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Thirty-four-year-old Taj Mahal Ibrahim has won a stay in the UAE capital for herself and her 28-year-old brother after winning a photography competition jointly staged by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and CNN which attracted around 360 entries from 52 countries. The winning early morning mood shot of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was deemed by a judging panel to be ‘evocative’ and an iconic image of Abu Dhabi’s most visited attraction.
Taj, who lives and works in Dubai, is an avid amateur photographer who visits Abu Dhabi around every two months to practice her art.
“I love Abu Dhabi, it has so much to offer a photographer with the Grand Mosque, the Corniche and all the greenery,” said Taj, whose brother an electronic engineer in the Philippines will now travel with the UAE national airline, Etihad to join his sister for two nights in Abu Dhabi city, a day tour of Al Ain, a stay in the five-star Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort and in the luxurious, boutique Desert Islands Resort & Spa on Sir Bani Yas Island.
“My brother is excited as I am and we can’t wait to take up the prize. I will be taking photographs everywhere we go,” she said.
The competition was staged in conjunction with ADTA’s partnering of CNN’s Icon programme and the winning photograph is now featured on the CNN microsite.
Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which was named the most visited attraction in an ADTA international visitor survey, is one of the UAE capital’s most iconic buildings. It features 82 white marble domes of Moroccan design and can accommodate 40,960 worshippers. The Mosque has just over 1,000 columns in its outer areas which are clad with more than 20,000 marble panels inlaid with semi-precious stones, including lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone shell and mother of pearl. The 96 columns in the main prayer hall are inlaid with mother of pearl. Additionally, the Mosque has four beautiful minarets standing at almost 107 metres each at the four corners of the mosque.
An equally impressive interior complements the Mosque’s breathtaking exterior. Italian white marble and inlaid floral designs adorn the prayer halls and the walls have decorative gold-glass mosaic features. The main prayer hall features the world’s largest chandelier under the main dome – being 10 metres in diameter, 15 metres in height and weighing over nine tonnes. The Mosque’s seven gold-coloured chandeliers, from Germany, feature thousands of Swarovski crystals from Austria and some glasswork from Italy. The main prayer hall can fit in around 7,126 worshippers and also features the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre operates daily complimentary guided tours of the building. More details from: http://szgmc.ae/en/
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