According to statistics released by the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, Abu Dhabi's iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque welcomed 5,790,101 guests in 2017.
The total number of visitors included 1,400,965 worshippers, 3,417,130 visitors and tourists, 857,510 iftar attendees, 2,496 Quran memorization class students, and the rest were people who attended charitable meals.
Ahmed Juma Al Za’abi, the Deputy Minister for Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, said "the center seeks to promote the message of tolerance and extend the bridges of communication between diverse cultures and civilizations", according to Emirates News Agency.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the UAE, spacious enough to accommodate over 41,000 worshipers at any given time.
It was constructed between 1996-2007 and named after the country's founder, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He wanted to build a structure where the cultural diversity of Islam would meet the contemporary values of architecture and art.
In 2017, the attraction was ranked the world's second most-favorite landmark for the second year in a row, according to TripAdvisor.
"Achieving second place, two years in a row, as one of the most significant architectural monuments in the world, culminates the tremendous efforts and exceptional services the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque offers to visitors from all walks of life," His Excellency Al Zaabi said.
Over the past few years, the mosque has attracted world famous visitors including the UK's Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as Queen Elizabeth II, who paid her respects at the tomb of Sheikh Zayed.
Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, and Kendall Jenner, and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton also visited the mosque. In 2013, a visit by the singer Rihanna resulted in her being asked to leave for taking inappropriate pictures.
