HOOSIER LIFE IN DUBAI!: December 2013

12-29-2013

I love the Bastakiya area of Dubai!

OLD DUBAI

has a certain charm about it!

A requirement of all of our visitors in Dubai

is a stop at the

SHEIKH MOHAMMED CENTRE FOR

CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING.

Jason and Chloe were no different!

Santa made a reservation

for them

for a HERITAGE TOUR and

an EMIRATI LUNCHEON and Q&A SESSION.

They started out with the

HERITAGE TOUR,

where they walked around the

BASTAKIYA

and looked at the how Emiratis lived

before the discovery of oil.

(This picture is just cool -- it's not from way back when!)

Then they went to a neighborhood mosque

to learn the ways of the Muslim religion.

(And, of course, Chloe had to cover to enter!)

Back to the

CULTURAL CENTRE

where they enjoyed an Emirati lunch,

(with a few others),

and learned lots about

Arab culture,
traditional dress,

and the Muslim religion.

They both came out of the Centre

excited about what they

had learned and experienced.

John and I met up with them

and proceeded to walk over to the

TEXTILE SOUK

where they both fit in perfectly!

Traffic was full speed

on the

DUBAI CREEK!

where the
OLD DHOWS
were docked and merchandise was being offloaded --
always amazing to watch!

The

WONDER BUS

came driving by...er, sailing by!

We jumped on an
ABRA

(for a mere dirham)

and crossed the Creek to the...

...SPICE SOUK!

It was bustling with people,

and smelled wonderful with all the spices!

Jason and Chloe

immediately became Arab once again!

(Don't they look the part?)

Then off to the

GOLD SOUK,

where more gold is sold than in any other place

in the world!

Yes, there is a lot of gold there!

A lot of shops, a lot of workers, and a whole lot of gold!

We spent a couple of hours in the

DUBAI MUSEUM

before heading to

LAN KWAI FONG

where we introduced a skeptical,
(but always willing to give it a try), Chloe to
a dinner of
PEKING DUCK!

Then back to our flat

for some wine and balcony time!

Oh, and some

SHALLIE

time as well!!

(This is my all time favorite photo!)

AHHHH, it was a perfect

JAS AND CHLOE IN DUBAI....DAY THREE!

I'm a couple of days behind in posting, but this is on time:

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE, EVERYONE!!

Stay safe; have fun!!

12-28-2013

Can you guess what we went to see?

You got it!

We visited one of our favorite landmarks in the UAE...

THE SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE

in Abu Dhabi.

And wouldn't you know it....

we were disciplined immediately after taking this picture!

"No photographs until you are covered,"

we were firmly told.

The theme of the day became,

"We are in trouble again!"

Even after many tours through

this amazing mosque,

John and I learn something new with each visit.

This time they gave us headphones

so we could hear every word the guide spoke.

Great idea, SZGM!

Here are a few interesting facts about the mosque:

"The Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan "May God rest his Soul" founded this great landmark, featuring four minarets and eighty-two domes, representing different Islamic styles, in support of noble Islamic cultural values, and to express its genuine religious concepts and values. The mosque accommodates more than 40,000 worshippers; 10,000 in the internal areas and 30,000 in the external areas.

There were more than 38 contractors and thousands of workers involved with completing various elements of the structure and decoration. Materials were also sourced from many countries including Greece, Italy, Germany, China, Austria, India and New Zealand to name a few.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is well known for its diverse Islamic architecture and pure white colour. White marble clads the external walls and columns and features relief carving of verses from Holy Quran and Islamic ornamentation."

*www.szgmc.ae

"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 Khaliqi. This carpet measures 5,627 m2 (60,570 sq ft), 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 (33 ft) diameter and a 15 m (49 ft) height.

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.

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 99 names (qualities or attributes) of Allah (God) are featured on the Qibla wall in traditional Kufi 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.

In total, three calligraphy styles - Naskhi, Thuloth and Kufi – are used throughout the mosque and were drafted by Mohammed Mandi Al Tamimi UAE, Farouk Haddad Syria and Mohammed Allam Jordan."
* By Amazing Architecture

It's an amazing place...

with numerous photo opp spots!

(Sorry Jas & Chloe!!)