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  1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191</id><updated>2024-10-04T20:44:25.121-07:00</updated><category term="Adventure"/><category term="Contact Me"/><category term="Menu"/><title type='text'>Adventure_exploration</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default?redirect=false'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25&amp;redirect=false'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>493</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-3310490005962572875</id><published>2013-11-18T01:21:00.002-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-18T01:26:26.855-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Dubai Metro</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  2. &lt;div&gt;
  3. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  4. &lt;/div&gt;
  5. &lt;/div&gt;
  6. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Zlfnvyxf2AC5JhyphenhyphenBVnPcemcn6bVzRp8F9IMtKA3I-lVKmUDOP3jTbMQVNqNn9uBOHM49xm3VAZ1OTAii6Fe_GT3nmet_gyFeI4oey0EcheDsvzoQXRzhEPO4ThYhBBJ0BIwi3sL-y4Dw/s1600/187px-Dubai_metro.svg.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;220&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Zlfnvyxf2AC5JhyphenhyphenBVnPcemcn6bVzRp8F9IMtKA3I-lVKmUDOP3jTbMQVNqNn9uBOHM49xm3VAZ1OTAii6Fe_GT3nmet_gyFeI4oey0EcheDsvzoQXRzhEPO4ThYhBBJ0BIwi3sL-y4Dw/s400/187px-Dubai_metro.svg.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  9. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  10. The Dubai Metro (in Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مترو
  11. دبي&lt;/span&gt;) is a driverless, fully automated metro rail network in the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. The Red Line and Green Line are
  12. operational, with three further lines planned. These first two lines run
  13. underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere (elevated
  14. railway). All trains and stations are air conditioned with platform edge doors
  15. to make this possible.&lt;/div&gt;
  16. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  17. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  18. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  19. The first section of the Red Line, covering 10 stations, was
  20. ceremonially inaugurated at 9:09:09 PM on 9 September 2009, by Mohammed bin
  21. Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, with the line opening to the public at 6 AM
  22. on 10 September. The Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in the
  23. Arabian Peninsula.More than 110,000 people, which is nearly 10 per cent of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;’s population, used
  24. the Metro in its first two days of operation. The Dubai Metro carried 10
  25. million passengers from launch on 9 September 2009 to 9 February 2010 with 11
  26. stations operational on the Red Line. Engineering consultancy Atkins provided
  27. full multidisciplinary design and management of the civil works on Dubai
  28. Metro.Architecture firm Aedas were the architect who designed for &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; system&#39;s 45
  29. stations, two depots and operational control centres.&lt;/div&gt;
  30. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  31. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  32. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  33. Guinness World Records has declared Dubai Metro as the
  34. world&#39;s longest fully automated metro network spanning at 75 kilometres (47
  35. mi).&lt;/div&gt;
  36. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  37. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  38. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  39. According to statement by Adnan Al Hammadi, Chief Executive
  40. of the Rail Agency and Transport Authority, Dubai Metro transported 33.3
  41. million people in Q1 of 2013, a significant increase, compared to the same
  42. period of the previous year.&lt;/div&gt;
  43. &lt;br /&gt;
  44. &lt;br /&gt;
  45. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  46. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Construction&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  47. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  48. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  49. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  50. Planning of the Dubai Metro began under the directive of
  51. Dubai&#39;s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who expected other projects
  52. to attract 15 million visitors to Dubai by 2010. The
  53. combination of a rapidly growing population (expected to reach 3 million by
  54. 2017) and severe traffic congestion necessitated the building of an urban rail
  55. system to provide additional public transportation capacity, relieve motor
  56. traffic, and provide infrastructure for additional development.&lt;/div&gt;
  57. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  58. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjCMsF_pj_Z_mGhma-9xP2WYO2HB7iyWbl5XZPnX17cMCLI6sIxTlBJ8Z38cHQJdEjwZHUG5n2caT3__NnIf3N-moZo4zPxGG-qBOYiS2FyaSbt-pfm-NcJisExn5C_tAlle88_7x8eel/s1600/800px-Jebel_Ali_Free_Zone_Station_Under_Construction_on_8_May_2008_Pict_2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;271&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjCMsF_pj_Z_mGhma-9xP2WYO2HB7iyWbl5XZPnX17cMCLI6sIxTlBJ8Z38cHQJdEjwZHUG5n2caT3__NnIf3N-moZo4zPxGG-qBOYiS2FyaSbt-pfm-NcJisExn5C_tAlle88_7x8eel/s400/800px-Jebel_Ali_Free_Zone_Station_Under_Construction_on_8_May_2008_Pict_2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  59. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;In May 2005, a AED 12.45 billion/US$ 3.4 billion
  60. design and build contract was awarded to the Dubai Rail Link (DURL) consortium
  61. made up of Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi
  62. Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, Kajima Corporation and Turkish firm Yapı
  63. Merkezi, and the Project Management (&#39;The Engineer&#39;) and Construction
  64. Management services contract awarded to a French-American joint venture between
  65. Systra and Parsons Corporation. The first phase (worth AED 15.5 billion/US$ 4.2
  66. billion) covers 35 kilometres (22 mi) of the proposed network, including the
  67. Red Line between Al Rashidiya and the Jebel Ali Free Zone set for completion by
  68. September 2009 and the Green Line from Al Qusais 2 to Al Jaddaf 1. This was to
  69. be completed by June 2010. A second phase contract was subsequently signed in
  70. July 2006 and includes extensions to the initial routes. The Red Line partially
  71. opened at 9 minutes and 9 seconds past 9 PM on 9 September 2009 (9/9/9 9:9:9),
  72. inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  73. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  74. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzDc1rfpW6dhoWVLKpagmcSXMdY-sqjgrI85mjzsN-t6BUBai5s1NbQQNLz6Unz66G5bkEEtThUt9YfqgdlJXBZn1xiok4wDYu9w8dvrD0hPyWWpvxPtDyNDZ26JTlhBPhtW3Ma-vdqCg/s1600/800px-Metro_Dubai.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzDc1rfpW6dhoWVLKpagmcSXMdY-sqjgrI85mjzsN-t6BUBai5s1NbQQNLz6Unz66G5bkEEtThUt9YfqgdlJXBZn1xiok4wDYu9w8dvrD0hPyWWpvxPtDyNDZ26JTlhBPhtW3Ma-vdqCg/s400/800px-Metro_Dubai.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  75. &lt;br /&gt;
  76. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  77. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Cost issues&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  78. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  79. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  80. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  81. The construction cost of the Dubai Metro project has shot up
  82. by about 80 per cent from the original AED 15.5 billion/US$ 4.2 billion to AED
  83. 28 billion/US$ 7.8 billion. The authorities contradicted this, saying that the
  84. cost of the project did not overshoot. They attributed the increase in expenditure
  85. to the major changes in the scope and design of the project. The authorities
  86. also expect to generate AED 18 billion/US$ 4.9 billion in income over the next
  87. 10 years; but they speculate that the Metro would not be a profit-making
  88. enterprise, since the fares would be subsidised. &amp;nbsp; &lt;/div&gt;
  89. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  90. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  91. &lt;div&gt;
  92. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  93. &lt;/div&gt;
  94. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  95. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Delays&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  96. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  97. &lt;/div&gt;
  98. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  99. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  100. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  101. Work officially commenced on the construction of the metro
  102. on 21 March 2006. In February 2009, a top RTA Rail Agency official said the US$
  103. 4.2 billion Dubai Metro project would be completed on schedule despite global crisis.
  104. However only 10 out of 29 metro stations of the red line opened on 9 September
  105. 2009.&lt;/div&gt;
  106. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  107. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  108. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  109. Construction of the 18 stations on the red line and another
  110. 18 on the green line restarted on 7 February 2010, according to contractors,
  111. after a settlement was reached with a Japanese-led consortium over disputed
  112. payments of about US$ 2 billion-US$ 3 billion. Construction of all 29 metro
  113. stations on the Red Line was declared complete on 28 April 2010 by the acting chief
  114. of the RTA Rail Agency.&lt;/div&gt;
  115. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  116. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  117. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  118. Seven more stations on the Dubai Metro Red Line opened on 30
  119. April 2010. Ten new trains were pressed into service, giving a total of 22
  120. trains in service when the stations opened. The seven stations are, Emirates
  121. Station, Airport Terminal 1 Station, Dubai Internet City (TECOM) Station, Al
  122. Karama Station, Emirates Towers Station, Marina Station and Ibn Battuta
  123. Station. In addition to this, a further three stations were opened on 15 May
  124. 2010; Al Quoz Station, GGICO Station and World Trade Center Station. Furthermore,
  125. Business Bay Station, First Gulf Bank (Burj Al Arab/Gold and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Diamond&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Park&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;)
  126. Station, Sharaf DG (Al Barsha) Station, Nakheel (Emirates Golf Club) Station
  127. and Jumeirah Lakes Towers Station were opened on 15 October 2010. After much
  128. delay, Jebel Ali Station, the terminus of the Red Line on the Abu Dhabi side was
  129. opened on 11 March 2011, and Jebel Ali Industrial Station, renamed Danube
  130. Station, was opened on 12 December 2012. No date has been set for the opening
  131. of Energy Station on the Red Line and no date has been set for the opening of
  132. the final two stations on the Green Line.&lt;/div&gt;
  133. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  134. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcNMPVRRUWABd6fuMu25quZ9Mw2zAp127an0HPW4YUTuR8-gGwfj1-JKeyEBSTbb5-UzbAEqO33jnVzDe2jjYj3jzsUihfqGRPiImGg245QnZhLZUnJwYTRp1nDAsZBALWYP9fxQ-MypF/s1600/800px-Dubai_Metro_Red_Line_Viaduct_on_22_November_2007.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;275&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcNMPVRRUWABd6fuMu25quZ9Mw2zAp127an0HPW4YUTuR8-gGwfj1-JKeyEBSTbb5-UzbAEqO33jnVzDe2jjYj3jzsUihfqGRPiImGg245QnZhLZUnJwYTRp1nDAsZBALWYP9fxQ-MypF/s400/800px-Dubai_Metro_Red_Line_Viaduct_on_22_November_2007.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  135. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  136. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  137.  
  138.  
  139. &lt;/div&gt;
  140. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  141. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Operation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  142. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  143. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  144. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  145. &lt;b&gt;The &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; Metro is
  146. operated by Serco under contract to the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  147. Roads &amp;amp; Transport Authority.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  148. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  149. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  150. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  151. Before launch, Dubai Municipality Public Transport
  152. Department expected the metro to carry 1.2 million passengers on an average
  153. day, 27,000 passengers per hour for each line, and 355 million passengers per
  154. year once both lines are fully operational. It is planned to provide transport
  155. for 12% of all trips in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  156. After the first month of operation (on a limited network), the actual monthly
  157. ridership was 1,740,578, which equates to under 60,000 passengers/day. After
  158. the opening of more stations in May 2010, ridership surged to 103,002
  159. passengers/day and reached 130,000/day by the beginning of October 2010, though
  160. still short of the originally anticipated 140,000 passengers/day, ridership is
  161. expected to rise to 170,000/day by the end of 2010. When the Green Line opened
  162. on 9 September 2011, ridership on the Red Line was noted as 180,000/day, with
  163. the new line expected to add as much as 120,000/day to the network.&lt;/div&gt;
  164. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  165. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  166. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  167. One issue for the new system will be how to reliably and
  168. comfortably get riders to their final destination if it is not located at a
  169. metro station. The RTA has changed and added &quot;feeder bus routes&quot;
  170. which act as shuttle services to and from major locations in and around the
  171. station area. There are bus and taxi laybys constructed as well as drop off
  172. zones at each station for ease of passenger access.&lt;/div&gt;
  173. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  174. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  175. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  176. &lt;b&gt;In addition 268 km of light rail lines are also planned,
  177. these will serve as feeders to the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Metro. The Al Sufouh Tramway is one of the light rail plans.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  178. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  179. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Xnp1jfHW0Z5Ukv00yVrcE80uNep-uzU1r75JFA1wD5QJgj9nK5wOsWWmY2dgo6pmjb0yk44kT9yKVUYWOAogvH0P8ymC5ESUFlTxBybWuLpaNSogt0a0Uts7QydHKt28L_shUInZl62O/s1600/800px-Dubai_metro_rail_%2526_station.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Xnp1jfHW0Z5Ukv00yVrcE80uNep-uzU1r75JFA1wD5QJgj9nK5wOsWWmY2dgo6pmjb0yk44kT9yKVUYWOAogvH0P8ymC5ESUFlTxBybWuLpaNSogt0a0Uts7QydHKt28L_shUInZl62O/s400/800px-Dubai_metro_rail_%2526_station.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  180. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  181. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Lines&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  182. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  183. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  184. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  185. The first two lines of the Dubai Metro will have 70
  186. kilometres (43 mi) of lines, and 47 stations (including nine underground
  187. stations).&lt;/div&gt;
  188. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  189. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  190. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  191. The Roads and Transport Authority&#39;s masterplan includes 421
  192. kilometres (262 mi) of metro lines up to 2030 to cater to the expected above
  193. 4.1 million population of the city. There are plans for 268 kilometres (167 mi)
  194. of light rail tracks to act as a feeder system for the Metro, although only the
  195. Al Sufouh Tramway is under construction as of January 2013. The fate of this
  196. entire network – which would reportedly be divided into Blue, Purple, Pink and
  197. Gold lines – is now dependent on an economic recovery and private investment.&lt;/div&gt;
  198. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  199. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  200. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  201. The Dubai Transport is divided into up to 4 tiers(5 zones).
