Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque!

I woke up late due to the fatigue caused by such a major time change! I needed some minutes on my phone as well as some batteries and a webcam to chat with family so I took the 10 minute walk to the Mushrif Mall, I had a great lamb and rice plate from a place in the food court. It was very tasty although the plate cost 39 dirhams. That's a little more than $10 (US) so I wasn't that upset with myself. I really have to budget until I get my advance pay, but I am starting to get tired of my Middle-Eastern Ramen noodles. After leaving the mall, another AD80 teacher informed me in passing that they were going to the mosque. I assumed they meant for prayer so I was going to pass until I remembered a place called the Grand Mosque. A few other teachers arrived to the hotel to catch a bus so I convinced myself to go. I'm so glad I did!

The Grand Mosque is the closest thing on Earth to what I would consider heaven to look like. It is overwhelming to say the least. I had to contain myself because I kept telling my colleagues how beautiful it was. They kept looking at me like, "Ok. We get it!" I felt like a kid just from walking around the outside. (Click here for pics of the Grand Mosque) We had a 5pm tour inside the mosque and they let us take pictures. Most mosques around the world don't allow non-Muslim visitors but Zayed wanted everyone to visit so that they could be educated and exposed instead of ignorant. Our tour guide said that UAE's ruler wanted people to dismiss the negative stereotypes of the Muslim culture and religion and break away from the lies that the media broadcasts.

Here are some interesting tidbits about the Grand Mosque (Click here for history of this one of a kind landmark.)

-During Ramadan each year, the mosque feeds over 20,000 poor people.

- Flowers are used as a design throughout the mosque. The main flower seen are representative of the indigenous plant life in the UAE. They are the lily, tulip, lavender, and iris.

- The domes of this mosque are just for decoration. Early mosques helped to project the sound when the person who made the call to prayer stood at the top of the tower or minarets.

- The courtyard and inside of much of the mosque are made of marble that should last for more than 100 years. The chandeliers made of steel and Swarovski crystals should last up to 1000 years! The biggest chandelier weights 9.5 tons!

-The carpet of the main prayer area is the largest man-made (woman-made actually) carpet in the world! 1200 Iranian women worked two years straight to create it. It weighs over 35 tons!

-The seven imported chandeliers from Germany incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier is the largest known chandelier inside a mosque and has a 10 m (33 ft) diameter and a 15 m (49 ft) height. (from Wikipedia)

-The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has seven imported chandeliers from Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier is the largest known chandelier inside a mosque and has a 10 m (33 ft) diameter and a 15 m (49 ft) height. (from Wikipedia)

-The 96 columns in the main prayer hall are clad with marble and inlaid with mother of pearl, one of the few places where you will see this craftsmanship. (from Wikipedia)

-The mosque is large enough to accommodate over 40,000 worshipers. )from Wikipedia)