I haven't spent much time in Arabic countries, but whenever I have I've realized that I simply love them. Arabic people are wonderful! And our short time in the United Arab Emirates only confirmed my past observations. Jay and I only had one full day in the U.A.E. and we spent most of it trying to sleep off our jet lag in lounge chairs by a hotel pool. But we did take a few hours to hire a cab driver and have him show us Abu Dhabi. He spoke English very well and his driving wasn't half as frightening as the Egyptian cab drivers I experienced almost 10 years ago. Our first stop was the Grand Mosque. We didn't even know what incredible beauty we were about to see! This is going to be (it is still under construction) the third largest mosque in the world, and the largest in the U.A.E.. Our cab driver, like most folks living in the U.A.E., loves statistics on how much bigger, faster, and more expensive their stuff is compared to the rest of the world. Just take a look at Dubai to understand this mentality. Our driver told us all about the largest malls, the most expensive hotel ever built (right in Abu Dhabi) and who knows what else. I started tuning that out. The mosque was so exquisite that I couldn't listen to statistics anymore because I just wanted to take this gorgeous building in. The entire building is covered in white marble panels that glow at dusk and dawn. Mosaics of flowers crawled up pillars that were perfectly reflected in the blue-tiled pools surrounding the building. Beautifully dressed locals wandered among the pillars. Although we could not go inside (because we are not Muslim), we were not bothered because the outside of the building was so immense it seemed impossible to even take that in. I don't know how long we were there, but I think I could have stayed for hours and not felt satisfied. Perhaps this building will become something akin to Taj Mahal for the U.A.E. - it is certainly deserving of this stature.
Check out this Web page for more info on the mosque:
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
My last note on this blog is all about this photograph. I love this picture because there are so many stories to be told through it. Just look at the rich combination of old and new. Two men wearing the traditional thobe (robes) and ghutrah (headdress), one guy in modern boardshorts, ultramodern jet skis, and a flirtatious woman in modern clothes underneath her burkha. I love the smiles on the men when they looked at me as I took the photograph. We watched the woman hike up her burkha and get on the jet ski with one of the men, she drove it around like anyone on a jet ski would - as fast as possible. She was having a blast trying to soak the other guys on their jet skis. I hate jet skis, but it was super fun to watch this contrast of new and old, traditional and modern, unfold right before my eyes. I think that is the best was to summarize my short impressions of the U.A.E.. Ultra modern, yet steeped in the romantic beauty of Arabic traditions.
2 comments:
For what it's worth, you could go into the grand mosque. It's open to us infidels from 10-12 Sat to Thurs. If you think the outside is amazing, you should see the inside...
Ahhh - I had heard this was true. Sadly we were not there on one of those days. I wish we had had more time. I guess I must go back to see the inside of this lovely building.
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