“The grand mosque is clearly the biggest in the country though I am a bit skeptical of the claim that it’s the third largest mosque in the world (after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina). This mosque seems far smaller than the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta; Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca; and Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan. But I could be wrong.
“As you enter the mosque you enter an unusual entry hall, which is covered in marble bass relief in floral patterns that are quiet uncharacteristic of a mosque structure. Unlike other dominant Islamic buildings and mosques here the strict use of a geometric framework for all the patterns is noticeably missing.
“In my opinion it is the restrictions imposed by the strict geometric ordering that has always made decoration in Islamic religious buildings so interesting!
“It is one of the few mosques in the country that is open to tourists of all religious orientation and one of the few instances were the state’s money has been lavishly used on a ‘public’ building. I think it is surely worth a visit if you happen to be in Abu Dhabi!”
