Day 97 - Abu Dhabi

Day 97 – Thursday 17^th April 2014 – Abu Dhabi

At 09.30 ashore in the cruise terminal, I purchased in a small shop a phone card for my dodgy Chinese smart phone, and amazingly it worked.

The Big Bus Tour for 200 dinnar (£16), you can enjoy a full tour of the city with hop on, hop off at any of the dedicated stops. 

Abu Dhabi from Heritage Village

 

First dedicated stop was the Marina Mall, but we gave this a body swerve and did not go inside but walked along in the blistering heat to the Heritage Village, which is reminder of the old Abu Dhabi, before the discovery of oil, the building skyscrapers and shopping malls.

Village Camels

Unfortunately, most of the exhibitions were closed of the traditional trades, metal work, glass blowing, pottery, weaving and spinning, it did have a feel about the place, and worth the visit.

Looking North

Looking South

The second bus stop was at the Etihad Towers, a 5 star hotel, the luxury and opulence of the place just knocks you, with the main reception having the biggest wow factor.

Emirates Palace Hotel

The observation deck, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers is located on level 74 and at 300 metres is the highest point in Abu Dhabi and offers stunning views across the city and Arabian Gulf.

The Emirates Palace Hotel is an iconic landmark of Abu Dhabi but it is not the presidential palace.  It cost three billion US dollars to build, has 394 rooms and suites, employs 1,300 staff (170 chefs), and has a luxurious interior with gold, marble and crystal throughout. It even has a gold ATM.From the observation deck we were overwhelmed by the views and the luxury, as we had our hot chocolate served by Burmese waitresses.

 

Grand Mosque

The bus ride to the next stop the Grand Mosque, took us for a long ride along the coast, passed the houses where the wealthiest in Abu Dhabi live.  Also passed the oddest shaped skyscraper I have seen, representing the world trade centre, it has a very distinct bend in it, and looks as though, it is ready to fall down.

   

The largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the third largest in the world was opened in 2008 and named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, the founder and first president of the UAE.  It is the most imposing landmark in Abu Dhabi and can accommodate up to 40,000 worshippers in several prayer halls.

Rear of Mosque

Main Entrance

  

The exterior features 82 domes of varying sizes, a thousand columns and four 350 feet tall minarets, one at each corner of the mosque

  

Courtyard

Main Prayer Hall

The  magnificent decorated interior has seven giant Swarovski crystal chandeliers – the world’s largest chandelier is under the main dome and weighs over nine tons – and a huge, handmade Iranian carpet weighing 47 tons covers the floor of the main prayer hall.

World's Largest Chandelier

 Visitors must be dressed appropriately – shorts, bare shoulders, tight-fitting and see-through clothes are not permitted.  If necessary, full-length robes and headscarves are provided for women in black, men are provided with white robes.  Shoes should be removed on entering the mosque prayer hall.

I was amazed at being allowed into the main prayer hall after removing the shoes, as I have not been allowed in any other Muslim countries.  The splendour of it all is a lot to take in, and the concept of this different religion’s place of religion being so welcoming.

Splendour

The actual site is remote from the surrounding area, so the worshippers must travel by car or bus to get here, though there is no car park.  Not until I visited the restroom, and where the worshippers prepare for worship, I released everything is underground and this is another world serving the mosque.  It was truly a magnificent and impressive place.

Time to move on; as we had a ship to catch.   The bus took us along another route back into the city centre on a magnificent eight lane highway.  Out again towards the docks we came to Manarat Al Saadiyat a brand new cultural and tourism destination.  Although a beach resort, it was not my cup of tea, as it situated too far away from the city centre.

We sailed at 18.00; it had been a wonderful day in Abu Dhabi.  A city built within the last fifty years, the newness of it is all around, and it is being kept to a high standard and still expanding.

I was impressed by what they have achieved here, and all of it on the back of oil revenues.  The down side, it is situated in the Arabian Gulf and it is very, very hot. The conditions remind me too much of my happier younger days, toiling away in ship’s engine rooms.