Abu Dhabi - The Abu Dhabi Executive Council has entrusted the Municipalities and Agriculture Department to complete the construction works of the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The decision was taken during the council's meeting, chaired by General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council.
The mosque, built by late Shaikh Zayed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the largest in the Gulf. It is located at the entrance to Abu Dhabi city.
According to the Works Department (WD), the state-of-the-art project is estimated to cost more than Dh1.5 billion.
The mosque, built in a unique oriental architectural style and expected to be the region's main landmark, will have a capacity for 40,000 people, according to a report by the WD. It is one of the main landmarks in the country and comes on top of UAE's accomplishments in the field of architecture, the report said, adding that the design of this mosque and other mosques took into consideration the use of traditional styles of architecture and engravings of verses from the Holy Quran that are usually gold-plated.
According to project contractors, the reinforced concrete shell of the mosque was completed in May 2002. Completion of the project is scheduled for November 2006. The structure covers an area of more than 22,000 square metres and some 210,000 cubic metres of concrete and 33,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement was used in its construction.
The second phase of the project includes marble cladding for the whole structure, as well as intricate Islamic decoration and carvings and extensive landscaping works. The mosque will be clad in Makrana marble.
© Khaleej Times 2005
