Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the one place in the UAE where visitors worry about getting it wrong. The rules are real, they are enforced at the entrance, and nobody wants to be turned away after a two hour drive. The good news is that the dress code is simple once somebody explains it properly, and the mosque lends you what you are missing. The mosque sits inside the Abu Dhabi day on our guide to things to do in Dubai.
The rule in one paragraph
Everyone covers shoulders, upper arms and legs to the ankle, in clothing that is loose rather than close fitting. Women also cover their hair. That is the whole code. There is no requirement to wear black, no requirement to buy anything, and no expectation that a non Muslim visitor dresses as a Muslim visitor would.
What women need
- Hair covered. A plain scarf is enough. It does not have to be pinned tightly or cover the whole hairline the way a hijab does, but it should stay on without constant adjusting, so pack a scarf with some weight to it rather than a silk one that slides.
- Ankles and wrists covered. Long sleeves to the wrist, and a skirt or trousers to the ankle. A maxi dress with a scarf over the shoulders works. Three quarter sleeves do not.
- Loose, not fitted. Leggings, bodycon dresses and anything sheer will be refused even when they cover the right amount of skin. This is the part visitors most often get caught out by.
- No cut outs. A dress that covers the arms but opens at the back is not acceptable.
If you arrive without a scarf or in something fitted, the mosque provides an abaya with a hood at no cost. You hand back an ID or leave a small deposit, wear it over your own clothes, and return it on the way out. On our Grand Mosque tour and our Abu Dhabi city tour the abaya is arranged for you before you reach the queue, which saves the part where you are standing at a counter working out what is being asked of you.
What men need
Long trousers to the ankle and a shirt or t shirt that covers the shoulders and upper arms. Shorts are refused, including long shorts that reach the knee. Vests and sleeveless tops are refused. Sandals are fine. There is nothing to borrow for men, so this is the one to get right before you leave the hotel.
Children
Young children are not held to the dress code. From around the age of eleven or twelve, teenagers are expected to dress as adults do, and girls of that age are usually asked to cover their hair.
What you can wear underneath
Whatever you like. The abaya goes over your own clothes, so if the mosque is one stop in a longer day you do not have to spend the rest of it dressed for it. Several of our guests wear what they planned to wear anyway and put the abaya on at the gate.
Shoes
You take them off before entering the main prayer hall and carry them or leave them on the racks provided. Socks are not required but the marble is cold in winter and hot in summer, and the walk from the shoe racks is longer than you expect. Shoes that come off without sitting down will save you a minute at both ends.
Photographs
Photography is allowed and encouraged in the courtyard and the outer colonnades. Inside the prayer hall, photographs of the architecture are fine; photographs of people praying are not. Posing shots, where somebody lies on the marble or stretches out for a picture, are stopped by staff. The courtyard floor mosaic and the colonnade arches are where almost every photograph you have seen of this building was taken.
When to go
The mosque is open to visitors every day except Friday morning, when it is open to worshippers only and receives visitors from the afternoon. Mid morning has the clearest light on the white marble. Late afternoon is cooler and the building turns gold about half an hour before sunset, then the lighting system comes on and shifts through blue tones as the moon phase changes. If you only have one slot, take the late one.
Practical notes people ask about
- Entry is free. There is no ticket for the mosque itself.
- Bags are scanned at the visitor entrance, which is beneath the courtyard and reached through a long underground walkway with travelators. Allow ten minutes from car park to courtyard.
- There is no dress code shop. People expect one because there is at other sites. The abaya counter is a loan desk.
- Smoking, eating and loud music are not permitted anywhere on the site.
- It takes about ninety minutes to see properly, longer with a guide who explains what you are looking at.
Getting there from Dubai
The mosque is in Abu Dhabi, roughly ninety minutes from most Dubai hotels depending on traffic and where you are staying. You can drive yourself and park on site, or take a tour that handles the drive and the entrance.
We run two that include it. The Grand Mosque guided tour is about eight hours door to door and spends its time at the mosque itself. The Abu Dhabi city tour is a full day from AED 100 per person and takes in Emirates Palace, the Corniche, Etihad Towers and Heritage Village alongside it. Both include hotel pickup across Dubai, an air conditioned vehicle and an English speaking guide, and both provide the abaya.
The short version
Men: long trousers, sleeves. Women: loose clothing to wrist and ankle, plus a scarf, or borrow an abaya at the door. Take a photograph in the courtyard. Do not lie down on the marble.