Iona

Thought I'd post a few shots that I took today of a friend who braved the rain, wind and freezing cold for a bit of fun and a few photos - thank you Iona!

The Grand Mosque - Third International Falconry Festival

As well as the desert camp and public festival days, sponsored delegates (ie. falconers and finalists), were offered day trips to local attractions, and one of these was the sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

The mosque began to be built in the 1980's and is still not complete, however its beauty and sublime quality is outstanding, with room to accommodate 40,960 worshipers. It was designed by an English artist whose aim was to encompass the Muslims' idea of the afterlife, 'jannat', which translates to mean 'garden.' This explains the floral patterns that cover every inch of surface inside the mosque, from the world's largest carpet, up the marble walls, and across the intricately carved ceilings. The floor and ceilings also mirror one another precisely, so that wherever you stand on the carpet, he exact same point of pattern will be visible directly above your head.

There are eighty two marble domes in total and these are topped with twenty four-carat cold points. 

The main prayer hall features a stunning chandelier, made from gold and boasting thousands of Austrian Swarovski crystals and Italian glass, and is thought to weigh in excess of nine tonnes and cost around £6m.

There is also a Qibla wall which features the ninety nine names of Allah hand scribed in Kufi calligraphy with a gold centerpiece. Throughout the whole mosque, around twenty thousand marble panels with semi precious stones are included, with twenty eight different types of marble from all around the world.

 

 

The Desert Camp - 3rd International Falconry Festial

So I mentioned previously that the first few days preparing for the Festival took place at the desert camp, about an hour's drive from our hotel and quite literally in the middle of a desert. These days were not open for the public and were used by falconers and other people taking part to get used to the birds and horses and get everything organised. Some people slept overnight at the camp in the tents with their birds resting on perches next to them, which seemed a slightly strange arrangement to me having never really been involved in falconry before. 

There was also a racing track a few miles from the camp where camel racing took place (which I am gutted I missed!) and also dogs called salukis (very similar to greyhounds) were raced, as you will see in the photographs below.

I think from the whole trip a few of my favourite photos are included below and I am quite happy with the way some of these turned out considering I had no clue what to expect when I left the hotel that day!