  202. As of the 2013 cheapest ticket(not preloaded, and not in the &quot;gold&quot;
  203. class) with distance not more than 3 km cost 2.00 AED(about 0.54$) - equivalent
  204. of Tier 0, and most costly single trip(Tier 3, exceed 2 zones, and paper not
  205. preloaded ticket also) 6.50 AED(about 1.77$) and wasn&#39;t increased from opening.
  206. This places Dubai Metro among the cheapest metro fares in the world. Tier 1 is
  207. one zone trip, where the travel exceeds 3 km, Tier 2 is neighboring 2 zones
  208. travel. Also(excluding Gold class) using cards there is &quot;no more
  209. paying&quot; - a free rest of day travel if cost extend 14 AED(about 3.81$).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  210. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  211. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju01DxOYxKwHL_tfxz-LDB55Sn4AxSfJXardzqXteWP6kkxkmkJnFcH-hMkyp5aUd_pA0rGSZIgEMsbmfQ21lIco0Xb8fyr7G0D7zcKxmnFVJb0yWgE63YvbSbruJtBsCxwd9xMjKHWUH7/s1600/800px-Dubai_map_Dubai_Metro.svg.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;190&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju01DxOYxKwHL_tfxz-LDB55Sn4AxSfJXardzqXteWP6kkxkmkJnFcH-hMkyp5aUd_pA0rGSZIgEMsbmfQ21lIco0Xb8fyr7G0D7zcKxmnFVJb0yWgE63YvbSbruJtBsCxwd9xMjKHWUH7/s400/800px-Dubai_map_Dubai_Metro.svg.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  212. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  213. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  214. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Proposed&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  215. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  216. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  217. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  218. In 2011, the RTA stated that there are no &quot;immediate
  219. plans&quot; to build the Blue and Purple lines &quot;in the next five or six
  220. years&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  221. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  222. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  223. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  224. In 2013, the RTA laid out a three phase plan to expand the
  225. existing lines and build new ones: extending the Green Line by 12 stations and
  226. 24 kilometres (15 mi) to Academic City by 2020; expanding the overall system by
  227. 58 stations and 91 kilometres (57 mi) by 2025 and completing expansion with a
  228. total of 69 stations and 221 km over and above the present 47 stations and 70
  229. kilometres (43 mi) that are present as of January 2013.&lt;/div&gt;
  230. &lt;div&gt;
  231. &lt;/div&gt;
  232. &lt;div&gt;
  233. &lt;/div&gt;
  234. &lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  235. &lt;li style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-list: Ignore;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font: 7.0pt &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff; font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;Purple Line&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;along &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al Khail Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;. It
  236. will have about eight stations on the route, three with check in facilities.
  237. However, The Dubai Airports claimed that this was unfeasible as it did not pass
  238. through many localities. They however suggested opting for a &quot;central
  239. terminal&quot; similar to ones in the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;US&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; where trains leave from inside
  240. the airport to the other airport with trains also leaving to the city. The RTA
  241. have taken this into consideration.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  242. &lt;/ul&gt;
  243. &lt;div&gt;
  244. &lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  245. &lt;li&gt;
  246. &lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;Blue Line:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt; along &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mohammed
  247.  Bin Zayed Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  248. &lt;/li&gt;
  249. &lt;/ul&gt;
  250. &lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  251. &lt;li&gt;
  252.  
  253.  
  254. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;&quot;&gt;
  255. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-list: Ignore;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font: 7.0pt &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: yellow;&quot;&gt;Gold
  256. Line&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;: Announced as the &#39;Yellow Line&#39; in April 2008 and confirmed in
  257. January 2013 as the &#39;Gold Line&#39;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  258. &lt;/li&gt;
  259. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-list: Ignore;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font: 7.0pt &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;Red Line&lt;/span&gt;
  260. Extension: 15.5 kilometres (9.6 mi) and six new stations, terminating at the
  261. border with &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  262. No dates for completion announced.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  263. &lt;/ul&gt;
  264. &lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  265. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-list: Ignore;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font: 7.0pt &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: lime;&quot;&gt;Green
  266. Line&lt;/span&gt; Extension: The line could be further extended by 11 km from Al
  267. Jaddaf to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  268. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; under the Green Line&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;
  269. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;extension project.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  270. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgix0AOykonWTWf3k0AHi6fSEwy_WXjETBYRv-2FIE3Mf9JeMYBjR18ZWgXbKvV3WwiPedma9ajPE_QNzQZa_8tYsHmsQwBrZjU0f4Q_dN_pqHJaPG9IjKSBADnkWDemqKvbKj7Ejgqsb9/s1600/Dubai_Metro_Expansion_Plan_Map.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;217&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgix0AOykonWTWf3k0AHi6fSEwy_WXjETBYRv-2FIE3Mf9JeMYBjR18ZWgXbKvV3WwiPedma9ajPE_QNzQZa_8tYsHmsQwBrZjU0f4Q_dN_pqHJaPG9IjKSBADnkWDemqKvbKj7Ejgqsb9/s400/Dubai_Metro_Expansion_Plan_Map.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  271. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  272. &lt;/ul&gt;
  273. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  274. &lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  275. &lt;div&gt;
  276. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  277. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  278. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00ccff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;List of stations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  279. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  280. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  281. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  282. Dubai Metro is composed of
  283. at-grade (G) elevated Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 (T1, T2 and T3, respectively)
  284. underground stations (U) and underground transfer station types (UT). Type 1 is
  285. the regular at-grade concourse station, Type 2 is a regular elevated concourse
  286. station, and Type 3 is an elevated special track station with an extra track to
  287. hold a non operational train. Underground transfer stations will be
  288. accommodating both the Red and Green lines for easy transfers.&lt;/div&gt;
  289. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  290. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  291. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  292. Besides these differences, there
  293. are four themes used in the interiors of the stations: earth, water, fire and
  294. air. Earth stations have a tan-brown colour effects; water has blue-white
  295. colour effects; fire has orange-red colour effects; and the air has green
  296. colour effects.&lt;/div&gt;
  297. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  298. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuaXLNlq8zgQKtDZRK-_ui1Ta9tI4yI0GlvX1trsxK9MffasB_oFOE5G7mNxA6PkHxR7-0SYVta36pWU4HxkpNQS_Whyphenhyphen61OKQAuSU6Zgkt3SO1OiYKUC0ctvODy1zPqdUd7ivlSc4eOnk/s1600/800px-Metro_Dubai_002.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuaXLNlq8zgQKtDZRK-_ui1Ta9tI4yI0GlvX1trsxK9MffasB_oFOE5G7mNxA6PkHxR7-0SYVta36pWU4HxkpNQS_Whyphenhyphen61OKQAuSU6Zgkt3SO1OiYKUC0ctvODy1zPqdUd7ivlSc4eOnk/s400/800px-Metro_Dubai_002.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  299. &lt;/div&gt;
  300. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  301. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  302. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  303. &lt;ul&gt;
  304. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-list: Ignore;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font: 7.0pt &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Red Line&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  305. &lt;/ul&gt;
  306. &lt;/div&gt;
  307. &lt;div&gt;
  308. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  309. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  310. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  311. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Rashidiya Station (Depot)&lt;/li&gt;
  312. &lt;/ul&gt;
  313. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  314. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  315. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  316. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Emirates Airlines Station&lt;/li&gt;
  317. &lt;/ul&gt;
  318. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  319. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  320. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  321. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Airport Terminal 3 Station – For all Emirates
  322.     Flights&lt;/li&gt;
  323. &lt;/ul&gt;
  324. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  325. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  326. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  327. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Airport Terminal 1 Station – For all Non-Emirates
  328.     Flights&lt;/li&gt;
  329. &lt;/ul&gt;
  330. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  331. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  332. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  333. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Garhoud Station (GGICO station)&lt;/li&gt;
  334. &lt;/ul&gt;
  335. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  336. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  337. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  338. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Deira&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  339.      &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Centre Station&lt;/li&gt;
  340. &lt;/ul&gt;
  341. &amp;nbsp;
  342. &lt;br /&gt;
  343. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  344. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Rigga Station&lt;/li&gt;
  345. &lt;/ul&gt;
  346. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  347. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  348. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  349. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Union Station (Interchange, connecting with Green
  350.     Line)&lt;/li&gt;
  351. &lt;/ul&gt;
  352. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  353. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  354. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  355. BurJuman Station (previously Khalid bin Al Waleed
  356.     Station; interchange, connecting with Green Line)&lt;/div&gt;
  357. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  358. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  359. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  360. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Karama Station&lt;/li&gt;
  361. &lt;/ul&gt;
  362. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  363. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  364. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  365. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Jafiliya Station&lt;/li&gt;
  366. &lt;/ul&gt;
  367. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  368. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  369. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  370. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;World Trade Centre Station&lt;/li&gt;
  371. &lt;/ul&gt;
  372. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  373. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  374. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  375. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Emirates&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  376.      &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Towers&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Station&lt;/li&gt;
  377. &lt;/ul&gt;
  378. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  379. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  380. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  381. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Financial Centre Station&lt;/li&gt;
  382. &lt;/ul&gt;
  383. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  384. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  385. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  386. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall Station&lt;/li&gt;
  387. &lt;/ul&gt;
  388. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  389. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  390. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  391. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Business&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  392.      &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bay&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Station&lt;/li&gt;
  393. &lt;/ul&gt;
  394. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  395. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  396. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  397. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Noor Islamic Bank Station (Al Quoz)&lt;/li&gt;
  398. &lt;/ul&gt;
  399. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  400. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  401. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  402. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;First Gulf Bank Station&lt;/li&gt;
  403. &lt;/ul&gt;
  404. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  405. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  406. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  407. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Mall of the Emirates Station&lt;/li&gt;
  408. &lt;/ul&gt;
  409. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  410. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  411. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  412. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Sharaf DG Station&lt;/li&gt;
  413. &lt;/ul&gt;
  414. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  415. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  416. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  417. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  418.      &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Internet&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  419.     Station&lt;/li&gt;
  420. &lt;/ul&gt;
  421. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  422. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  423. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  424. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Nakheel Station&lt;/li&gt;
  425. &lt;/ul&gt;
  426. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  427. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  428. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  429. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  430.     Marina Station&lt;/li&gt;
  431. &lt;/ul&gt;
  432. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  433. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  434. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  435. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jumeirah&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  436.      &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Lakes&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Towers&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  437.     Free Zone Station&lt;/li&gt;
  438. &lt;/ul&gt;
  439. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  440. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  441. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  442. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nakheel&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  443.      &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Harbor&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; and Towers
  444.     Station&lt;/li&gt;
  445. &lt;/ul&gt;
  446. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  447. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  448. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  449. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Ibn Battuta Station&lt;/li&gt;
  450. &lt;/ul&gt;
  451. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  452. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  453. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  454. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Energy Station&lt;/li&gt;
  455. &lt;/ul&gt;
  456. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  457. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  458. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  459. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Danube&lt;/st1:place&gt; Station
  460.     (Jebel Ali Industrial)&lt;/li&gt;
  461. &lt;/ul&gt;
  462. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  463. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  464. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  465. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Jebel Ali / Jafza Station&lt;/li&gt;
  466. &lt;/ul&gt;
  467. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  468. The main depot for the trains
  469. will be at Rashidiya just before the Rashidiya Station, while an auxiliary
  470. depot is located at Jebel Ali Port.&lt;/div&gt;
  471. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  472. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPbRrMObrsNGtNkUwmcSFTbDpbJwIBBBypuDayfNM8NLjUyK6bNpyb85CrsJL7AoR8FtiqJ6h5WTaurqaSKTi7l4MqLe_zbyB0LiFu2YUMjXwiChO0u5iVjaFVNwJobC3gVYrfok-fPiV/s1600/800px-Metro_Dubai_003.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPbRrMObrsNGtNkUwmcSFTbDpbJwIBBBypuDayfNM8NLjUyK6bNpyb85CrsJL7AoR8FtiqJ6h5WTaurqaSKTi7l4MqLe_zbyB0LiFu2YUMjXwiChO0u5iVjaFVNwJobC3gVYrfok-fPiV/s400/800px-Metro_Dubai_003.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  473. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  474. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  475. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  476. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEJvoa3OewdjZRCX4W-9NkPC9QVIRnQ6r6OObcVW75FJiTkVSpqhwJvSoqefiswaA5R3xNNt3h44ScOIb1iZ6EO6wzC0Yik3umhKFver0BuDpq3nckv7TvaxtyzxnZDkLKKtq2vz-_an7/s1600/Dubai_Metro_Al_Ras_station.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEJvoa3OewdjZRCX4W-9NkPC9QVIRnQ6r6OObcVW75FJiTkVSpqhwJvSoqefiswaA5R3xNNt3h44ScOIb1iZ6EO6wzC0Yik3umhKFver0BuDpq3nckv7TvaxtyzxnZDkLKKtq2vz-_an7/s400/Dubai_Metro_Al_Ras_station.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  477. &lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  478. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 9.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #69d969; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Green Line&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  479. &lt;/ul&gt;
