Architectural detail from the majestic Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque, it is probably one of the most imposing religious and national landmarks in Abu DThis Mosque is one the worldââ¬â¢s largest mosques, with a capacity for 40,000 worshippers. It features 82 domes, 1,000 columns, 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers and the worlds largest hand knotted carpet. Seven giant Swarovski crystal chandeliers hang from the ceilings (more than one million crystals were used to create them), where silver looks like fine needlework; a giant Iranian carpet, handmade by hundreds of artisans, stretches from one end of the main prayer hall to the next; and marble with colorful stone and gold makes up the walls and floors. The mosque, which opened in 2008, holds three places in the Guinness Book of World Records: The largest chandelier (10m/33 ft. in diameter and 15m/49 ft. high); the largest carpet 7 sq. m (77 sq. ft.); and the largest dome of its kind (the mosque has 82, but the main one is 32m/105 ft. in diameter and 70m/230 ft. high). This is one of only two mosques in the U.A.E. that non-Muslims can visit (the other is Jumeirah Mosque in Dubai). Be sure to take your camera and dress modestly (if need be, the ladies near the shoe lockers can loan you a long dress and a headscarf something)habi to date. It is also arguably one of the most important architectural treasures of the contemporary UAE society - and one of the most beautiful in the world - initiated no less by the late presi
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