A Mosque Must See!

Of course there are lots of things to do in Abu Dhabi but a definite ''Must See'', is the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque Centre. We decided to head off just before sundown to see the Mosque in its magnificent white day dress and then watch it slipping into the ''Blue Hour'' when it is lit up in magical blues and golds. Like everything else here it is a mosque of superlatives; 40,000 can pray here, it has 82 domes, the largest woven carpet in the world  at 5,600 square metres and one of the largest crystal chandeliers in the world with a staggering diameter of 10m and height of 15m (one of seven in the mosque decorated with over 40 million Swarovski crystals). Over one thousand marble pillars with gold capitals support the decorative ceilings and are reflected in the water basins that surround the spectacular building, there is no question, it is breathtaking! 

We traveled there with another German couple by taxi, in Abu Dhabi you do everything by taxi and if you fancy a trip to the mosque  you must be aware that the clothing policy for a visit is very strict. Having visited other sites in Arabic countries, I know that coverage is essential (head, arms, knees and no tight clothing) but here modest dressing reached another level, many of the tourist guides say you can borrow clothing at the mosque centre, this is no longer the case, you have to buy there in the tourist shops. The officials sent nearly ever woman (especially if they came in their own clothing) to the shops to buy Abayas  (a hooded Kaftan) or in my case leg coverings, although my dress was nearly ankle length, I was sent to purchase ''trousers'', the local merchants tried to sell me trousers or a new dress which I refused and finally they sold me like nylon leg warmers. So, suitably attired, we could finally view this amazing building.

The Muezzin started calling the faithful to prayer, the building glittered in both daylight and then illuminated. I did this sketch later from one of my own photos in my hotel room, firstly our visit didn’t allow enough time for sketching and secondly the officials at the Mosque Centre didn’t really permit dallying, you could look around but    the tourist route was roped in basically so you couldn’t drift off into the gardens or the central square, it is of course a place of prayer so I really appreciated being permitted to view the mosque and my visit will forever stick in my memory. A spectacular sight and I am still fascinated, I can’t stop perusing through my photos to get my head around what I've seen. 

It doesn’t get more like 1001 Arabian Nights than this, it was so special.