  480. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  481. &lt;div&gt;
  482. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  483. &lt;/div&gt;
  484. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  485. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Etisalat Station (T3)&lt;/li&gt;
  486. &lt;/ul&gt;
  487. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  488. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  489. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  490. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Qusais 1 Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  491. &lt;/ul&gt;
  492. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  493. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  494. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  495. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  496.      &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Free Zone
  497.     Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  498. &lt;/ul&gt;
  499. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  500. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  501. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  502. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Nahda Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  503. &lt;/ul&gt;
  504. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  505. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  506. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  507. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Stadium Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  508. &lt;/ul&gt;
  509. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  510. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  511. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  512. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Quiadah Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  513. &lt;/ul&gt;
  514. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  515. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  516. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  517. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Abu Hail Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  518. &lt;/ul&gt;
  519. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  520. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  521. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  522. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Abu Baker Al Siddique Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  523. &lt;/ul&gt;
  524. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  525. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  526. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  527. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Salah Al Din Station (U)&lt;/li&gt;
  528. &lt;/ul&gt;
  529. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  530. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  531. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  532. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Union Station (UT, connecting with Red Line)&lt;/li&gt;
  533. &lt;/ul&gt;
  534. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  535. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  536. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  537. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Baniyas
  538.       Square&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt; Station (U)&lt;/li&gt;
  539. &lt;/ul&gt;
  540. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  541. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  542. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  543. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Palm Deira Station (U)&lt;/li&gt;
  544. &lt;/ul&gt;
  545. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  546. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  547. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  548. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Ras station (U)&lt;/li&gt;
  549. &lt;/ul&gt;
  550. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  551. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  552. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  553. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Ghubaiba Station (U)&lt;/li&gt;
  554. &lt;/ul&gt;
  555. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  556. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  557. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  558. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Saeediya Station (U)&lt;/li&gt;
  559. &lt;/ul&gt;
  560. &lt;br /&gt;
  561. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  562. BurJuman Station (UT, previously Khalid bin Al
  563.     Waleed Station; interchange, connecting with Red Line)&lt;/div&gt;
  564. &lt;br /&gt;
  565. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  566. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Oud Metha Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  567. &lt;/ul&gt;
  568. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  569. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  570. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  571. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Health&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  572.      &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Care&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  573.     Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  574. &lt;/ul&gt;
  575. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  576. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  577. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  578. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Al Jedaf 1 Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  579. &lt;/ul&gt;
  580. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  581. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  582. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  583. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Creek Station (T2)&lt;/li&gt;
  584. &lt;/ul&gt;
  585. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  586. The train depot is located at Al
  587. Qusais just before the Al Qusais 2 Station.&lt;/div&gt;
  588. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  589. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3BYHAjqeZhdedzqW96f4p71eGryNQDaxN6stEvmecOgKN_NHYhOgjmbhQXWkg8G6ZMBEtlQtXm2zEkf2WbRVpx_7Rz0rI7eflWiwChZUShp3dNcwQgYhzd3A2-BAHF4xl0ukupAZe8ok/s1600/800px-Dubai_Metro_Gold_Section.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3BYHAjqeZhdedzqW96f4p71eGryNQDaxN6stEvmecOgKN_NHYhOgjmbhQXWkg8G6ZMBEtlQtXm2zEkf2WbRVpx_7Rz0rI7eflWiwChZUShp3dNcwQgYhzd3A2-BAHF4xl0ukupAZe8ok/s400/800px-Dubai_Metro_Gold_Section.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  590. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  591. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  592. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  593. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapwekgKesf3dsUHISC9FfmQAAerMqxLQtTE-HQtxie7ifRti2cBzaEMgd6y1HBHAB3gbzTdfqy1Un9-h3cXmcTN_x2fjbLMVya_D2acYVEjtp3gT95UwJMIDGRwEUu2rbfoABw9p1jbAh/s1600/450px-DubaiMetro3.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapwekgKesf3dsUHISC9FfmQAAerMqxLQtTE-HQtxie7ifRti2cBzaEMgd6y1HBHAB3gbzTdfqy1Un9-h3cXmcTN_x2fjbLMVya_D2acYVEjtp3gT95UwJMIDGRwEUu2rbfoABw9p1jbAh/s400/450px-DubaiMetro3.JPG&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  594. &lt;br /&gt;
  595. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  596. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Corporate branding&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  597. &lt;br /&gt;
  598. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  599. Officials are negotiating with
  600. international and local companies over naming rights for 23 stations on the two
  601. lines. This corporate branding is the first of its kind.&lt;/div&gt;
  602. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  603. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  604. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  605. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Trains&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  606. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  607. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  608. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  609. Japanese manufacturer Kinki
  610. Sharyo built a total of 87 five-car trains for the Red and Green lines.They are
  611. designed to carry 643 seated and standing passengers, and unusually for a mass
  612. transit system, the trains have three classes of accommodation: Gold Class (first
  613. class), Women and Children class, and regular Silver Class (economy). The first
  614. train was delivered to Dubai in March 2008. The metro has driverless operation
  615. and uses third rail current collection. Trained wardens accompany passengers to
  616. help with emergencies.&lt;/div&gt;
  617. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  618. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdZqWlfskdGul6wNNcMr9hedvkDOU3rsWkjVbyCAwjZMaffW4SDzfwZitWYb323FXGai-5vy9W4oGEaF4YJ1E8bjGiSfb5w1UgOq-WzF9ctqFa5h3jGqHpJW04QN0uBf7wN6nTnwL34CZ/s1600/800px-Dubai_Metro.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;155&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdZqWlfskdGul6wNNcMr9hedvkDOU3rsWkjVbyCAwjZMaffW4SDzfwZitWYb323FXGai-5vy9W4oGEaF4YJ1E8bjGiSfb5w1UgOq-WzF9ctqFa5h3jGqHpJW04QN0uBf7wN6nTnwL34CZ/s400/800px-Dubai_Metro.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  619. &lt;br /&gt;
  620. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  621. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Signaling&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  622. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  623. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  624. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  625. To permit fully automated
  626. operation, Thales Rail Signalling Solutions is supplying its SelTrac IS
  627. communications-based train control and NetTrac central control technology. This
  628. is configured for a minimum headway of 90 sec. Maximum speed of the trains will
  629. be 90 km/h, giving a round-trip time of 2 h 23 min for the Red Line and 1 h 23
  630. min for the Green Line.&lt;/div&gt;
  631. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  632. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  633. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  634. Red Line trains will initially
  635. run every 7 minutes off-peak, with a minimum headway of 3 min 45 sec provided
  636. during the peaks, when 44 trainsets will be in service. From 2010, when 51
  637. trains will be in service, the line will have a peak-hour capacity of 11,675
  638. passengers per hour in each direction. The theoretical maximum design capacity
  639. is 25,720 passengers per hour, which would require 106 trains.&lt;/div&gt;
  640. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  641. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  642. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  643. The Green Line will have an
  644. initial capacity of 6,395 passengers per hour per direction, with 17 trains (train
  645. registration numbers are 5046 to 5062) in service. The design capacity of this
  646. route is put at 13,380 passengers per hour, with 60 trains in service.&lt;/div&gt;
  647. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  648. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  649. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  650. Over 280,000 passengers used the
  651. Dubai Metro during the first week of its operation.&lt;/div&gt;
  652. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  653. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  654. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  655. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Incidents and accidents&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  656. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  657. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  658. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  659. On 9 September 2009 (09-09-09), the
  660. first day of operation, one metro train broke down and passengers were stranded
  661. for two hours before being picked up by a second train.&lt;/div&gt;
  662. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  663. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  664. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  665. On 28 February 2010, thousands of
  666. commuters were affected after part of Dubai Metro&#39;s Red Line was closed after a
  667. small fire on the track. A section of the Red Line between Al Jafiliya Station
  668. near Za&#39;abeel Park and Terminal 3 Station was shut at around 7pm and remained
  669. closed until Monday morning. Trains were evacuated at Khalid Bin Waleed Station,
  670. Union Square Station and Al Rigga Station. A Dubai Roads and Transport
  671. Authority (RTA) spokesman confirmed there was smoke on the underground track
  672. between &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Union Square&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;
  673. and Khalid Bin Waleed Stations. However, RTA officials remained tight-lipped
  674. about what had caused the incident.&lt;/div&gt;
  675. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  676. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  677. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  678. On 3 December 2012, the Dubai
  679. Metro saw its first death when a man committed suicide by lying down on the
  680. metro tracks and was run over by the automated train&lt;/div&gt;
  681. &lt;br /&gt;
  682. &lt;br /&gt;
  683. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  684. &lt;/div&gt;
  685. &lt;/div&gt;
  686. &lt;/div&gt;
  687. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/3310490005962572875/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/dubai-metro.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/3310490005962572875'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/3310490005962572875'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/dubai-metro.html' title='Dubai Metro'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Zlfnvyxf2AC5JhyphenhyphenBVnPcemcn6bVzRp8F9IMtKA3I-lVKmUDOP3jTbMQVNqNn9uBOHM49xm3VAZ1OTAii6Fe_GT3nmet_gyFeI4oey0EcheDsvzoQXRzhEPO4ThYhBBJ0BIwi3sL-y4Dw/s72-c/187px-Dubai_metro.svg.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-7071735542721246003</id><published>2013-11-15T00:51:00.005-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-15T00:51:49.902-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Burj Khalifa</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  688. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  689. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFKXFsV36eNPf0ZZwgKs92MXtISVdXfFVrYMHNZyHefTzGFApIurOTnQ7uX2Bf3yooHj2Z8dTpPERRNeB1ABmm9y3MKxQatIZAiWa1_qoyCyW-Jc0SwNUCpn_wfm71Vsnkzgt8ElrE_ij/s1600/Burj_Khalifa.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFKXFsV36eNPf0ZZwgKs92MXtISVdXfFVrYMHNZyHefTzGFApIurOTnQ7uX2Bf3yooHj2Z8dTpPERRNeB1ABmm9y3MKxQatIZAiWa1_qoyCyW-Jc0SwNUCpn_wfm71Vsnkzgt8ElrE_ij/s400/Burj_Khalifa.jpg&quot; width=&quot;227&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  690. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  691.  
  692.  
  693.  
  694. &lt;br /&gt;
  695. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  696. Burj Khalifa (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;برج خليفة&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;, &quot;Khalifa tower&quot;), known as Burj Dubai prior
  697. to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the
  698. tallest man-made structure in the world, at 829.8 m (2,722 ft).&lt;/div&gt;
  699. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  700. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  701. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  702. Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior
  703. of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on
  704. 4 January 2010, and is part of the new 2 km2 (490-acre) development called
  705. Downtown Dubai at the &#39;First Interchange&#39; along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai&#39;s
  706. main business district. The tower&#39;s architecture and engineering were performed
  707. by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago, with &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Adrian&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; Smith as chief architect, and Bill
  708. Baker as chief structural engineer. The primary contractor was Samsung C&amp;amp;T
  709. of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;South Korea&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  710. &lt;br /&gt;
  711.  
  712.  
  713.  
  714. &lt;br /&gt;
  715. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  716. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Conception&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  717. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  718. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  719. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  720. Burj Khalifa was designed to be the centerpiece of a
  721. large-scale, mixed-use development that would include 30,000 homes, nine hotels
  722. (including The Address Downtown Dubai), 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at
  723. least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre)
  724. man-made Burj Khalifa Lake.&lt;/div&gt;
  725. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  726. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  727. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  728. The building has returned the location of Earth&#39;s tallest
  729. freestanding structure to the Middle East, where the Great Pyramid of Giza had
  730. claimed this achievement for almost four millennia before being surpassed in
  731. 1311 by Lincoln Cathedral in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;England&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  732. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  733. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  734. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  735. The decision to build Burj Khalifa is reportedly based on
  736. the government&#39;s decision to diversify from an oil based economy to one that is
  737. service and tourism based. According to officials, it is necessary for projects
  738. like Burj Khalifa to be built in the city to garner more international
  739. recognition, and hence investment. &quot;He (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
  740. Maktoum) wanted to put &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  741. on the map with something really sensational,&quot; said Jacqui Josephson, a
  742. tourism and VIP delegations executive at Nakheel Properties.&lt;/div&gt;
  743. &lt;br /&gt;
  744.  
  745.  
  746.  
