From RiRi to Gigi, some very famous faces have visited the place of worship over the years…
It’s hard to believe the iconic structure, which has become such an emblem of the UAE and its capital, is just 10 years old.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was officially completed on December 20, 2007, and since then it’s become one of the Emirates’ most-visited attractions.
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In fact, the beautifully constructed place of worship—which is the largest mosque in the UAE—welcomed a whopping 5,790,101 guests last year.
In statistics released by the Grand Mosque, the site attracted 1.4 million worshippers and 3.4 million tourists in 2017, along with iftar diners and students.
In the past decade, the mosque has welcomed many famous faces among those visitors, so we’ve rounded up some of our favourite A-list snaps for you to digest…
Rihanna
The Diamonds singer was asked to leave the mosque in 2013 after staging this photo shoot in the courtyard.
The Bajan star, who was in the UAE for a concert, took “some pictures that do not conform with [mosque management’s] conditions”, a spokesperson told The National at the time.
Dua Lipa
The New Rules singer visited the mosque just before her February 24 gig in Abu Dhabi.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall
The British royals visited the place of worship in 2016 as part of an official Middle Eastern tour (which is when this incredible shot of Camilla with her all-female Emirati security team was snapped).
Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner
The models donned abayas and headscarves for their 2015 visit.
Selena Gomez
The actress and singer was actually on the same trip as Hadid and Jenner, and was captured here in a group shot.
Maria Sharapova
The tennis ace snapped this moody shot last November.
Chanel Iman
The supermodel made some time for sightseeing after flying in for a promotion with Etihad Airways last year.
Crown Prince Hussein
Jordan’s heir-apparent was in the capital just last month! And we’re still upset we missed him.
Paris Hilton
The heiress wore a gorgeous deep red abaya for her trip in 2016.
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Halima Aden
The barrier-breaking hijabi model jetted in last year.
