20 Nov. Sunday: 8:45 am we were in the Pacific Theater with our tickets and met Darlene and Stuart so we would be on the same bus for the tour planned today. As we departed the pier drove along the Corniche and old fishing boats in the harbor that will soon be some sort of museum or in a museum. We continued to the Grand Mosque. Our tour guide gave us a lot on information about the country on the way to the mosque. Abu Dhabi is, as we knew, the capitol of the UAE. Someone who is a citizen of the the UAE is an “Emiratee” (sp?), They have rights and benefits that others living here do not have in the area of education and healthcare, along with interest free home loans. These people are a minority as well since this is a relatively new country and the people born here are few, around 10%, the rest are people who moved here for the opportunity from south Asia (India, Pakistan, etc.). One must also have a sponsor, and pay the sponsor either monthly or annually. You want to keep your sponsor happy because every year your right to stay here must be renewed. If you are a foreigner and you have a child born here, they are not a citizen. Getting citizenship is very difficult.
We have arrived at the Grand Mosque now. The first thing we did upon arrival was separate, men to the right and women to the left to receive our garments to wear into the mosque. It was very hot and even standing in the shade with the extra garment on was a bit brutal for me. These garment are “one size” and mine was very long but I could use the scarf I brought as a belt to hold it up so I would not trip. The mosque was built in the last decade, but only open now for 3.5 years. It is the 3rd largest mosque in the world and achieved two world records: 1) World's largest and heaviest carpet and 2) the world's largest chandelier. It is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and the first President of the United Arab Emirates, who is also buried at this location. We didn’t see the tomb. The main prayer hall can accommodate up to 9,000 worshippers. It is very ornate and exclusively for men, when it is time to pray, others are allowed to visit when it is not prayer time. Time to pray is six times a day. There are clocks all around the mosque. These clocks show the date and a Muslim date, is they year 1432 (I think). They count the beginning of time from when Mohammed was disliked and had to flee from some place (I forgot where) so that is the beginning of time for their calendar and their clock is solar to do with astronomy as well so the time is also different. It is all quite confusing. Anyway this same clock also says what the exact prayer is that you are to pray in case you can’t recall. The two rooms next to the main prayer hall, with a 1,500-capacity each, are for the exclusive use of women. The mosque is quite ornate and very expensive to build. No one knows the real cost but they think between 3-5 billion dollars. It is quite ornate, made of white marble, with other colored marble inlay. I don’t recall seeing blue marble in the past, like these flowers. There is also gold, gold leaf, and semi-precious stones in the pillars outside such as malachite and others. It is much too large to fit in a single photo, so I bought a postcard! I know it is an amazing place but I lost interest quickly. The grandeur is beyond my interest I guess.
Carpet info: (if you care) The carpet laid out on the vast expanse is 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 weavers, 20 technicians, and 30 workers. The weight of this carpet is 47 tons – 35 tons of wool, and 12 tons of cotton. There are 2,268,000,000 knots within the carpet.
Chandelier info: (if you care) This mosque also holds the world's largest chandelier. There are seven imported chandeliers from Germany and are copper and gold-plated. The largest chandelier has a 10 m (33 ft) diameter and a 15 m (49 ft) height. Both of these records were previously held by the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman.
We also drove by the Emirates Palace, a fabulous hotel for only important people, others are not even allowed on the grounds. It is quite a sight but I am not impressed by a culture that does not have equal rights.
Our final stop was the Heritage Village to witness the traditional life of the old Arab world. The Heritage Village houses a small museum depicting daily activities of the Arab community prior to the discovery of oil. t was an interesting place and personally I would have liked more time there and less at the mosque. Around the back of this village they had old boats and such and fantastic views of the Corniche and the city. We had a minute to stick our hand in the water of the Persian Gulf as well! Anyway, it was a nice visit and we are back to the ship around 1pm. I am glad to be back because it is getting hotter by the minute. I must also say there are a lot of flags out to celebrate “40 years” of existence, so you see this is a young and rich country, though I don’t think a lot of their equal rights.
Raising Falcons for hunting is a common practice here. Tourism is a big market here, they know the oil industry will eventually be depleted. Desert trips and such are becoming more popular all the time. We will do a Desert Safari out of Dubai in a few days.
Dinner was bittersweet, we have had such a good time we hate for it to end but yet, we miss those at home as well. To my surprise “someone” arranged to celebrate my BD tonight (for tomorrow). Very loud singing at my table and a delicious little treat from the Portofino for my dessert. Stuart and Darlene bought a round of crème de menthe for all of us, I had just told John earlier I wanted to have one tonight. So nice of all of them. So enjoyed meeting George and Tawny and I know we will all keep in touch. It really has been a delightful cruise!
After dinner we picked up our passports preparing for departure tomorrow morning. We will disembark 8:30-9am and head for our hotel in a taxi. Taxis are supposed to be quite reasonably priced. We hope the hotel will store our luggage until check in time, which will leave us free to get a 2 day pass for the HOHO bus and be on our way. That’s the plan anyway.
Details about visiting the mosque: Respectful attire is recommended when going ashore in a Muslim country. Women visiting the mosque must cover their entire body with a black caftan type of dress (abaya) plus their head with a scarf, leaving their hands and face exposed. Food, drinks and smoking are strictly prohibited at the mosque. It said no sandals or exposed feet but there were many men and women with bare feet, even our guide. Men are also to be fully covered but they did not have to wear specific clothing like we did. No exposed shoulders or knees, long pants are required. There is a specific code of conduct list while visiting the mosque which has to be adhered to otherwise guests might be denied entrance.
•No transparent (see-through) clothing. No shorts for men. No shorts and skirts must be ankle length.
•No tight clothing, no swimwear and no beachwear.
•Shoes will have to be removed before entering the mosque, so we recommend slip off shoes.
•Headscarf for ladies is essential (these can be provided when you arrive).
•Intimate behavior; i.e. holding hands or kissing is not acceptable in a Muslim place of worship.
•For safety and respect to worshippers, visitors should stay within the areas of the mosque that are permitted and not roam freely around. Smoking and food are not allowed in the mosque area.
•Visitors are requested not to touch the Holy Quran (Holy Book) and other architectural elements inside the main prayer hall.
•ALL women will be asked to wear a traditional robe (abaya) and headscarf (shayla) before entering the mosque. Guests may wear their own, however, must be closed (not open abayas) and non-transparent.