21/09/2016 (Abu Dhabi)
This is quite one of the most remarkable buildings I have seen : European cathedrals point to a past sense of commitment, labour and worship: for me at least, this was about Now ; firstly a place of worship, (perhaps Solomon’s temple had this lavish feel to honour Yahweh) and then a place for visitors to marvel. We are invited in with no agenda, no charges, no conversions, free conversations, no topic is taboo – ‘they’ were remarkably amenable to discussing religion, politics, New and Old testaments. The only expectation was that you treated their place of worship with respect and to that end they are quite assertive.
Marble from Macedonia on the outside, Italy inside, pillars of ‘date palms’; semi precious inlays in detail to take your breath away : my amateur photos and words cannot begin to describe this place of worship – a special visit and humbling in a way
Brave New World of Blogging 