Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque tickets: fees, booking and dress code

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is no longer free for visitors. Tourists now pay AED 10, you book an online access pass before you go, and the dress code is enforced at the door. Here is what the mosque centre’s own site says, checked on 2 November 2026.

How much are Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque tickets?

Tourists pay AED 10 to enter the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and worshippers still enter free. The official FAQ says admission fees now apply to visitors, in these categories:

Checked 2 November 2026 on szgmc.gov.ae.

The fee is new. The National reported it on 17 September 2026, so plenty of older articles still say entry is free. The same report listed paid extras on site: the Light and Peace Museum and the Diya 360-degree experience at AED 25 each, AED 40 for both, and a main prayer hall tour at AED 30. The public cultural tours stay free.

Do you need to book a visit to the Grand Mosque?

Yes. The mosque’s visitors page tells visitors to pre-book and get an online access pass, and the booking terms say a visit “will not be confirmed unless booked in advance”. The same page mentions registration points inside the Visitor Centre, but booking online is the safer plan. The form works like this:

1. Choose the number of visitors (1 to 10), your email, the visit date and the time slot.
2. Give your emirate of residence, your nationality, and say if you are a tourist or an Emirates ID holder.
3. Add each visitor’s gender, age group and nationality, and whether they are a person of determination.
4. Pick any optional services, accept the terms, and confirm with the one-time code sent to your email.

Private cultural tours must be booked at least 24 hours ahead. The page asks you to arrive at your booked time. When we checked, the booking page sometimes showed a “System Error” message. If that happens, try again later or call the centre on +971 2 419 1919.

What are the visiting hours, including Friday?

The mosque is open to visitors from 9am to 8.30pm every day except Friday, when it closes to visitors over the midday prayer. These are the official visiting hours:

Checked 2 November 2026.

Ramadan hours are shorter and split. In the first 20 days the mosque opens 9am to 6pm and 9.30pm to 1am (Fridays from 2.30pm), and in the last 10 days 9am to 6pm (Fridays 2.30pm to 6pm). Ramadan dates follow the moon, so see our guide to Ramadan in Dubai for tourists if your dates are close.

What is the dress code at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque?

Cover up loosely: women need ankle-length clothes, sleeves to the wrist and a headscarf, and men should cover their legs. The official mosque manners set out the details:

• Women: loose clothing to the ankles, sleeves to the wrists and full hair covering. No transparent, tight or revealing clothes.
• Men: any men’s clothing is accepted, but covering the whole leg is preferred. Avoid transparent, tight or sleeveless tops.
• Everyone: no slogans or inappropriate drawings on clothes, and go easy on jewellery, heavy make-up and bright colours.

The official pages don’t mention lending clothes to visitors. The National reported that the centre stopped lending abayas around the Covid period, and that abayas sell for AED 45 at Souq Al Jami’ beside the mosque. Arrive dressed for it. Our Dubai dress code guide covers what to pack for the rest of the trip.

Can you take photos, and can children visit?

Yes to both, within the rules. Personal photos with non-professional equipment are allowed, but only at the designated photo stops and without lying down or disturbing worshippers. Commercial or media photography needs a permit, and devices used against the rules can be confiscated.

Children are welcome under their parents’ constant supervision, according to the FAQ. Other rules worth knowing before you go:

• No food or drink inside, including water, to protect the marble and carpets. No smoking anywhere on the grounds.
• Prohibited items include e-cigarettes, lighters, sharp items, whistles, laser pointers, loudspeakers, masks, flags, and dolls and stuffed toys.
• Lower your voice, set phones to silent, and avoid any show of intimacy.
• Everyone goes through a security check, with separate lanes for men and women.

Are there guided tours of the Grand Mosque?

Yes, and the public ones are free. The cultural tours page lists tours of 30 to 45 minutes at 11am, 1pm and 5pm, with only the 11am and 5pm tours on Fridays. In Ramadan they run at 11am and 1pm from Saturday to Thursday, with none on Fridays. The FAQ asks you to arrive about 15 minutes before the start. Private cultural tours and the Sura night tours are booked through the same booking page.

If you would rather have transport and a guide handled for you, our Grand Mosque tour is a four-hour trip with a private transfer, a professional guide and bottled water, with pickup at 8am. The full-day Abu Dhabi city tour picks up from Dubai or Abu Dhabi at 9am and adds Emirates Palace, the Heritage Village and the Corniche.

How do you get to the mosque from Dubai?

By car, taxi, bus or tour: the mosque doesn’t run its own transport. From Dubai, RTA’s E101 bus runs from Ibn Battuta to Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station in about 1 hour 45 minutes for AED 25, according to RTA’s journey planner on 2 November 2026. Take a taxi from the bus station to the mosque.

If you drive, the FAQ points you to the southern car parks. Club cars carry visitors between the car parks and the tour starting point, and wheelchairs for people of determination and older visitors can be requested from security staff. Our Abu Dhabi day trip guide compares the bus, driving and a tour in more detail.

When is the best time to visit?

Late afternoon is the best time for most visitors. Join the 5pm tour, then stay as the light fades: the facade lighting changes with the phases of the moon, shifting from white at full moon to deeper blue as it wanes, according to Visit Abu Dhabi. You see the marble by daylight and the lit-up domes in one visit.

A 9am start suits a morning plan if you’re going on to the Louvre or Qasr Al Watan afterwards. On a Friday, avoid 11.30am to 2.30pm, when the mosque is closed to visitors. The rest of the day trips from Dubai hub covers what else fits around a mosque visit.