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To start, Manhattan on the Gulf.
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Jurjen's folks took us on a whirlwind tour that visited all the Emirates and parts of Oman. Here we are at Al Bidya mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the UAE.
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In the mountains of Oman. Those are goats, to show you the scale of the picture. This whole trip was full of jaw-dropping vistas like this one.
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Sweeping panoramic view, with humans for scale.
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A remote Omani settlement, pretty much abandoned. These are graves.
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An old-fashioned Arabian house, now a museum in Sharjah emirate. I particularly like the cut-out decorative shapes that let the light through.
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In Dubai at Al Maktoum, a restored palace in the old style, now a museum. Behind me you see a wind tower, used in pre-air conditioning times to cool the house.
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Jurjen and another view.
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Jurjen demonstrates where we are on this map (Dubai Museum).
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Shopping in the Blue Souk in Sharjah emirate. More of the cutwork I like so much.
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A swanky lunch at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Behind Riemke you can see the Burj-al-Arab, the only seven-star hotel in the world.
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There isn't any stone or wood for building in the Emirates, and many old building methods use chunks of coral, like this wall in Al Hisn fort in Sharjah. You can see a new building in the background, with fake wind towers on the roof for that traditional flavor.
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Jurjen with Arab coffee pots. This is for the coffee drinkers in my family. Arab coffee is kind of weak with cardamom in it, and has traditional connotations of hospitality.
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