23 Jun Thursday June 4th – Touring Dubai’s Blue Mosque thursday enroute to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Thursday June 4th – Upon arrival to Dubai, for an overnight layover before we make our way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we toured Dubai’s famed Blue Mosque. The ladies were asked to wear the traditional abaya’s (long black overdress) and the shela which is used to cover their hair.

The inscriptions in the mosque are Ottoman inscriptions inspired by the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and had an Andalusian touch. Andalusian art is an Islamic school, dating back to the year 711 when the Moors first landed in the South of Spain. Its influence is obvious throughout both the exterior and the interior – from the colourful tiles in the front entrance, which surround a traditional-style fountain, to the shapes used in the interior design. These inscriptions were sculpted by hand by 60 Moroccan craftsmen from the city of Fez, the stronghold of this authentic Andalusian heritage.