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NEWS & MEDIA

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President of the Republic of Paraguay Visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

His Excellency Santiago Peña, President of the Republic of Paraguay, accompanied by First Lady Leticia Ocampos de Peña, visited Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. The delegation included His Excellency Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay; Her Excellency Dr Al Saghira Wobran Hamad Mubarak Al Ahbabi, UAE Ambassador to Paraguay; Her Excellency Carina Conther López, Ambassador of Paraguay to the UAE; and other accompanying officials.

The President and the delegation commenced their tour by visiting the mausoleum of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, reflecting on his enduring legacy and wise vision that established foundations for tolerance, coexistence, and peace among diverse peoples worldwide.

Accompanied by His Excellency Dr Yousef Al Obaidli, Director-General of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, the delegation toured the mosque’s halls and outer courtyards, where they learned about the mosque’s cultural mission promoting coexistence, tolerance, and openness to others—principles inspired by the UAE's Founding Father. They explored the Centre’s pivotal role in presenting Islamic culture and enhancing intercultural dialogue among peoples and cultures globally. The delegation also learned about the mosque’s historical background, architectural magnificence, and exquisite Islamic artistry clearly visible throughout, including unique collections that embody the richness and diversity of Islamic civilisation. The mosque’s distinct architectural style integrates various cultural influences into one harmonious, artistic masterpiece.

Reflecting on his visit, President Peña stated, "I am truly honoured to participate and be here. This is a deeply spiritual occasion for us to strengthen our relationship and build bridges between our cultures and nations."

At the conclusion of the visit, the distinguished guest received a commemorative gift symbolising the mosque’s aesthetic—a compass inspired by its chandeliers—and a copy of the Centre’s latest publication, “Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: A Lights of Peace,” which highlights the mosque’s extraordinary architectural artistry through a photographic journey featuring images from the “Spaces of Light” Photography Award.

 

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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre: A Beacon of Cultural Diversity and Civilisational Openness

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre: A Beacon of Cultural Diversity and Civilisational Openness

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre stands as a prominent cultural landmark embodying the spirit of cultural diversity and civilisational openness. Seamlessly blending tradition and modernity, religion and art, local heritage and global perspectives, it extends beyond its majestic religious significance to become a dynamic platform celebrating multicultural dialogue and the convergence of civilisations.

The Centre vividly reflects the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who believed that cultural diversity is an inexhaustible source of enrichment, and openness towards others forms the foundation of social stability and human advancement. It hosts an array of vibrant events and programmes, representing a mosaic of global cultures.

A Space Celebrating Diversity

Annually welcoming millions of visitors from diverse cultures and nationalities, the Centre serves as an interactive space for cultural exchange. Guided cultural tours offered in multiple languages enable visitors to appreciate Islamic architecture, intricately woven with artistic influences from around the world, symbolising global heritage within this extraordinary landmark.

Last year, the Centre received 6,582,993 visitors, solidifying its prominent status on the global cultural tourism map, with international guests constituting 81% of visitors and local residents 19%.

Platform for Human Values

The Centre's cultural impact extends to educational and awareness initiatives that reinforce universal human values such as tolerance, coexistence, and acceptance of others. Key among these initiatives is the Jusoor Programme, along with artistic exhibitions and community-oriented projects, all of which promote societal awareness grounded in openness and cultural pluralism.

Jusoor Programme: Bridging Cultures from the UAE to the World

The Jusoor Programme is pivotal in highlighting cultural diversity within the Centre, fostering enriching dialogues between international visitors and the local community. Through engaging discussions and interactive sessions, visitors gain insights into Islamic culture, Emirati lifestyles, and the ethos of coexistence inherent in UAE society.

The programme comprises numerous initiatives designed to introduce individuals and institutions from diverse backgrounds to Islamic culture and the humanitarian values championed by the Centre. Participants explore the Centre's core message, inspired by the visionary legacy of the late  Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the wise leadership's commitment to humanistic principles and Emirati heritage.