  747. &lt;br /&gt;
  748. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  749. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Height&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  750. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  751. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  752. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  753. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Tallest
  754.     existing structure: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m
  755.     or 2,063 ft) &lt;/li&gt;
  756. &lt;/ul&gt;
  757. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  758. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  759. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  760. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Tallest
  761.     structure ever built: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Warsaw&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; radio mast – 646.38 m or 2,121
  762.     ft) &lt;/li&gt;
  763. &lt;/ul&gt;
  764. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  765. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  766. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  767. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Tallest
  768.     freestanding structure: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m
  769.     or 1,815 ft) &lt;/li&gt;
  770. &lt;/ul&gt;
  771. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  772. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  773. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  774. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Tallest
  775.     skyscraper (to top of spire): 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taipei&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; 101 – 509.2 m
  776.     or 1,671 ft) &lt;/li&gt;
  777. &lt;/ul&gt;
  778. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  779. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  780. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  781. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Tallest
  782.     skyscraper to top of antenna: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously the Willis
  783.     (formerly Sears) Tower – 527 m or 1,729 ft)&lt;/li&gt;
  784. &lt;/ul&gt;
  785. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  786. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  787. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  788. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Building
  789.     with most floors: 163 (previously &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;World&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Trade&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  790.      &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Center&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; – 110)&lt;/li&gt;
  791. &lt;/ul&gt;
  792. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  793. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  794. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  795. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Building
  796.     with world&#39;s highest occupied floor.&lt;/li&gt;
  797. &lt;/ul&gt;
  798. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  799. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  800. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  801. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  802.     highest elevator installation (situated inside a rod at the very top of
  803.     the building)&lt;/li&gt;
  804. &lt;/ul&gt;
  805. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  806. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  807. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  808. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  809.     longest travel distance elevators: 504m (1,654 ft)&lt;/li&gt;
  810. &lt;/ul&gt;
  811. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  812. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  813. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  814. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Highest
  815.     vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft).&lt;/li&gt;
  816. &lt;/ul&gt;
  817. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  818. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  819. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  820. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  821.     tallest structure that includes residential space.&lt;/li&gt;
  822. &lt;/ul&gt;
  823. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  824. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  825. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  826. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  827.     second highest outdoor observation deck: 124th floor at 452 m (1,483 ft)
  828.     When it first opened, the observation deck was the highest outdoor
  829.     observation deck in the World, but it has since been surpassed by Cloud
  830.     Top 488 on top of Canton Tower.&lt;/li&gt;
  831. &lt;/ul&gt;
  832. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  833. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  834. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  835. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  836.     highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade: 512 m (1,680 ft).&lt;/li&gt;
  837. &lt;/ul&gt;
  838. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  839. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  840. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  841. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  842.     highest nightclub: 144th floor&lt;/li&gt;
  843. &lt;/ul&gt;
  844. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  845. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  846. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  847. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  848.     highest restaurant (At.mosphere): 122nd floor at 442 m (1,450 ft)
  849.     (previously 360, at a height of 350 m (1,148 ft) in CN Tower).&lt;/li&gt;
  850. &lt;/ul&gt;
  851. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  852. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  853. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  854. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  855.     highest New Year display of fireworks.&lt;/li&gt;
  856. &lt;/ul&gt;
  857. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  858. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  859. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  860. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;World&#39;s
  861.     second highest swimming pool: 76th floor (world&#39;s highest swimming pool is
  862.     located on 118th floor of Ritz-Carlton Hotel at International Commerce
  863.     Centre, Hong Kong).&lt;/li&gt;
  864. &lt;/ul&gt;
  865. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  866. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  867. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  868. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;History of
  869. height increases&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  870. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  871. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  872. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  873. There are unconfirmed reports of several planned height
  874. increases since its inception. Originally proposed as a virtual clone of the
  875. 560 m (1,837 ft) &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Grollo&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; proposal for &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Melbourne&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Australia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s
  876. Docklands waterfront development, the tower was redesigned by Skidmore, Owings
  877. and Merrill (SOM). Marshall Strabala, an SOM architect who worked on the
  878. project until 2006, in late 2008 said that Burj Khalifa was designed to be 808
  879. m (2,651 ft) tall.&lt;/div&gt;
  880. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  881. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  882. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  883. The design architect, Adrian Smith, felt that the uppermost
  884. section of the building did not culminate elegantly with the rest of the
  885. structure, so he sought and received approval to increase it to the current height.
  886. It has been explicitly stated that this change did not include any added
  887. floors, which is fitting with Smith&#39;s attempts to make the crown more slender.&lt;/div&gt;
  888. &lt;br /&gt;
  889. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  890. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1w5sWHUgAbfQa5rObpxocmQkPY6hVFUCOLUu95XvReUQZM1Qdu34FLvUnpcm2gpxrLADXH92RUJTsdcQ21Crr44Mr95bwJxM7tzKg-IyAyW-DpQRcYXO9vEwLOd_j-hbVx3naXE8fT_L/s1600/800px-BurjKhalifaHeight.svg.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;198&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1w5sWHUgAbfQa5rObpxocmQkPY6hVFUCOLUu95XvReUQZM1Qdu34FLvUnpcm2gpxrLADXH92RUJTsdcQ21Crr44Mr95bwJxM7tzKg-IyAyW-DpQRcYXO9vEwLOd_j-hbVx3naXE8fT_L/s400/800px-BurjKhalifaHeight.svg.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  891. &lt;br /&gt;
  892. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  893. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: maroon; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Delay&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  894. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  895. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  896. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  897. Emaar Properties announced on 9 June 2008 that construction
  898. of Burj Khalifa was delayed by upgraded finishes and would be completed only in
  899. September 2009. An Emaar spokesperson said &quot;The luxury finishes that were
  900. decided on in 2004, when the tower was initially conceptualized, is now being
  901. replaced by upgraded finishes. The design of the apartments has also been
  902. enhanced to make them more aesthetically attractive and functionally
  903. superior.&quot; A revised completion date of 2 December 2009 was then
  904. announced. However, Burj Khalifa was opened on 4 January 2010, more than a
  905. month later.&lt;/div&gt;
  906. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  907. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  908. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  909. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Architecture
  910. and design&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  911. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  912. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  913. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  914. The tower was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, who
  915. also designed the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Willis&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placename&gt; (formerly the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sears&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  916. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placename&gt;) in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  917. and the new &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;One&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;World&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  918. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Trade&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Center&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  919. in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;New York City&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  920. The Burj Khalifa uses the bundled tube design, invented by Fazlur Rahman Khan.
  921. Proportionally, the design uses half the amount of steel used in the
  922. construction of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Empire&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  923. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;State&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Building&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  924. thanks to the tubular system. Its design is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright&#39;s
  925. vision for The Illinois, a mile high skyscraper designed for &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. According to Marshall Strabala, an
  926. SOM architect who worked on the building&#39;s design team, Burj Khalifa was
  927. designed based on the 73 floor Tower Palace Three, an all residential building
  928. in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Seoul&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. In
  929. its early planning, Burj Khalifa was intended to be entirely residential.&lt;/div&gt;
  930. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  931. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  932. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  933. Subsequent to the original design by Skidmore, Owings and
  934. Merrill, Emaar Properties chose Hyder Consulting to be the supervising engineer
  935. with NORR Group Consultants International Limited chosen to supervise the architecture
  936. of the project. Hyder was selected for its expertise in structural and MEP
  937. (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) engineering. Hyder Consulting&#39;s role was
  938. to supervise construction, certify SOM&#39;s design, and be the engineer and
  939. architect of record to the UAE authorities. NORR&#39;s role was the supervision of
  940. all architectural components including on site supervision during construction
  941. and design of a 6-storey addition to the Office Annex Building for
  942. architectural documentation. NORR was also responsible for the architectural
  943. integration drawings for the Armani Hotel included in the Tower. Emaar Properties
  944. also engaged GHD, an international multidisciplinary consulting firm, to act as
  945. an independent verification and testing authority for concrete and steelwork.&lt;/div&gt;
  946. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  947. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  948. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  949. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWg6thYAuefWRPYhoF7v7EBVvZvvJPxngN7lK9Xy2pNN7oF_foVPjM0zY59Xf19HjSKKlAIP7pPIGW6qI2aduFqAenFpwa-eXuZama9XCGces_Y1wbb8M3qkaIEo31D5fV3JiKd6rCeNo/s1600/800px-Comparisonfinal001fx7.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWg6thYAuefWRPYhoF7v7EBVvZvvJPxngN7lK9Xy2pNN7oF_foVPjM0zY59Xf19HjSKKlAIP7pPIGW6qI2aduFqAenFpwa-eXuZama9XCGces_Y1wbb8M3qkaIEo31D5fV3JiKd6rCeNo/s400/800px-Comparisonfinal001fx7.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  950. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  951. The design of Burj Khalifa is derived from patterning
  952. systems embodied in Islamic architecture. According to the structural engineer,
  953. Bill Baker of SOM, the building&#39;s design incorporates cultural and historical
  954. elements particular to the region such as the spiral minaret. The spiral
  955. minaret spirals and grows slender as it rises. The Y-shaped plan is ideal for
  956. residential and hotel usage, with the wings allowing maximum outward views and
  957. inward natural light. As the tower rises from the flat desert base, there are
  958. 27 setbacks in a spiralling pattern, decreasing the cross section of the tower
  959. as it reaches toward the sky and creating convenient outdoor terraces. At the
  960. top, the central core emerges and is sculpted to form a finishing spire. At its
  961. tallest point, the tower sways a total of 1.5 m (4.9 ft).&lt;/div&gt;
  962. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  963. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  964. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  965. To support the unprecedented height of the building, the
  966. engineers developed a new structural system called the buttressed core, which
  967. consists of a hexagonal core reinforced by three buttresses that form the ‘Y&#39;
  968. shape. This structural system enables the building to support itself laterally
  969. and keeps it from twisting.&lt;/div&gt;
  970. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  971. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  972. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  973. The spire of Burj Khalifa is composed of more than 4,000
  974. tonnes (4,400 short tons; 3,900 long tons) of structural steel. The central
  975. pinnacle pipe weighing 350 tonnes (390 short tons; 340 long tons) was
  976. constructed from inside the building and jacked to its full height of over 200
  977. m (660 ft) using a strand jack system. The spire also houses communications
  978. equipment.&lt;/div&gt;
  979. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  980. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  981. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  982. In 2009, architects announced that more than 1,000 pieces of
  983. art would adorn the interiors of Burj Khalifa, while the residential lobby of
  984. Burj Khalifa would display the work of Jaume Plensa, featuring 196 bronze and
  985. brass alloy cymbals representing the 196 countries of the world. It was planned
  986. that the visitors in this lobby would be able to hear a distinct timbre as the
  987. cymbals, plated with 18-carat gold, are struck by dripping water, intended to
  988. mimic the sound of water falling on leaves.&lt;/div&gt;
  989. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  990. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  991. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  992. The exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa consists of 142,000 m2
  993. (1,528,000 sq ft) of reflective glazing, and aluminium and textured stainless
  994. steel spandrel panels with vertical tubular fins. The cladding system is
  995. designed to withstand &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  996. extreme summer temperatures. Additionally, the exterior temperature at the top
  997. of the building is thought to be 6 °C (11 °F) cooler than at its base. Over
  998. 26,000 glass panels were used in the exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa. Over
  999. 300 cladding specialists from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;China&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  1000. were brought in for the cladding work on the tower.&lt;/div&gt;
  1001. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1002. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1003. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1004. A 304-room Armani Hotel, the first of four by Armani,
  1005. occupies 15 of the lower 39 floors. The hotel was supposed to open on 18 March
  1006. 2010, but after several delays, it finally opened to the public on 27 April
  1007. 2010. The corporate suites and offices were also supposed to open from March
  1008. onwards, yet the hotel and observation deck remained the only parts of the
  1009. building which were open in April 2010.&lt;/div&gt;
  1010. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1011. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1012. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1013. The sky lobbies on the 43rd and 76th floors house swimming
  1014. pools. Floors through to 108 have 900 private residential apartments (which,
  1015. according to the developer, sold out within eight hours of being on the
  1016. market). An outdoor zero-entry swimming pool is located on the 76th floor of
  1017. the tower. Corporate offices and suites fill most of the remaining floors,
  1018. except for a 122nd, 123rd and 124th floor where the At.mosphere restaurant, sky
  1019. lobby and an indoor and outdoor observation deck is located respectively. In
  1020. January 2010, it was planned that Burj Khalifa would receive its first residents
  1021. from February 2010.&lt;/div&gt;
  1022. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1023. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1024. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1025. Burj Khalifa can accommodate up to 35,000 people at any one
  1026. time. A total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators are installed. The elevators
  1027. have a capacity of 12 to 14 people per cabin, the fastest rising and descending
  1028. at up to 10 m/s (33 ft/s) for double-deck elevators. However, the world&#39;s
  1029. fastest single-deck elevator still belongs to Taipei 101 at 16.83 m/s (55.2
  1030. ft/s). Engineers had considered installing the world&#39;s first triple-deck
  1031. elevators, but the final design calls for double-deck elevators. The
  1032. double-deck elevators are equipped with entertainment features such as LCD
  1033. displays to serve visitors during their travel to the observation deck. The
  1034. building has 2,909 stairs from the ground floor to the 160th floor.&lt;/div&gt;
  1035. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1036. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1037. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1038. The graphic design identity work for Burj Khalifa is the
  1039. responsibility of Brash Brands, who are based in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Design of the global launch events,
  1040. communications, and visitors centers for Burj Khalifa have also been created by
  1041. Brash Brands as well as the roadshow exhibition for the Armani Residences,
  1042. which are part of the Armani Hotel within Burj Khalifa, which toured &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Milan&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;London&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Jeddah, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Moscow&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Delhi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  1043. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1044. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4wHoYhw2xMqY4IOr5CMnSVii0idKFauMHMhsJ-7MFQ7x5F3BwHdmnApqY6XJ5R5wVtssElKGqgfXzrnrZizsK6krCfDZZEZfFIi8cLJQqT2zMSoFfOIoikjKKVAQkvkoOTy5sHVxsPxs/s1600/220px-Great_Mosque_of_Samarra.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4wHoYhw2xMqY4IOr5CMnSVii0idKFauMHMhsJ-7MFQ7x5F3BwHdmnApqY6XJ5R5wVtssElKGqgfXzrnrZizsK6krCfDZZEZfFIi8cLJQqT2zMSoFfOIoikjKKVAQkvkoOTy5sHVxsPxs/s400/220px-Great_Mosque_of_Samarra.jpg&quot; width=&quot;257&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1045. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1046.  
  1047.  
  1048. &lt;/div&gt;
  1049. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1050. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Plumbing
  1051. systems&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1052. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1053. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1054. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1055. The Burj Khalifa&#39;s water system supplies an average of
  1056. 946,000 L (250,000 &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;US&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  1057. gal) of water per day through 100 km (62 mi) of pipes. An additional 213 km
  1058. (132 mi) of piping serves the fire emergency system, and 34 km (21 mi) supplies
  1059. chilled water for the air conditioning system. The waste water system uses
  1060. gravity to discharge water from plumbing fixtures, floor drains, mechanical
  1061. equipment and storm water, to the city municipal sewer.&lt;/div&gt;
  1062. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1063. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1064. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1065. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Air
  1066. conditioning&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1067. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1068. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1069. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1070. The air conditioning system draws air from the upper floors
  1071. where the air is cooler and cleaner than on the ground.[62] At peak cooling
  1072. times, the tower&#39;s cooling is equivalent to that provided by 13,000 t
  1073. (29,000,000 lb) of melting ice in one day. The condensate collection system,
  1074. which uses the hot and humid outside air, combined with the cooling
  1075. requirements of the building, results in a significant amount of condensation
  1076. of moisture from the air. The condensed water is collected and drained into a
  1077. holding tank located in the basement car park; this water is then pumped into
  1078. the site irrigation system for use on the Burj Khalifa park.&lt;/div&gt;
  1079. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1080. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1081. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1082. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Window
  1083. cleaning&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1084. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1085. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1086. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1087. To wash the 24,348 windows, totaling 120,000 m2 (1,290,000
  1088. sq ft) of glass,[63] a horizontal track has been installed on the exterior of Burj
  1089. Khalifa at levels 40, 73, and 109. Each track holds a 1,500 kg (3,300 lb)
  1090. bucket machine which moves horizontally and then vertically using heavy cables.
