This country is only 45 years old. For this very short period for the formation of the history of states, the United Arab Emirates is quite an attractive destination for travelers and residents. I was greeted here with generous oriental hospitality, charmed with satisfying aromas and surprised with spiritual wealth.
If you don’t practice Islam, most likely you don’t know much about this religion and traditions. Start by visiting the magnificent Jumeirah Mosque, the only mosque in Dubai where non-Muslims are allowed six days a week. The pink sandstone building was opened in November 1979 thanks to Sheikh Rashid ibn Saeed al-Maktoum.
Jumeirah Mosque corresponds to the style of buildings in Cairo XIV-XV centuries. It consists of two minarets and a huge dome. Architects have a different name for such buildings - in the style of Fatimid temples. In twilight, it is particularly striking in its subtle workmanship. Like all other newly built mosques of the emirates inferior to the historical mosques of Turkey and Egypt. However, modern construction technologies allow the new mosques of the emirates to look quite festive.
According to the Qur'an, images of living beings, whether human or animal, are not allowed to be used as decorations inside a mosque. In these walls you will not see pictures. As the decoration of the cloister, an ornament and sophisticated Arabic letters are used. The floor is covered with a large, one-piece carpet with intricate floral patterns.
Now the mosque is one of the key educational and religious institutions of the city. Holds one and a half thousand people, and her image is printed on a bill of 500 dirhams. The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, made Islam popular in the city. And tourists like it. They explain the meaning of prayer, the principles of communication with Allah, talk about the five main pillars of Islam. When visiting, a lecture is held by an Englishwoman who has converted to Islam since she is now Latifa and happily shares with tourists stories about the traditions and life of the UAE. The duration of the excursion program is no more than an hour.
I advise you to choose a closed form of clothing. For women, this is a long skirt or dress, do not expose your shoulders, put a scarf on your head. For men, T-shirts and trousers are allowed. In order to avoid misunderstandings, ministers of the mosque offer their guests to wear abayas for women and condors for men. Before entering, you need to take off your shoes, special lockers are provided for shoes.
Inside the Jumeirah mosque is a large prayer hall with many columns and a qibla wall indicating Mecca. It is known that when praying, a Muslim must turn his face in this direction. Photographing all the splendor of the decoration is allowed, but still you should not point the camera lens at people who pray at this time.
Later, the Dubai Al-Faruk Umar Ibn Khattab Mosque and Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi were opened for free access.
By the way, look carefully at a denomination of 500 dirhams - do you recognize?
This post has been prepared and published with company support. YZER Motors, Yzer yachts and Yzer property.
