SHEIKH ZAYED

MOSQUE
INTRODUCTION
Architect Yusef Abdelki Halcrow
Engineer Tractable Al Khaleej
Built in 1990-2007
Height 351 m
Built-up Area 22.412 m
Location Maqtaa, Abu Dhabi, United Arab
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque construction began during
the presidency of the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan, Sheikh of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who
wanted to establish a structure that would unite the Islamic
worlds cultural diversity, historical and modern values of
architecture and art. His final resting place is in the gardens
beside the same mosque. It is the largest mosque in the
United Arab Emirates and the eighth largest mosque in the
world. The space it occupies is approximately equivalent to
the size of five football fields.As great mosque of the country,
is the key place of worship for Friday meetings and prayers of
Ramadan, when it can be accessed by more than 40,000
people.
 LOCATION
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is located
in Abu Dhabi, at the eastern end of the
island capital of the emirate of the
same name, in the Persian Gulf and 1
hour of Dubai. The mosque is named
after its founder and first president of the
UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
He chose the place and his opinion was
crucial in the architecture and design of
it. Based on its vision, the mosque was
built 11 meters above sea level and 9.5
meters above street level, between
Mussafah Bridges and Maqtaa, to be
clearly visible from all directions.
 Concept
The design of the Sheikh Zayed
Mosque has been directly influenced
by the architecture of Moorish and
Arab mosques Mughal architecture,
particularly the Badshahi Mosque in
Lahore, Pakistan with the dome and
the plant and the Hassan II Mosque in
Casablanca, Morocco. Its arches are
Moorish and its minarets essentially
Arab. The mosque design can be
defined as a fusion of Moorish
architecture, Moorish and Mughal.
 Interior Concept
The lighting design was crucial to give coherence to the complex architecture and interior
design, must be sensitive to the different materials used. There were numerous challenges,
including spaces for various purposes, including TV events. Architectural details should be
revealed carefully, being essential to hide from view as much as possible all the equipment
necessary for the proper functioning.The light sources were integrated into caves, ledges,
niches and behind the carved wooden latticework known as Mashrabiya. The aim was to
achieve the greatest appearance of lightness and the necessary levels of indirect light. The
result is that the building seems to glow with a natural luminosity, despite the predominance
of artificial light sources. The designers emphasize the particularities of construction: marble
panels, glass mosaics, carved plaster panels and calligraphy. Each material is lit with an
appropriate technique that reveals its texture and natural grain. Qibla The prayer wall,
pointing to Mecca, has become a unique piece of art, with an integration of light and the
material in a symbolic light panel.
An essential step for the success of the program was in a constant process of trial and trial
design workshops, developing concepts and models to ensure that the many lighting
effects create a unique composition.
Outdoor Concepts

The general concept was designed to ensure that the building had a
historical impact on the region and provide impressive interior
spaces. Because the Islamic religious calendar based on the lunar
cycle, the moon became a source of inspiration and a unifying
element of the design.The mosque was created with a poetic, based
on the image of the full moon with wisps of clouds moving across her
face. The building changes its appearance as you go lunar cycle,
bathed in cold white light of the full moon, and changing color every
two nights, growing gradually more blue as the moon wanes. In the
fourteenth evening the mosque is lit in deepest blue to signify the
darkness, but the viewer is unable to perceive the change from one
color to another.Jonathan Speirs, the architect responsible for
developing lighting said: In the same way that the moon
influences the tides, we wanted the moon had an impact on the
building. The idea was to have a building that, at full moon, will light
sparkling white light, but with a textural quality evocative of clouds
slowly drifting in front of a full white moon .
Architectural details

The mosque has four minarets 107 meters high with 82 domes of seven different sizes,
having the largest outdoor 85m and 70m height inside with a shell height of 32.2M OD.
Larger domes built with prefabricated concrete panels and were set between them,
while the smaller domes built in situ with fiberglass.The resort has 1096 columns on the
outside and 96 inside, and its motives inspired craftsmanship Muslims
both India, Morocco, Algeria and Pakistan. The carpet in the main hall, with 5,627 m2,
the worlds largest carpet, weighs 47 tons (35 and 12 cotton wool) and has
2,268,000,000 knots. It is handmade by approx. 1,200 women and designed by Iranian
artist Ali Khaliqi. It has an estimated value of $ 8.5 million.The design of the minarets
combine style Mamluk, Ottoman and Fatimid, fusing the beauty and art of the Islamic
world.