On the last day in Abu Dhabi, we toured the war memorial of Wahat Al Karama, designed by architect Idris Kahn, which translates literally to Oasis of Dignity. A 90-meter long series of 31 massive aluminum-clad tablets, the monuent symbolizes unity and solidarity, and behind which lies the Pavilion of Honor, whose circular internal wall is clad with over 2,800 aluminium plates inscribed with the names of the UAE’s fallen heroes. The magnificent site also boasts a Memorial Plaza and spectacular reflecting pond double view to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. My gratitude goes out to our hosts at Meridian Intl and the UAE Embasssy US @meridianintl @uaeembassyus @uaeusaunited for organizing such well crafted itinerary and locations.
On the 2nd to last day of our whirlwind tour of the UAE with Meridian International @meridianintl and the UAE Embassy @uaeembassyus, we were lucky enough to adjust our timing to the extraordinary Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque to coincide with sunset and dusk, allowing for low light, long exposures, and some incredible audio tracks of the evening's call to prayer. Definitely on my list as one of the wonders of the modern world, the mosque is the world's second largest, hosts the worlds largest handmade carpet, and the largest Munich made Swarowski glass crystal chandeliers, it was built over the span of 11 years from 1996 - 2007 and employed a crew of over 3,000 intl workers per day! It's design is credited to Yusef Abdelki of HALCROW.
I didn't capture nearly enough views of this fascinating carbon neutral experiment that is Masdar City, master planned by the office of Sir Norman Foster, on the ourskirts of Abu Dhabi, as we raced through in a span of about 45 minutes, between the Louvre Abu Dhabi and our final stop on Day 5 at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The use of terra cotta, steel and polycarbonate billowing materials were all employed in building skins, and a self-driving electric blue bus could be seen sneaking by on occasion.
The clear highlight for me on the 6-day whirlwind architecture delegation to the UAE with Meridian International @meridianintl and the UAE Embassy @uaeusaunited last fall, was the day spent at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, whereby we were the first group to venture underneath the massive and iconic steel and aluminum domed roof structure. We were also sheparded through the galleries and plazas via guided tours with the museum's Director General, along with other art historians and experts in the field. This architectural masterwork by Ateliers Jean Nouvelle of Paris fuses indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly and is cast in a broken light evocative of a desert oasis, all floating in the water as part of a future museum island. It is breathtaking on every level.
With more mid-century modernism than anyone would expect, our group had the pleasure of a walking tour with local Emirati architecture historian and preservationist, Sultan Al Ramahi @vertorsandstuff, through the main business district of old Abu Dhabi, which included the iconic basket-woven Al Ibrahimi Tower, the Madinat Zayed Vegetable & Fish Market, and the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal.
