Photos: The Grand Mosque, Elizabeth in black, Italian chandelier, mosaic, another view of the Mosque, modesty police, work in progress, Mohammed (our guide)
Our hosts in Abu Dhabi had encouraged us to visit The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque, locally known as The Grand Mosque. Our friend, Nicola, in particular, described its grandeur and said it was her favorite sight in the UAE. She explained that the current Sheik, who is committed to promoting Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance, decided to open the Mosque to foreigners. It is one of the only Mosques in the UAE that welcomes non-Muslims.
The morning we were to visit, Nicola instructed us to dress conservatively and wear loosely fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants. I was intrigued when she warned, “If you do not dress appropriately, the modesty police will pull you aside.” Traditional dress in the UAE includes a long white robe, called a dishdasha, for men, which is accompanied by a ghuttra – or headdress – which is normally white for Emeratis. The ghuttra is secured by a black cord – agal – which originally was used to tether camels’ feet at night in the desert. Woman wear a long black gown, called an abaya with a headscarf or sheyla.
Upon arrival, Nicola pointed out the modesty police, who did indeed pull a woman aside before she got near the Mosque. They gave her a long black abaya and sheyla to cover her shorts and a tank top before entering this sacred building. It was only as we entered that I realized that all women– even those conservatively dress – needed to sport abayas and sheylas before they could join a tour.
Here is what I learned during my 90 minutes in black: Abayas can be incredibly comfortable; however, this is not to say there weren’t issues. I discovered that keeping one’s hair covered, as our guide, Mohammed, asked us to do, was very challenging. I now understand that Muslim women must have long ago developed an art for pinning their hair to maintain a clean appearance. My gown also became less comfortable when the hem dragged through a puddle of condensation and then brushed against my ankles. And then was Erik’s perspective. At one point he lost Nicola and me and suffered a moment of total confusion as he looked for us in a sea of black. Only Nicola’s distinct sunglasses perched on her head clued him in. But back to the Mosque.
The Mosque, which is the size of a palace, opened in 2007. Its white domes emerge in the surrounding desert landscape long before one arrives, and it’s impossible not to leave the grounds impressed. Our guide waved his hand toward the 80 domes and over 1,000 columns and told us it cost US$930 million dollars to build this massive structure. While the architectural style is Moroccan, there are contributions from many countries such as Italy, Iran, Turkey, China, and Greece. Mohammed told us how the designers invited “1,200 ladies from Iran” to install and sew together the world’s largest Persian carpet. We also viewed the largest chandelier in the world, made with 1 million Italian crystals and weighing 9.5 tons.
This was a Grand Mosque indeed. Nevertheless, while the interiors were exquisite, it was Mohammed’s openness and sense of humor that we most appreciated. He begged for tough questions about Islam and answered them simply and humorously. About why women worship separately, he responded, “When we worship, we stand shoulder to shoulder and toe to toe. If a woman were next to me, do you think I would be able to concentrate? I don’t think so….or when a female bends over in prayer and a guy is behind her? He may not be thinking about his prayers.”
All over the UAE, we were impressed by messages of openness and understanding toward non Muslims with one exception. A friend told us that his employment contract prohibited him from hiring or doing business with Israelis. This reminded us that opening a Mosque to foreigners was just one step in a complex, two-way process of understanding, tolerance and peace.