Live updates: Follow the latest news on Modi's visit to the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Baps Hindu Mandir on Wednesday, ahead of its public opening on Sunday.
Celebrating a landmark moment of interfaith harmony in the Emirates, Mr Modi arrived for the dedicated ceremony shortly after 4pm and formally inaugurated the temple shortly after 8pm, dedicating it to "you and the world".
He was given a guided tour of the place of worship by priests from the Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha, who showed him the site granted in 2015 by President Sheikh Mohamed, who was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at the time.
A grand and impressive temple is ready
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
As thousands of worshippers watched, Mr Modi added water from Indian rivers Ganga and Yamuna into the waterways that frame the temple and, accompanied by Hindu priests including Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of Baps, recited prayers.
Narendra Modi opens the biggest Hindu temple in UAE - video
"The UAE has, in history, written a new chapter," he said, addressing the temple community hall. "Today in Abu Dhabi, a grand and impressive temple is ready."
It took years of work and there were years of dreams behind the building of the temple, the Prime Minister said.
"No praise will be enough to thank the UAE government in the building of this temple," Mr Modi added.
“But the biggest support and the most help was given by my brother Sheikh Mohamed. The President of the UAE, with his large heart, has fulfilled the dreams of millions of Indians. He has won the hearts of 1.4 billion Indians with this temple."
The UAE's first traditional hand-carved Hindu temple is located in the Abu Mureikha area of Abu Dhabi, off the main motorway between the capital and Dubai.
The temple will be open to the public from February 18 but authorities have asked UAE residents to visit from March 1 due to thousands of overseas visitors travelling to the Emirates to view the temple.
From Thursday until next Wednesday, a week-long celebration will begin at the site, with prayers and talks on harmony and peace.
Visitors must register on the temple website at www.mandir.ae to attend.
It came as Mr Modi took to the stage on the final day of the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Wednesday.
Speaking at the event in Madinat Jumeirah, he called for a “global protocol” to deal with artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.
He also said India has bucked a global trend by boosting public confidence in its government.
"We often hear experts say that after the Covid pandemic, people have less faith in their governments," he said. "But in India we have had exactly the opposite experience in the last few years. The confidence people have in the Indian government has increased."
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
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- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
CREW
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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