Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Grand Mosque

Saray artisans worked for more than three years hand-inlaying intricate patterns of flowering vines onto 1,054 white marble columns for the entrance and side arcades of this remarkable mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE, which opened in 2007.

More than a million pieces of hand-cut precious stones were shaped and inlaid into the columns including lapis lazuli, amethyst, onyx, agate, aventurine  and mother-of-pearl.