The construction of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque began in 1996 and finished in 2007. Over 3,000 workers and 38 contractors who worked together to finish this mosque. The sheikh gave the architects and contractors specific directions on how the wanted the mosque’s look replicate paradise as described in the Koran.. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose name the mosque bears, commissioned its construction before his death.The locals frequently just call it the “Grand Mosque”. Rising majestically from manicured gardens and visible from the bridges joining Abu Dhabi Island to the mainland, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an impressive welcome to the city. It features 82 domes, more than 1,000 columns, 24-carat-gold gilded chandeliers and the world's largest hand-knotted carpet. Finally in 2007, it … The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one the world’s largest mosques and a massive architectural work of art that intentionally blends different Islamic architectural schools.