Some buildings are so stunning that you have to risk getting a crick in your neck as you stand and gaze up at them, unwilling or unable to turn away for even a second. There are arguably several buildings in Dubai that could have this effect on you, but for the purposes of this blog we are thinking of just one – the Grand Mosque.

This is one of those occasions where you may have seen pictures of the building before you actually go and visit it. But those pictures cannot possibly do the building justice when you see it with your own eyes. The sense of scale and height is quite something, and even in person it is hard to fathom.

It is one of the biggest mosques the UAE has to its name. The minarets can be a big feature of any mosque, but the Grand Mosque has earned its name in many ways – and the size of its largest minaret is one of them. There are two tall minarets forming part of the structure, and one of these is just over 231 feet high. Unless you see it for yourself it is impossible to try and imagine what it looks like.

The mosque also has a total of fifty four separate domes, nine of which are large. The smaller ones do not shrink back from the eye though, and since the larger ones feature stained glass decorations as well, you will see that this is truly an amazing building.

You will find the mosque across the road from the Dubai Museum, so if you are paying that a visit you will find it easy enough to see the Grand Mosque as well. Head for Ali bin Talib Street and go from there – with the tall minarets it is obviously hard to miss.

The mosque was built more than a century ago, but in 1998 it was renovated and has looked at its very best ever since then. Make sure you have a camera handy – you will want to be sure you have photographic evidence that you saw the mosque for yourself.