FollowingFaye: The People & the Mosque

Saturday, December 3, 2011

The People & the Mosque

Entryway to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

It is a breathtakingly beautiful morning. I came down early for breakfast today and watching the sun rise, over the all-glass high-rises, is stunning.

This is a very clean city. There are men dressed in blue overalls and it appears that their express job is to sweep the streets and pick up garbage in public spaces.

Someone compared Abu Dhabi to New York City. I think they're very different. New York is much more compact, compressed and densely populated. It has a lot more people concentrated in tighter areas. This city is much more spread out. In New York, you can get anywhere by walking or by subway. Here you must rely on your personal transportation or the taxis or buses. I was told to avoid the buses, so I haven't ventured on them yet.

The cities are alike in that they are both home to people from all over the world and therefore are both very diverse. They also share the bodega concept - the little stores on every corner. Here they're called souqs. The traffic is very similar - fast and furious. Again, it's more congested in New York. Here most of the roads are at least eight lanes across, four in either direction.

I don't think I've described the people yet. Let me. I think the folks who are in the traditional dress are native to the Emirates. The men all wear these snow white robes with white, sometimes red checked, head coverings that is held on the head by the black braided rope. Almost, without exception, the men have beards . . . short, very neatly groomed. Most of the men are big guys, too. Not like Samoans big, not fat either, just big, muscular guys. They wouldn't have any trouble fielding a rugby team.

The women wear the abayas with their head covered completely . . . usually. I've seen some with the scarves loosely covered. I'm not sure if they are native, or like me, they're just wearing the abaya out of respect. What is fascinating is for the women who cover their hair completely, and for the men also because you can't see their hair either, their faces are more prominent and the focal point of your eye. You can see and appreciate the features more clearly without being encumbered by their hairdo's. They are a beautiful people. Various shades of brown, from high yellow, as we say in the black community, to darker than me. The women who were at the bank celebration were heavily made up. Someone said the women wore a lot of make-up but I hadn't seen it before then. The women are in all sizes, but most tend to be petite. They wear the abayas really long, dragging the floor. What's amazing is that they don't have trouble walking in them, I suppose it's because they have been in them for years. It's darling to see the kids in the traditional dress, but that's rare. They tend to wear street clothes. I found out today that the women who wear burkas (the mask-like material that covers their face) do so at their husband's discretion. If he's the jealous type and doesn't want to share his wife's beauty with the world, he requires that she wear a burka. OK. Now I totally agree with France in banning them from their country. I also learned that the men wear white robes to reflect the sun. Traditionally they were the ones out in the elements working. The women wear black because it is opaque. It's all about modesty here for the women.

Official Professional Photograph - Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

I visited Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque today. What an incredible monument! The history is so vast and the beauty so extraordinary, there is no way I can do it justice trying to describe it. Seeing it and being there reminded me of the Vatican and it's glorious opulence. Below you'll find a YouTube video link that shows the mosque in all of it's glory, along with a professional photograph and the ones I took. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX51jMnwqFw