Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi, vol 2

Interior and details

The 96 columns in the main prayer hall are clad with marble and inlaid with mother of pearl, one of the few places where you will see this craftsmanship.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has many special and unique elements: The carpet in the main prayer hall is considered to be the world's largest carpet made by Iran's Carpet Company and designed by Iranian artist Ali Khaligi.

This carpet measures 5,627 m² and was made by around 1,200-1,300 carpet knotters. The weight of this carpet is 35 ton and is predominantly made from wool (originating from New Zealand and Iran). There are 2,268,000,000 knots within the carpet and it took approximately two years to complete.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has seven imported chandeliers from Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier is the second largest known chandelier inside a mosque, the third largest in the world and has a 10 m diameter and a 15 m height.

The 99 names (qualities or attributes) of Allah are featured on the Kiblah wall in traditional Kufic calligraphy, designed by the prominent UAE calligrapher - Mohammed Mandi Al Tamimi. The Qibla wall also features subtle fibre-optic lighting, which is integrated as part of the organic design.

Mosaic in the courtyard, in my opinion, is simply beautiful!!

One more thing that captivated me, silence that surrounds you in this huge building! 

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (جامع الشيخ زايد الكبير), Abu Dhabi, vol. 1

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (جامع الشيخ زايد الكبير), Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was initiated by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( he was the principal driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates and first president of the UAE- he held a post for over 30 years, from 1971 to 2004). His final resting place is located on the grounds beside the mosque. It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the eighth largest mosque in the world.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center (SZGMC) offices are located in the east minarets. SZGMC manages the day to day operations, as a place of worship and Friday gathering and also a center of learning and discovery through its educational cultural activities and visitor programs.

The library, located in the north/east minaret, serves the community with classic books and publications addressing a range of Islamic subjects:  sciences, civilization, calligrapht, arts, coins and includes some rare publications dating back more than 200 years. In reflection of the diversity of the Islamic world and the United Arab Emirates, the collection comprises material in a broad range of languages including Arabic, English, French, Italian, Spanish, German and Korean.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque's design and construction 'unites the world', using artisans and materials from many countries including Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, Turkey, Malaysia, Iran, China, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Greece and United Arab Emirates. More than 3,000 workers and 38 renowned contracting companies took part in the construction of the mosque. Natural materials were chosen for much of its design and construction due to their long-lasting qualities, including marble stone, gold, semi – precious stones, crystals and ceramics.

The design of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque has been inspired by both Mughal (Taj Mahal at Agra is the epitome of Mughal Architecture) and Moorish mosque architecture, particularly the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore and the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca being direct influences. The dome layout and floorplan of the mosque was inspired by the Badshahi Mosque and the architecture was inspired by both Mughal and Moorish design. Its archways are quintessentially Moorish and its minarets classically Arab. The design of the mosque can be best described as a fusion of Arab, Mughal and Moorish architecture.

The mosque is large enough to accommodate over 40,000 worshipers. The main prayer hall can accommodate over 7,000 worshipers. There are two smaller prayer halls, with a 1,500-capacity each, one of which is the female prayer hall.

There are four minarets on the four corners of the courtyard which rise about 107 m in height. The courtyard, with its floral design, measures about 17,000 m² and is considered to be the largest example of marble mosaic in the world.

The pools along the arcades reflect the mosque's spectacular columns, which becomes even more glorious at night. The unique lightning system was designed by lightning architects Jonathon Speirs and Major to reflect the phases of the moon. Beautiful bluish gray clouds are projected in lights onto the external walls and get brighter and darker according to the phase of the moon.

source: wikipedia.org

Fujairah (UAE), Wadi Wurayah (UAE), Dibba (Oman)

Another trip to the coast of the Gulf of Oman, which is part of the Arabian Sea, which is part of the Indian Ocean. This time we went first to Fujairah and then north to Dibba. I wanted to go to Fujairah wanted to collect draw a black sand from that beach for my friend, who collects sands from all around the world :)

Fujairah (UAE)

We took new highway no 84 that was open in December last year.bIt leads through the mountains and shortens the way from Dubai to Fujairah. It is now about an hour trip.

Verry nice one.

They are building a new, big mosque in Fujairah.

Wadi Wurayah (UAE)

We went to Wadi Wurayah again. Wadi is a dry riverbed. On 16 of March 2009, the Wadi Wurayah became the first protected mountain area in the United Arab Emirates. It happened after almost 3 years WWF campaign (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Fund_for_Nature - about World Wide Fund of Nature one can read here).

The Wadi is a freshwater river and lake, where you can swim. There are two roads to the lake. If you have an off-road car you can drive there. The route of about 5 km on stones and those in the picture are small. I will show you a movie later on/

The second way is a asphalt road to the top of the canyon and than a the pathawy down the hill on one's feet. The pathway is a demanding one. Steep, slippery and without a lot of support points, so a bit of climbing.

There is a car.

Rushes.

Finally, someone went to his senses with this rubbish. I think that tere were a little bit less of garbage now compared to our previous visits here. They should prohibit this pseudo  graffiti on the rocks too!

This is a lake...

There are perch like fishes in the lake.

Dibba (Oman)

Then we went to the beach to Dibba in Oman. Reason - cleaner, quieter, less people.

They must have a problem here with 'floods' as it rains in the winter. On the picture in the distance you can see the little bars, which is to determine the water level.

Flag of Oman.

Beach in Dibba, near to Golden Tulip Resort.

The water was absolutely wonderful. It has only one drawback, it is horribly salty and you are sticky after ;)

Way back home. We have to go back through the Hajar mountains on the other side.

Sun is going to sleep...

Deers?

...