  1091. Above level 109, up to tier 27 traditional cradles from davits are used. The
  1092. top of the spire, however, is reserved for specialist window cleaners, who
  1093. brave the heights and high winds dangling by ropes to clean and inspect the top
  1094. of the pinnacle. Under normal conditions, when all building maintenance units
  1095. will be operational, it will take 36 workers three to four months to clean the
  1096. entire exterior façade.&lt;/div&gt;
  1097. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1098. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1099. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1100. Unmanned machines will clean the top 27 additional tiers and
  1101. the glass spire. The cleaning system was developed in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Melbourne&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Australia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1102. at a cost of A$8 million. The contract for building the state-of-the-art
  1103. machines was won by Australian company Cox Gomyl.&lt;/div&gt;
  1104. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1105. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1106. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1107. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;The &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; Fountain&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1108. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1109. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1110. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1111. Outside, WET Enterprises designed a fountain system at a
  1112. cost of Dh 800 million (US$217 million). Illuminated by 6,600 lights and 50
  1113. coloured projectors, it is 275 m (902 ft) long and shoots water 150 m (490 ft)
  1114. into the air, accompanied by a range of classical to contemporary Arabic and
  1115. world music. On 26 October 2008, Emaar announced that based on results of a
  1116. naming contest the fountain would be called the Dubai Fountain.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  1117. &lt;br /&gt;
  1118. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1119. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3Ih06l4-MyPsaz151Xzb2mUMfZhzrZkIEw5x5A7aAKXiu8M-b8kVp0ufV2TYQBZH47RYD-8z8FupyoV3m5YhazLWErGWdXfIA1mEwZjwjJ5ROMXO0FpnZUChLQN_ErA6kZF698yNQjPM/s1600/Burj_Khalifa_fountain.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;265&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3Ih06l4-MyPsaz151Xzb2mUMfZhzrZkIEw5x5A7aAKXiu8M-b8kVp0ufV2TYQBZH47RYD-8z8FupyoV3m5YhazLWErGWdXfIA1mEwZjwjJ5ROMXO0FpnZUChLQN_ErA6kZF698yNQjPM/s400/Burj_Khalifa_fountain.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1120. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1121. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Observation
  1122. deck&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1123. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1124. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1125. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1126. An outdoor observation deck, named At the Top, opened on 5
  1127. January 2010 on the 124th floor. It is the third-highest observation deck in
  1128. the world and the second-highest outdoor observation deck in the world, at 452
  1129. m (1,483 ft). The observation deck also features the Behold Telescope, an
  1130. augmented reality device developed by gsmprjct° of Montréal, which allows
  1131. visitors to view the surrounding landscape in real-time, and to view previously
  1132. saved images such as those taken at different times of day or under different
  1133. weather conditions. To manage the daily rush of sightseers, visitors are able
  1134. to purchase tickets in advance for a specific date and time and at a 75%
  1135. discount over tickets purchased on the spot.&lt;/div&gt;
  1136. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1137. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1138. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1139. On 8 February 2010, the observation deck was closed to the
  1140. public after power-supply problems caused an elevator to become stuck between
  1141. floors, trapping a group of tourists for 45 minutes. Despite rumours of the
  1142. observation deck reopening for St. Valentine&#39;s Day (14 February), it remained
  1143. closed until 4 April 2010.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  1144. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1145. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatRNwTaokrMTrdOPHs3aA-K9zOhTctswOS9vIOifIUUdHfWBqg8DvS5NM7frw1R4XSndTcRZRJC0GoaCjpBwOdIiwrKRwn5WKU6AKUJDQtLyok9TwvXRlEaWC0dbZ8T0K-fG1rCMqlNfY/s1600/800px-View_from_burj_khalifa6934713247_db12c311cb_o.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatRNwTaokrMTrdOPHs3aA-K9zOhTctswOS9vIOifIUUdHfWBqg8DvS5NM7frw1R4XSndTcRZRJC0GoaCjpBwOdIiwrKRwn5WKU6AKUJDQtLyok9TwvXRlEaWC0dbZ8T0K-fG1rCMqlNfY/s400/800px-View_from_burj_khalifa6934713247_db12c311cb_o.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1146. &lt;br /&gt;
  1147. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  1148. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1149. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAysetbD5nuKgGyqfppCxl6p5MXoRBb3MICg3uG3GqIwxyOJQIXG_lwjmJD7ecHXxG_nt425WHGhyNFlvvp713JW8r-uyqizXTCmcNylLhFB_8RM-2xNjB-mPFZwslb4Jq9xHl_4JjyQj/s1600/ViewFinancialCenterFromBurjKhalifaMarch2012.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAysetbD5nuKgGyqfppCxl6p5MXoRBb3MICg3uG3GqIwxyOJQIXG_lwjmJD7ecHXxG_nt425WHGhyNFlvvp713JW8r-uyqizXTCmcNylLhFB_8RM-2xNjB-mPFZwslb4Jq9xHl_4JjyQj/s400/ViewFinancialCenterFromBurjKhalifaMarch2012.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1150. &lt;br /&gt;
  1151.  
  1152.  
  1153.  
  1154. &lt;br /&gt;
  1155. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1156. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Burj Khalifa
  1157. park&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1158. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1159. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1160. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1161. Burj Khalifa is surrounded by an 11 ha (27-acre) park
  1162. designed by landscape architects SWA Group. The design of the park is also inspired
  1163. by the core design concepts of Burj Khalifa which is based on the symmetries of
  1164. the desert flower, Hymenocallis. The park has six water features, gardens, palm
  1165. lined walkways, and flowering trees. At the centre of the park and the base of Burj
  1166. Khalifa is the water room, which is a series of pools and water jet fountains.
  1167. In addition the railing, benches and signs incorporate images of Burj Khalifa
  1168. and the Hymenocallis flower.&lt;/div&gt;
  1169. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1170. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1171. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1172. The plants and the shrubbery will be watered by the
  1173. buildings&#39;s condensation collection system that uses water from the cooling
  1174. system. The system will provide 68,000,000 L (15,000,000 imp gal) annually. WET
  1175. Enterprises, who also developed the Dubai Fountain, developed the park&#39;s six
  1176. water features.&lt;/div&gt;
  1177. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1178. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1179. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1180. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Floor plans&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1181. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1182. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1183. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1184. The following is a breakdown of floors&lt;/div&gt;
  1185. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1186. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1187. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1188. &lt;b&gt;Floors&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Use&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1189. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1190. &lt;b&gt;160 and above&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Mechanical&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1191. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1192. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1193. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1194. &lt;b&gt;156–159&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Communication
  1195. and broadcast&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1196. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1197. &lt;b&gt;155&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Mechanical&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1198. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1199. &lt;b&gt;139–154&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Corporate
  1200. suites&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1201. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1202. &lt;b&gt;136–138&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Mechanical&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1203. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1204. &lt;b&gt;125–135&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Corporate
  1205. suites&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1206. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1207. &lt;b&gt;124&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;At the Top observatory&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1208. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1209. &lt;b&gt;123&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Sky lobby&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1210. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1211. &lt;b&gt;122&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;At.mosphere restaurant&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1212. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1213. &lt;b&gt;111–121&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Corporate
  1214. suites&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1215. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1216. &lt;b&gt;109–110&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Mechanical&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1217. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1218. &lt;b&gt;77–108&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Residential&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1219. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1220. &lt;b&gt;76&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Sky lobby&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1221. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1222. &lt;b&gt;73–75&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Mechanical&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1223. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1224. &lt;b&gt;44–72&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Residential&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1225. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1226. &lt;b&gt;43&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Sky lobby&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1227. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1228. &lt;b&gt;40–42&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Mechanical&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1229. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1230. &lt;b&gt;38–39&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Armani Hotel suites&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1231. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1232. &lt;b&gt;19–37&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Residential&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1233. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1234. &lt;b&gt;17–18&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Mechanical&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1235. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1236. &lt;b&gt;9–16&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Armani Residences&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1237. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1238. &lt;b&gt;1–8&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Armani Hotel&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1239. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1240. &lt;b&gt;Ground&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Armani
  1241. Hotel&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1242. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1243. &lt;b&gt;Concourse&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Armani
  1244. Hotel&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1245. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1246. &lt;b&gt;B1–B2&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Parking,
  1247. mechanical&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1248. &lt;br /&gt;
  1249.  
  1250.  
  1251.  
  1252. &lt;br /&gt;
  1253. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1254. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #339966; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Construction&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1255. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1256. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1257. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1258. The tower was constructed by Samsung Engineering &amp;amp;
  1259. Construction of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;South Korea&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  1260. which also did work on the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Petronas&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Twin&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Towers&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  1261. and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taipei&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; 101.
  1262. Samsung Engineering &amp;amp; Construction built the tower in a joint venture with
  1263. Besix from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Belgium&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  1264. and Arabtec from UAE. Turner is the Project Manager on the main construction
  1265. contract.&lt;/div&gt;
  1266. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1267. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1268. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1269. Under UAE law, the Contractor and the Engineer of Record,
  1270. Hyder Consulting, is jointly and severally liable for the performance of Burj
  1271. Khalifa.&lt;/div&gt;
  1272. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1273. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1274. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1275. The primary structure is reinforced concrete. Putzmeister
  1276. created a new, super high-pressure trailer concrete pump, the BSA 14000 SHP-D,
  1277. for this project. Over 45,000 m3 (58,900 cu yd) of concrete, weighing more than
  1278. 110,000 tonnes (120,000 short tons; 110,000 long tons) were used to construct
  1279. the concrete and steel foundation, which features 192 piles; each pile is 1.5
  1280. metre diameter x 43 m long, buried more than 50 m (164 ft) deep. Burj Khalifa&#39;s
  1281. construction used 330,000 m3 (431,600 cu yd) of concrete and 55,000 tonnes
  1282. (61,000 short tons; 54,000 long tons) of steel rebar, and construction took 22
  1283. million man-hours. A high density, low permeability concrete was used in the
  1284. foundations of Burj Khalifa. A cathodic protection system under the mat is used
  1285. to minimize any detrimental effects from corrosive chemicals in local ground
  1286. water. In May 2008 Putzmeister pumped concrete to a then world record delivery
  1287. height of 606 m (1,988 ft), the 156th floor. Three tower cranes were used
  1288. during construction of the uppermost levels, each capable of lifting a 25-tonne
  1289. load. The remaining structure above is constructed of lighter steel.&lt;/div&gt;
  1290. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1291. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1292. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1293.  
  1294.  
  1295. &lt;/div&gt;
  1296. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1297. Burj Khalifa is highly compartmentalised. Pressurized,
  1298. air-conditioned refuge floors are located approximately every 35 floors where
  1299. people can shelter on their long walk down to safety in case of an emergency or
  1300. fire.&lt;/div&gt;
  1301. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1302. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1303. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1304. Special mixes of concrete are made to withstand the extreme
  1305. pressures of the massive building weight; as is typical with reinforced
  1306. concrete construction, each batch of concrete used was tested to ensure it
  1307. could withstand certain pressures. CTLGroup, working for SOM, conducted the
  1308. creep and shrinkage testing critical for the structural analysis of the
  1309. building.&lt;/div&gt;
  1310. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1311. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1312. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1313. The consistency of the concrete used in the project was
  1314. essential. It was difficult to create a concrete that could withstand both the
  1315. thousands of tonnes bearing down on it and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1316. temperatures that can reach 50 °C (122 °F). To combat this problem, the
  1317. concrete was not poured during the day. Instead, during the summer months ice
  1318. was added to the mixture and it was poured at night when the air is cooler and
  1319. the humidity is higher. A cooler concrete mixture cures evenly throughout and
  1320. is therefore less likely to set too quickly and crack. Any significant cracks
  1321. could have put the entire project in jeopardy.&lt;/div&gt;
  1322. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1323. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1324. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1325. The unique design and engineering challenges of building
  1326. Burj Khalifa have been featured in a number of television documentaries,
  1327. including the Big, Bigger, Biggest series on the National Geographic and Five
  1328. channels, and the Mega Builders series on the Discovery Channel.&lt;/div&gt;
  1329. &lt;br /&gt;
  1330. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1331. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQLebrVESmLJ1ilJRDmSAZglluz7Yp932i9fabJ2mJwrPCupRvBRPqaxLlSPt_VCwMpmVl0y2qNHG_jO4r6uEwoaH0cpAXuJg2loL7lX_H165Rd4cNICG3JMWWUbo5YGnBmYF3OHewzlj/s1600/401px-Burj_dubai_aerial_closeup.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQLebrVESmLJ1ilJRDmSAZglluz7Yp932i9fabJ2mJwrPCupRvBRPqaxLlSPt_VCwMpmVl0y2qNHG_jO4r6uEwoaH0cpAXuJg2loL7lX_H165Rd4cNICG3JMWWUbo5YGnBmYF3OHewzlj/s400/401px-Burj_dubai_aerial_closeup.jpg&quot; width=&quot;267&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1332. &amp;nbsp;
  1333.  
