Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has announced its doors are now open 24 hours a day, welcoming visitors around the clock. This initiative, primarily aimed at transit travelers with limited time, allows tourists to explore the mosque at their convenience, including during the night.
The mosque, renowned for its architectural splendor, introduces the Sura Evening Cultural Tours. These exclusive night tours offer a unique perspective of the mosque’s intricacies, revealing aspects often unseen during regular hours. Visitors will experience the maintenance and cleaning processes, adding a new dimension to the mosque’s grandeur.
To cater to a diverse range of visitors, the tours are equipped with multimedia guide devices in 14 international languages, with special options for the visually impaired and the deaf. Each tour accommodates up to 20 people, with a nominal fee of Dh20 per visitor.
Regular visiting hours, from 9am to 9.30pm, remain free of charge, although pre-registration is now mandatory.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, completed in 2007, is not only the largest mosque in the UAE but also a symbol of the nation’s cultural and religious heritage. It covers 22,000 square meters and can accommodate over 40,000 worshippers. The mosque stands as a tribute to the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, reflecting his legacy and contributions to humanity.
As one of the UAE’s most visited landmarks, the mosque has seen a dramatic increase in visitors, with over 3 million in the first half of 2023 alone, marking a 127% increase from the previous year. The mosque has also been a focal point for international dignitaries, including visits from Prince Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II, who paid their respects to Sheikh Zayed.