One friend of mine from Couchsurfing is in Dubai right now for his vacation with his friend. One of their plans is to visit the Grand Mosque which is in Abu Dhabi. And since I haven't been there, I asked them if they can arrange this visit on a Saturday so that I can come with them. Lo and behold, my wish is granted and after so many months, I finally got the chance to visit the Grand Mosque! 1 goal down for this year!
We took the bust E100 from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station and it took nearly 2-3 hours of travel from Bur Dubai to Abu Dhabi Bus Station. A round trip bus ticket costs 50 AED. We arrived at around 3 PM and went straight to Al Wahda Mall before heading straight to the mosque.
Before entering the mosque property lot, the security at the gate asked us to stop because my hair was not covered. I covered it with my scarf (good thing I brought it with me). Then there's a small tent as an entrance where I was asked to put the abaya as my body cover. Wearing an abaya is one thing that I would really like to experience even once in my entire life. The Islamic culture is really interesting. Okay don't freak out. I'm not about to convert to Islam. I just appreciate it.
My friends went to their ablution and prayer while I roam around and be as a happy tourist as I can.
I ran out of words more when I entered the main area. The beauty is overwhelming. The art itself is magnificent. This is one of my inspirations to go to Iran.
 |
| Chandeliers |
 |
| Zoomed in. |
 |
| From ceiling, chandelier and wall art... intricate details. |
 |
| Even the pillars itself are not left unattended |
I had so much fun and if I will get another chance to go back to the mosque with less crowd, I would like to go again. Happy tourist today!
 |
| PinayHakawati gets to visit the Grand Mosque in abaya. Goal achieved! |
great article!!!!!This is very importent information for us.
ReplyDeleteAbu Dhabi Mosque Tour