Mosques and Amusement Parks in Abu Dhabi; Part 9 Around the World

Destination: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Date: March 2012

Trent, Clay, Bailey and I enjoying our tour of Sheikh Zayed
Grand Mosque with our tour guide
Abu Dhabi March 2012

I had no idea what to expect traveling to a place like Abu Dhabi.  It seemed like it was straight out of Disney's Aladdin.  Yes, embarrassing I know, what a stereotype I am indulging.  When we landed in the harbor at Abu Dhabi we knew we wanted to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, http://visitabudhabi.ae.  This mosque is unlike any I've ever visited in the world.  It is huge!  As described online, it is the size of five football fields.  I had to see this place. 

The outside of the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

As always we quickly grabbed a taxi and headed over to the mosque.  Respecting the culture and the fact that I was visiting a religious site I wore long pants and a long sleeved sweater and brought along a scarf I had purchased in Penang to cover my head.  I didn't realize that this would not be enough to enter the mosque.  

The outside of the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

When we arrived at this huge complex we were guided into lines.  The men were able to walk right in but the women had to stop first to cover up.  They gave us black shrouds to cover our bodies and then they also had black pieces of cloth to cover our heads.  When I showed my guide the scarf I had brought she permitted me to wear that but I still was required to wear the nightgown like, shroud, she gave me for my body.  Bailey, my friend "S" and I reluctantly shimmied into the shrouds, that were a little damp from perspiration from the previous tourist, and we met up with the men.  

"S" and I listening intently to our tour guide
Abu Dhabi March 2012

Instead of doing a self guided tour we choose to hire a local employee of the mosque to give us a private tour.  I am grateful we choose this avenue because it kept us away from the crowds, and he was able to better answer our questions and personalize our tour.  Also when visiting a religious Muslim site like a mosque it is good to have someone to whisper the etiquette so you don't do anything prohibited like hold hands with your husband.  

Trent posing outside of the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

The exterior of the mosque is the most impressive.  With the domes sticking heavenwards it looks like a cloud in the heavens.  I should also mention that while we were in Abu Dhabi they were having a sand storm.  Not a severe one but nonetheless there was always a cloud of sand almost like smog wherever we went.  Our guide told us it had only been going on for two weeks but our taxi driver said it had been going on for six weeks.  I'm not sure who was correct but either way when we arrived at the mosque the white clouded peaks, and the size of the building, were very impressive against the sandy haze backdrop.  

Trent and I posing inside the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

Prayer times on the digital clock in the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

Bailey checking out the interior
Abu Dhabi March 2012

The mosque can hold up to 60,000 patrons at a time and as our tour guide reminded us it really is just a mosque.  A place of worship and gathering place for prayer.  Inside it has many beautiful details to the craftsmanship of the building and a clock identifying the six times for prayer during the day that digitizes from Arab to English every twenty seconds or so.  The carpet on the floor in the prayer hall is the largest in the world.  There is a small ridge every five feet so patrons can line up during their prayers and make a very uniform formation.  The carpet is all one piece and covers a space of approximately 60,000 square feet.  It had many designs on the carpet and is beautiful.  

One of the coolest amusement parks in the world
Abu Dhabi March 2012

Ferrari World with the kids and our friend "J"
Abu Dhabi March 2012

This was a very cool site to see but as you can imagine my 9-year-old Clay was ready for something a little more exciting.  So from the mosque we headed straight over to Ferrari World www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com.  This amusement park is a lot like visiting an amusement park on Planet of the Apes. It is a fully functioning park with lots to see and do but there are very little people there.  We felt like we had the entire place to ourselves which was a little eerie.  The cost to enter the park is 225 Dirham which is about $62 US dollars.  We could have purchased our tickets ahead of time online but like I said the park was so empty that didn't seem to be necessary.

Clay taking a ride on one of the slower rides at Ferrari World
Abu Dhabi March 2012

The entire park is indoors and is clean and organized.  There are Ferraris on display everywhere and lots of rides, shows, and restaurants.  The kids loved that there was virtually no line anywhere.  The longest we ever had to wait was about three to five minutes to get on a ride.  We loved it.  The featured ride was the Formula Rossa because it is the fastest roller coaster ride in the world.  It goes from to 150mph in less than five seconds.  My stomach dropped in the first two seconds.  

Clay and "J" had to have the front row seats on the Formula Rossa
Abu Dhabi March 2012

This is the only ride that goes on the outside of the park and so it was closed for most of the day due to the sand storm.  We were so excited and ran to the entrance when we heard it had opened up.  The roller coaster cars are designed to resemble the Ferrari Formula One car, down to the exact “Rosso Scuderia”. When we got ready for the ride we had to put on goggles to keep any sand or outside debris affecting our eyes when the ride went outside.  I also thought it was interesting to see the head coverings they also supplied the woman to put on top of their own coverings to keep them from getting dirty.  It was definitely a cultural experience.

Seriously the fastest ride of our lives!
Abu Dhabi March 2012

The park is located on Yas Island which is made for entertainment.  From the marina, golfing, and world class entertainment, this area of Abu Dhabi has it all.  However, while we were there it just didn't have any people.  There is so much money in this country that it appears that the success of a business is not dependent on the income it receives.  We seriously couldn't figure out how it all stayed in business.  It was an awesome place to visit with lots to do and more than anything the people were very kind and accommodating.  It didn't seem like any true locals worked at any of the places we visited.  Everyone in the service industry was from India, Pakistan, Malaysia but never an Emirate.  I had to assume that their income levels were much above these service jobs.    

Yas Island, where Ferrari World is located
Abu Dhabi March 2012

By the end of the day we had learned a lot about Ferraris, eaten some great food at the park (best amusement park food I've ever had), and spent a little money at the gift store.  We had a great time in this very metropolitan city. It is also the capital of the UAE.

I should mention that due to Abu Dhabi's position on the Persian Gulf we had a special talk with our security on board the ship.  We were told that in the Persian Gulf there is only a mile wide area that has been cleared from mines under the sea, in which cruise boats must stay within.  Since the Persian Gulf has been an area with so much war over the years it is littered with undersea mines and even pirates.  

At night on our ship we had to close our blinds in our rooms, and all unnecessary lighting on board was turned off.  We also had soldiers with guns on deck with eyes glued to the sea looking for approaching vessels.  It was a little unnerving to hear about these precautions but it was good to know precautions were being made.  One thing that our security officers assured us was that it was much safer on this part of our cruise and much more dangerous over by the Suez Canal where the Somalian's troll the ocean.  Thankfully our part of the cruise would end in Dubai so meeting a Somalian was never meant to be.  Thank Heavens!

In all I really enjoyed Abu Dhabi.  I don't feel like I saw even 5% of what this place had to offer.  If I were asked if I'd ever like to go back?  The answer would be a definite yes! Safe and Happy Travels!