I almost wasn't going to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque because I was feeling super comfortable in my hotel room, but after reading some reviews online, I knew I would kick myself for missing it. So I caught a cab to the mosque (taxis are metered in the UAE yessss) for about $7 and went in. It's the third largest mosque in the world, because being the UAE means you have to be the best, or nearly the best, at basically everything.
Because it is a place of worship there are some strict clothing guidelines, and even though I was wearing a long skirt and a long sleeved shirt, I had to go downstairs into a parking lot to collect an abaya, which would cover me from head to toe. I could hire it for free, they just wanted to hang onto my drivers license.
I had seen the mosque from a distance and had been amazed, I walked inside and was even more blown away. The place was beautiful, with golden pillars, infinity pools, and beautiful designs. I got there at around 5pm so I was able to watch the sun set over the white building. It really was quite spectacular, and as such I will devote this whole post to photos of its beauty rather than describe it with my mediocre writings.
It was a nice last afternoon in Abu Dhabi, and I feel as though I am quite content with what I have seen in the United Arab Emirates, for the time being anyways. I didn't quite get a chance to go out the desert ... but how would that have compared with Namibia anyways??
No comments