Published: Fri 29 Jul 2022, 2:37 PM

One of the world's largest mosques and architectural masterpieces – The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi - has received over 1.5 million visitors during the first half of this year. Around 19 per cent of the visitors were from the UAE, and a whopping 81 per cent of tourists visited the Grand Mosque during this time.

State news agency WAM announced Friday that a total of 1,520,697 guests, including 454,339 worshippers and about 1,033,045 visitors, were welcomed by the Grand Mosque during the first half of 2022.

About 51 per cent of the visitors were male, 49 per cent were female, and the majority were aged between 25 to 35 years, constituting 32 per cent of the total worshippers and visitors who flocked to the mosque worldwide, read the report. Visitors from India led the top three countries visiting the mosque, followed by France and the USA.

During the year's first half, the number of those using the mosque's jogging trail reached more than 33,000 users.

Cultural tour specialists at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre (SZGMC) provided 2,075 tours in Arabic, English, Spanish, and Korean, and 21,633 visitors joined from all over the world.

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Moreover, the grand mosque was recently selected among TripAdvisor's 2022 'Travelers' Choice Award' in the 'Best of the Best' category, which ranks the top 25 attractions worldwide.

The grand mosque ranked first in the 'top attractions - Middle East' category, fourth in the 'top attractions - world' category for its unique artistic and architectural splendour. It also ranked ninth in the 'top cultural and historical tours- world' category for the rich and versatile experiences and services it provides for visitors' needs.

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