Our first stop was the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, named after the sheikh who is considered to be the father of the UAE. He passed away in 2004 and now rests in a tomb right in front of the main entrance to the mosque. Sheikh Zayed Mosque is the largest mosque in the UAE and the eighth largest mosque in the world. I had visited mosques in France, Tunisia, and had seen other mosques in Dubai prior to this visit, but none of them can even hold a candle to it.
The magnificent white marble was imported mostly from Greece, the 35 TON Persian carpet in the main prayer room imported from Iran in multiple pieces then sewn back together upon arrival, and the 9 TON principal chandelier made from millions of Swarovski crystals was imported from Germany. Sheikh Zayed had envisioned the mosque as an effort to “unite the world,” so the internationality of the various components of the structure was heavily emphasized. The gold-capped minarets and columns gleamed in the hot Wednesday afternoon sun, and the reflecting pools lining the arches all along the façade sparkled a bright blue against the crisp white arches and pillars.
The attention to detail and the intricacies in Islamic architecture are astounding, particularly the Moroccan style, in which Sheikh Zayed was created. One of the prayer carpets in the minor prayer rooms was an exact mirror image of the art on the ceiling—abstract patterns and designs with huge floral motifs. The garden theme flowed from each room and corridor, each vine dotted with roses and flowers chiseled out of semi-precious stones, into the next (heaven, according to Islam, is a garden.) It was truly breathtaking.
In Islam, it is haram to depict any religious figure in human form, hence the controversy that blew up after the release of Danish cartoons depicting Mohammad as a man with a turban swaddling a bomb atop his head back in 2006. It is fascinating to me, however, that such a restraint on a form of expression has consequently created one of the most beautiful and revered styles of art in the world today. With the illustration of humans out of question, Islamic art has evolved over centuries into a mastery of the abstract; and designs, patterns, and motifs have beome the dominant form of expression. I liken this cultural constraint on a form of expression to the way most Muslim women dress in the Middle East. With an emphasis on being respectful and covering up, women have found other, more tasteful, more beautiful ways to express themselves in their appearance. Decked out in floor-length, black, flowing fabric accented by bright jewels, beading, or delicate embroidery on the cuffs and tips of the scarf, floating on six-inch heels with a sense of grace that I could never even hope to replicate, these Emirati women exude an extremely refined sense of femininity. I find them to be ten times more elegant and more beautiful than women or girls in America or Europe wearing skin tight pants or short skirts, with coiffed hair that had to have taken hours to perfect and exposed cleavage. The beauty is in the details—the Muslim women’s elegant and tasteful form of expression has been determined by the constraints to which they must conform, much as the Moroccan style of architecture is created within the constraints of Islam and has produced an unique finesse for the abstract.
I had come prepared with my own head-scarf to wear while touring the mosque, as all of the American girls in the group had been instructed to do. I think all of us were a little surprised to be ushered off, separated from the men, and directed into a ladies’ dressing room where we were each given a plain black abaya and shayla to wear for the duration of the visit. Considering this was uncharted territory for the Delaware girls, we asked the Emirati girls to help us appropriately wrap the shaylas around our heads and necks. We walked, American next to Emirati next to American, out of the dressing room to meet up with the men in our group. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a feeling quite like the one I had for that hour or so spent walking around in traditional female Emirati clothing, touring the most grandiose mosque I have ever seen, and maybe will ever see in my life. I felt a stronger sense of unity with the Emirati girls during that hour than I did chatting with them on the bus about what music we like, what we do in our free time, and finding out how much we had in common.
We had spent a significant amount of time talking to the girls about the societal norm of wearing the shayla and the abaya prior to our visit to the mosque as well as during our videoconferences prior to arriving in Dubai. Women wearing head scarves, burqas, and niqabs is an issue that is scrutinized the world over, mostly in Western countries by people who believe these women are oppressed by men and are forced to wear clothing that covers their hair, faces, necks, and bodies entirely. It was clear to me, as well as to my American classmates, that the UAE is more progressive than many other countries in the Middle East. In the ZU girls’ case, their families have the most influence on their decision about whether or not they will wear the traditional Emirati ensemble. Some of them even say that they have the final word in the matter.
