The Sheikh Zayed Mosque was first opened to visitors in 2008 and should be on every visitor's list of things to do and see.
The mosque is said to the be the 3rd largest in the world, contains the largest carpet in the world (woven in Iran by 1,200 women then flown in pieces before sewing it together on-site). The exterioir has the largest dome of its kind, and has vast expanses of marble from Italy, China, France - and no doubt lots of other places too. The late Sheikh Zayed, ruler of United Arab Emirates since its formation in 1971 until his death in 2004, started work on the Mosque in the late 1980s but never saw it open. It's now in use (can accomodate around 7,000 faithful inside, plus another 22,000 in the main courtyard outside), but still has building work ongoing to finish exterior landscaping, car parks etc.
Note: do not visit the place on Friday or on prayer time - here is a free guided tour at 10am every day except Fridays and Saturdays. There is a dress code for men and women - modest, no shorts and long sleeves.. Ladies will be given an abaya & head cover garment to wear so don't worry too much, just don't appear with a mini skirt and a strappy top!
Taxi fare from the Corniche about 95 plus waiting time, though there is a free shuttle bus from the Shangri La Hotel which drops you off at 9:45am and collects again at 11:15 - only just enough time to take the very instructional and interesting tour, and get a flavour for hte place.
This is destined to be one of the wonders of the Middle East - and a definite must-see attraction in Abu Dhabi, for completely different reasons than all the glitz and glamour of Dubai. Costing an estimated $500m to build, this is first and foremost a place of worship - it just happens to be on an awesome scale, with amazing attention to detail everywhere.
