United Arab Emirates is a country that is under the religion of Islam. Like any other country in the Middle East, you will really see a lot of mosques which Arab people and other nationalities that are Islam believers use to worship.
Religion is a topic that is still a battle all throughout the world, but we need to keep mind that we need to respect the practice and culture every country we are visiting. And, UAE will offer you the best experience in showing the public how it is being inside a worship place they call mosque.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is located in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates and is considered to be the key site for worship in the country. The project was launched by the late president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who wanted to establish a structure that would unite the cultural diversity of the Islamic world with the historical and modern values of architecture and art. His final resting place is located on the grounds beside the same mosque. The mosque was constructed from 1996 to 2007. It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. The building complex measures approximately 290 m (960 ft) by 420 m (1,380 ft), covering an area of more than 12 hectares (30 acres), exclusive of exterior landscaping and vehicle parking. As the country’s grand mosque, it is the key place of worship for Friday gathering and Eid prayers. During Eid it may be visited by more than 41,000 people. <source: Wikipedia>
This has been a very beautiful tourist destination in Abu Dhabi and has always been a place that most people wanted to see. The amazing interiorly designed mosque, the marble, huge chandeliers, handmade carpets, extraordinary clocks and more are just few of the things that will give anybody the goosebumps of how rich this country is when it comes to culture and tradition.
So how will you get in there? Well I have options to offer:
- If you have a private or rental car, then all you need to do is to drive all the way to Abu Dhabi using google maps or the waze. Just type in your search engine Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – Abu Dhabi and you are good to go. And like on my previous blogs, I prefer to use the waze because for some reasons, it works well compared to google maps. I am not badmouthing google maps but I guess google cannot cope up of how the construction has been going every now and then in this country and maybe updating their system is a little hard. Anyway, you can choose what works best for you.
- For public transport: A. You can use a cab to go Al Ghubaiba Bus Station or if you want to use the metro, you need to go to Al Ghubaiba Metro Station and from there you need to go out of the metro station and from the metro you need to walk towards the bus station located behind the Emarat Petrol Station. You need to go to Abu Dhabi Bus Stand which is opposite of the ticketing booth. There is no sign, so if you feel like lost, then just ask the people from the ticketing booth or any security, they know where it is. Please take note that there will be a queue for every Abu Dhabi bus that will cater passengers and usually female and families especially with children are the priority. There is a separate line for men if you are going alone. Inside the bus the male passengers are obliged to sit on the back part of the bus if going alone but if you are a married couple, a family with children, or female passenger, you have seats located in the front part of the bus. This is mandated by the law and this is something that all of the passengers should follow. There will be RTA officers and police officers who will check each bus before it leaves to make sure the safety of everybody. Please carry an identification card with you all the time when you are a tourist including your tourist visa if you have one because some of the police officers might check it if they want to know something. B. You can take a cab or a metro and go to IBN Battuta Metro Station, from the metro station, you need to walk towards the area going to the IBN Battuta Mall, then you will see a bus station that is just in front of the metro station and from there you can ride a bus going to Abu Dhabi.
The fare going to Abu Dhabi is 25aed for one trip. If you don’t have a Nol Card and you are in Al Ghubaiba Metro Station, you can bus a one way ticket in the ticketing office. If you are going to use a Nol Card make sure that you have enough balance to pay the trip. Please remember that you only need to top up once and that is when you go inside the bus, please don’t top out anymore when you reach Abu Dhabi because it will deduct another 25aed on your Nol Card balance.
Please make sure to top up your Nol Card for a two-way trip if you wish to use it going back to Dubai because you cannot top it up in Abu Dhabi anymore, but f you don’t have enough balance, you can buy a one way ticket inside the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal. Proceed to the counter that has a Dubai sign. Ensure that before you ride the bus to ask the driver which way the bus will go. The bus has two routes, the IBN Battuta and Al Ghubaiba Bus Station. Please keep the other half of the ticket as always because this is valid proof that you are an official passenger of the bus whenever there will be a checking.
From Abu Dhabi, if you will take the Al Ghubaiba, the bus will stop in Al Jafiliya Metro Station Land Slide Bus Stop, you can hop out of the bus if you wish. The nest stop will be in Al Ghubaiba Bus Station.
When you reach Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal, you need to go out of the bus terminal and ride a cab and tell to the taxi driver that you will go to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Most of the drivers knew this place so it is not a problem. Abu Dhabi is not as developed as Dubai and therefore the only public transport they have are bus and taxi. I prefer you to take a cab because I, myself is not really into using the bus in Abu Dhabi. You cannot use the Nol card as well because Abu Dhabi has a different card being used in their public transport which is the Hafilat Card.
For the timings: click here. Going inside the mosque is free.
Please be reminded that you are visiting a place being considered as holy by our Muslim brothers and sisters so I guess wearing proper clothes is something to consider. Please avoid public display of affection because this is prohibited inside the mosque.
For women, please take note that right after the security check, you need to get an Abaya to cover yourself as mandated by the law of Abu Dhabi because this is how they do it here as per respect to their religion. If you plan visiting the prayer hall, please note that male and female halls are separated.
This place is very rich in culture, tradition and is considered a tourist attraction in the entire UAE. Aside from the fact that the mosque is so big, I am very sure that this journey will teach you a lot more about Islam and how it is to be in the holy place of our Muslim brothers and sisters. Include this destination to your bucket list and I am 100% sure that the diversity of the culture of this country is something unforgettable.