Holiday Ayo - The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is visited by 4 million people each year. Many say there is a calming aura in the middle of the most beautiful and largest mosque complex in the United Arab Emirates.

On the TripAdvisor holiday site, in 2018 this mosque was ranked as the third most favorite building in the world. Surpassing other popular buildings such as St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and the Taj Mahal in India. At the top perched destination Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

source: Medcom.id

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was built in 1996 and took 12 years to complete at a cost of around US$545 million.

The third largest mosque in the world has an area of 22,412 square meters, the equivalent of nearly four football fields.

More than 40 thousand worshipers worship here. Not only that, this mosque also holds three Guinness World Records for the largest hand-woven carpet, the largest chandelier, and the largest dome in the world.

The solemnity of spiritual activity under 82 white marble domes, 1,096 exterior columns, 96 internal semi-precious columns inlaid with jewels, and seven Swarovski Crystal chandeliers plated with 24-carat gold, makes the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque a jewel in the heart of Abu Dhabi.

source: SINDOnews

The name of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is taken from the name of the first president of the United Arab Emirates and leader of Abu Dhabi, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

He saw the architectural project as a manifestation of his desire to make the building his final resting place. After his death in 2004, he was buried in the mosque grounds.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was designed by Syrian architect Yousef Abdelky. Inspired by Persian styles, Mughal and Moorish architecture.

source: Qoobah

The construction of this mosque is truly an international collaboration involving more than 3,000 craftsmen from 38 global construction companies. You could say the real luxury lies in the series of gemstones planted in a number of parts of the walls.