Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
my lux book 123<br />
Wonderful<br />
Abu Dhabi<br />
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is packed full of sights<br />
and attractions. They are all outshone by the Sheikh-Zayed-Mosque.<br />
You don’t need to have a lot of imagination to feel like<br />
you are in a fairy-tale from «1001 Nights» in Abu Dhabi.<br />
The emirate on the Persian Gulf doesn’t only represent<br />
one of the most modern cities in the world, but also offers<br />
innumerable attractions for its visitors, both big and<br />
small. The skyline along the coast road, which is roughly<br />
seven kilometres long and is called Corniche, is world<br />
famous. On a sandy beach of the same name you can<br />
make the most of the view of the hustle And bustle in<br />
Abu Dhabi’s Sailing & Yacht Club and the adjacent Marina<br />
Mall, offering excellent shopping with exclusive<br />
brands. The Formula-1 race track on the Yas Island and<br />
the bordering Leisure and Theme Park Ferrari World are<br />
two more fascinating highlights in Abu Dhabi. As a visitor,<br />
you should not miss a trip to the endless expanse of the<br />
desert, where you can experience the originality of this<br />
special emirate close up on safaris and overnight stays<br />
in the Bedouin tent. And as soon as the cultural quarter,<br />
Saadiyat, with its new institutions such as the Louvre<br />
Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Zayed<br />
National Museum has been officially opened, Abu Dhabi<br />
will prove even more appealing to art lovers.<br />
Despite the diversity there is one sight that cannot be<br />
omitted when on holiday in Abu Dhabi, as it can be compared<br />
to one of the wonders of the world: The Sheikh-<br />
Zayed-Mosque. Also known as the «White Mosque» due<br />
to its appearance, the magnificence and grandeur of this<br />
architectural work of art outshines everything. The ensemble<br />
of over eighty domes, more than one thousand<br />
columns and four minarets at each corner, which stretch<br />
over one hundred metres into the sky respectively, provides<br />
a fascinating image, even from a distance. Only on<br />
closer inspection does one become conscious of the<br />
majesty of the almost 40,000 square metre main building<br />
and its extensive park grounds. The sacred building,<br />
named after the co-founder and first president of the<br />
United Arab Emirates, Emir Zayid bin Sultan Al Nahyan,<br />
was officially opened in 2007 and is open, also to non-<br />
Islamic visitors, daily at specified times.<br />
We recommend that you view the mosque both during<br />
the day and at night. During the day the vast quantities<br />
of leaf gold, white marble and jewel inlays compete to<br />
outsparkle and outshine each other. When you enter<br />
the mosque, you will be overcome with awe. You walk either<br />
barefoot or in socks over the largest Persian carpet<br />
in the world, handwoven and 5627 square metres large,<br />
it guides your gaze upwards. On the ceiling of the huge<br />
domed structure seven gold-plated chandeliers made<br />
of brass and stainless steel, fitted with thousands and<br />
thousands of Swarovski crystals, attempt to outshine<br />
each other. The largest of them is fifteen metres high<br />
and weighs twelve tonnes – also a world record. All the<br />
glory of the Sheikh-Zayed-Mosque is however taken to<br />
an even higher level in the evening hours with a significant<br />
facet. The sight of the white building in the interplay<br />
of the spotlights makes every observer believe that<br />
they are not actually in Abu Dhabi but in a fairy tale from<br />
«1001 Nights».
Change language