The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is surly very grand. I have been wanting to go for a while. I am glad I finally got the chance. The white domes and arches reflecting on water from one side and on marble from the other are beautiful sights. I stayed there for two hours with my friends photographing everything. I mostly spent my time outside of the mosque. The interior design did not match the grandeur of the architecture sadly. The patterns, the colours and the fixtures used in the interior design were overwhelming and were lacking in taste, which is a shame because there is so much potential inside. The official website -SZGMC- says it is “Combining Mamluk, Ottoman and Fatimid styles” but I have studied those styles in my journey in Islamic Patterns and sadly I would have to disagree. The combination of the styles was not harmonious and felt very random. I am sorry to say this, but in some places the design was even tacky, especially the golden palm tree column topers. I wish that the architectural firm consulted Islamic pattern teachers and artists about patterns before making those unfortunate decisions. The interior space feels like an outer space bonanza rather than a spiritual sanctuary. The chandeliers especially look like spaceships. It actually feels like the interior design team made their decisions based on “they are rich arabs who lack sophistication let’s give them big flashy space fillers”. For the trained eye, the interior lacks some serious research. Regardless, the exterior is pleasing to the eye and the mosque is worth visiting.