Visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: timing, dress and the hour that matters

The Grand Mosque is the most visited building in the country and free to enter, which surprises people who assume otherwise. It also has the strictest dress code of anywhere you will go in the Emirates, and that is where visits go wrong.

The requirements are specific: ankles and wrists covered for everyone, hair covered for women, nothing sheer or tight. Abayas are available to borrow at the entrance and the queue for them is the longest queue on site, so bringing your own covering saves the better part of an hour at busy times.

On timing: the mosque is at its most photographed in the late afternoon and at its most beautiful about twenty minutes after sunset, when the exterior lighting comes up and the white marble takes the colour of the sky. That is also the busiest hour by a wide margin. Early morning is the quiet alternative and the light is flatter but the space is yours.

The mosque closes to visitors during prayer times and all day on Friday mornings, which catches out a great many people arriving on a weekend. Check the current visiting hours before travelling — they shift during Ramadan.

There is a considerable amount of walking on marble in full sun between the car park and the courtyard. Shoes come off at the prayer hall, and the marble is hot enough to matter in summer.

Entry is free. The paid tours are optional and, for most visitors, unnecessary — the building explains itself.