Dubai Marina - UAE

In April Heidi travelled to Dubai to take part in an international para-badminton tournament. The tournament went quite well and she won a few medals. Heidi won medals and I won a postcard. 

In a city that’s full of awe-striking buildings, Dubai Marina stands out as the home to some of Dubai’s newest and most fascinating buildings and attractions where visitors can relax in comfort and luxury along the waterfront.

Dubai Marina is a relatively new attraction in Dubai. It’s characterised by a dramatic skyline of skyscrapers and residential apartment blocks, and looks particularly impressive when illuminated at night. With many constructions still in development, Dubai Marina is changing all the time but there’s always something for visitors to explore and enjoy.

One of the best ways to see Dubai Marina is simply to walk around it. The marina area has been built with several kilometres of walkways (...). - in: https://www.jumeirah.com/en/destinations/dubai/dubai-attractions/dubai-marina/

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - UAE

Ara spent her last holidays in UAE. Abu Dhabi was one of the emirates she visited and this card is from there. It shows the world famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the third largest mosque in the world. 

The 2nd card was sent by Claus a couple of years ago.

www.mevcreative.com

The mosque was named after the founder and first President of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He chose the location and took substantial influence on the architecture and the design of the mosque. Based on his vision, the mosque was built with the rise of 11 metres above sea level, and 9.5 metres above the street level so that it is clearly visible from all directions.

It is built as a monument to consolidate Islamic culture and a prominent centre for Islamic sciences.

According to his wish, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is also the last resting place of its name giver, who passed away in 2004.

Photo by Nicole Lüttecke

As per the direction of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the mosque is located in the heart of the new Abu Dhabi between Musaffah Bridge and Maqta Bridge. The construction of AED 2.5 billion-project began in the late 1996. Approximately 38 contracting companies and about 3,500 workers helped realising the complex over a period of almost 12 years.

On the 20th of December 2007, the mosque was initially opened to the public and prayers. The first prayer was held in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. - in: https://www.abudhabi.ae/portal/public/en/citizens/culture_and_recreation/cultural_and_historical_sites/gen_info20?docName=ADEGP_DF_104596_EN&_adf.ctrl-state=5wx4l7vax_4&_afrLoop=19241414289521547#!

Fujairah Fort - UAE

These two cards were also sent by Claus, both showing Fujairah Fort in UAE.

© 2010 | photograph by Nicole Lüttecke

The Fujairah Fort was built in 1670 but was badly damaged by British bombardment in the early 20th century. Fortunately the main structure has recently been renovated and restored.
Considered the oldest fort in the UAE, it has served as a defensive building and a home for the ruling family.

 

Book Corner * Photo by MEPL

The Fujairah Fort is a mud brick structure with three major sections, several halls, one square tower and two round towers. For many centuries it was the only stone building along the Fujairah coast.
Located on a hill at the edge of date gardens, the Fujairah Fort is surrounded by the remains of some old houses. - in: http://fujairahinfocus.blogspot.pt/2008/12/fujairah-fort-majestic-in-day.html

Al Ain National Museum - UAE

Abu Dhabi’s second city and heritage heartland of Al Ain in the emirate’s Eastern Region has become the first site in the United Arab Emirates to make it to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

 UNESCO has cited Al Ain’s distinguished cultural sites and the geological, archaeological and historic importance of sites throughout the city. The ‘remarkable vestiges’ cited by UNESCO include circular stone tombs (dating circa 2500 B.C.), wells and a wide range of adobe constructions: residential buildings, towers, palaces and administrative buildings.

© Book Corner LLC

One of those buildings is Al Ain National Museum, the oldest in the UAE. It is on the eastern side of the Al Ain Oasis, the largest oasis in Al Ain. It was built by the former UAE President, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The museum was inaugurated on 2 November 1971.

The museum has two main sections on ethnographic and archaeological aspects of the country, especially around Al Ain

This is a new UNESCO site in my collection and it was sent by Sapic.

Jumeirah Mosque - Dubai

José "zepombal" also sent me cards to wish me happy holidays and he sent 2 cards, 1 from Dubai and the other from Oman.

This one from Dubai with the Jumeirah Mosque was in my favorites album and i was supposed to received some time ago through a favorites tag but the card never reached me. The card was still in my album, till last thursday, when i've received José's envelope.

"The Jumeirah Mosque is a dominant landmark of Dubai city. Built in the medieval Fatimid tradition, this stone structure is a tribute to modern Islamic architecture. While strolling through the Mosque at sunset, you will be washed in shadows by this elegant formation.

The Jumeirah Mosque is built in the medieval Fatimid traditional combined with modern building materials. Considered to be one of the most attractive mosques in Dubai, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding organizes visits to the Mosque for non-Muslims, aimed at promoting cultural understanding and first-hand experience as an insight to the Islamic religion.

No prior booking is needed. You will have to assemble at the rear of the mosque (Jumeirah Mosque) at 10.00am on Thursday (every week). Ladies need to be covered - long skirts/trousers, long sleeves, hat/scarf for the head. Gentlemen need to wear trousers - Tshirt or shirt and not a vest. You need to take off your shoes before entering the mosque. Information about Islam is put up at the rear of the mosque. From mid-september onwards, the tour is conducted twice a week on Sunday and Thursday. The tour lasts approx. for an hour and a half and the good news is photography is allowed!" - in: http://www.dubaicity.com/what_to_see_in_dubai/jumeirah-mosque.htm

July Alternative RR (1) - IV

And before going to sleep, 3 more cards.

Erja "erjamaarit" sent the lighthouse card, PRO the Wulingyuan card and the Abu Dhabi card was sent by Lila "Hagaki".

This card was sent from Finland but i don't know if this lighthouse is located in Finland or somewhere else. There's no informations on the card, just the name of the photographer and the website of the swedish company that published the card.

Wulingyuan is a scenic and historic interest area inHunan Province, China, famous for its approximately 3,100 tall quartzite sandstone pillars, some over 800 meters in height, which are a kind of karst formation.
It was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1992.

"Abu Dhabi is the capital of, and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast.

Abu Dhabi houses important offices of the federal government, and is the seat for the UAE Government and the home for the Emirati Royal Family. Abu Dhabi has grown to be a cosmopolitan metropolis. Its rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Abu Dhabi to a larger and advanced metropolis. Today the city is the country's center of political, industrial activities, and a major cultural and commercial centre due to its position as the capital.

Abu Dhabi is the third most expensive city in the region, and 26th most expensive city in the world. Fortune & CNN stated that Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world." - in: wikipedia

Finally some cards

After a few days without any cards, today i've finally received 3 beautiful cards, 2 of them from 2 new countries.

"The Strait of Gibraltar is the strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco. There are 13 km (8 miles) of ocean separating Europe from Africa at the strait's narrowest point.On the northern side of the Strait is Spain and Gibraltar, while on the southern side is Morocco and Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa." - in: wikipedia. This is a lottery card sent by Anna "bogdanovskaya".

"The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 metres (919 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat." - in: wikipedia.

Card sent by Trupti.

The Hawkesworth Bridge spans the Macal River linking the twin towns of Santa Helena and San Ignacio in western Belize. Card also sent by Trupti.