• Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was designed by Syrian architect Yousef Abdelky and built between 1996 and 2007. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was designed by Syrian architect Yousef Abdelky and built between 1996 and 2007. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Construction of the mosque began in 1996. It took 11 years to build and involved engineers, artisans, workers, architects, design firms and construction companies from across the world. AFP
    Construction of the mosque began in 1996. It took 11 years to build and involved engineers, artisans, workers, architects, design firms and construction companies from across the world. AFP
  • It was the passion project of the late President Sheikh Zayed, who died in 2004. Antonie Robertson / The National
    It was the passion project of the late President Sheikh Zayed, who died in 2004. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Present all along was the idea of lunar light because of its significance in Islam. Victor Besa / The National
    Present all along was the idea of lunar light because of its significance in Islam. Victor Besa / The National
  • Light being tested on the actual shell of the mosque. Courtesy Speirs and Major
    Light being tested on the actual shell of the mosque. Courtesy Speirs and Major
  • There are 19,225 lighting fixtures on the mosque. Around the exterior are 600 individual lights. Antonie Robertson / The National
    There are 19,225 lighting fixtures on the mosque. Around the exterior are 600 individual lights. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • The lighting became fully operational by 2010 and is run by a computer system with a lunar clock and is all set for the next 300 years. Victor Besa / The National
    The lighting became fully operational by 2010 and is run by a computer system with a lunar clock and is all set for the next 300 years. Victor Besa / The National
  • Most of the lights have now been converted to energy-efficient LEDs. Victor Besa / The National
    Most of the lights have now been converted to energy-efficient LEDs. Victor Besa / The National

UAE

Heritage

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi hosts more than 1.2 million visitors in six months

Presidents of states, politicians and ministers from around the world were among the visitors to the mosque as Expo 2020 Dubai took place

The National

April 16, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

More than 1.2 million worshippers, tourists and residents visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi during the six months of Expo 2020 Dubai.

From October to the end of March, a total of 1.26 million people travelled to the mosque.

The major events hosted in the UAE over the past six months, including Expo 2020, the FIFA Club World Cup, and Global Goals Week, helped to attract 2,452 international delegation members to tour the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

These included presidents of states to politicians and ministers.

The mosque also hosted 51 visits from local and international academic institutions, in addition to 293 visitors representing international media outlets, including television stations in Argentina, Ecuador and Luxembourg.

During the same period, 228,000 worshippers attended prayers there.

From October 2021 to March 2022, the mosque sponsored 2,596 cultural tours in Arabic, English, Spanish and Korean, and the number of reservations by tourism companies reached 13,667, involving 193,501 visitors.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

Updated: April 16, 2022, 10:44 AM
MosqueSheikh ZayedAbu Dhabi