Arabian Daze - 19 - Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

This post is part of a series regarding a Middle Eastern cruise in the U.A.E and Oman. Previous installments can be found HERE. 

The lengthy title of this blog post explains it all -- I visited what TripAdvisor calls, the must see attraction in the Middle East -- the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Unofficially known as "The White Mosque" due to its gleaming white marble, this mosque has free entry to visitors from all over the world, regardless of one's religion.

My friend and I picked up the self-guided audio tour headsets (also free -- just present some I.D) and followed the recording to see and hear all the highlights of this mosque. Photos along the tour's route are below. Please enjoy!

Dome & details.
    Far right: a lagoon reflects the many pillars at the white mosque.

Left: Archway highlights a dome in the background.
    Middle: a spire.
          Far right: Dome with lotus flower inspired chandelier.

This mosque is said to be the largest in the world. It can hold 40,000 worshippers, features 82 domes, over 1,000 columns, and chandeliers made of 24 carat gold! The best time to visit the mosque is around 4:30pm, local time. From 5 or so, you can catch the sun setting over this beautiful mosque, changing the white marble color to a vibrant orange.

I took a video to catch the panorama from the outside area. Please enjoy:

Inside was like entering an English garden. There were floral motifs in all directions. The audio guide said the flowers represented the four seasons, from all continents. The doors were incredibly thick, perhaps 50 cm wide(?). As they opened automatically, I felt as if I passed into heaven...

Automatic door with floral details, closed.
    Upper right: Main entrance door, open.
          Lower right: floral inlay on the flooring.

This mosque has the largest chandelier in the world, measuring 10 meters in diameter, 15 meters high and weighs 12 tonnes. It's located in the main prayer hall; I took many photos to give you a sense of the both the size and beauty.

Photo collage highlighting the large chandelier. 
       Cutenekko is at the far right. ^_^

I also took a video showing both the ceiling with this chandelier, and carpet (the world's largest hand-knotted carpet) in the main prayer hall. Please enjoy below:

Stained glass windows and floral inlays stretched across every surface of the white mosque. The most featured flower seemed to be the lotus.

The corridors and pillars (as mentioned earlier, there are over 1,000 pillars!) made great photo spots. The hallway below seemed to stretch into infinity....

I wrapped up the self-guided audio tour in the main outside area after about an hour. My friend took a photo of me in my mosque outfit; women need to cover almost everything, leaving only the face, hands and feet exposed.

Being the largest and most opulent mosque in the world, a dress code is in effect. Visitors can see by this sign at the entrance, many clothing styles are deemed inappropriate. Security guards are everywhere and will stop you if you don't have appropriate head coverings (for ladies) or long pants (men). If you didn't bring a long skirt or headscarf, ladies can borrow traditional mosque dress from the staff. 

Mosque manners & dress code: 

Notice no shorts for men!

My travel tips for women visiting any mosque in the Middle East: 
-- Bring a long sleeve, zip up hoodie which you can easily pull over your clothes.
-- I used a shawl ($2.50 from Thailand) as my head scarf. It's wide, and can easily be wrapped around your head and hair in minutes. Long hair must be hidden under the scarf, so using a shawl is easier.
-- A long, elastic waistband, floor length skirt (picked up at UniQlo for $9) is both mosque appropriate and keeps you feeling cool.
-- Shoes must be removed before entering any mosque. If bare feet bothers you, bring tiny, slip on socks like THESE.
-- Short skirts and tight jeans/pants are a no-no in the U.A.E and Oman, especially.
-- After the mosque visit, you can easily unzip your hoodie and pop it in your travel bag.

I visited a few more places in Abu Dhabi before heading back to the cruise ship. I hope to post those photos and share stories soon. I hope you enjoyed your visit today to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Will you try to visit it? ^_^


~ Information ~ 

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is open daily, 09.00 ~ 22.00 except on Fridays. Friday schedule is: 16.30 ~ 22.00. On Friday mornings, the mosque is closed to visitors as it's the prayer time for worshippers. 

