Abu Dhabi — Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Part 5

The interior views of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are stunning, and there is much here to capture the interest of any photographer. Last Wednesday I showed you the largest handmade rug in the world, with over 2.25 billion hand-tied knots. I also showed you the third largest chandelier in the world, which also happens to be the second largest found in any mosque. Today I’ll show you more views of the rug and other chandeliers, as well as many other decorations throughout the mosque.

Let’s begin by taking a look at those intricate relief floral designs made of semi-precious stone:

Not only do these designs decorate the columns along the colonnade, but they are also found inside mosque on the marble walls. Here you’ll find jasper, lapis lazuli, what appears to be red aventurine (flower below), and nephrite jade:

You will also find hand-painted tilework here in Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque:

Let’s zoom in for a closeup of the brightly colored glasswork on one of those impressive chandeliers:

Last week I neglected to mention an interesting detail regarding the orientation of the Qibla wall, which houses the mihrab niche. Qibla refers to the direction of Mecca, and in mosques the Qibla wall houses the mihrab niche from which the imam leads the service. So, when the faithful face the Qibla wall, mihrab, and imam, they are automatically properly aligned toward Mecca for prayer.

To refresh your memory from last Wednesday, here are the Qibla wall and mihrab:

For today I will leave you with one last look at the main prayer hall here at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The chandelier in the middle is the third largest in the world, and second largest in any mosque:

For additional information on the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque see:

● Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
● Mosques
● Domes
● Minarets
● Qibla
● Imam
● Mihrab
● Prayer halls
● Islamic architecture
● Abu Dhabi
● United Arab Emerates
● Arabian Peninsula
● Middle East

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