January 31, 2023
Sorry for the lack of posts for the last week but we did 4 ports in 5 days and the fire hose of experiences and information plus the 15 hour days resulted in little time to blog.
Just before sunrise we docked in Abu Dhabi the lights from the tall towers told the story of this thriving, cosmopolitan city of one million. Prior to 1970, the time I refer to as BO (before oil) it as a small pearl fishing village of 6,000 people. It has now grown to a city of skyscrapers surrounding the “old town”. I got to experience both the BO (before oil) and AO (after oil) parts of the city in my adventures.
One of the most interesting of the skyscrapers is Capital Gate, also known as the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi, it was designed to incline 18° west which is a larger incline than the leaning tower of piza.
Our first stop of the day was at the Qasr Al Hosn, which is the oldest, building in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, built by the Bani Yas tribe in 1761. It was once the seat of the government and the palace of the ruling Al Nahyan family. Today the skyscrapers of the AO world surround it but it provides an opportunity to understand the history of Abu Dhabi and early lifestyle of the wealthy.
Our next stop was at Heritage Village that is a recreated fishing village from the era before oil where the base of the economy was pearl diving. Pearl divers used small wooden boat to row out then the divers would dive for one to three minutes and would have dove up to thirty times per day. There were no air tanks and any other sort of mechanical device was forbidden. The divers had a leather nose clip and leather coverings on their fingers and big toes to protect them while they searched for oysters.
In addition to the recreated buildings they had a camel that was willing to do selfies with silly tourists!
The last stop of the day was the most impressive show of the wealth of this city. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, surrounded by the opulent décor, was an awe-inspiring experience. Able to hold 40,000 visitors for prayer, it also boasts the world’s largest chandelier and hand woven-carpet.
The Grand Mosque was constructed between 1994 and 2007. The building complex measures approximately 950 by 1,380 ft, covering an area of more than 30 acres excluding exterior landscaping and vehicle parking. The main axis of the building is rotated about 12° south of true west, aligning it in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The carpet in the hall is considered to be the world’s largest carpet. This carpet measures 60,570 sq ft, and was made by around 1,200-1,300 carpet knotters and weighs 35 tons. Taking approximately two years to complete. The chandeliers incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals.
There are speakers in each of the towers and while we were there they were transmitting the call to prayer enhancing an already overwhelming experience. Image if the courtyard was filled to with 40,000 worshipers!! Selfie is of me in my required head covering for entering the mosque (yes, I suck at selfies). In addition to the head covering, ankles and wrist had to be covered to enter and security was very strict. Several from my group were denied entrance even though we were told the rules.
We drove back to the ship as the sun was setting was the last group to go onboard with just a few minutes to go before we sailed away to Dubai. Why am I always one of the last onboard?????
Next up two full days in Dubai!!
What a carpet. I would assume it was knitted at that location. Could you imaging it being made outside somewhere and then try to move 35 tons inside!!
Keep on blogging.
WOW!
I can’t believe these pics they are so cool, glad your are having fun. I like the camel.
Love, love your blogs. You are a good writer.
Sounds like everyday is an adventure.
Keep writing. Hugs