<b>Live updates: Follow the latest on </b><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/gulf/2025/05/12/donald-trump-gulf-visit/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/gulf/2025/05/12/donald-trump-gulf-visit/"><b>Trump's Gulf trip</b></a> <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/05/14/saudis-celebrate-trump-visit-with-ai-generated-images-of-abu-ivanka/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/05/14/saudis-celebrate-trump-visit-with-ai-generated-images-of-abu-ivanka/">US President Donald Trump</a> paid a visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/abu-dhabi/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/abu-dhabi/">Abu Dhabi</a> on Thursday evening. Mr Trump was accompanied by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, during the tour on which Yousif Al Obaidli, director of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and Ameena Al Hammadi, acting director of the Culture and Knowledge Department, served as guides. The mosque opened in 2007, having been built where Abu Dhabi meets the mainland. The architectural design reflected the UAE's location as a crossroads between East and West. The Moorish arches, Mughal domes, Persian courtyards and Ottoman minarets are all designed to reflect the diversity and multiculturalism of the Islamic world. Materials from all around were used for the mosque's construction, including from Italy, Germany, Morocco, Macedonia, India, Turkey, China, the UK, New Zealand, Greece and the UAE. Despite its status as a vital cultural and tourist attraction, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is foremost a fully operational place of worship, with all five daily prayers held on site. This includes the weekly Jummah gathering and its role as a central hub during Ramadan and Eid. The mosque receives more than five million visitors each year, including 2.2 million worshippers. Although designed to accommodate 40,000 people, it broke attendance records this year on the 27th night of Ramadan, when it hosted 72,533. More than 6.58 million worshippers and visitors attended the mosque in 2024, with almost 617,500 worshippers during Eid and Ramadan. The US President was received earlier on Thursday by President Sheikh Mohamed on arrival in Abu Dhabi. Mr Trump was also welcomed at the Presidential Airport by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser. Also in attendance were Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Adviser to the President; Dr Ahmed Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the President's Office for Strategic Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Office; Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority; Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the US; and a number of senior officials.
