THE GRAND MOSQUE

One of  Sheikh Zayed Mosque's dome in the female ablution room

So the elaborate planning that I mentioned last time was the entire trip to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Istanbul. The main point of our UAE trip was to attend the wedding of a couple, two dear friends of mine. We spent five days in Abu Dhabi, where I met the then-groom-to-be before we head out to Dubai for the Mehendi and wedding celebration. It was super warm at 38C when we arrived at midnight, so imagine the blazing heat during the day. Z has warned us about the heat and I was still in shock anyway during the first direct contact with the temperature.

Anyway, as it is one of the prominent examples of contemporary Islamic architecture in the UAE, we definitely couldn't miss visiting Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and in fact dedicated an entire morning to spend in the mosque. I haven't been to Makkah/Madinah (just yet) and I know the feeling was probably nothing to compare about, but that feeling of praying inside this mosque...just...Masha Allah!

My friend told me that what we see today is only 25% of the initial plan. Had it been completed, then truly a grand display of opulence it would be!

Bright lights lit up the mosque, made tourists like me go "ooh-aah!"

Those are 24K gold at the the top of each dome and minaret

Loving all the details!!

Colorful marbles from 10 different countries, cut in vine-y floral pattern

With 7 Swarovski chandeliers in total, this one's the biggest weighing 9.5tons!

The mosque can cater up to 40,000 prayers at once and it is open for visit to non-Muslim visitors too. And upon arrival, we can borrow headscarf and abaya for free (refer to the mosque manners/dress code from the photo below). Have to bare in mind to keep the head covered at all times inside the mosque. I joined the free one-hour tour that's available at 10am, 11am, and 5pm and got fully informed with the magnificent facts about the mosque. The tour starts from the entrance and finishes at the main praying room which is used for Eid prayers and taraweeh (yup, the one with the extravagant chandelier in the middle).

That's it for now. More Dubai and Istanbul posts soon!