We took a day trip to Abu Dhabi. Just like Dubai, the whole city wreaks of money. The highlight of our day tour was a stop at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It’s majestic. That feels like a weird word to use because we don’t describe most places that way, but this was one of the most incredible buildings we’ve ever been in. Its impressiveness would surpass the Taj Mahal, but the Taj was built almost 500 years ago with no modern machinery, which makes its existence pretty mind-boggling.
We arrived at sunset, which was a perfect time to take pictures. Annie almost wasn’t allowed inside because she wasn’t “properly covered” – she had long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a scarf to cover her hair, but when she was walking in, she went to fix her head scarf and her sleeve slid down, exposing part of her wrist. She was called out by a guard saying that she wasn’t appropriately dressed. Thankfully, our tour guide defended Annie until she was permitted inside. Note: Adam was only in a long sleeve and shorts.
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque has a massive white stone courtyard that was completely empty since visitors were not allowed to walk on it. The mosque itself is filled with massive chandeliers and the largest hand-stitched rug we’ve ever seen. When we were leaving, the imam's prayer was coming over the loudspeaker.
