The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and dargah [or tomb] located on an islet off the coast of Worli in the southern part of Mumbai. Near the heart of the city proper, the dargah is one of the most recognisable landmarks of Mumbai. Wikipedia
The mosque is located on an islet accessible via a causeway at low tide. It was built in the 1430s in memory of a wealthy Muslim who gave up his worldly possessions and went on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Legend has it that Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who became a Sufi saint, died during his spiritual journey and his body washed up on rocks in the Arabian Sea off south Mumbai.
The mosque was constructed on the spot where his body was found, and his tomb, or "dargah", lies in the inner sanctum -- the mosque's most sacred place.
From my recent travel archives (Captured Nov 28, 2017).
Tags: peggyhr Haji Ali Dargah tomb mosque sunset sun Arabian Sea Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari built in 1430 islet Sufi saint DSC02372a Mumbai India red reflections palms THE GALAXY
© All Rights Reserved
At 160 metres tall, the Capital Gate building may not be the tallest building in the Emirates, or even Abu Dhabi. But in a city famed for ambitious projects, it is by far the biggest architectural accomplishment. Tilting 18° westward, the Capital Gate has over four times as much lean as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The 35 storey structure includes a cantilevered tea lounge and open air pool deck, as well as Abu Dhabi’s first Hyatt hotel, ‘The Hyatt@Capital Centre’. The tower’s external lighting minimises light pollution whilst optimising energy consumption, with a net of compact LED clusters integrated into the façade’s design. The Capital Gate sits on an intensive distribution of 490 piles, drilled 30 metres underground to accommodate the gravitational, wind and seismic forces caused by the building’s distinctive lean. Inter-connected with the thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the tower is one of a group of 23 towers including branded hotels, commercial buildings, residential and serviced apartment complexes and developments for mixed use. The Capital gate was the first building in the world to use a pre-cambered core, with a built-in lean of 350 millimetres engineered to straighten with the addition of the upper floors. It is this same standard of innovation that has come to define the UAE; an oasis of intelligent design built in supposedly inhospitable conditions.
Abu Dhabi World Online | The capital's magazine
From my recent travel archive
Tags: peggyhr Architecture building leaning innovative AbuDhabi UAE InfiniteXposure L1 The Pritzker Architecture Prize on Flickr THE LOOK level 1 RED Level 1-PFR Super~Six Bronze ☆ Stage #1 ☆ THE LOOK level 2 YELLOW THE LOOK level 3 ORANGE THE LOOK level 4 PURPLE Nov 22, 2017 Sony DSC-HX80 THE LOOK level 5 GREEN Super~Six ☆ Stage #2 ☆ Silver Super~Six ☆ Stage #4 ☆ Art THE GALAXY
© All Rights Reserved
Captured from the Corniche Promenade, Abu Dhabi
A lavishly imagined dream, Emirates Palace offers you a magical location to enjoy the quintessence of award-winning 5-star luxury hospitality and authentic local experiences. From 394 luxurious rooms and suites, to our award-winning culinary cuisine, Emirates Palace is the definition of an unrivaled and Arabian fantasy.
From my recent travel archives
Tags: archives UAE benches HBM “Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi” DSC01539ab peggyhr Nov 22, 2017
© All Rights Reserved
Voted Best Futuristic Design in 2008 and included in a list of the world’s 30 ugliest buildings a couple of years ago, Aldar HQ clearly divides opinion. It shouldn’t; this is a genuinely iconic addition to the Abu Dhabi skyline, the kind of building that makes Abu Dhabi instantly identifiable in silhouette.
In brief, it has two circular convex façades linked by a belt of indented glazing. The circle obviously symbolises unity, stability, rationality, perfection – the kind of messages a property developer would like to be associated with. Architect Marwan Zgheib was also inspired by clamshells, a nod to the pearling heritage, but it’s the circular form and the curved glass skin that you notice.
Inside it’s also pretty clever. The building uses a diagrid, a steel exoskeleton which keeps everything together but also means the interior spaces don’t need pillars and beams to support themselves. This provides maximum flexibility for the offices: although there are just 23 floors, the building has the same floor area as a typical 40-storey tower.
And notice the orientation: the west-east alignment allows both the sunset and sunrise to be seen in the glass, along with the island of Abu Dhabi and the new ‘greater’ Abu Dhabi along the road past Yas and KCA. It’s literally a reflection of Abu Dhabi and where it’s going.
Abu Dhabi World Online | The capital's magazine
From my recent travel archives
Tags: peggyhr architecture building Aldar HQ round Aldar HQ Abu Dhabi UAE DSC01313a Sony DSC-HX80 archives InfiniteXposure L1 Level 1-PFR InfiniteXposure L2 THE GALAXY The Pritzker Architecture Prize on Flickr Nov 22, 2017 InfiniteXposure L3 The GALAXY HALL OF FAME InfiniteXposure L4
© All Rights Reserved
Abu Dhabi, UAE
From my recent travel archives
Tags: Sheikh Zayed Mosque backlit marble gold archway domes Nov 22, 2017 framed DSC01368ab Abu Dhabi UAE Sony DSC-HX80 THE GALAXY Super~Six Bronze ☆ Stage #1 THE LOOK level 1 RED THE LOOK level 2 YELLOW THE LOOK level 3 ORANGE THE LOOK level 4 PURPLE
© All Rights Reserved