Eric in Arabia

Last year, Nataliya and I spent a week in United Arab Emirates. This year, my travel feature about our experience was published in Baltimore Style Magazine’s February issue. You can pick up the glossy version at newsstands or bookstores now, or check out the digital version online.

All of those scenes in movies, on television, in photographs depicting the middle-eastern sun beneath a sandy haze, glowing orange, is not simply the vision of the artist. This is really what the sun looks like here—you can look directly into it—and it’s beautiful.

Join me and Nataliya as we meet up with our old university friend, Sadiq, and our new friends Najeeb and Khalid. From Dubai to Abu Dhabi and a desert excursion in between.

Check it out at www.BaltimoreStyle.com/category/travel/.

Ramadan Mubarak!

For all my friends who observe the holy month of fasting and sacrifice, I’d like to say Ramadan Mubarak. And what better time than during Ramadan to share my experience from this past spring at one of the most impressive mosques of the world: the Sheikh Zayad Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The largest mosque in the country and one of the largest mosques in the world, it features seven amazing crystal chandeliers, one of which is the largest in any mosque and one of the largest in the world. It also features the world’s largest hand-woven Persian rug. With marble and granite, inlayed semi-precious stone, and beautiful domes and minarets, it was one of the highlights of our trip to the UAE. 

Take a look at these photos and videos and you’ll see why!

Mosque's interior.

Mosque's courtyard. 

Headed for Dubai and Abu Dhabi

We're on our way to the United Arab Emirates! 

We plan to spend most of our time in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Sure, there's the shopping malls and the world's largest indoor ski slope, but we're there to explore the culture and the architecture, both old and new.

We plan to scale the Burj Khalifa, dine in the Burj Al Arab, and marvel at the man-made islands, Palm Jumeirah and The World. But we really look forward to touring the Grand Mosque, Dubai Museum, riding the Abras across Dubai Creek, and enjoying a desert safari or two.

In Abu Dhabi, arguably the world's richest city, we look forward to exploring the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Emirates Palace, and Qasral Hosn. 

As a bonus, one of our good friends back when I was living in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, lives in Abu Dhabi. We haven't seen him in more than 20 years, and it will be great to visit with him again.

United Arab Emirates, here we come!

http://government.ae/en/seven-emirates