Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – it is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and was built in 2007 AD.Inside the Grand Mosque.Entrance into the Grand Mosque, which is adorned with a colorful vine and floral pattern on the floor and walls.One of the flower chandeliers inside the mosque.Courtyard of the Grand Mosque.Steps leading to the main entrance of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.Another view of the courtyard in the Grand Mosque.Sun shining down on Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.Burj Khalifa at night – designed by Adrian Smith and built in 2009 AD, it is the world’s tallest building at 829.8 meters and it has 163 floors.Emirates Palace – a luxury 5-star hotel in Abu Dhabi that even has its own gold vending machine (the price is constantly updated to reflect the current trading price of gold).Steps leading up to the entrance of Emirates Palace.Example of a traditionally constructed house, found in the U.A.E. Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi.Traditional female dress with a battoulah (metallic-looking mask), on display in the U.A.E. Heritage Village.Burj Al Arab – a ridiculously expensive 5-star hotel in Dubai.Looking up at a building in Masdar City – a futuristic planned city in Abu Dhabi that uses solar and renewable energy sources; additionally, it has automated podcars that are capable of taxiing passengers around.Wind tower in Masdar City, which helps cool the surrounding plaza by up to 5 degrees Celsius.Burj Al Arab, seen from Souk Madinat Jumeirah.A falcon enjoying a meal at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital – the first and largest hospital in the world dedicated to falcons (Emiratis love and take very seriously their traditional hunting and falconry).Saluki dogs, which are also used for hunting, at the Arabian Saluki Center, which is adjacent to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital.First oil samples taken in U.A.E. – small beginnings.Traditional dance at the 2013 Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX).Giraffe in Emirates Park Zoo in Abu Dhabi.Windcatcher tower standing next to a part of the wall of Old Dubai; these towers were used in older buildings to create cross ventilation and passive cooling – especially important in a desert that regularly heats above 40 degrees Celsius.Boats on display in Dubai Museum, which exists in Al Fahidi Fort – a fort that was built in the 18th-century AD.Taking a break from kayaking in Eastern Mangrove National Park.Burj Khalifa, which stands tall at 829.8 meters.Looking down at the Dubai Fountain from the Burj Khalifa observation deck, which is only at 452 meters (unfortunately, far from the top).Looking southward from the Burj Khalifa.View of Dubai, looking northward – seen from the observation deck in the Burj Khalifa.Waterfall and diver sculptures inside the Dubai Mall.Old Souk in Dubai.Dubai Creek.Ferrari pit crew preparing one of their vehicles for the races the next day at the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.Yas Marina at night.Porsche 911 race on the last day of the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.One of the F-series races at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.Racecars attempting to navigate a sharp turn at the Yas Marina Circuit.Final Formula One race at the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.Match at the Dubai Sevens, a rugby sevens competition held at the Sevens Stadium.One of the women’s matches at the Dubai Sevens.Scrum during one of the men’s matches at the Dubai Sevens.Exterior of the Al Ain National Museum.Walking through the oasis at Al Ain.Corridor in Al Jahili Fort, a fort that was built in the 1890s AD.Inner courtyard of Al Jahili Fort.Parade ground at Al Jahili Fort.Camels lined up at the start of a race at Camel Race Track 1 in Abu Dhabi; due to abusive incidents in the past, official camel races in U.A.E. now use robotic jockeys that are controlled by someone in a car that follows alongside the race.Camel race with all the cars following alongside the track to remote control the robotic jockeys – as you can imagine, this causes a number of fender benders.Camels crossing the finish line at Camel Race Track 1.Close-up of one of the camels and its robotic jockey.One of the race cars competing in the Gulf 12 Hours endurance race at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.Watching the Gulf 12 Hours race through the tall grass.Camels participating in the camel beauty pageant at the Al Dhafra Festival in Liwa.Camel with dreamy eyes competing in the camel beauty pageant at the Al Dhafra Festival in Liwa.Racing camels at the Al Dhafra Festival in Liwa.New Year’s celebration in Dubai for 2014; at the time, this was the world’s largest fireworks show, but has since been surpassed multiple times.Hili Grand Tomb, which has been reconstructed, but dates back to at least the 3rd-millennium BC and is now part of the Hili Archaeological Park – a park that helps preserve the largest Bronze Age site in the United Arab Emirates.Jabel Hafeet, the sole mountain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.Looking east from Jabel Hafeet (Oman is somewhere in the far distance, where the landscape begins to become more mountainous).Jabel Hafeet Park, with some astonishingly green grass in this desert – seen from the viewpoint.Date palms in the Al Ain oasis.Entrance to Al Ain National Museum.Different types of pistols on display in the Al Ain National Museum.Model of what the Hili Grand Tomb would’ve looked like over 4,000 years ago.Red Bull Air Race in Abu Dhabi; this location was the first of eight races that occurred in the 2014 Red Bull Air Race World Championship.Small air show at the end of the 2014 Abu Dhabi Red Bull Air Race.
