Blog Memories: My Trip to United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
Whenever I am on vacation, I always try to pack in as much as possible. Here is another encore blog from our trip to the UAE. This one originally ran on December 4th, 2017.
There is so much to see in the United Arab Emirates!
During our brief stay, we took a one-day excursion to Abu Dhabi, the island capital and the UAE's second most populous city behind Dubai. Abu Dhabi is located on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. While there, we visited the newly-opened Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, dined in the luxurious Emirates Palace, and watched the famous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit. We also toured the majestic Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It was a wonderfully informative and fun-filled day.
Enjoy more of our photos.
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- We ate lunch at Mezlai in the Emirates Palace, a luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2005. The views are so stunning.
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- This is the plaza outside the Emirates Palace.
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- And here is Truman running down one of the side hallways of the palace. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my short video of Truman on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
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- Here is Truman running back – he had so much fun. Emirates Palace was designed by Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo. It has 394-residences spread over two wings with an expansive marble floor.
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- Here I am in a pit at the Yas Marina Circuit, the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is located on Yas Island, about 30-minutes from Abu Dhabi.
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- We had a virtual pit stop in the pits of the race track where we visited with the mechanics crew of Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One Mercedes car.
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- Here is the back of the race car being serviced.
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- It can be very hard to hear what is happening at a race track with all of the horsepower thundering up into the stands. Here is a wall of headsets for those who want to get all the commentary and information on the race.
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- Here is a view looking down one side of the track.
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- And here is the other side – it was all very exciting. The Formula One race is the last of the season. This year, the race was won by Valtteri Bottas, with Lewis Hamilton in second and Sebastian Vettel coming in third.
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- That evening, we also visited the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. Here it is from afar – so amazing.
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- The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is the largest mosque in the country, and the key place of worship. It was designed by Syrian architect Yousef Abdelky and covers an area of more than 30-acres.
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- Here is one of the minarets of the mosque. A minaret is a distinctive tall spire with a conical or onion-shaped crown. It has a base, a shaft, a gallery and provides a visual focal point to the structure.
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- Here is a view looking up into one of the domes.
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- The mosque is large enough to accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers.
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- 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.
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- Here’s Truman examining the marble inlays on the walls of the mosque.
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- Here is a beautiful marble flower on the floor – one of many brightly colored mosaic and white marble low-relief floral displays designed by Kevin Dean, an artist and designer who has also worked for the Natural History Museum in London and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
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- 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. It measures 60,570 square feet!
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- The carpet was made by some 1200 to 1300 carpet knotters. It weighs 35-tons and is predominantly made from wool originating from New Zealand and Iran.
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- The intricate designs of the carpet are stunning. It took more than two-years to complete.
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- The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has seven imported chandeliers from Faustig in Munich, Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals.
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- Here is a view looking up at the same fixture.
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- Here is a look up into a another gorgeous light.
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- The pools along the arcades of the mosque reflect the columns. The unique lighting system was designed by lighting architects Speirs and Major Associates to reflect the phases of the moon.
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- Here I am in the Sheikh Zayad Mosque with the traditional coverings – such a magnificent place to visit. Tomorrow, I will share photos from our tour through the Louvre Abu Dhabi – you will love it.
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