Sheikh Zayed Mosque
— — white marble that turns with the afternoon.
Not only on a wall.
“The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was completed in 2007, three years after the death of the UAE's founding president, who is buried in its courtyard. Four minarets, eighty-two domes, 1,096 exterior columns inlaid with mother-of-pearl, lapis, and amethyst. The main prayer hall holds the world's largest hand-knotted carpet. White Macedonian marble, dressed for the desert light. — from the studio
Sheikh Zayed Mosque, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque stands on the southern edge of Abu Dhabi, between the city centre and the airport, on a 22,412-square-metre footprint of white marble. Construction began in 1996 under Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates' founding president, and the mosque was opened for prayer at Eid al-Adha in December 2007, three years after his death. He is buried in the courtyard. The complex includes four 107-metre minarets, eighty-two marble domes — the central dome 85 metres tall — and 1,096 exterior columns inlaid with semi-precious stone. Capacity exceeds 40,000 worshippers.
The mosque is dressed in Sivec marble from Macedonia, chosen for its pure white tone and its ability to reflect the desert afternoon light without yellowing. The 1,096 exterior columns are inlaid with floral mosaics of lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone, and mother-of-pearl, set by Italian craftsmen over several years. The main prayer hall floor is paved in 7,119 square metres of inlaid marble. The qibla wall holds the ninety-nine names of Allah in traditional Kufic calligraphy, lit by fibre optics. The hand-knotted Iranian carpet that covers the prayer hall measures 5,627 square metres — the largest of its kind in the world.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is open to non-Muslim visitors free of charge, daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., except Friday morning, when it is reserved for prayer. Modest dress is required and traditional kanduras and abayas are provided at the entrance if needed. Guided tours run several times a day in English, Arabic, Mandarin, and other languages, lasting about 45 minutes. Photography is permitted in most areas; the prayer hall has specific guidance. The mosque is reached by taxi from central Abu Dhabi in about twenty minutes, or from Dubai in roughly ninety minutes by car along the E11.