The mosque was built under the guidance and supervision of Sheikh Zayed, who was buried here after his death in 2004. It features 82 domes, more than 1,000 columns, 24-carat-gold gilded chandeliers and the world's largest hand-knotted carpet. The main prayer hall is dominated by one of the largest chandeliers. The mosque was designed under the management of the
Syrian architect Youssef Abdelke, and three other architectural designers from
Syria who completed the design and worked on developing it, Basem Barghouti, Moataz Al-Halabi, and Imad Malas. The mosque's architect Yusef Abdelki took inspiration from a number of sources: the
Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque in
Alexandria, designed by
Mario Rossi in the 1920s; the
Badshahi Mosque in
Lahore,
Pakistan; and other references of
Persian,
Mughal, and
Indo-Islamic architecture. The dome layout and floorplan of the mosque was inspired by the Badshahi Mosque. Its archways are quintessentially
Moorish, and its minarets classically Arab. In a joint-venture between Italian contractors
Impregilo and
Rizzani de Eccher, more than 3,000 workers and 38 sub-contracting companies were conscripted in its construction. The mosque was completed under a second contract by a Joint Venture between ACC and Six Construct (part of Belgian company
BESIX Group) between 2004 and 2007. Natural materials were chosen for much of its design and construction due to their long-lasting qualities, including
marble stone,
gold,
semi-precious stones,
crystals and
ceramics. Artisans and materials came from many countries including
Syria, especially from
Damascus and
Aleppo, and some other countries such as
India,
Italy,
Germany,
Turkey,
Pakistan,
Malaysia,
Iran,
China,
United Kingdom,
New Zealand,
North Macedonia and the U.A.E. The intricate flower mosaics decorating the courtyard was designed by the British artist Kevin Dean, who embraced Sheikh Zayed's passionate vision to create a mosque that unites the world, as he chose flowers from the Middle East, such as Tulips, Lilys, and Irises. As inlays of colored marble form exuberant floral patterns that curl and twist gracefully from the edges towards the center adorn the courtyard. While the rest of the Sahan was inlaid with thousands of small pieces of white marble. ==Dimensions and statistics==