May 28, 2013

Decorative Stones of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi – Part I

Posted by Evelyn Mervine

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #1.

UPDATE: See Part II for some more information on the decorative stones used in the mosque.

After sharing my mangrove kayaking pictures for this week’s “Monday Geology Picture” post, I thought I would share some more pictures from my January 2012 trip to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The day after kayaking, my friend Karima and I visited the stunningly beautiful and elaborate Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This impressive mosque was built for an estimated $545 million USD, is the size of 5 football fields, and can accommodate 40,000 worshipers. The mosque was built over many years and opened in 2007. The mosque welcomes tourists as well as Islamic worshipers. For our visit to the mosque, Karima and I donned conservative, respectful clothing (long skirts, long sleeves, and headscarves) and joined a tour group. The mosque is breath-taking– it was hard to believe, sometimes, that it was real. At times, I felt as if we had stepped into a magical world. I greatly enjoyed my visit to the mosque and highly recommend the tour to anyone visiting Abu Dhabi.

During the tour, I spent much of my time admiring the decorative building stones, which come in all colors, shapes, and lithologies and were likely sourced from all over the world. The primary building stone used in the mosque is a stunning white marble. I tried to identify the other decorative stones when I could. How many stones can you identify? Where do you think the stones might be from? Leave a comment below!

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #2.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #3. That's me dressed up in mosque-appropriate clothing.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #4. Shoes are left outside the mosque in the courtyard.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #5. More shoes in the courtyard.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #6. An incredibel courtyard floor!

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #7. Detail of a leaf.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #8.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #9. Intricate stone flowers on the wall of the mosque.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #10. More intricate stone flowers. How many different lithologies can you spot?

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #11.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #12.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #13.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #14.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #15. Stone flowers everywhere!

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #16.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #17. A stunning chandelier.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #18. Awestruck inside the mosque.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #19. Karima and I inside the mosque. The wall behind us features the 99 names of God in Islam.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #20. The carpet inside the mosque is incredible- intricate and very, very beautiful. And also one of the largest carpets in the world!

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #21. Another view of the amazing carpet.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #22.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #23. Beautifully carved stone.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #24. Decorative tilework in one of the courtyards.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #25. Yours truly posing with some beautiful tilework.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #26. More decorative stones (outside the main courtyard areas) with shoe for scale.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #27.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque #28.