  1334.  
  1335. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1336. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Milestones&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1337. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1338. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1339. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1340. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;January
  1341.     2004: Excavation commences.&lt;/li&gt;
  1342. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1343. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1344. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1345. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1346. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;February
  1347.     2004: Piling starts.&lt;/li&gt;
  1348. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1349. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1350. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1351. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1352. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;21
  1353.     September 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction.&lt;/li&gt;
  1354. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1355. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1356. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1357. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1358. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;March
  1359.     2005: Structure of Burj Khalifa starts rising.&lt;/li&gt;
  1360. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1361. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1362. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1363. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1364. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;June
  1365.     2006: Level 50 is reached.&lt;/li&gt;
  1366. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1367. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1368. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1369. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1370. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;February
  1371.     2007: Surpasses the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sears&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  1372.      &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; as the
  1373.     building with the most floors.&lt;/li&gt;
  1374. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1375. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1376. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1377. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1378. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;13
  1379.     May 2007: Sets record for vertical concrete pumping on any building at 452
  1380.     m (1,483 ft), surpassing the 449.2 m (1,474 ft) to which concrete was
  1381.     pumped during the construction of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taipei&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  1382.     101, while Burj Khalifa reached the 130th floor.&lt;/li&gt;
  1383. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1384. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1385. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1386. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1387. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;21
  1388.     July 2007: Surpasses &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taipei&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  1389.     101, whose height of 509.2 m (1,671 ft) made it the world&#39;s tallest
  1390.     building, and level 141 reached.&lt;/li&gt;
  1391. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1392. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1393. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1394. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1395. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;12
  1396.     August 2007: Surpasses the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sears&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  1397.      &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; antenna, which
  1398.     stands 527.3 m (1,730 ft). &lt;/li&gt;
  1399. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1400. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1401. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1402. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1403. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;12
  1404.     September 2007: At 555.3 m (1,822 ft), becomes the world&#39;s tallest
  1405.     freestanding structure, surpassing the CN Tower in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Toronto&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, and level 150 reached.&lt;/li&gt;
  1406. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1407. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1408. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1409. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1410. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;7
  1411.     April 2008: At 629 m (2,064 ft), surpasses the KVLY-TV Mast to become the
  1412.     tallest man-made structure, level 160 reached.&lt;/li&gt;
  1413. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1414. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1415. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1416. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1417. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;17
  1418.     June 2008: Emaar announces that Burj Khalifa&#39;s height is over 636 m (2,087
  1419.     ft) and that its final height will not be given until it is completed in
  1420.     September 2009.&lt;/li&gt;
  1421. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1422. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1423. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1424. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1425. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;1
  1426.     September 2008: Height tops 688 m (2,257 ft), making it the tallest
  1427.     man-made structure ever built, surpassing the previous record-holder, the
  1428.     Warsaw Radio Mast in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Konstantynów&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  1429.      &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Poland&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
  1430. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1431. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1432. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1433. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1434. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;17
  1435.     January 2009: Topped out at 829.8 m (2,722 ft).&lt;/li&gt;
  1436. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1437. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1438. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1439. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1440. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;1
  1441.     October 2009: Emaar announces that the exterior of the building is
  1442.     completed.&lt;/li&gt;
  1443. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1444. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1445. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1446. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1447. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;4
  1448.     January 2010: Burj Khalifa&#39;s official launch ceremony is held and Burj
  1449.     Khalifa is opened. Burj Dubai renamed Burj Khalifa in honour of the
  1450.     President of the UAE and ruler of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu
  1451.       Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan.&lt;/li&gt;
  1452. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1453. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1454. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1455. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1456. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;10
  1457.     March 2010 Council on &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tall&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  1458.      &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Buildings&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; and Urban
  1459.     Habitat (CTBUH) certifies Burj Khalifa as world&#39;s tallest building.&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1460. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQraSxgJ1c1Cko-LF7Ei0GZVsY5sI-7JrslRsN3DtaeXX-Yjo4sro4dN2bXyI7W1_Mg8Haj-LC6L_xH_6pkv2Vwei1TVeB4xlsOjw4bBEpFxqvFX3vl7hcb1iVeWi3rDq9VXAudb3iNlR/s1600/Burj_Dubai_001.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;138&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQraSxgJ1c1Cko-LF7Ei0GZVsY5sI-7JrslRsN3DtaeXX-Yjo4sro4dN2bXyI7W1_Mg8Haj-LC6L_xH_6pkv2Vwei1TVeB4xlsOjw4bBEpFxqvFX3vl7hcb1iVeWi3rDq9VXAudb3iNlR/s400/Burj_Dubai_001.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1461. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  1462. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1463. &amp;nbsp;
  1464. &lt;br /&gt;
  1465. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1466. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Real estate
  1467. values&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1468. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1469. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1470. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1471. In March 2009, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman of the
  1472. project&#39;s developer, Emaar Properties, said office space pricing at Burj
  1473. Khalifa reached US$4,000 per sq ft (over US$43,000 per m²) and the Armani
  1474. Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US$3,500 per sq ft (over US$37,500
  1475. per m²). He estimated the total cost for the project to be about US$1.5
  1476. billion.&lt;/div&gt;
  1477. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1478. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1479. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1480. The project&#39;s completion coincided with the global financial
  1481. crisis of 2007–2012, and with vast overbuilding in the country; this led to high
  1482. vacancies and foreclosures. With Dubai mired in debt from its huge ambitions,
  1483. the government was forced to seek multibillion dollar bailouts from its
  1484. oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, in a surprise move at its opening
  1485. ceremony, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa, said to honour the UAE President
  1486. Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his crucial support.&lt;/div&gt;
  1487. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1488. Because of the slumping demand in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s property market, the rents in the
  1489. Burj Khalifa plummeted 40% some ten months after its opening. Out of 900
  1490. apartments in the tower, 825 were still empty at that time. However, over the
  1491. next two and a half years, overseas investors steadily began to purchase the
  1492. available apartments and office space in Burj Khalifa. By October 2012, Emaar
  1493. reported that around 80% of the apartments were occupied.&lt;/div&gt;
  1494. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1495. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1496. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1497. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Official
  1498. launch ceremony&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1499. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1500. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1501. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1502. The opening of Burj Khalifa was held on 4 January 2010. The
  1503. ceremony featured a display of 10,000 fireworks, light beams projected on and
  1504. around the tower, and further sound, light and water effects. The celebratory
  1505. lighting was designed by &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;UK&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  1506. lighting designers Speirs and Major. Using the 868 powerful stroboscope lights
  1507. that are integrated into the façade and spire of the tower, different lighting
  1508. sequences were choreographed, together with more than 50 different combinations
  1509. of the other effects.&lt;/div&gt;
  1510. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1511. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1512. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1513. The event began with a short film which depicted the story
  1514. of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; and
  1515. the evolution of Burj Khalifa. The displays of sound, light, water and
  1516. fireworks followed. The portion of the show consisting of the various
  1517. pyrotechnic, lighting, water and sound effects was divided into three. The
  1518. first part was primarily a light and sound show, which took as its theme the
  1519. link between desert flowers and the new tower, and was co-ordinated with the
  1520. Dubai Fountain and pyrotechnics. The second portion, called &#39;Heart Beat&#39;,
  1521. represented the construction of the tower in a dynamic light show with the help
  1522. of 300 projectors which generated a shadow-like image of the tower. In the
  1523. third act, sky tracers and space cannons enveloped the tower in a halo of white
  1524. light, which expanded as the lighting rig on the spire activated.&lt;/div&gt;
  1525. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1526. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1527. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1528. The ceremony was relayed live on a giant screen on &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Burj&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Park&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  1529. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Island&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, as well as
  1530. several television screens placed across the Downtown Dubai development.
  1531. Hundreds of media outlets from around the world reported live from the scene.
  1532. In addition to the media presence, 6,000 guests were expected.&lt;/div&gt;
  1533. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1534. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3e9Vrtjn-Htpznbs6s0TBP-pm6YHBspBt2if2UHU6KSVGa-OelDVYLdgb0MK3pEV4c9UAbUcFowvaSMftsCvcHUZezpv-_hDKfQ0od5nSO3PMYB7SbzDMR2MKHtDRs2xWsinXG6keyhOd/s1600/Burj_khalifa_opening_ceremony.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3e9Vrtjn-Htpznbs6s0TBP-pm6YHBspBt2if2UHU6KSVGa-OelDVYLdgb0MK3pEV4c9UAbUcFowvaSMftsCvcHUZezpv-_hDKfQ0od5nSO3PMYB7SbzDMR2MKHtDRs2xWsinXG6keyhOd/s400/Burj_khalifa_opening_ceremony.jpg&quot; width=&quot;343&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1535. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1536.  
  1537.  
  1538. &lt;/div&gt;
  1539. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1540. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Reception&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1541. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1542. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1543. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1544. In June 2010, Burj Khalifa was the recipient of the 2010
  1545. Best Tall Building Middle East &amp;amp; Africa award by the Council on &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tall&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Buildings&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1546. and Urban Habitat. On 28 September 2010 Burj Khalifa won the award for best
  1547. project of year at the Middle East Architect Awards 2010.&lt;/div&gt;
  1548. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1549. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1550. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1551. The Council on &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tall&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  1552. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Buildings&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; and Urban Habitat bestowed a
  1553. new award for Burj Khalifa at its annual “Best Tall Buildings Awards Ceremony”
  1554. on 25 October 2010 when Burj Khalifa honored as first recipient of CTBUH’s new &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tall&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Building&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1555. “Global Icon” Award. According to CTBUH the new “Global Icon” award recognizes
  1556. those very special supertall skyscrapers that make a profound impact, not only
  1557. on the local or regional context, but on the genre of tall buildings globally.
