emirates7 - Abu Dhabi: Thousands of worshippers and visitors gather each evening at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan, reflecting the UAE’s enduring traditions of generosity and hospitality.

Under the mosque’s annual “Our Fasting Guests” initiative, large iftar meals are served daily to fasting guests, including residents, visitors and workers from across the emirate. Long rows of tables are arranged in the mosque’s courtyards and surrounding areas, where volunteers distribute dates, water and traditional meals as the call to Maghrib prayer signals the time to break the fast.

According to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, hundreds of thousands of people benefit from the programme every Ramadan, making it one of the largest organised iftar gatherings in the UAE. In the first week of Ramadan this year alone, more than 371,000 fasting guests received meals at the mosque.


The initiative honours the legacy of the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose values of compassion, charity and community continue to shape the country’s humanitarian traditions. Alongside the iftar programme, the mosque also hosts thousands of worshippers for Taraweeh prayers each night.