São Paulo – At the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, everything is superlative: from the eight years the main building took to be erected, to the amount of materials used in its 22,000 square metres of area. In addition to representing faith in Islam at a grandiose scale, the monument deserves a visit from every tourist, because it is not merely a temple. The building makes references to history and is also an example of architecture, drawing inspiration from even the Taj Mahal.
Though imposing, with its 82 domes and four minarets over 100-metre tall, the mosque is note easily seen from anywhere in the United Arab Emirates capital.
Its architecture finds attractive rivals along the city streets, such as the Emirates Palace Hotel, the Yas Marina Circuit, which hosts Formula 1 events, and Ferrari World, the sports car theme park. The mosque’s white marble façade finds yet another competitor in the landscape: the sand. Brought in from the desert, it hangs in the air and ends up hiding the buildings.
All these competitors notwithstanding, make no mistake: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is impressive. Everything about it is exaggerated. The plot at which it stands, for instance, is very large, and even 16 years after construction started, in 1996, the building has not been completed. Workers are still laying on the ground the stones that comprise a big mosaic. Around the mosque, tourists can check everything out and Muslims can worship.
The 1,000-plus columns which support the building are not mere pillars. Their tops are horseshoe-shaped, in a reference to traditional Islamic and Persian architecture. The domes, in turn, do not attempt to hide their resemblance to those in India’s Taj Mahal. Modern mosaic techniques using glass and prints on the walls meet the curves and colours of buildings typical of Morocco and Southern Spain.
The white façade, the golden columns, and the blue water sheet that prevail on the outside merge with the green, red, pink and yellow interior. Inside the mosque, these colours are seen mainly in the carpet and the chandeliers, decorative objects that deserve a close look.
There are seven chandeliers made from stainless steel and 24-karat gold-plated brass. The largest of the chandeliers weighs 12 tonnes and the smallest ones weigh two tonnes each. Even though they are in similar styles, the colours of their Swarovski crystals vary. After looking up, the visitor must not forget to look down. The 5,700 square-metre carpet covering the floor of the main hall was made by 1,200 artisans, and took two years to complete. Embroidered with wool and cotton, it also represents Arab architecture through the symmetry of its drawings, five Islamic medallions aligned with the main domes of the building.
The superlatives which characterize the mosque have been a part of its history ever since it started being designed, in the late 1980s. Since then, 38 different companies and 3,000 people have been involved in the construction of the temple, which may receive up to 41,000 visitors. Materials as diverse as marble, gold, iron, crystal, ceramics, and semiprecious stones came from equally varied destinations, such as Italy, Morocco, China, Greece, New Zealand, Germany, United Kingdom, Iran, Turkey, India and the Emirates itself.
In addition to the main hall, which is open to tourist visitation, there are prayer rooms strictly for the believers. On the other hand, everyone can see the grave of Zayed, who was the founder of the Emirates and the mastermind behind the mosque, but died before its completion. at Zayed’s grave, prayer goes on all day. Admittance is free, but visitors must abide by the rules. Women must cover their entire bodies; men must wear trousers and T-shirts. All must enter the mosque bare-footed.
For more information:
Website: www.szgmc.ae/en/
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum