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abu dhabi

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. It was completed in 2007 (although the gardens are still a work in progress). The mosque is quite far away from downtown Abu Dhabi so I went there by public bus. I missed the stop and I found myself in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the bus to go back towards downtown. Anyway, I finally got in: To enter, one must follow a blue path to a car park next to the mosque. Entrance is free and even non-muslims can come in. The mosque looked really beautiful, all in austere white with colourful decorations in contrast. I took a taxi on the way back downtown (40AED).

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Abu Dhabi: Corniche, Emirates Palace, Marina Mall & Abu Dhabi Theatre

In December, a few weeks after Dubai, I came back to the United Arab Emirates, this time in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the country. It was just a single day layover on my way to Amsterdam but I was able to see a lot.

After I arrived at the airport in the early morning, I took the shuttle bus to downtown Abu Dhabi. I then walked along the Corniche, a pedestrian path along the coast, until I reached the road that leads to the Marina Mall. Instead of going there, I continued along Corniche Road to the Emirates Palace, a 7-star luxury hotel. Part of the hotel is open to all visitors, so I got inside. It was indeed quite nice… After that, I took the bus to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which was actually pretty far away. It was a bit of an adventure so I will make a separate post about it later. After the Mosque, I took a taxi to the Marina Mall and had a quick look inside. Then I headed towards the Heritage Village nearby but there was an event for the Volvo Ocean Race so I went in. It hadn’t really started yet so it was not very interesting. I continued on the road, past the Heritage Village, until the Abu Dhabi Theatre. There was a great viewpoint on the skyline of Downtown Abu Dhabi from there. Finally, I walked on the road towards the Etihad Towers but stopped at a café for sheesha and diner until it was time to go to the airport.

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