Abu Dhabi’s Two Most Iconic Landmarks: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque & Emirates Palace
"From ancient sands rises, a city that remembers its soul"
Where is Abu Dhabi located?🌏
I’ve flown via Abu Dhabi several
times, on their world-class national carrier, Etihad Airways, to several
countries, but recently, while returning home from my trips to China, and India, I had a long layover in Abu Dhabi, so I decided to explore this beautiful
emirate that I had flown in and out of so often but never visited.
Abu Dhabi is located on the
Arabian peninsula. It is the largest of
the seven emirates that together form the country
called the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Abu
Dhabi is also the Capital and the wealthiest emirate of UAE. The remaining six emirates
in the UAE are Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and the
glamorous, famous emirate of Dubai!
My long stopover was cut short by
a couple of hours due to flight delays in Mumbai and it was late afternoon by
the time the flight landed in Abu Dhabi.
Places Visited in Abu Dhabi: 🏨🛕🕌
My list of places to visit included Sheikh Al Zayed
Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Watan Presidential Palace, BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, the
Corniche and Emirates Palace. The Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque was a must-see, ever
since I’d first seen pictures of this pristine desert beauty. Apparently visiting
Qasr Al Watan and BAPS wasn’t possible due to scheduling constraints. I could
visit only the Grand Mosque and Emirates Palace - possibly also the Corniche since
it was close to Emirates Palace.
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| Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
Exiting Abu Dhabi Airport: 🛂🛄
Processing through Abu Dhabi’s
Zayed International Airport was very smooth.
The airport is huge but easy to navigate through; all signs are clearly posted.
I left my carry-on bag at the 24-hour baggage hold facility (for a nominal fee,
payable by credit card), located near the Airport Exit. (Note: I’ve traveled through
Zayed International Airport often as a Transit passenger and am familiar with
the airport’s facilities and general upkeep. The airport experience I’ve shared
above is from an Arrival passenger standpoint).
Transport from and to Abu Dhabi Airport:🚘🚍🚖
Bus services are available from
Abu Dhabi airport to various destinations within Abu Dhabi and to Dubai. A bus
service counter was located near the 24-hour baggage hold facility. I believe you can buy a bus card from the service
counter. Uber and metered Taxi service
are also available. Taxis charge as per
the meter and also accept credit cards.
I took a taxi from the airport. My first stop was the Sheikh Al Zayed Grand
Mosque, commonly referred to as SZGMC.
After a short ride from the
airport, the magical domes appeared, against the orange-blue evening sky of the
Arabian desert. The structural beauty
and aura of the grand mosque was more resplendent than I had imagined.
Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque (SZGMC) Practical Information: 🚘🚍⌚
·
Travel time from Airport: By Taxi,
Uber - approx. 20-25 minutes; by Bus – approx. 1 hour
·
Entrance Fee: FREE Entry. Access Ticket
required. Online or Onsite Registration available.
·
Dress Code: Yes. Modest dressing
from Men and Women (check here for Dress code guideline)
·
Tours: Cultural tours offered by SZGMC (check here for Culture tour details), or you can visit at your own pace.
·
Transportation: Bus, Taxi, Uber.
(click here for Transport details)
o
Bus – There’s a local bus service, but the
frequency and coverage may be limited.
o
Taxis - There were plenty of taxis
available before 6pm but surprisingly they all seem to have disappeared after
7pm. Visitors had been waiting for over
30 minutes in some cases. The staff told
me that they were contacting the taxi service and arranging for taxis to come
over but it was taking a while.
o
Uber - I took an Uber from SAZ to
Emirates Palace, due to the super long waiting times for the metered taxis. The Uber arrived in less than 5 minutes. The Uber fare was comparable to the metered
taxi.
 |
| Underground visitor center, Shopping arcade & Restaurants |
Glass Dome Entrance:
The taxi drop-off is located right
outside the SZGMC underground visitor entrance.
There’s a glass & metal dome structure towering over the escalators
and elevators to the underground visitor center leading to the mosque and to
Souq al Jami. The use of transparent glass and light structural materials
creates a contemporary contrast to the majestic, traditional marble and stone
architecture of the mosque, providing a functional and visually striking
transition for visitors.
