Quote:
Originally Posted by Inaii
Wow, where are the first 2 photos taken? They're stunning!
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Thanks. That's the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
It's actually more stunning in person, but sadly I couldn't find an angle to capture the absurdity / scale from the outside, nor did I get a chance to go back at night for the lit-up fountains.
The building covers 30 acres and it cost over $600 million USD to build (completed 2007). It's made mostly of Italian marble, features the world's most expensive chandelier (which is just one of 38 chandeliers) as well as the largest carpet ever made (which weighs 36 tons and took 1300 workers over 2 years to finish). It's also a big pain in the ass to visit thanks to their ultra-strict modesty rules (men can't wear shorts or t-shirts, women can't even show ankles, etc)...
The mosque sort of sums up the UAE's love of things that are 'the biggest' or 'the fastest' or 'the most expensive'.... in our 2 week trip, we visited the world's largest mall, the world's tallest building, rode the world's fastest roller coaster, visited the world's most exclusive hotel, etc..... Superlatives galore....
Inside
(nothing to see here, just a standard light fixture...)
