Gama
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 9, 2010
- 13,265
- 4,716
BBC - Travel - Slideshow - The United Nations of mosques
All are welcome In many of the world's most beautiful mosques, visiting hours are limited and non-believers must tread wearily. But not Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The gleaming white, fairytale-like structure, unveiled in 2007, was built with the express purpose of promoting interactions between not only Muslim cultures, but between Islam and other religions as well.
Diversity is reflected by the mosques architects (they were British, Italian and Emeriti), by the materials used (tiles were sourced from Turkey, wool from New Zealand and crystals from Germany) and by the open-door policy that harkens back to the golden age of Islam. It now attracts more than one million visitors a year. Everyone is welcome here, whether they are Jewish or Christian or atheist, said mosque tour guide Leila Ahmed. That is what's so special about this place. Sheik Zayed's vision for the mosque was not just a place where Muslims can pray, but a platform for cultural exchange. (Ian Lloyd Neubauer)
Hakika kila kitu kinachotokea katika msikiti huu kinashnagaza: Je, hawa wenzetu wanaofadhiri UKAWA wanaweza kuruhusu msikiti wao kutembelewa namna hii?
All are welcome In many of the world's most beautiful mosques, visiting hours are limited and non-believers must tread wearily. But not Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The gleaming white, fairytale-like structure, unveiled in 2007, was built with the express purpose of promoting interactions between not only Muslim cultures, but between Islam and other religions as well.
Diversity is reflected by the mosques architects (they were British, Italian and Emeriti), by the materials used (tiles were sourced from Turkey, wool from New Zealand and crystals from Germany) and by the open-door policy that harkens back to the golden age of Islam. It now attracts more than one million visitors a year. Everyone is welcome here, whether they are Jewish or Christian or atheist, said mosque tour guide Leila Ahmed. That is what's so special about this place. Sheik Zayed's vision for the mosque was not just a place where Muslims can pray, but a platform for cultural exchange. (Ian Lloyd Neubauer)
Hakika kila kitu kinachotokea katika msikiti huu kinashnagaza: Je, hawa wenzetu wanaofadhiri UKAWA wanaweza kuruhusu msikiti wao kutembelewa namna hii?