Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

In Abu Dhabi there is a mosque so white it looks like it was carved out of a cloud. It has 82 domes, more than a thousand columns, and pools of water that mirror the whole building.

The idea came from Sheikh Zayed, who wanted a mosque that brought the art of many Muslim countries together. So craftsmen came from Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, India, Pakistan and beyond.

Inside is the largest hand-knotted carpet in the world. Around 1,200 weavers in Iran worked on it, and it is so big it had to be flown over in pieces and stitched together inside the prayer hall.

The columns are decorated with mother-of-pearl and coloured stone flowers — vines, lilies and tulips climbing up the marble as if a garden had turned to stone.

At sunset special lights change slowly with the phases of the moon, from cool blue to bright white, and thousands of visitors from every religion walk quietly through, learning about Islam.