Sheikh Zayed Mosque

This beautiful mosque is open to visit by tourists between 10am and 11.30am each day. There is no cover charge, and as we arrive we are given an abaya and head scarf to wear, the clothing worn by Emerates women. We are invited to take our shoes off to go inside. Immediately I am struck by the scale and beauty of the mosque. Tall marble columns with delicate and intricate insertions of lilies, topped by gold painted mouldings. The entrance is a massive marble wall with coloured marble overlays of weaving stems and flowers and these are reflected in the shining marble floors. Huge crystal chandeliers hang from the intricately layers and patterned domes. The carpet is woven with colourful patterns of greens, blues, reds, creasms and yellows. The main wall is white gold, silver and gold and reflects the ninety nine names of Allah. The main prayer room is huge. This is truly a place of worship, I feel in awe of its beauty and stillness, knowing already there have been two calls to prayer, and three more to follow today. In the five calls to prayer each day, beginning at dawn, and ending late at night, hundreds of people will come and respond to the call, carrying prayer mats and shoulder to shoulder, will stand and then kneel, and chant, as an integral part of their day. Already I feel stirred in hearing the wail, a karanga, in the mosque near where I am staying. I can imagine hearing this five times a day, creates a stillness, a certainty, and a sense of belonging so valuable in a busy life.

We see the stained glass windows in delicate blues and whites. There is paua shell from New Zealand embedded in the mosaic flowers of the columns. I feel an immediate sense of pride that something from our country has contributed to this magnificent building. I imagine this building will be here in centuries to come. The cool long shaded portico walkways circle the four sides of the huge central courtyard, and provide a respite from the intense heat. Here and there tiled mosaic pictures are inserted into alcoves.

The gardens are being constructed and cool water pools, palm trees and gardens add to the serenity and beauty of this special place.

Sheikh Zayed's tomb is here. His grave is simple white marble with white stones and an eternal flame alongside. Surrounded by a carved wall, two imans provide oversight with continuous chants, one invoking the other throughout the day and night. Two guards are present at the gate to the tomb.

April and I had lunch on the balcony of the Sheraton. From there we can see the mosque, separated by the sea, then sand and then this magical structure with the intense blue sky behind it. It was great to be here with an old friend. We'd grown up together and it was truly a delight to have her show me this beautiful mosque in her home town.

I learned a little of the extraordinary impact of the revered Sheikh Zayed, who as a young man in the 1960's, became the ruler of Abu Dhabi. He found a way of opening the coffers, filled with the unspent proceeds of selling oil. by making this money available to the people of Abu dhabi, he encouraged his people to venture into business, adn become educated and build and provide infrastructure taking the people in this tiny state from being pearl fishermen and desert dwellers to educated traders and business owners. Sheikh Zayed promoted the idea of the seven emerite states uniting and in 1971 became the UAE's first ruler. His son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan succeeded him in 2004.