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WITH A CAPACITY
                                                                                          FOR AN
                                                                                          ASTONISHING
                                                                                          40,000
                                                                                          WORSHIPPERS,
                                                                                          THE SHEIKH ZAYED
                                                                                          GRAND MOSQUE
                                                                                          MAIN PRAYER HALL
                                                                                          IS DOMINATED
                                                                                          BY ONE OF THE
                                                                                          WORLD’S LARGEST
                                                                                          CHANDELIERS
                                                                                          –10 METRES IN
                                                                                          DIAMETER, 15
                                                                                          METRES IN HEIGHT
                                                                                          AND WEIGHING
                                                                                          TWELVE TONNES.




















        most like a mirage of silhouettes of buildings   stance from the center. Moreover, it is the desert
        that defy gravity behind a blanket of sand raised   that has made her one of the richest cities on the
        by the wind. One example is the Tower of the Ca-  planet thanks to oil the Rub ‘al-Khali, “the empty
        pital Gare by RMJM architects: 35 glass and steel   quarter”, the Empty Quarter, as the British explo-
        floors that rise straight up and then bend over   rer Sir Wilfred Thesiger called it in 1959. And then
        and screwed into a spiral, just as the high dunes   there is the sea, border and look to the future, to
        of the desert, changing shape due to the wind.   the world. You can admire it walking along the
        Ambitious and refined, ultra-modern and tradi-  eight kilometers Corniche, with its Mediterra-
        tional, the capital of the United Arab Emirates is   nean atmosphere, edged with palm trees, cafes
        also this, the call of the desert, an integral part of   and restaurants. Overlooking the Gulf also the
        its history and the Bedouin tradition, revived by   majestic Emirates Palace Hotel, five-star luxury
        spending a memorable evening in the midst of   hotel in the Arabic style for a thousand and one
        the dunes nell’Arabian Night Village, a short di-  night dreams. Icon of Abu Dhabi, is developed





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