Image caption Rihanna was asked to leave before she entered the mosque building

Pop star Rihanna was asked to leave a famous Abu Dhabi mosque complex after posing outside the building for an unauthorised photo shoot.

The singer tweeted pictures of herself in a black jumpsuit and headscarf on photo-sharing site Instagram.

A statement from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, said she was asked to leave after "inappropriate pictures" were taken.

The photos "did not comply with terms and conditions" of organised visits.

Rihanna performed live in the capital of the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.

The mosque said Rihanna, 25, first arrived "at an entrance that was not designated for visitors".

Tourist attraction

"She was confronted by the mosque officials and directed to the appropriate entrance to the mosque, to carry out a visit under the normal conditions."

She was asked to leave after striking a series of poses for the photo shoot.

The statement claimed Rihanna turned up at the mosque "without any previous co-ordination with the administration".

Several of the photos could be construed as suggestive, with one showing the pop star lying on her back in the mosque's courtyard.

The mosque is a major tourist attraction which welcomes non-Muslims - it had more than three million visitors last year.

Rihanna's publicity team has yet to make a comment.