Main website is HERE. Abu Dhabi tourist information about the mosque is HERE. 

Access: 
Best way is via taxi. There is also a bus service. Many visitors come via a tour company. Google map & travel info is HERE. My friend and I came by taxi, which we hired for 4 hours to take us around to various sites in Abu Dhabi. 

Awa Odori Festival in Higashi Rinkan

Summer is the time for festivals all across Japan; the most popular ones are the bon odori, or dance festivals. Festival attendees can either watch the dancers, or join in -- depending on the festival.

In early August, I enjoyed one of the most popular dance festivals -- the Awa Odori -- a dance which originated in the Shikoku region of Japan. Fortunately for me, there was an Awa Odori being presented in Kanagawa. Hurray!! ^_^

Please enjoy the photos and videos below:

A group of musicians waiting to move forward along the parade route: 

Dancers strike a pose: 

Below, is a video of a group of (mostly) male dancers showing their frenzied Awa Odori style: 

The Awa Odori dance has 3 unique points:

1. Women wear kimono and a special "half-moon" shaped straw hat, called an amigasa (literally, "a rain umbrella")

2. Male dancers usually carry lanterns or fans while dancing.

3. Musicians follow the dancers and consist of: drummers, cymbalists, flutists, and sometimes, shamisen players (a shamisen is a kind of guitar).

Female dancers in action: 

Check out the video below to see the female dancers. Dancing in Japan is nothing like "So You Think You Can Dance" in Canada... ^_^ I loved it. 

A sample of the tradtional Awa Odori costume women must wear: 

Lanterns carried by group members:
Some groups came from Tokyo, Saitama and Ibaraki to participate in this Kanagawa festival!

I met two foreign women who were dancing; their group represented one of the American military bases in Kanagawa.  Next year, I asked if I could join them -- even though I'm Canadian. I think it might be possible. ^_^ YAY!!

~ Information ~

Awa Odori is a must see in Japan. They are so much fun and every Japanese person I have met here has a special place in their heart for this type of dance. 

The wiki page about Awa Odori is HERE. 

The festival featured in this post is held every summer around Higashi-Rinkan station on the Odakyu-Enoshima line, in Kanagawa. Map HERE. Dates: August 2 ~ 3 (usually -- or the first weekend in August). 

Candlelight Service

Every June 21, in my small town, there is a special festival to celebrate the arrival of Equinox. Several hundred candles are lit to increase awareness of eco-friendly energy saving methods before the hot summer months arrive.

I took lots of photos from this year's event; please enjoy!

Children from schools in the area created these wonderful, handmade paper lanterns. Each boxed lantern contained a picture(s), with some kind of message or poem on it.

Impressive artwork.

Smaller children decorated recycled glass using permanent markers. As the sun set, several children lit candles inside each glass to create a tower of light. 

Glass art -- great at home project! 

A large park played host to this event. Visitors followed a walking path; each side of the walk was decorated with the paper lanterns. As I strolled in the cool summer air, I snapped photos of the lanterns which impressed me most. 

Festival dancers, sunflowers and lobsters.

Mascots are quite popular in Japan now; the kids all flocked to this one (below, left). I wasn't exactly sure what this mascot represented; to me, he looked like moss??

The main stage area had rows upon rows of plastic cups filled with candles. Once lit, it resembled a flickering carpet.

Japan is romantic, no? ^_^


~ Information ~ 

For privacy reasons, I cannot say where this festival is located. 

Candlelight services are often held in the summer/winter months in Japan. Check your local city office for details. 

One famous candle event is held in Yokohama; it's called "Yokohama Candle Cafe". Taking place near the X-mas season, visitors can enjoy candles laid out in patterns of hearts, swirls, etc. Very popular with young couples on a date. Details HERE.