Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi welcomes over 4.3 million guests in 2025
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi witnessed a significant increase in visitor numbers during the first half of 2025, welcoming a total of 4,346,831 guests, marking a 5 percent growth compared to the same period in 2024, and reaffirming the mosque's position as a leading religious and cultural destination on the global stage.The guest count included 1,948,482 worshippers and fasting guests, 2,355,165 visitors from various nationalities, and 43,184 users of the mosque's jogging track.The mosque hosted 127,672 worshippers during Friday prayers, 346,671 during daily prayers, and 575,372 during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr.Notably, the mosque recorded its highest number of worshippers on the 27th night of Ramadan (25 March 2025), with 72,710 worshippers, including 11,483 for Taraweeh prayers and 61,050 for Tahajjud prayers, in an atmosphere of serenity and spiritual reflection.As part of the Our Fasting Guests initiative, the centre collaborated with the Erth Zayed Philanthropies and its strategic partner Erth Hotel to distribute Iftar and Suhoor meals. The hotel prepared approximately 2.6 million meals, of which 898,767 were distributed at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, 442,345 at Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Grand Mosque in Al Ain, 1,160,000 in labour cities across Abu Dhabi, and 105,935 in various areas of the emirate.During the Eid Al-Adha holiday, the mosque welcomed 96,497 guests, including 41,385 worshippers—12,740 of whom performed Eid prayers—54,751 visitors, and 361 jogging track users. The number of vehicles that used the mosque's parking facilities reached 988,411.According to the centre's statistics, 82 percent of visitors came from outside the UAE, while 18 percent were UAE nationals and residents. This reflects the mosque's growing prominence as a global cultural tourism landmark.In terms of regional distribution, Asia accounted for 49 percent of visitors, followed by Europe with 35 percent, North America with 10 percent, Africa with 3 percent, South America with 2 percent, and Australia with 1 percent.The top visiting countries were India (20 percent), China (9 percent), Russia (8 percent), USA (7 percent), Germany (4 percent), followed by France, UK, Italy, Philippines, and Poland, each contributing 3 percent of the total visitors.The centre's cultural tour specialists conducted 2,363 cultural tours, introducing guests to the mosque's message of peace, tolerance, and cross-cultural dialogue.The centre also received 826 official delegation bookings, including 196 high-level delegations. These included visits from 6 heads ofstate, 1 vice presidents, 6 prime ministers, 4 parliamentary speakers, 1 deputy parliamentary speaker, 3 governors, 4 Sheikhs and princes, 44 ministers, 16 deputy ministers, 25 ambassadors and consuls, 52 military delegations, and 34 delegations from various official entities.To enhance the visitor experience, the centre provided over 70 electric vehicles to transport worshippers from parking areas to prayer halls, prioritising the elderly and People of Determination. More than 3,515 comfortable seats were also provided for their comfort and 50 wheelchairs were made available to facilitate movement within the mosque.The centre continues to enrich its offerings with innovative experiences, including public cultural tours, Unseen Glimpses tours via electric vehicles, Souq Al Jami, the jogging track, and night cultural tours (Sura Tour) available 24/7. The 'Sura' experience was designed specifically for transit passengers, and those with limited time during their stay in Abu Dhabi.
The centre also offers 'El-Delleel', a multimedia guide device that provides virtual cultural tours in 14 languages, including a sign language tour for the hearing impaired and child-friendly tours, ensuring an inclusive and enriching experience for all visitors.
Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
7 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Emirates College for Advanced Education summer camp promotes Emirati heritage and digital innovation
17 Aug 2025 13:12 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)The Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE) has hosted its 2025 summer camp, themed Bridging Generations: Honoring the Past, Innovating the Future, at the ECAE FabLab in Abu by the college's Continuing Education Centre and aligned with the UAE's Year of Community initiative, the camp offered students aged 12-17 a unique hands-on experience that blended traditional Emirati crafts with cutting-edge digital fabrication two weeks, participants engaged in a variety of interactive activities that deepened their understanding of the nation's rich cultural heritage while equipping them with practical skills for the camp ran in two cohorts; the first from July 14-25, and the second from July 28 to August 8, ensuring flexibility for families and wider had the opportunity to work with advanced tools such as laser cutters, computer-aided design (CAD) software, and artificial intelligence applications, learning how to transform heritage patterns into innovative modern the programme, students collaborated in small teams, engaging in group projects that encouraged creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving. The daily schedule featured expert-led workshops on traditional crafts and digital fabrication, as well as cultural storytelling sessions where the participants interacted with community elders and shared personal experiences. The storytelling breaks aimed to nurture a deeper connection to local traditions and inspire students to reflect on their own cultural May Laith Al Taee, Vice Chancellor of ECAE, said: 'Bridging generations through education is essential for building a cohesive and forward-thinking society. By integrating heritage with innovation, this summer camp provides students with the skills and experiences they need to contribute meaningfully to their communities and honour the UAE's rich cultural legacy. This initiative assumes particular significance this year, as it is designated as the Year of Community.'The Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority was the official partner for the cultural workshop. A highlight of the camp was the final showcase event, where students presented their completed projects to peers, parents, and special guests, underscoring the importance of community, innovation, and cultural pride. Since its establishment in 2014, the Continuing Education Centre at ECAE has offered approximately 344 programmes, benefiting more than 7,000 children and supporting lifelong learning. The summer camp is part of this ongoing commitment, providing students with opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields while staying connected to their cultural roots. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
Al Etihad
8 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi welcomes over 4.3 million guests in 2025
17 Aug 2025 11:33 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi witnessed a significant increase in visitor numbers during the first half of 2025, welcoming a total of 4,346,831 guests, marking a 5 percent growth compared to the same period in 2024, and reaffirming the mosque's position as a leading religious and cultural destination on the global guest count included 1,948,482 worshippers and fasting guests, 2,355,165 visitors from various nationalities, and 43,184 users of the mosque's jogging mosque hosted 127,672 worshippers during Friday prayers, 346,671 during daily prayers, and 575,372 during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid the mosque recorded its highest number of worshippers on the 27th night of Ramadan (25 March 2025), with 72,710 worshippers, including 11,483 for Taraweeh prayers and 61,050 for Tahajjud prayers, in an atmosphere of serenity and spiritual part of the Our Fasting Guests initiative, the centre collaborated with the Erth Zayed Philanthropies and its strategic partner Erth Hotel to distribute Iftar and Suhoor meals. The hotel prepared approximately 2.6 million meals, of which 898,767 were distributed at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, 442,345 at Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Grand Mosque in Al Ain, 1,160,000 in labour cities across Abu Dhabi, and 105,935 in various areas of the the Eid Al-Adha holiday, the mosque welcomed 96,497 guests, including 41,385 worshippers—12,740 of whom performed Eid prayers—54,751 visitors, and 361 jogging track users. The number of vehicles that used the mosque's parking facilities reached 988, to the centre's statistics, 82 percent of visitors came from outside the UAE, while 18 percent were UAE nationals and residents. This reflects the mosque's growing prominence as a global cultural tourism terms of regional distribution, Asia accounted for 49 percent of visitors, followed by Europe with 35 percent, North America with 10 percent, Africa with 3 percent, South America with 2 percent, and Australia with 1 top visiting countries were India (20 percent), China (9 percent), Russia (8 percent), USA (7 percent), Germany (4 percent), followed by France, UK, Italy, Philippines, and Poland, each contributing 3 percent of the total centre's cultural tour specialists conducted 2,363 cultural tours, introducing guests to the mosque's message of peace, tolerance, and cross-cultural