  1558. Which is innovative in planning, design and execution, the building must have
  1559. influenced and reshaped the field of tall building architecture, engineering,
  1560. and urban planning. It is intended that the award will only be conferred on an
  1561. occasional basis, when merited by an exceptional project perhaps every ten or
  1562. fifteen years.&lt;/div&gt;
  1563. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1564. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1565. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1566. CTBUH Awards Chair Gordon Gill, of Adrian Smith + Gordon
  1567. Gill Architecture said:&lt;/div&gt;
  1568. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1569. &quot;There was discussion amongst members of the jury that
  1570. the existing ‘&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Best&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  1571. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tall&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Building&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1572. of the Year’ award was not really appropriate for the Burj Khalifa. We are
  1573. talking about a building here that has changed the landscape of what is
  1574. possible in architecture a building that became internationally recognized as
  1575. an icon long before it was even completed. ‘Building of the Century’ was
  1576. thought a more appropriate title for it.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  1577. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1578. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1579. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1580. Beside these awards, Burj Khalifa was the recipient of
  1581. following awards.&lt;/div&gt;
  1582. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1583. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1584. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1585. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2012
  1586.     • Award of Merit for World Voices Sculpture, Burj Khalifa Lobby from
  1587.     Structural Engineers Association of &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Illinois&lt;/st1:state&gt;,
  1588.     &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
  1589. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1590. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1591. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1592. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1593. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1594.     • Interior Architecture Award, Certificate of Merit from AIA - &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Chapter.&lt;/li&gt;
  1595. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1596. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1597. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1598. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1599. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1600.     • Distinguished Building Award, Citation of Merit from AIA - &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Chapter.&lt;/li&gt;
  1601. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1602. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1603. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1604. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1605. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1606.     • Interior Architecture Award: Special Recognition from AIA - &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Chapter.&lt;/li&gt;
  1607. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1608. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1609. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1610. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1611. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1612.     • Design Excellence Award: Special Function Room.&lt;/li&gt;
  1613. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1614. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1615. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1616. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1617. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1618.     • Excellence in Engineering from ASHRAE - &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Illinois&lt;/st1:state&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Chapter.&lt;/li&gt;
  1619. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1620. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1621. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1622. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1623. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1624.     • Outstanding Structure Award from International Association for Bridge
  1625.     and Structural Engineering.&lt;/li&gt;
  1626. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1627. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1628. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1629. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1630. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1631.     • Decade of Design, Presidential Commendation in Corporate Space Small from
  1632.     International Interior Design Association (IIDA).&lt;/li&gt;
  1633. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1634. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1635. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1636. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1637. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1638.     • Decade of Design • Best of Category/Mixed &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Use&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Buildings&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1639.     from International Interior Design Association (IIDA).&lt;/li&gt;
  1640. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1641. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1642. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1643. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1644. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1645.     • &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;GCC&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Technical&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Building&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1646.     Project of the Year from MEED.&lt;/li&gt;
  1647. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1648. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1649. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1650. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1651. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011
  1652.     • Project of the Year from MEED.&lt;/li&gt;
  1653. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1654. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1655. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1656. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1657. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1658.     • International Architecture Award.&lt;/li&gt;
  1659. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1660. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1661. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1662. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1663. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1664.     • Arab Achievement Award 2010: Best Architecture Project from Arab
  1665.     Investment &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Summit&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
  1666. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1667. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1668. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1669. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1670. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1671.     • Architecture Award (Mixed Use) &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1672.     from Arabian Property Awards.&lt;/li&gt;
  1673. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1674. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1675. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1676. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1677. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1678.     • Architecture Award (Mixed Use) Arabian Region from Arabian Property
  1679.     Awards.&lt;/li&gt;
  1680. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1681. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1682. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1683. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1684. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1685.     • International Architecture Award from &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Athenaeum.&lt;/li&gt;
  1686. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1687. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1688. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1689. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1690. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1691.     • American Architecture Award from &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  1692.     Athenaeum.&lt;/li&gt;
  1693. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1694. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1695. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1696. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1697. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1698.     • Commercial / Mixed Use Built from Cityscape.&lt;/li&gt;
  1699. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1700. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1701. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1702. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1703. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1704.     • Best Mixed Use Built Development in Cityscape &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
  1705. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1706. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1707. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1708. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1709. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1710.     • Skyscraper Award: Silver Medal from Emporis.&lt;/li&gt;
  1711. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1712. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1713. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1714. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1715. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1716.     • Award for Commercial or Retail Structure from Institution of Structural
  1717.     Engineers.&lt;/li&gt;
  1718. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1719. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1720. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1721. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1722. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1723.     • International Architecture Award (Mixed Use) from International
  1724.     Commercial Property Awards.&lt;/li&gt;
  1725. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1726. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1727. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1728. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1729. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1730.     • Special Recognition for Technological Advancement from International
  1731.     Highrise Awards.&lt;/li&gt;
  1732. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1733. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1734. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1735. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1736. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1737.     • Best Structural Design of the Year from LEAF Award.&lt;/li&gt;
  1738. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1739. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1740. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1741. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1742. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1743.     • International Projects Category: Outstanding Project from National
  1744.     Council of Structural Engineers Associations.&lt;/li&gt;
  1745. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1746. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1747. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1748. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1749. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1750.     • Best of What&#39;s New from Popular Science Magazine.&lt;/li&gt;
  1751. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1752. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1753. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1754. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1755. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1756.     • Spark Awards, Silver Award.&lt;/li&gt;
  1757. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1758. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1759. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1760. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1761. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010
  1762.     • Excellence in Structural Engineering: Most Innovative Structure from
  1763.     Structural Engineers Association of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Illinois&lt;/st1:state&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
  1764. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1765. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1766. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1767. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1768. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff9900; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;BASE jumping&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1769. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1770. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1771. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1772. The building has been used by several experienced BASE
  1773. jumpers for both authorized and unauthorized BASE jumping:&lt;/div&gt;
  1774. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1775. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1776. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;&quot;&gt;
  1777. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-list: Ignore;&quot;&gt;·&lt;span style=&quot;font: 7.0pt &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  1778. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;In May 2008, Hervé Le Gallou and a
  1779. British man David McDonnell, dressed as engineers, illegally infiltrated Burj
  1780. Khalifa (around 650 m at the time), and jumped off a balcony situated a couple
  1781. of floors below the 160th floor.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1782. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1783. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1784. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;&quot;&gt;
  1785. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-list: Ignore;&quot;&gt;·&lt;span style=&quot;font: 7.0pt &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  1786. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span dir=&quot;LTR&quot;&gt;On 8 January 2010, with permission
  1787. of the authorities, Nasr Al Niyadi and Omar Al Hegelan, from the Emirates
  1788. Aviation Society, broke the world record for the highest BASE jump from a
  1789. building after they leapt from a crane suspended platform attached to the 160th
  1790. floor at 672 m (2,205 ft). The two men descended the vertical drop at a speed
  1791. of up to 220 km/h (140 mph), with enough time to open their parachutes 10
  1792. seconds into the 90-second jump.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1793. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1794. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1795. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1796. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff6600; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Climbing&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1797. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1798. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1799. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1800. On 28 March 2011, Alain Robert scaled the outside of Burj
  1801. Khalifa. The climb to the top of the spire took six hours. To comply with UAE
  1802. safety laws Robert, who usually climbs in free solo style, took the unusual
  1803. step of using a rope and harness for the climb.&lt;/div&gt;
  1804. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1805. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1806. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1807. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993300; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Suicide&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1808. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1809. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1810. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1811. Within 17 months of the building&#39;s official opening, a man
  1812. described as &quot;an Asian in his mid-30s&quot; who worked at one of the
  1813. companies in the tower committed suicide on 10 May 2011 by jumping from the
  1814. 147th floor. He fell 39 floors, landing on a deck on the 108th floor. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; police confirmed the
  1815. act as a suicide, reporting that &quot;We also came to know that the man
  1816. decided to commit suicide as his company refused to grant leave.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  1817. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1818. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1819. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1820. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;In popular
  1821. culture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1822. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1823. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1824. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1825. During the summer of 2009, while Burj Khalifa was still
  1826. under construction, contestants from The Amazing Race 15 visited the 120th
  1827. floor to collect a clue. The helipad of the building was later featured as the
  1828. pitstop of the fourth leg of the race in the second season of the reality
  1829. competition series The Amazing Race &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Australia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  1830. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1831. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1832. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1833. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;A
  1834.     substantial part of the plot of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the
  1835.     fourth of the Mission: Impossible film series, takes place in and around
  1836.     the Burj Khalifa and involves Tom Cruise&#39;s character Ethan Hunt having to
  1837.     scale a large section of the exterior using high-tech adhesive gloves in
  1838.     order to access and hack the building&#39;s security systems. Filming included
  1839.     stuntwork on the building&#39;s exterior with some scenes shot in the IMAX
  1840.     format.&lt;/li&gt;
  1841. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1842. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1843. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1844. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1845. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;Some
  1846.     scenes of the 2012 Malayalam language movie, Diamond Necklace, directed by
  1847.     Lal Jose were shot in Burj Khalifa. It is the first Indian film featuring
  1848.     this building.&lt;/li&gt;
  1849. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1850. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1851. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1852. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1853. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;The
  1854.     building features prominently in the 2012 video game Spec Ops: The Line
  1855.     developed by Yager Development and published by 2K Games. It is referred
  1856.     to only as &quot;the tallest building in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&quot; during the course of the
  1857.     story and is not a particularly close likeness of the real structure.&lt;/li&gt;
  1858. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1859. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1860. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1861. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1862. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;In
  1863.     the History Channel show Life After People episode &quot;Home Wrecked
  1864.     Homes&quot;, Burj Khalifa is shown to have been stripped of most of its
  1865.     glass facade due to high-speed desert winds, before it collapses from
  1866.     corrosion of its base, 250 years after people.&lt;/li&gt;
  1867. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1868. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1869. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1870. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1871. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;The
  1872.     music video for Imran Khan&#39;s song Satisfya had multiple scenes filmed at
  1873.     the Burj Khalifa.&lt;/li&gt;
  1874. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1875. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1876. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1877. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1878. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00ccff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;New Year&#39;s
  1879. Eve fireworks displays&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1880. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1881. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1882. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1883. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2010-2011,
  1884.     fireworks accompanied by lasers and lights were displayed from the Burj
  1885.     Khalifa, making it the highest New Year fireworks display in the world.
  1886.     The theme of the 2011 New Year fireworks was the &quot;New Year
  1887.     Gala&quot;, a tribute to the spirit of Dubai, which is home to over 200
  1888.     nationalities. The display also marked the first anniversary of Burj
  1889.     Khalifa.&lt;/li&gt;
  1890. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1891. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1892. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1893. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1894. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2011-2012,
  1895.     Burj Khalifa was fully illuminated in white, red and green colors, drawing
  1896.     on the colors of the UAE national flag, through the fireworks display. The
  1897.     celebrations were also a salute to the nation.&lt;/li&gt;
  1898. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1899. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1900. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1901. &lt;ul style=&quot;margin-top: 0cm;&quot; type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;
  1902. &lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;&quot;&gt;2012-2013,
  1903.     The fireworks display on Burj Khalifa, in a blaze of light and color, the
  1904.     fireworks engulfed the tower, synchronized and choreographed to a live
  1905.     performance by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. A window table for the
  1906.     New Year event was also arranged on the 122nd floor of the building at
  1907.     Atmosphere restaurant, at cost of 16,000 dirhams (4,300 dollars) per
  1908.     person.&lt;/li&gt;
  1909. &lt;/ul&gt;
  1910. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1911. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1912. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1913. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Labour
  1914. controversy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1915. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1916. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1917. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1918. Burj Khalifa was built primarily by workers from &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;South Asia&lt;/st1:place&gt;. On 17 June 2008, there were 7,500 skilled
  1919. workers employed at the construction site. Press reports indicated in 2006 that
  1920. skilled carpenters at the site earned £4.34 a day, and labourers earned £2.84.
  1921. According to a BBC investigation and a Human Rights Watch report, the workers
  1922. were housed in abysmal conditions, and worked long hours for low pay. During
  1923. the construction of Burj Khalifa, only one construction-related death was
  1924. reported. However, workplace injuries and fatalities in the UAE are
  1925. &quot;poorly documented&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  1926. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1927. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1928. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1929. On 21 March 2006, about 2,500 workers, who were upset over
  1930. buses that were delayed for the end of their shifts, protested, damaged cars,
  1931. offices, computers, and construction equipment. A Dubai Interior Ministry
  1932. official said the rioters caused almost £500,000 in damage. Most of the workers
  1933. involved in the riot returned the following day but refused to work.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  1934. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1935. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  1936. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1937. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1F9YcmuQQJlVSK8ny3Y1d6oR69nxB7sQTHXUpjU7-aU7Qno5pQg5cKLyzbh02L3cigCcM8P9SVIN58I_aI6Miw53lwE0L0qH7Pu6p0ofWQL_FXJKvXicVcDfVHgEazfpOEJpqIKQ8jh1T/s1600/450px-Burj2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1F9YcmuQQJlVSK8ny3Y1d6oR69nxB7sQTHXUpjU7-aU7Qno5pQg5cKLyzbh02L3cigCcM8P9SVIN58I_aI6Miw53lwE0L0qH7Pu6p0ofWQL_FXJKvXicVcDfVHgEazfpOEJpqIKQ8jh1T/s400/450px-Burj2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1938. &lt;br /&gt;
  1939. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1940. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1H9c8_mgwGCS48vhHWLQxd3r5sMioSYB_dm1ZWgVCQBTKxukAp34PKCQ66sCSW19x5U8Yi9MjlUvRC8e-cQInSA-OWxgf2Myq2snUubvZbVoGRI4PXWmGzO1YENe_HmQP7BDTIxk7Sxw/s1600/450px-20060829_Burj_Dubai.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1H9c8_mgwGCS48vhHWLQxd3r5sMioSYB_dm1ZWgVCQBTKxukAp34PKCQ66sCSW19x5U8Yi9MjlUvRC8e-cQInSA-OWxgf2Myq2snUubvZbVoGRI4PXWmGzO1YENe_HmQP7BDTIxk7Sxw/s400/450px-20060829_Burj_Dubai.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1941. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1942. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  1943. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  1944. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1945. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVer3w5Csw7u6tk4mKSdnsLWIScFiFzYdmXSTA5rlNfRifRToo-z-mjx-4AyfhQtweV6GcnmtngO3zgAlTO2feNXOvTyhf3gZRCVic3bAbpBvfpE1L1sI74CwBezxRF6EvodfpVHoWTP6b/s1600/800px-Burjdubaifeb2107.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;296&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVer3w5Csw7u6tk4mKSdnsLWIScFiFzYdmXSTA5rlNfRifRToo-z-mjx-4AyfhQtweV6GcnmtngO3zgAlTO2feNXOvTyhf3gZRCVic3bAbpBvfpE1L1sI74CwBezxRF6EvodfpVHoWTP6b/s400/800px-Burjdubaifeb2107.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1946. &lt;br /&gt;
  1947. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1948. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WG0tIJrOd3lF1Lb-3J_UQd2QQgW8zgAJvyXGPiV8bqfQEZgIlLrMeQMV06fDmi3ok7CfI63jX9-fU4KTvKM6z-Zkd_fku0Y-ZUBSvAmzz0kMnDwYaXfNZYZzZvXBZRWEahfTUx9erPxT/s1600/Burj_dubai_3.11.08.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WG0tIJrOd3lF1Lb-3J_UQd2QQgW8zgAJvyXGPiV8bqfQEZgIlLrMeQMV06fDmi3ok7CfI63jX9-fU4KTvKM6z-Zkd_fku0Y-ZUBSvAmzz0kMnDwYaXfNZYZzZvXBZRWEahfTUx9erPxT/s400/Burj_dubai_3.11.08.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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  1950. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1951. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bhg9iTIsDdtF8XpE2bmZ4BvD-fGGtUfOlVqt51ZNvfzAFNhw7GzFAbNL6o8Bc7uVi33j-SLxZRvQGsTRhzd7CpBgj6lLoonGc-T7fxxaGfKCeEgjlzmqhyphenhyphen77g0xa9RnrYCB_tJMg5C-V/s1600/Burj_Dubai_20071204.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bhg9iTIsDdtF8XpE2bmZ4BvD-fGGtUfOlVqt51ZNvfzAFNhw7GzFAbNL6o8Bc7uVi33j-SLxZRvQGsTRhzd7CpBgj6lLoonGc-T7fxxaGfKCeEgjlzmqhyphenhyphen77g0xa9RnrYCB_tJMg5C-V/s400/Burj_Dubai_20071204.jpg&quot; width=&quot;268&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1952. &lt;br /&gt;
  1953. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1954. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qw6A_briqSiNEZ2coXftizDDpNh83Yn4ENOBKHgiEtZekrNK92zY31qhf_R8TAy2Mj2LSelD1bcAl1zkI1XgUqLulsLSDBEl1qu0y-mfl-tepgVmXYjgSSRMMyxQYvcz3uliCbRziKYF/s1600/374px-Burj_Dubai_Under_Construction_on_10_December_2007.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qw6A_briqSiNEZ2coXftizDDpNh83Yn4ENOBKHgiEtZekrNK92zY31qhf_R8TAy2Mj2LSelD1bcAl1zkI1XgUqLulsLSDBEl1qu0y-mfl-tepgVmXYjgSSRMMyxQYvcz3uliCbRziKYF/s400/374px-Burj_Dubai_Under_Construction_on_10_December_2007.jpg&quot; width=&quot;248&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1955. &lt;br /&gt;
  1956. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1957. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-om6BWo0ce13BlnnzujGOm82Za9PGcLZmUTZC0YtMm-eWot3X33Mn1MFGerqFzTkKxYE7mqi9pzgnjE4g0nzmE4fa3wdGV3T4zliaacUDrjOqn6-3ysrxz_JzbYKjb67Dx1_fE8L3kel4/s1600/Burj_Khalifa_and_Dubai_Metro_perfect_timing.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;297&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-om6BWo0ce13BlnnzujGOm82Za9PGcLZmUTZC0YtMm-eWot3X33Mn1MFGerqFzTkKxYE7mqi9pzgnjE4g0nzmE4fa3wdGV3T4zliaacUDrjOqn6-3ysrxz_JzbYKjb67Dx1_fE8L3kel4/s400/Burj_Khalifa_and_Dubai_Metro_perfect_timing.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1958. &lt;br /&gt;
  1959. &lt;br /&gt;
  1960. &lt;br /&gt;
  1961. &lt;/div&gt;
  1962. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/7071735542721246003/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/burj-khalifa.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7071735542721246003'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7071735542721246003'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/burj-khalifa.html' title='Burj Khalifa'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFKXFsV36eNPf0ZZwgKs92MXtISVdXfFVrYMHNZyHefTzGFApIurOTnQ7uX2Bf3yooHj2Z8dTpPERRNeB1ABmm9y3MKxQatIZAiWa1_qoyCyW-Jc0SwNUCpn_wfm71Vsnkzgt8ElrE_ij/s72-c/Burj_Khalifa.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-7879090890457395210</id><published>2013-11-14T00:41:00.003-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-14T00:41:31.769-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Dubai World Trade Centre</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  1963. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1964. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrRHwwWg0aUpCJNS1ssneii_7Q_Gq5VkUOXdlShsz22fsIugCuTQlM_Ve_JffFDLh7Ixq-BSBFZGgoUvdiFHENUvvzDAhHK83f4EIWl0UGmOMAM8c5c_NZLnU9K4L25X62IOuGdRpoEau/s1600/800px-Dubai_World_Trade_Centre_on_4_May_2007.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrRHwwWg0aUpCJNS1ssneii_7Q_Gq5VkUOXdlShsz22fsIugCuTQlM_Ve_JffFDLh7Ixq-BSBFZGgoUvdiFHENUvvzDAhHK83f4EIWl0UGmOMAM8c5c_NZLnU9K4L25X62IOuGdRpoEau/s400/800px-Dubai_World_Trade_Centre_on_4_May_2007.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1965. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  1966.  