One recent Jusoor initiative, "Minarets of the Two Capitals," involved unveiling a model of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a mobile library, and the "Spaces of Light" Photography Award Mobile Exhibition at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque. Since 2012, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Centre has inaugurated over 21 mosque models across various countries worldwide.

Land of Tolerance Platform

Reaffirming its role as a beacon of tolerance, peace, and human fraternity, the Centre introduced the "Land of Tolerance" platform, offering visitors a virtual journey that underscores the Mosque's cultural and civilisational contributions in promoting the UAE's global message of coexistence, peace, and harmony. This initiative embodies Sheikh Zayed's visionary ideals and the leadership's aspirations.

Light & Peace Museum: A Captivating Cultural Journey

Further enhancing its cultural offerings, the Centre launched the "Light & Peace " Museum and the immersive "Diya "Interactive Experience, blending art with technology to explore light as a metaphor for inner peace and spiritual openness. Beyond religious narratives, the museum celebrates human diversity through multilingual storytelling, underscoring universal human messages. Previous notable exhibitions include "Hajj: Memories of a Journey," highlighting pilgrimage traditions, and "Coins of Islam: History Revealed ."

Spaces of Light Award: Celebrating Architectural Diversity

The Centre celebrates architectural beauty and diversity through the "Spaces of Light" Photography Award, attracting global participation. This award epitomises cultural diversity, showcasing how each photographer uniquely perceives the mosque through their cultural and artistic lens.

A Global Beacon

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has become a premier cultural landmark in the Arab and Islamic world, renowned not only for its architectural splendour but also for its growing role in promoting cultural diversity as a civilisational value. It has garnered international acclaim as a monument harmonising spirituality and multiculturalism.

In an era marked by increasing challenges to pluralism, the Centre stands as an exemplary model of promoting positive cultural diversity, illustrating that intercultural dialogue does not lead to cultural erosion but celebrates, integrates, and builds enduring human bridges across time and place.

 

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Accompanied by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, US President visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

US President Donald Trump has visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, accompanied by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

The visit started with a solemn stop at the mausoleum of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, where the US President and his accompanying delegation paid tribute to the UAE’s Founding Father and reflected on his enduring legacy that laid the foundations for promoting tolerance, coexistence and peace around the world.

During the tour, the US President and his accompanying delegation explored the mosque’s halls and outer courtyards, receiving insights into the mosque’s role in fostering intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding among diverse cultures and faiths. They were also briefed on the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre’s efforts to promote the values of Islam, and strengthen cross-cultural and civilisational exchange worldwide.

The US President and his delegation were additionally guided through the history of the mosque and its distinctive architectural and artistic features, which reflect the rich heritage of Islamic architecture across the centuries, embodied through intricate designs and engineering elements that showcase the beauty of traditional Arab and Islamic culture.

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HIGHLIGHTS

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

The complimentary guided cultural tours organized by Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre offer an educational, cultural, and interactive experience, making it one of the most popular cultural activities for all age groups! The standard tour duration is approximately 45 minutes and is delivered in Arabic and English by qualified Cultural Tour Specialists at the Centre.

The Chandeliers

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque houses 7 chandeliers that blend in harmony with its unique design and the esthetics of Islamic art and architecture that catch the eye of visitors from all over the world as three huge crystal chandeliers suspend from the three domes inside the main prayer hall , similar in design, with the largest in the middle, in addition to four smaller chandeliers distributed in the VIP foyer, the Floral foyer and the two side foyers of the main hall.

The design is inspired by the date palm tree, where the trunk is the cylindrical part of the chandelier, the fronds are the corresponding parts in a concave shape, and the colored globes are the dates or the fruits of the date palm trees, suggesting the noble values which the UAE society embodies such as authenticity generosity, and giving instilled by the late founding father for generations.