centre also received 826 official delegation bookings, including 196 high-level delegations. These included visits from 6 heads ofstate, 1 vice presidents, 6 prime ministers, 4 parliamentary speakers, 1 deputy parliamentary speaker, 3 governors, 4 Sheikhs and princes, 44 ministers, 16 deputy ministers, 25 ambassadors and consuls, 52 military delegations, and 34 delegations from various official enhance the visitor experience, the centre provided over 70 electric vehicles to transport worshippers from parking areas to prayer halls, prioritising the elderly and People of Determination. More than 3,515 comfortable seats were also provided for their comfort and 50 wheelchairs were made available to facilitate movement within the centre continues to enrich its offerings with innovative experiences, including public cultural tours, Unseen Glimpses tours via electric vehicles, Souq Al Jami, the jogging track, and night cultural tours (Sura Tour) available 24/7. The 'Sura' experience was designed specifically for transit passengers, and those with limited time during their stay in Abu Dhabi. The centre also offers 'El-Delleel', a multimedia guide device that provides virtual cultural tours in 14 languages, including a sign language tour for the hearing impaired and child-friendly tours, ensuring an inclusive and enriching experience for all visitors. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence begins new academic year with largest-ever cohort of 400+ students
16 Aug 2025 13:16 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has welcomed its largest ever cohort for its Fall 2025 intake, enrolling 403 new new batch includes its inaugural undergraduate class, new graduate cohorts in existing programmes in Computer Science, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Robotics, and the first intakes into the Master of Science in Statistics & Data Science and Master in Applied Artificial Intelligence. Fall 2025 received more than 8,000 applications across the university's bachelor's and graduate programmes, yielding an acceptance rate of 5 per cent, and reinforcing the university's prestigious position and ability to attract the best talent in the UAE and from around the Baldwin, MBZUAI Provost and Professor of Natural Language Processing, said: 'This year, MBZUAI welcomes our largest cohort of graduate students alongside our inaugural undergraduate class. Artificial intelligence is transforming the world at a pace that vastly outstrips traditional education models. To realise its full global potential, MBZUAI invests heavily in reviewing and updating our programmes to reflect modern AI research methodology and workflows, based on our bleeding-edge AI research credentials and grounded in societal and industrial needs."As a young institution, MBZUAI has already earned a place among the world's top 10 AI universities based on our research credentials. With the introduction of our undergraduate and Master's in Applied AI programmes, we continue to build world-leading programmes aligned with the UAE's National Strategy for AI 2031 and supporting Abu Dhabi's rapidly growing AI ecosystem.'The newly launched Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence programme offers two streams, AI for Business and AI for Engineering, combining technical rigour with leadership, hands-on entrepreneurship, and in-situ industry experience. The first class consists of 115 undergraduate students from more than 25 countries, over 25 per cent of which are UAE Baldwin said: 'The jobs of tomorrow are being shaped by AI today and we must ensure that future generations are equipped with the tools and skills to navigate that shift. Our extraordinarily talented students don't just learn about AI, but learn with it, through it, and for it. This is an extraordinary value proposition across all our programmes, but especially for our undergraduate students, who will be studying towards a bachelor's degree in AI that I believe sets a new global benchmark in terms of technical depth, real-world relevance, and the high-end AI job-readiness of the students.'The key highlights for the Fall 2025 intake includes MBZUAI's total student body totalling more than 700, representing over 47 represented by MBZUAI's undergraduate students include Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the UAE and the UK. Postgraduate programmes bring together students from Canada, China, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Serbia, UAE, UK, USA and Vietnam. MBZUAI continues to attract exceptional students, with 151 of the incoming graduate students (27.5 per cent) holding degrees from the world's top 100 computer science universities (CSRankings), including Cornell University, Tsinghua University, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of California, San welcoming the new students, MBZUAI has begun its immersive orientation week, introducing new students to the university's culture of academic excellence, AI-driven innovation, and community engagement. The programme combines academic sessions, mentorship activities, and cultural programming celebrating UAE heritage and life in Abu Dhabi. Highlights include the Orientation Mini Fair, where internal and external partners showcase resources for academic success, career development, and student life. Orientation Week is designed to foster a strong sense of belonging and connection, laying the foundation for academic success and life-changing university experiences. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
