Middle East, Trip Report

Visiting Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

adventuregirleliana

How can you be in the UAE for 2 weeks and not visit Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque? Specially if you haven’t been there before? It’s quite unthinkable, isn’t it? It is not only a beautiful “grand” looking mosque, it appears to be quite an Instagramable place as well! Though when we visited, I wasn’t as active on Instagram, wasn’t aware of the “Instagramability” however, delighted to find out about it nonetheless 😉

It is really pretty, very grand and beautiful. No other way to put it.
Now, how to get there: It is in the capital of UAE, Abu Dhabi. One easier and slightly costly way to go there from Dubai is by taxi. I would recommend this if travel party includes 4 or even 3. We decided to take the local way (by local, I mean local foreign workers/immigrants, not local Emirati) which was by bus. Since we stayed in Deira area, closest bus station to us was the in Old Dubai (Bur Dubai). Right at the station in front of ticket booth there are taxi drivers who also tried to offer us trip to Abu Dhabi. Reason for me not to take taxi was I didn’t have any car seat for Eliana and didn’t feel comfortable riding a taxi for 2 hours.

Bus ride was uneventful (except for that bus driver insisted we hold Eliana on our lap and not buy a ticket for her to save money!) and not much scenery to speak of. On our way back I made sure to buy a ticket for Eliana. After our arrival at Abu Dhabi bus station first business was to take a cab to visit that Creme Brûlée cafe! It is bit out of the way (as getting a cab back from there to the mosque wasn’t easy, had to walk bit to come on the Main Street). I would say those camel milk Creme Brûlée was worth it! They also served some food ie. burgers (sliders) and such. They didn’t have French Fries, but made sure to grab some for Eliana from another restaurant!

And then off we went to the mosque, where we spent time till it got dark. I wanted to see how it looks both in daylight and in dark! They offer free tour, but we missed it. And it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t get to take the tour, you can still go inside. There is obviously certain times of the day perhaps you can’t go in due to prayer times (check their site). Also, head needs to be covered for women, and no shorts and such. Inside the mosque, no shoes either.

And that place didn’t disappoint! It is really magnificent! Here are some pictures:

Eliana all ready to go inside the grand mosque!

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Inside the prayer hall:

 

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This is where the Imam stands to lead the prayer:

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A nice little replica of the mosque itself!

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During and After the sunset!

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Published by adventuregirleliana

19 thoughts on “Visiting Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque”

  4. I never see a bad photo of this place! I still haven’t been to Abu Dhabi, but I’ll definitely be visiting here.

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  8. This looks like an amazing sight! I’ll have to bookmark in case I get there. I only have a layover scheduled in my future and there would be enough time 😦

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  9. So i know nothing about the UAE or Abu Dhabi but the more I read the more it makes its way up my travel Bucket List because of amazing sites like Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque! I love your pics of the inside light fixtures and those amazing archways just blow my mind. I can only imagine how amazing it all looks glowing at dusk or in the darkness of night. Amazing

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  11. Truly, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque should really on everyone’s bucket list. I love how detailed the intricate design is and the place is really serene. The color is really beautiful and will surely go here if I get the chance to visit UAE soon. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

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