Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Sunday, 26 Mar 2017 – Today we took a 4-hour tour of Abu Dhabi.  Since it was to start at 3:00 PM, we ate a very late breakfast.  On shore, we were given our passports, just in case we needed them (but returned them to ship custody when we returned to the ship).

The first stop was Heritage Village, which houses a small museum and depicts the daily activities of the Arab community prior to the discovery of oil.  Founded in 1761, Abu Dhabi is situated on a small peninsula surrounded by a cluster of islands.

UAE Heritage Village

            Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), known as the Manhattan of the Gulf due to a profusion of ultra-modern glazed skyscrapers, contains gleaming white mosques and elegant high-rise apartments overlooking the city’s magnificent skyline.  Our guide pointed out one skyscraper built by a “member of the ruling family.”  So that we could also see the skyline from a little further away, the bus drove to at least one island.

            Our bus stopped for one hour at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque – also referred to as the Grand Mosque – for an interior visit.  This is the largest mosque in the UAE and the eighth largest mosque in the world.  Before we entered, our guide inspected each woman to see that arms were covered to the wrists, legs were covered to the ankles, and that the head was covered with a veil.  Although men were allowed entrance with short sleeves, Jesse wore his sweater in an effort to be somewhat fair!  When one woman had a blouse that was considered too transparent, another passenger loaned her a shirt to wear over her clothes.  Also, before entering, everyone removes his/her shoes and places them in small cubicles for that purpose.

Grand Mosque (Interior)

Grand Mosque (Exterior)

            Someone later asked us which is more beautiful, the Grand Mosque or the Taj Mahal.  Certainly the Grand Mosque is huge; the exterior is gleaming white.  Inside, the largest hall (where men pray) is 7,000 square meters, with an Arabian rug of continuous design.  The chandelier in that room is beautiful but so large (and heavy) that special support of the ceiling was necessary, though not noticeable in the design.  However, much of the grandeur of the Grand Mosque is due to its impressive size, whereas the intricate artistry of the Taj Mahal is incomparable.  The Taj Mahal is a work of art, whereas the Grand Mosque seems built to impress.  (That’s Sally’s opinion!)

            Our guide told us a little about society here.  Since cows need water and grass, 95 percent of cow milk is imported; therefore, instead of cow’s milk, camel milk is used.  The relatively small number of original people here were fisherman or whatever, but they are now the “citizens” and privileged members of society.  These citizens are “given” private houses, usually quite large because the eldest son usually stays there for life with his parents.  On the other hand, “foreigners” such as our guide (a Russian woman) live in apartments, and can never become citizens.   However, 85 percent of people living in Abu Dhabi are foreigners; half of their army (between the ages of 18 and 26) are foreigners.  Education and medical care is also provided to citizens at no cost.  Although citizens are allowed as many as four wives, royalty can have 6.  Foreigners have few, if any, benefits and can never become citizens, and must leave the country upon retirement at age 65.

            It was 7:00 PM when we arrived back at the ship terminal, where there was free Internet.  We stayed there about an hour while Jesse downloaded photos he had taken with the I-phone (because the battery in his camera died as we were entering the Grand Mosque).

            At our table during our late dinner was an unusual couple, Pete and Glenda: he was born in Germany but has lived most of his life in Switzerland, while she still has her house in Ontario, Canada.  However, they spend much of their time together traveling.  Pete speaks four languages: German, French, English, and “Roman.”  Apparently Roman is now a rare language spoken by only a few thousand people but is taught in schools in at least part of Switzerland so that it will not disappear.  [We found a similar situation in the Barcelona area, where they are keeping an almost obsolete language, Catalan, alive by teaching it in schools.]