The chandeliers design features Islamic and floral designs, with most of the medallions located underneath ,as a reflection of them on the carpet. For example, look up at one of the chandeliers. See how the circular arabesque design comes to a central point. There, crystals hang like droplets of color, ready to splash onto the medallion design of the carpet below.

The largest chandeliers in the mosque are located in the main hall and are 12 m in diameter, 15.5m in height, with 15,500 LEDs. As for the other smaller versions of the same design, located in the main prayer hall, each weigh 8 tons and are 12.5 m in height and 7 m in diameter, with 9,500 LEDs.

The mosque also includes chandeliers that are 4.5 m in diameter and 6.5 m in height, weighing 2 tons with 1,200 LEDs.

Stainless steel gilded with 24-carat galvanized gold was used to manufacture the chandeliers, The panels of the chandeliers' are inlaid with Swarovski crystals, while the number of green, red, and yellow crystal balls used in the design are about 40 million pieces; which add a unique aesthetic touch to the entire prayer hall.

The Carpet

The main prayer hall houses the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet, by Guinness World Records in 2007. The intricate Islamic medallion carpet was hand-knotted by approximately 1,200 artisans and took around 2 years, including 8 months of designing and 12 months of knotting. The rest of the time was spent weaving the pieces together.

It was made in nine separate pieces, flown to Abu Dhabi, and stitched together on-site. The final carpet, which fills the entire Main Prayer Hall, is 5,400 square meters, weighs 35 tons, of which about 70% is made of New Zealand wool and 30% of cotton.

Also, one of the unique features included in the carpet manufacturing is the raised divisions that are not seams. These ridges indicate lines (prayer lines) where worshippers should stand to pray. The indication lines are separate from the design, although worshippers can easily identify the lines in which to stand when the prayers commence. The lines were made by shaving the carpet and leaving those lines elevated, so they decreased the thickness of the carpet to show the 32 elevated lines in the main prayer hall. The design features Islamic and floral designs, with most of the medallions located under the chandeliers as a reflection of them on the carpet.

For example, look up at one of the chandeliers. See how the circular arabesque design comes to a central point. There, crystals hang like droplets of color, ready to splash onto the medallion design of the carpet below. Throughout the Mosque, you will find a design relationship among the chandeliers, carpet, wall elevations, and glasswork.

Overview

The late founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan aspired to build a mosque personifying the moderation of Islam. This vision became a reality with the construction of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world and a prominent landmark in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi. The first considerations to build the Mosque began in the late 1980s, and construction began on November 5th, 1996, and it opened for worship on Eid Al Adha 2007.

The Grand Mosque is a living reference of modern Islamic architecture that combines features and elements from various cultures across the Islamic civilization through its exquisite aesthetic and unique collections that have become the world's focus. While it also reflects the forward-looking vision of the founder, who sought for the Mosque to become a prominent religious and cultural edifice, and a platform that promotes notions of tolerance and cross-cultural communication. A vision also pursued by our leadership and embodied through the Mosque's position as a leading attraction for visitors from all over the world, firmly on the world tourist map.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque attracts millions of visitors from all walks of life who blend in harmony within a framework of noble values that emanate from the tolerant nature of the Islamic religion, and which are an essential part of the principles and values ingrained in Emirati society.

Through offering a system of services and programs that cater to the needs of a broad segment of worshippers and visitors, the Centre has secured its position among the world's top three popular attractions for years in a row, according to TripAdvisor's 'Travellers Choice Awards. Several award forums also recognized the Centre's accomplishments.

The Mosque was built on an elevated land that rises about 10 meters, on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, with a total area of more than 555,000 square meters and can accommodate about 55,000 worshippers.

The construction of the grand Mosque took approximately 11 years and its design and construction 'unites the world,' using artisans, craftsmen, and materials from many countries, including Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, Turkey, China, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Greece and of course the United Arab Emirates. More than 3,000 workers and 38 contraction companies participated in the Mosque construction!