Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque attracts 3.3 million visitors in first half of year

Holy site provides 2,637 tours to more than 37,000 guests over six-month period

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque view from Wahat Al Karama, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

More than 3 million tourists and residents visited Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi during the first six months of the year – a 127 per cent in increase on last year.

From January to the end of June, a total of 3,337,757 people travelled to the mosque, including 914,195 worshippers.

Tourists made up the majority of the footfall at around 2,388,437, of which 1,684,409 visited the mosque and 704,028 guests visited the visitor centre and market in the complex.

The mosque's library welcomed 1,104 visitors, while the total number of vehicles transporting visitors to the mosque totalled 757,026.

Visitors from India lead the rankings in terms of international visits, followed by Russia and China.

Cultural specialists at the mosque provided 2,637 tours in Arabic, English, Spanish and Korean to 37,402 visitors from all over the world.

In addition, 32,125 people used the jogging trail that surrounds the outside of the holy site.

There were also visits from 10 heads of states, three deputy heads of state and two prime ministers, as well as 87 visits from official foreign delegations.

In April, the mosque received the highest number of worshippers recorded in a single day – 63,919 – performing prayers.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque highlights the legacy of the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and commemorates his values, memory, qualities and contributions to humanity.

The mosque has attracted some famous visitors over the years.

In 2007, the UK's Prince Charles, who is now King Charles III, and his wife Camilla, now the British queen, toured the site and in 2010, the late Queen Elizabeth II visited and paid her respects at the tomb of Sheikh Zayed. Prince Charles made the trip again in 2016.

The rich experience starts in the visitors' centre, which has exhibition halls, an auditorium and a library, and ends at Souq Al Jami, which includes an assortment of shops, entertainment areas and restaurants.

Cultural tours offered by Emirati guides at the centre in Arabic and English are among the most popular experiences at the mosque. They are also available in sign language.

The centre is working on training its guides to provide tours in Mandarin, Russian, Hebrew, Turkish and French.