After a mere hour spent in the abaya and shayla, I returned to just the outfit I had put on that morning in the hotel—a floor length black dress with a white long-sleeved cardigan. This outfit was conservative for my standards given the weather that day (aroung 85 degrees.) Only my hair, neck, face, and part of my chest were exposed, but I felt completely naked. I felt the need to conceal the patches of skin that were not covered up more so than when I do in the summer time at the beach wearing a two-piece bathing suit. It was an odd feeling, really.
We left the awe-inspiring mosque to head to the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a research-based organization geared towards alternative sources of energy and environmental sustainability. It attracts graduate students to live on campus in Abu Dhabi, pays for housing in your own ultra-modern flat, and for most living expenses. I realize I’ve said that places I visited were “the most [something] or “the best” [something] quite a lot, but the UAE really does have that effect on you. Not to beat a dead horse, but Masdar’s campus was the most innovative and modern facility I have ever visited. The majority of the energy comes from the solar panel farm located just off-site, and with virtually indispensable funds from the Sheikh, Masdar is able to afford the most cutting-edge technology. The visit made me seriously doubt my decision to study international relations instead of engineering. Maybe in another life I’ll be a science whiz and live in a desert-themed flat in Abu Dhabi…
Next on the itinerary was a quick question and answer session at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Of course, we were welcomed very warmly with a buffet of sandwiches, drinks, and desserts, going right along in line with the unparalleled hospitality we had been treated to everywhere we went. Both the Emirati students and the American students seemed to be frustrated with the responses they offered to questions dealing with the UAE’s stance on the revolutions taking place all over the Middle East as well as U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. I happen to think the MFA isn’t particularly used to visits and questions from a mixed group of American and Emirati students coming for answers about the UAE’s foreign policy and the changing political atmosphere of the Middle East. However, if there’s anything I’ve learned from visits to a few embassies in my travels abroad, one shouldn’t expect to get answers that directly address the question.
The visit to the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi was bit more informative. The MFA, however, definitely had the US Embassy beat with the welcome wagon. The only issue shied away from was the WikiLeaks scandal, as they said they were not licensed to comment on certain aspects of what accusations were true.
We left the embassy around 6 pm and headed on the three-hour route back to Dubai. We talked to the girls about marriage and dating—topics all of us were interested in finding out about but hadn’t had the opportunity to bring up. The girls told us that people do date before marriage, although for the most part it has to be conducted in secret. They also told us that dating usually starts by a guy “stalking” a girl he likes in a mall or public place to get her attention, and sometimes involves him shouting out his phone number to her multiple times as he walks by her. I don’t know that I’m a huge fan of the “dating” scene here in the States, but that has got to be tough.
We stopped along the way for a quick visit to the Emirates Palace, a luxurious hotel where the Sheikhs stay when the seven of them conference. Of course, it was decorated with only the finest materials and planned with only the most elegant designs in mind. It was the nicest hotel I've ever been in...just a taste of the high life.
We got in to the hotel around 9 pm and had dinner just as a Delaware group, which gave us more of an opportunity to discuss the day’s events and what we learned about Emirati culture from the girls. Overall, I think the visit to the mosque was the most unforgettable visit of the day, and was the most intimate experience we had all week with Emirati culture.
Sean and Conor in front of Sheikh Zayed mosque.
Sara, Ralph, Kate and I in front of the mosque. What an incredible background...
Totally unfamiliar with the proper wrapping technique for a shayla, I enlisted the help of Famouti upon entering Sheikh Zayed mosque.
The nine-ton principal in the mosque is breathtaking (made of millions of Swarovski crystals and imported from Germany.)
Below the nine-ton masterpiece rests the 35-ton Persian carpet.
A courtyard at the Masdar Institute.
The flats where Masdar students are housed for free. Designed to look like rolling sand dunes, the architectural design of the flats are not only unique, but very logical given the location!
Not sure if this congregation of people was a class meeting outside in the courtyard or simply just a meeting, but either way, I loved that the aesthetically-pleasing campus is incorporated into everyday functions. I would certainly want to just hang out in the courtyards on campus all day.
The Emirates Palace lit up at night. Stunning...
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