A spiritual home in Mushrif

A Mushrif mosque, built in 1991, has one large dome and three smaller domes, along with four minarets.

Worshippers break their fast before the evening prayer at the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Mosque in the capital. Antonie Robertson / The National

ABU DHABI // The Mohammed Bin Zayed Mosque in Al Mushrif has Kamran Jalil awestruck.

"I haven't seen such a marvellous place before," says Mr Jalil, 26, a chemical engineer from Pakistan. "It's a masterpiece.

"It's my first time away from Pakistan. I have this unexplainable feeling whenever I'm inside this mosque."

The cream-coloured mosque on 17th Street, with its four exquisite minarets, one large dome and three smaller domes, was built in 1991 and can accommodate 500 worshippers.

Kamran Ahmed, a project manager at a government authority in Abu Dhabi, moved into the neighbourhood at the start of this year and now calls the mosque his spiritual home.

"The way they conduct namaz [prayers] here is far better than others in the city," Mr Ahmed says.

"Although there are other mosques in the area, I prefer coming here because I feel comfortable when I pray."

He is particularly impressed by the mosque's lighting and glass and marble design and, of course, the cooling system.

The mosque's Mauritian imam, Mohammed Yahya Mohammed, 30, has led prayers there for the past eight years.

Imam Mohammed says Ramadan is special at the mosque, where hundreds of worshippers of different nationalities have been offering prayers.

"We are very happy during Ramadan," he says. "It's a time of fasting, prayer and helping people."

Altaf Malim, 24, who works in customer support at Jumbo Electronics in Abu Dhabi, says the mosque is his preferred place of prayer.

"I've been offering prayers here for the past one and a half years," says Mr Malim. "It feels good when we pray at such a holy and solemn place."

It takes him about eight minutes to walk to the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Mosque from his home on Airport Road. "The mosque is simply beautiful," Mr Malim says. "The lighting, carpet and exterior are quite impressive."

Mr Jalil says the mosque and its community have made this a special Ramadan for him.

"I've never seen so many people whenever I offer prayers," he says. "It's a great experience, especially the way they lead us in prayer.

"I became more humble, spiritual and grateful for all the blessings of Ramadan."