• Abu Dhabi,  Buildings,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS,  UAE

    Architecture and Art: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

    On my last day in Abu Dhabi, I went to visit Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in United Arab Emirates and the eighth largest mosque in the world. The mosque site is equivalent to the size five football fields approximately.

    szgmPen and watercolor on Daler Rowney Sketchbook.

    Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s design and construction ‘unites the world’, using artisans and materials from many countries including Italy, Germany, Morocco, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Malaysia, Iran, China, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Greece and United Arab Emirates. Natural materials were chosen for much of its design and construction due to their long-lasting qualities, including marble stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics.

    Sheikh Zayed Grand MosqueThis is the view from main entrance of Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

    The design of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque has been inspired by both Mughal and Moorish mosque architecture, particularly the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan and the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco being direct influences. The dome layout and floorplan of the mosque was inspired by the Badshahi Mosque and the architecture was inspired by both Mughal and Moorish design. Its archways are quintessentially Moorish and its minarets classically Arab. The design of the mosque can be best described as a fusion of Arab, Mughal and Moorish architecture.

    archwayBeautiful columns at the archway.

    The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has many special and unique elements: The carpet in the main prayer hall is considered to be the world’s largest carpet made by Iran’s Carpet Company and designed by Iranian artist Ali Khaliqi. This carpet measures 5,627 m2 (60,570 sq ft), and was made by around 1,200-1,300 carpet knotters. The weight of this carpet is 35 ton and is predominantly made from wool (originating from New Zealand and Iran). There are 2,268,000,000 knots within the carpet and it took approximately two years to complete. The companies like amacarpetcleaningmandurah.com  need to be contacted if they need any kind of cleaning services.

    inside mosqueInside mosque. 

    The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has seven imported chandeliers from Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier is the second largest known chandelier inside a mosque, the third largest in the world and has a 10 m (33 ft) diameter and a 15 m (49 ft) height.

    chandelierBeautiful chandelier.

    The 99 names (qualities or attributes) of God (Allah) are featured on the Qibla wall in traditional Kufic calligraphy, designed by the prominent UAE calligrapher – Mohammed Mandi Al Tamimi. The Qibla wall also features subtle fibre-optic lighting, which is integrated as part of the organic design.

    99

    Reference: 
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Zayed_Mosque
    http://www.szgmc.ae/en/

  • ARTWORKS,  Gorey-inspired,  line drawing,  pen & ink

    Gorey-inspired project: A is for Alice

    I recently discovered  The Gashlycrumb Tinies: A Very Gorey Alphabet Book at BrainPickings website written by Maria Popova and was amazed by the illustration style. The storyline is quite dark but I love the illustrations. It is so inspiring as I am currently into lines drawing.

    Few days back I decided to come up with my own version of A to Z Gorey-inspired illustrations based on classic tales. Please take note that my illustrations are gorey dark.

    Here is A. I will post other alphabets soon.

    A is for Alice

  • Kuching,  Malaysia,  Sarawak,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    7 things to do in Kuching, Sarawak

    Flying on an inaugural flight with Malindo Air was great experience. Love all the features inside the aircrafts. And it was more great to be able to revisit Kuching after the first one in 2005.

    For your information, Malindo Air flies to Kuching 4 times daily.

    7500th Boeing 7377500th Boeing 737 (9M-LNF).

    So, what’s interesting in Kuching? Plenty, actually. Malindo with collaboration of Sarawak Tourism Board had arranged tours around Sarawak for media who was on the inaugural flight.

    Here are some ideas for you to start with if you plan to visit Kuching. This list is crafted based on places I visited only.

    1Stay at Riverside Majestic Hotel. Riverside Majestic Hotel is strategically located in the heart of Kuching overlooking the Sarawak River. The hotel commands a panoramic view of the city and the Kuching Waterfront across.

