Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

Sorry that it has taken me a few days to get this one posted! We have been pretty busy with Mimi and Papa’s last few days and then getting Kaden’s sleep schedule back on track and I just haven’t had the time to get the pics posted. But here they are! Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

As with his whole trip, Papa seemed enthralled with this place. It really is insane. And I mean that in the best possible way. It is so much bigger than it even looks (which is huge) and the details far outweigh the sheer size. It is absolutely breathtaking.

When we got there, Mimi and I headed over to get our abayas and scarves on while the men explored the outside. We all took off our shoes at the entrance (even Kaden) and then got to experience the majesty. Here are our pics… we had to come back later in the day to get some of the outside since it was so incredibly foggy in the morning when we toured the inside. Us being non-Muslims could not go back in later on, so we just walked around the outside and took some pics.

Some tidbits about the Mosque:

- It is the THIRD largest Mosque in the world, not the second, like as is commonly heard. The first two though, are in Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina.

- This Mosque was named after the founder of the UAE (Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan), whose burial plot is on site for all to see. It was a pretty cool experience, although no pictures were allowed of this.

- It is illegal for non-Muslims to enter Mosques in Abu Dhabi... this being the only exception.

- The carpet in the main prayer hall is the world's largest carpet, and the Mosque also houses the world's largest chandelier.

- The Mosque can accommodate 40,000 worshippers.

- The four minarets surrounding are each 115 meters tall.

And now the pictures!

Looking through the fog toward the main entrance.

Kaden watching Mommy get dressed in her abaya.

Papa enjoying the architecture.

Mimi's turn to get dressed!

Ready to go inside.

The chandelier in the women's prayer room.

Leaves protruding from the wall... such detail everywhere.

Women's prayer room.

A stack of Korans.

Inside the main prayer hall.

The obligatory flower picture that everyone has. These are inlaid in the floor with lights under them.

One of the pillars with very intricate designs.

Daddy chasing Kaden, who loved being able to run around with bare feet on the massive carpet.

Stu and Papa at the far end of the Mosque.

Standing at one end, looking to the other.

See the ant in the middle? Yep, that's me... Just an example of the massive scale of this place.

Facing the front.

Mimi and Papa.

Me, Stu and Kaden.

My favorite person in the whole world.

Kaden thought he would climb the pillars.

The fog in the morning.

The Mosque in the afternoon.

One of the minarets.

One of the pools on the side of the Mosque.

The Mosque from the front.