Mameluke, Ottoman, and Fatimid.

Through the Mosque, a huge symbol surround it especially the symbol of tolerance and the opening of the world to the Islam.

My advice

The Grand Mosque Al Zayed must be visited while a trip in the United Arab Emirates from Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

In my opinion, the best is going at the end of the day to enjoy colours at that time.