    The hotel has 241 comfortable rooms and offers chef’s selection of signature dishes and tonic soups. Their kitchens are all certified Halal. For relaxation, you can go to the Borneo Odyssey Spa located on the Lower Ground floor of their sister property the Grand Margherita Hotel, or cool off in the hotel’s swimming pool. A bowling centre and cineplex is also available in the adjacent Riverside Shopping Complex.

    Riverside Majestic HotelFront view of Riverside Majestic Hotel.

    2

    Eat, eat and eat. For dinner, everybody is going to Top Spot Food Court. It is basically a hawker centre that sells mostly seafood. It is located on a roof top of a 5 storey car park right in the smack of the city centre. For exotic lunch, you can go to Absolute Tribal Restaurant located at Sarakraf Pavilion. For local kampung style food, you can go to Mount Serapi Corner.

    absolute tribalInteresting entrance of AbsoluteTribal Restaurant.

    3Go shopping! There are many places you can shop but if you want to look for food, fruits, seafood, go to Medan Niaga Satok. For gift items like pua kumbu, jeweleries and what not go to Main Bazaar. Another place you can go to to buy Kek Lapis is Dayang Salhah Kek Lapis. Another interesting place to buy crafts is Sarakraf Pavilion.

    4Visit cat statues around Kuching. The most recognizable cat statue is the one near Kuching Waterfront, just opposite the Riverside Majestic Hotel. You can also find another one in front of the Little China Town along Jalan Padungan. There’s another one at Jalan Abell. More if you walk around town.

    cat statuesClockwise: A cat family near Riverside Majestic Hotel, Lonely cat in front of Little China Town and four cats at Jalan Abell.

    5

    See orang-utans at Semenggoh Wildlife Center.  Established in 1975, this center cares for wild animals which have either been found injured in the forest, orphaned, or were previously kept as illegal pets. The center also offers a rare opportunity to view orang-utans in their natural habitat. Although these recently released orang utan spend most of their time in the surrounding forest, they do return to the centre where they are fed twice daily at a “halfway house” feeding station. Over time the orang utan appear less frequently as they start to adjust to life in the forest. During the fruit season they may not appear at all, which is a good sign and shows that they are adapting well to their new surroundings.

    orangutanOrang-utan right right above me!

    6Experience Sarawak heritage at Sarawak Cultural Village. Situated at the foothills of legendary Mount Santubong, this village, dubbed as Sarawak Living Museum, showcases fascinating   Sarawak’s ethnic diversity at a glance. You will have the chance to the heritage of the major racial groups in Sarawak namely their traditional houses, crafts, musics and clothings. Sarawak Cultural Village  is also the venue for the World Harvest Festival and the Rainforest World Music Festival, an internationally renowned festival.

    Sarawak Cultural VillageOne of the traditional houses.

    7Take the Sarawak River cruise. The best way to see Kuching is from the Sarawak River located in the heart of Kuching. The cruise gives you a view of the city and its surrounding areas. You will see the New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building, Astana Building, Kuching Waterfront, colourful villages, villagers doing their daily routines, cargo vessels and many more.

    Sarawak river cruiseSarawak River Cruise boarding area at the waterfront.

    There you go. I will elaborate more on some of the places above when time permits.

  • ARTWORKS,  comm. work,  digital illos

    Hush Puppies Raya campaign

    Alhamdulillah, got to illustrate again for Hush Puppies Malaysia (Transmarco) for 2013 campaign. The posters will be up in their stores in the month of Ramadhan (or slightly earlier than that) and Syawal. Hush Puppies is also offering free illustrated Raya packets when you buy its shoes. Ads will also appears in Harian Metro.

    Exclusive right to use for two months have been granted to them so if you see this ads anywhere on the Internet or other shops, please inform me quickly.

    hushpups2013final

    The cute money packets will normally run out quickly in the first week of Ramadhan, so I suggest you go buy Hush Puppies shoes very early in the month of Ramadhan.

    And please tag or tweet me pictures once you came across the ads, ok?