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| Colorful Abayas at Souq al Jami mall, Sheikh Zayed Mosque |
Souq al Jami:
Connected to the mosque and
doubling up as a visitor center, Souq al Jami is a well-curated underground
mall with stores selling traditional Emirati clothing, handicrafts, local
delicacies, plus other international brand stores, fine jewelry, perfumes and
other popular wares. There were plenty of abaya shops at the souq. Due to the
dress code requirements (and sometimes out of interest), many women were buying
/ renting abayas from the shopping arcade. I was dressed to code, so I didn’t
need an abaya!
Souq al Jami also has several restaurants
with fast food and dine-in options, offering traditional and international cuisine.
Walkway to SZGMC main entrance:
I hadn’t pre-booked, so I first registered at an onsite booth, collected my ticket and walked down the long hallway, in my designated lane towards the mosque entrance. There are separate lanes leading towards the entrance. You need to stay in the lane based on your ticket type (visitor, worshipper etc.). Along the walkway were pictures of significant events, visits by important dignitaries and notable features of the mosque.
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| Sunset view, Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
🕌 Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque (SZGMC) – A Sight to Behold!🕌
Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque is a
sight to behold. Simple, elegant, pure, well-structured, stable, assuring,
classy and breathtakingly beautiful. There are grand buildings, and then there
is the Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque. I thought I was prepared for its scale,
but nothing, no photo or article, truly could prepare me for the moment I
stepped onto the cool marble perimeter of this monument. It was twilight, and
as the desert sun slipped below the horizon, the Mosque didn’t just appear; it
emerged. For a moment, it felt less like solid stone and more like a vision: a
pristine, gleaming white ocean of domes and columns, seemingly floating in a
rising tide of golden, ethereal light.
We usually associate world-famous
monuments with such a refined blend of art, architecture, engineering, science,
calligraphy, math, scale, grandeur, and beauty only from past centuries, not from
modern times. For such a structure to be built in the 21st century is indeed remarkable.
Multi-cultural icon
As I arrived at the perimeter, I was surprised to
see such a large number of visitors. It felt
like a cultural melting pot with people from all over the world. Women from various nationalities were busy
clicking insta shots, in their colorful gold and silver embroidered abayas,
each person trying to get the best spot with the mosque as the backdrop.
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| Reflecting pool & walkway, Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Abu Dhabi |
Beyond Aesthetics, into Inclusiveness
The true hallmark of hospitality is to make everyone feel
welcome and included. SZGMC has
definitely done a great job in this space.
People of all faiths are welcome in SZGMC. An NBA team from the US arrived
and suddenly everyone was rushing over for pictures and selfies. There was a
lot of curiosity, interest and admiration amongst the visitors about the
interior and exterior features. There were several ground staff members throughout
the premises, to provide customer assistance.
Soon after I reached the mosque
perimeter, it was time for the evening prayers (maghrib) and the call to prayer
(adhaan) started over the PA system.
However, and this is probably a testament to SZGMC inclusiveness, the
tours and individual visits continued seamlessly. As mentioned earlier in this article there
were separate lanes for visitors, worshippers etc.. The worshippers went to a
separate hall in this huge mosque, the rest of us visitors continued touring
through the main complex.
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| One of several information nooks in the complex |
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| Largest hand-knotted carpet. Persian artistry, New Zealand wool |
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| Columns with Marble from Macedonia and other countries |
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| Glass panels on doors, sourced from Murano, Italy |
The Tour was an immersive experience
I couldn’t prebook a personal tour or join a guided cultural tour due to scheduling constraints, so I toured on my own (self-directed), relying on the on-site detailed narrative by the SZGMC.
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| Al Noor (main entrance), Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi |
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| Pietra Dura handcrafted stone inlay work throughout the mosque |
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| Mihrab & Qibla with 99 names of Allah in gold. Exquisite German chandelier |
Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque beautifully blends culture, tradition and modernity. This is a rare feat.
🌴🕌 🌴
An experience like the Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque visit needs to be topped off with yet another fabulous experience, right? Perhaps dinner at the
most well-known addresses in Abu Dhabi? Cherishing that thought, I headed
towards the Emirates Palace Hotel.
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| Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
🌴Emirates Palace Hotel - The Gold Standard of Luxury🌴
🪙The experience of the Emirates
Palace begins long before the lobby. The approach is a ceremonial ascent
through the winding driveway, lined with lush gardens and shimmering fountains.
