ABU DHABI // Internet users will be able to explore the interior of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque from today – by “Googling” it.
Google’s Street View team has spent four days of intensive filming mapping out minute details of the country’s largest mosque to give users close-up views of the structure, inside and out.
The feat is achieved using sophisticated camera equipment and powerful editing software that “stitches” the images together.
As members of the team moved around the mosque’s interior and exterior they used a trolley mounted single lens-reflex (SLR) camera and a purpose-built device called a trekker – a backpack-mounted camera that can film in 360 degrees.
“It is a holy place, so the challenge was to respect the area and make sure that we follow everything that needs to be followed. That was our first concern,” said Pascale Milite of the Street View team.
The project is part of Google Maps’ “Special Collect” initiative that aims to capture every famous landmark on earth to be viewed online.
“Special Collect’s goal is to able to bring users to a destination simply by clicking on their computers, and for those who can’t physically go to a place themselves. It could also be used for people preparing to visit a location,” she said.
The operation was carried out with the full cooperation of the staff at the Grand Mosque.
“This is really about bridging cultures, between the international community and the local culture,” said Abdul Aziz Al Maamari, director of the Cultural Communication and Activities Department at Sheikh Zayed Mosque Centre.
“It is about giving the same experience as the actual visitor. It reaches out to actual visitors and virtual visitors.
“The mosque has a cultural and religious relevance. It can really show the identity of the UAE. It is able to show the extent of the achievements of the country, and it is especially important on National Day.
“It is not just an architectural achievement, but a religious one and something we are proud of and something we love to celebrate.
“We would love to continue working with Google on our future plans,” Mr Al Maamari said.
Google explained why it included the site in its Special Collect.
“We were keen to work on it because we always want to showcase the cultural achievements and interesting venues in the UAE to users around the world,” said Tarek Abdalla, head of marketing for Google in the Middle East and North Africa region.
“The UAE is rich with many kinds of architectural and cultural achievements. We thought the mosque was important because it bears the name of the late Sheikh Zayed and because it is also an architectural feat. We wanted to show people around the world.
“The mosque management were very helpful and the process went very smoothly and they were keen for the project to go ahead.”
Mr Abdalla said Google initiative did not take away from the experience of visiting the mosque.
“I think it actually makes the experience of going to that location so much more exciting. You can set your expectations on something. Most people haven’t had the opportunity and might never be able to see the inside of these landmarks. My personal view is that it actually really entices people to go.
“We wanted to celebrate with the UAE the most important day in the national calender, and we wanted to launch it now because the significance is so much bigger,” he said.
In June this year, the team mapped the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building and also gave users a glimpse inside an Emirates Airbus A380.
Last year alone the mosque attracted almost 4.7 million visitors from across the world and took 13th place in TripAdvisor’s 2013 Travellers’ Choice Awards.
More than 1 billion users access Google Maps every year.
ksinclair@thenational.ae
Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
