Nearly five million people flocked to see the latest addition to Trip Advisor’s “World’s Most Talked-About Attractions”. Abu Dhabi’s iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – with its 82 domes and 1,000 columns – joins a line-up of 16 including Sydney Harbour, Australia; The Colosseum in Rome; The Eiffel Tower in Paris; Table Mountain in Cape Town and New Yor’s Central Park.
The five-year-old mosque, one the world’s most impressive modern Islamic architectural masterpieces, is ranked Abu Dhabi’s leading attraction by TripAdvisor users, notching up more than 1,400 top ranked reviews. One user said it was “a vision that would last a lifetime” while another added that in “30 years of travel, it was the most beautiful building they had ever seen”.
Mr. Yousif Al Obaidli, Director of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center, said: “To be included in a list of some of the world’s most renowned attractions, and to be voted there by our visitors, is significant recognition of both the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s beauty, the work of everyone involved in promoting it, and the appreciation of the culture of Abu Dhabi.”
Featuring 82 domes, over a 1,000 columns, 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers and the world’s largest hand knotted carpet, the mosque’s main prayer hall is also dominated by one of the world’s largest chandeliers –10 metres in diameter, 15 metres in height and weighing 12 tonnes. Reflective pools surround the mosque and striking white and gold colours shining in the sun are transformed at night by a unique lightning system which reflects the phases of the moon.
For more information and tour booking for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, visit www.szgmc.gov.ae
