The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi has introduced entry fees for visitors for the first time, with UAE Emirates ID holders charged AED5 and international tourists AED10. Worshippers entering to pray continue to do so free of charge, as do visitors aged 60 and above. Those arriving through tour operators will pay AED8. The fees are listed on the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre’s website.
The centre has also priced access to two additional experiences: the Light and Peace Museum and Diya, an immersive 360-degree journey through Islamic civilisation, each at AED25.
A combined ticket for both costs AED40. Diya uses sound and light to guide visitors from a starlit sky through UAE landscapes before arriving at the mosque’s minarets and domes. The museum combines sensory exhibits with artefacts and artworks.
Guided cultural tours of the mosque remain free. Led by specialist guides, sessions run 30 to 45 minutes and cover the mosque’s architecture, Islamic art and culture.
Tours operate daily at 11am, 1pm and 5pm, with Friday limited to the 11am and 5pm slots. A separate tour of the main prayer hall is available for AED30, outside restricted prayer hours. On Fridays, the prayer hall closes to tourists from midday to 3pm. General visiting hours are 9am to 8.30pm Saturday to Thursday; on Fridays, 9am to 11.30am and 2.30pm to 8.30pm.
Visitors must follow a modest dress code. Women are required to cover their hair and wear loose, ankle-length clothing covering the arms to the wrists.
The centre no longer lends abayas as it did before the pandemic; visitors can purchase one for AED45 at Souq Al Jami, adjacent to the mosque.
Men must wear long trousers covering the ankles and shirts with at least short sleeves; those in shorts, sleeveless tops, or clothing with inappropriate slogans will be refused entry.
The mosque, envisioned by UAE Founding Father the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and built between 1996 and 2007, welcomed 3,127,607 guests in the first half of this year, according to state media outlet Wam.
Of those, 1,841,305 were worshippers or fasting guests, and 1,241,808 were visitors from various nationalities. Visitors from outside the UAE accounted for 78 per cent of the total. Asia represented 52 per cent of visitor nationalities and Europe 31 per cent, with India, China, Russia, the US and Germany ranking as the top source countries.
