Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque attracts nearly 1 million visitors during Ramadan

The landmark site plays host to a free iftar attended by tens of thousands every evening

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. The Al Hijri New Year is the next public holiday in the UAE. Antonie Robertson / The National
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Abu Dhabi's landmark Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque attracted close to a million visitors during the first three weeks of Ramadan.

The internationally renowned place of worship welcomed a total of 918,221 guests during the opening 20 days of the holy month, with 180,017 of them being worshippers.

The Department of Transport has teamed up with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre to lay on a bus service to the site for the last 10 days of Ramadan.

A massive iftar served up in the sprawling grounds of the mosque has drawn thousands of people to break their fast every night.

The free iftar welcomes more than 30,000 Muslims per day.

The military-style operation has a 1,000-strong team working at the Armed Forces Officers Club and Hotel - including 350 chefs, 160 stewards and 450 service staff - who work all day to be ready by the evening.