I have been mentioning that we are currently based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the capital City called Abu Dhabi.
Twelve years ago, with my poor geography knowledge, I knew nothing about Abu Dhabi. It was 2005 when I, along with 2 college friends, decided to try our luck in this great City and have since then called it home.
When they said Middle East back then, I only knew about countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Dubai.
Correction, self! Dubai is not a country. It is a city and it is definitely not the capital of UAE...
Abu Dhabi
FAST FACTS
● It is the second most populous city in the UAE, next to Dubai
● It has the largest land area among all 7 Emirates - 6x more bigger than the rest of the 6 Emirates combined.
Famous Landmarks:
☆ Emirates Palace Hotel
a luxury hotel which has 394 luxurious rooms and suites lined with gold and marble!
Above is coffee from the famous Palace Cappuccino, sprinkled in real 24 carat gold flakes! ($20)
☆ Ferrari World , world's largest indoor themepark - home of the world's fastest roller coaster!
☆ Yas Waterworld is a water park with 45 rides, slides and attractions for the whole family.
☆ Yas Marina Circuit is considered as one of the most technologically advanced Formula 1 race circuits in the world. It hosts the annual Abu Dhabi Grand Prix every November.
☆ Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is considered as the key worship site and the largest mosque in the country. It was founded by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder and first president of the UAE. The mosque took 21 years to complete - 11 years of planning, 10 years to build. This is also where the late President's remains were buried. The mosque is open to public where there are also scheduled guided tours for a more fun, enjoyable and worthwhile visit. Check out their website here.
Photos from our visit:
My son was sitting on the largest hand woven carpet in the world!!
Jaw- dropping chandelliers.
Intricate marble designs.
Prayer yard.
Women are obliged to wear the Abaya, a traditional Muslim clothing designed to cover most parts of the body. If you don't have one, they can lend one to you during your visit.
I can go on and on... there is definitely a lot of other places to explore when in Abu Dhabi...
I will keep you hanging there with a promise of more to come next time. 😉
May the force of the STEEM be always in our favor!