The massive palace hotel sits high on a podium, glowing in the warm Arabian
night.
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| Golden domes of the Emirates Palace |
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| Gold ceilings in the lobby, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi |
Gold.🪙 Its everywhere at the Emirates Palace—in the towering 114 domes, in the leaf detailing on the arches, and reflecting in the polished marble floors. The hotel is unapologetically, breathtakingly opulent; a fantasy built from the best of gold, glass, and stately Arabian décor. The commitment to such perfection is so complete that the Palace reportedly employs an in-house Gold Leaf Specialist whose sole job is to maintain and re-gild the vast amounts of 22-carat gold used throughout the interiors.
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| Courtyards, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi |
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| Waterfront view, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi |
In keeping with the Islamic
architectural and design concepts, the palace is surrounded by lush gardens,
fountains and courtyards. Crystal chandeliers illuminate the expansive, marble
interiors, where elegant hallways are flanked by breezy terraces looking
over the vast open sea. It has over a kilometer long stretch of pristine
private beach and an adjoining private marina to dock some of the
world’s largest superyachts.
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| Dining @ Episodes, Emirates Palace |
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| Chef-prepared dinner @ Episodes |
Dining. I visited the Episodes lounge since it was the first restaurant I saw. The Episodes maître d’ reviewed the entire list of restaurants and their cuisine choices with me. He didn’t need to, but he did, simply to help me decide. I decided to dine at Episodes! A hostess was promptly assigned and she facilitated the seating and assisted in ordering an off-menu chef creation. My dinner arrived after a short wait, but it was absolutely worth the wait.
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| Large Terrace for sweeping Gulf views |
Private Views. After dinner, I strolled through the hallways and requested the staff for a viewing of the Persian Gulf. I was directed to a massive terrace from where I could see the beautiful warm waters of the Persian Gulf and the bright lights dancing on the waterfront.
Service. In my humble opinion, the true
wealth of Emirates Palace is in the humility of its service. The staff,
impossibly polite and helpful, operate with a quiet efficiency that ensures
every request—from a chef-prepared meal to a viewing request of the Persian
Gulf—is met with grace and genuine warmth.
In a setting where even the
world's most exclusive clubs and high-end retreats might impose superficial
formality and unwelcoming snobbery, this palatial sanctuary instead
makes you feel personally cared for, transforming luxury into an intimate,
unforgettable experience. I was truly touched by the down-to-earth authenticity
and kindness of the staff and their attention to detail.
Although I was now tired, I had an
absolutely wonderful time at Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque and the Emirates
Palace. It was time to head back to
Zayed International Airport to catch my Etihad Airways flight home.
🛄Trip Wrap-Up:👛✈
Earlier, on my flight from Mumbai
to Abu Dhabi, I’d met a millennial Indian couple seated next to me. Before they
met, the husband had lived in another emirate within UAE, but once they decided
to marry, he chose to relocate to Abu Dhabi, start a business, buy a home, and
make this city their future family base. Today, they live in a premium
neighborhood in Abu Dhabi, the wife has a thriving career, the husband’s
business is doing well, and they have an adorable newborn. When I asked him why
he chose Abu Dhabi, he said that while he had enjoyed living in the other
emirate, he believed Abu Dhabi would offer a more balanced and caring
environment to raise a family.
After my short visit to Abu Dhabi today, I would agree. Niceness and community care genuinely seem to be the recurring theme here, supported by growth plans that stay rooted in tradition while looking to the future. I look forward to returning soon and exploring more of this remarkable city.
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| Ferrari world, Abu Dhabi UAE |
Until next time, folks. Stay sharp, stay curious. 🎯🌍✨
🔔🔔[Thanks for reading! Explore more Travel blogs in the Travel & Culture series, or discover other insightful blogs on Business & Leadership, Communication, AI, Global Foods & Dining, and Lifestyle at Avantiqa 360.]
📌📌Helpful Resources 📱📚
🌍 Official Sites
Visit Abu Dhabi -👉 https://visitabudhabi.ae/en
Sheikh Al Zayed Grand Mosque Center (SZGMC) - 👉 https://szgmc.gov.ae/Index/home?culture=en
Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi - https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en/abu-dhabi/emirates-palace
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