Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Sets New Visitor Record in 2024

Religious gatherings saw a surge in attendance, with 282,000 people attending Friday prayers and 709,800 joining daily prayers. During Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, the mosque hosted an impressive 617,000 worshippers. April 5 set a new daily record with 87,000 visitors, including 70,000 worshippers.

As part of the Our Fasting Guests initiative, the mosque distributed over two million iftar meals, with 650,000 served on-site and 1.5 million delivered across Abu Dhabi. International tourists made up 81% of all visitors, with the highest numbers coming from Asia (52%), Europe (33%), and North America (8%). Indian visitors led the count at 841,000, followed by 397,000 from China and 293,000 from Russia.

The mosque also played host to 5,600 guided tours and 1,500 official delegations, including 309 high-profile visits. Among these were eight heads of state, a vice president, three state governors, four sheikhs and princes, nine prime ministers, and seven deputy prime ministers – cementing its status as a global cultural and diplomatic landmark.