Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre is launching remote cultural tours of the Abu Dhabi mosque, allowing visitors experience the holy building virtually amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
"SZGMC launched remote cultural tours at the mosque, keeping with its status as a leading global cultural destination that annually receives more than six million visitors from all around the world," the centre wrote on Instagram.
"This is in line with the precautionary measures taken in the UAE to protect the community, after the spread of the novel coronavirus."
The live broadcasts will be aired every Tuesday and Saturday at 11am (UAE time) through its Instagram page. The Tuesday sessions take place in Arabic, and in English on Saturdays for visitors around the world.
The centre will also offer government and private institutions private remote cultural tours, which they can register for through the website.
This Ramadan, the Grand Mosque is holding its taraweeh prayers live for Muslims to watch at home, as they will be unable to visit the mosque. The prayers are live on the mosque's website and YouTube channel. Visitors can set a reminder to tune in, via the video link.
Using Google Maps, guests are already able to explore the mosque virtually with the Street View function, seeing user-generated footage captured since January 2017.
By moving the yellow figure, you can go from room to room to see different photos taken by guests of the mosque. However, with the new Instagram tours, you will be given a cultural explanation of each space.
Access the Google Street View here, or alternatively search for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on Google Maps, and move the yellow figure into the mosque, to get a Street View access.
Virtual tours run at 11am every Tuesday (Arabic) and Saturday (English); more information is available at www.szgmc.gov.ae/en
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Read more:
Free virtual reality tours of Al Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem’s holy sites extended into Ramadan
Louvre Abu Dhabi launches virtual tour and digital activities to do from home
Tour Egypt's historic sites online, including a 5,000-year-old tomb – here's how
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The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
if you go
The flights
Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.
The trip
Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.