  1967.  
  1968.  
  1969. &lt;br /&gt;
  1970. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1971. The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مركز التجارة العالمي دبي&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;)
  1972. is a business complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, built by H.H. Sheikh
  1973. Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. It is located along &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sheikh Zayed Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt; at the Trade Centre
  1974. Roundabout. The complex comprises the original tower (built in 1978), eight
  1975. exhibition halls, the Dubai International Convention Centre and residential
  1976. apartments.&lt;/div&gt;
  1977. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1978. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1979. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  1980. The 39-storey office tower stands 149 metres (489 feet) tall
  1981. and a majority of the floors are let commercially. At the time it was built, it
  1982. was the tallest building in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  1983. (and UAE) and the first high rise along &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sheikh Zayed Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;. The tenants of the
  1984. building include Federal Express, General Motors, Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson, MasterCard
  1985. International, Schlumberger, Sony, U.S. law firm Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt &amp;amp;
  1986. Mosle LLP, and the consulates of Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and
  1987. the United States of Americaa. The building is featured on the 100 dirham
  1988. banknote.&lt;/div&gt;
  1989. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  1990. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1991. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhkNfMHCwQlJe5Fhjunx_TyB4L-JKYM1cgRNxCUOrQ158Srz747FyKcJAOfdyaSG3mHpDjx3vdCnAowtljulTIIjK_gdN_0nlAoDmYlHIfH475uSGxcBO3VeoKeba98HVuPQLP3etkecy/s1600/800px-Etisalat_Tower_2,_Dubai_World_Trade_Centre,_and_Dubai_World_Trade_Centre_Residence_on_28_December_2007.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;277&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhkNfMHCwQlJe5Fhjunx_TyB4L-JKYM1cgRNxCUOrQ158Srz747FyKcJAOfdyaSG3mHpDjx3vdCnAowtljulTIIjK_gdN_0nlAoDmYlHIfH475uSGxcBO3VeoKeba98HVuPQLP3etkecy/s400/800px-Etisalat_Tower_2,_Dubai_World_Trade_Centre,_and_Dubai_World_Trade_Centre_Residence_on_28_December_2007.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1992. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  1993. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1994. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dyy8HZjUgMdxoB9_JDXkfAYWvsimJwg0IZufGgcZZupqUIAtj1PD6h52-JJ73DE3dNNCDzb0xwfzbSWKKoEh2ZaHpYMCa_E647RE40t2oGPdXcD9AMEX4B6_fkj1-pRov0kSTTaXET5Z/s1600/450px-Dubai_WTC_at_night.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dyy8HZjUgMdxoB9_JDXkfAYWvsimJwg0IZufGgcZZupqUIAtj1PD6h52-JJ73DE3dNNCDzb0xwfzbSWKKoEh2ZaHpYMCa_E647RE40t2oGPdXcD9AMEX4B6_fkj1-pRov0kSTTaXET5Z/s400/450px-Dubai_WTC_at_night.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1995. &lt;/div&gt;
  1996. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/7879090890457395210/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/dubai-world-trade-centre.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7879090890457395210'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7879090890457395210'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/dubai-world-trade-centre.html' title='Dubai World Trade Centre'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrRHwwWg0aUpCJNS1ssneii_7Q_Gq5VkUOXdlShsz22fsIugCuTQlM_Ve_JffFDLh7Ixq-BSBFZGgoUvdiFHENUvvzDAhHK83f4EIWl0UGmOMAM8c5c_NZLnU9K4L25X62IOuGdRpoEau/s72-c/800px-Dubai_World_Trade_Centre_on_4_May_2007.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-548583743960328785</id><published>2013-11-14T00:34:00.004-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-14T00:34:47.334-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Deira, Dubai</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  1997. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  1998. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrNsBBu8I-Vvi_24TJ7QMLqT9yBB1hF8_gbitgfrBPcUUlppb38ZMjvI3GTiUcukFCmulN7gQ3Xjh2qC3XUcN9jf2qZ7cDxIJkdcAG3Qu_jB__wWJ9iLHj_v9oHlcRyrzzf4Gtzn9vTtx/s1600/Deira_Skyline.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrNsBBu8I-Vvi_24TJ7QMLqT9yBB1hF8_gbitgfrBPcUUlppb38ZMjvI3GTiUcukFCmulN7gQ3Xjh2qC3XUcN9jf2qZ7cDxIJkdcAG3Qu_jB__wWJ9iLHj_v9oHlcRyrzzf4Gtzn9vTtx/s400/Deira_Skyline.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1999. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  2000.  
  2001.  
  2002.  
  2003. &lt;br /&gt;
  2004. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2005. Deira (In Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;ديرة&lt;/span&gt;)
  2006. is an area in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates bordered by the Persian
  2007. Gulf, Sharjah and Dubai Creek. Historically, it has been the commercial center
  2008. of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;, but has been losing its importance
  2009. during the past few years due to recent development along E 11 road (&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sheikh Zayed Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;) and
  2010. areas further down the coast toward &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu
  2011.  Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Port Saeed is a small port along Deira&#39;s &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;shore&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; Creek. Port Saeed holds some of
  2012. the dhow cruises and small shipping boats in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Deira has developed much since its
  2013. early days with the development of both overhead and underground metro tracks, innumerable
  2014. shopping malls springing up, and modern buildings and towers currently under
  2015. construction within the area. Deira stands as an important port in the world. It
  2016. certainly does have many landmarks, such as the Clock Tower, Maktoum Bridge etc.,
  2017. that are very worthy of seeing.&lt;/div&gt;
  2018. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2019. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/548583743960328785/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/deira-dubai.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/548583743960328785'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/548583743960328785'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/deira-dubai.html' title='Deira, Dubai'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrNsBBu8I-Vvi_24TJ7QMLqT9yBB1hF8_gbitgfrBPcUUlppb38ZMjvI3GTiUcukFCmulN7gQ3Xjh2qC3XUcN9jf2qZ7cDxIJkdcAG3Qu_jB__wWJ9iLHj_v9oHlcRyrzzf4Gtzn9vTtx/s72-c/Deira_Skyline.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-5518433522402233722</id><published>2013-11-14T00:32:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-14T00:32:16.627-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Al Ras</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  2020. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2021. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_A2yTsok6DEbtnU0XBMCiTSzDtPZIXDNrlWNGw1747rBiRoNRAWz4D1q9pEeEXt5busEm2d0Ag-K6HixnsP3Sdy-PD2jZJqnCsce8iwGUkotFuOxR2OII7VkV_H1uo0RHds_aqIKTfpr-/s1600/800px-Al_Ras_on_26_December_2007_Pict_1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_A2yTsok6DEbtnU0XBMCiTSzDtPZIXDNrlWNGw1747rBiRoNRAWz4D1q9pEeEXt5busEm2d0Ag-K6HixnsP3Sdy-PD2jZJqnCsce8iwGUkotFuOxR2OII7VkV_H1uo0RHds_aqIKTfpr-/s400/800px-Al_Ras_on_26_December_2007_Pict_1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2022. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  2023.  
  2024.  
  2025.  
  2026. &lt;br /&gt;
  2027. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2028. Al Ras (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;الراس&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is a locality in &lt;st2:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st2:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st2:city&gt;,
  2029. &lt;st2:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st2:country-region&gt;&lt;/st2:place&gt;
  2030. (UAE). It is the easternmost locality in the area of Deira and borders the
  2031. Dubai Creek to the west and south, and Al Dhagaya and Al Buteen to the east. Al
  2032. Ras, literally meaning The Cape, is one of the oldest communities in Deira. It
  2033. is bounded on the north, south and west by route D 85 (&lt;st2:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st2:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al Baniyas Road&lt;/st2:address&gt;&lt;/st2:street&gt;) and to the east by &lt;st2:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st2:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Old Baladiya Street&lt;/st2:address&gt;&lt;/st2:street&gt;
  2034. (&lt;st2:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st2:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;110th Road&lt;/st2:address&gt;&lt;/st2:street&gt;).&lt;/div&gt;
  2035. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2036. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2037. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2038. Important landmarks in Al Ras include Dubai Central Public
  2039. Library, &lt;st2:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:sn w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;St.&lt;/st1:sn&gt; &lt;st1:middlename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;George&lt;/st1:middlename&gt; &lt;st1:sn w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hotel&lt;/st1:sn&gt;&lt;/st2:place&gt;,
  2040. Dubai Spice Souk, Dubai Gold Souk and Al Ras Hotel.&lt;/div&gt;
  2041. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  2042. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2043. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjRGDxQFYfNRkmOcTOUzatUUeAdnEYoYTM79wNFMv3EZQ-v7iYaH9QbkCXWolTsJ-x782Al0qUTqGNg4dhvMLwu80PWZP3eEv50eOOjW9ti4WLz-7Cg1Up6oM3ve4YDBDtcevyGChTWA-/s1600/800px-Al_Ras_on_26_December_2007_Pict_2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjRGDxQFYfNRkmOcTOUzatUUeAdnEYoYTM79wNFMv3EZQ-v7iYaH9QbkCXWolTsJ-x782Al0qUTqGNg4dhvMLwu80PWZP3eEv50eOOjW9ti4WLz-7Cg1Up6oM3ve4YDBDtcevyGChTWA-/s400/800px-Al_Ras_on_26_December_2007_Pict_2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2044. &lt;br /&gt;
  2045. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2046. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkbkdpM_biUYtZw1b9_3ySumXerhzj7zy0JJDd66aC1xq0CjIOT8xJprLB8DCQmaBltmFmLarUoXRdaLCwTPmIFfJCpDlB5uxKRnQjHd1mTJ3vfhjBOfWz_acL6pX1x4iolYpybJsK6Ik/s1600/800px-Al_Ras_on_26_December_2007_Pict_4.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkbkdpM_biUYtZw1b9_3ySumXerhzj7zy0JJDd66aC1xq0CjIOT8xJprLB8DCQmaBltmFmLarUoXRdaLCwTPmIFfJCpDlB5uxKRnQjHd1mTJ3vfhjBOfWz_acL6pX1x4iolYpybJsK6Ik/s400/800px-Al_Ras_on_26_December_2007_Pict_4.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2047. &lt;br /&gt;
  2048. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2049. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_3QLgFRyJyCo-E2PFZ9TS6lRneB2tdJvV9Xhl2FCs21wIh5ENsgm-bjhKVws2vBlVxcmObYBkavV-M0LN0Rf6dI8cpWx2iLWpEh9_5LGaWZ-2jGD20Th8wq4ZEScpx_hsph4Lfaxam3O/s1600/800px-Deira_on_9_May_2007_Pict_1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_3QLgFRyJyCo-E2PFZ9TS6lRneB2tdJvV9Xhl2FCs21wIh5ENsgm-bjhKVws2vBlVxcmObYBkavV-M0LN0Rf6dI8cpWx2iLWpEh9_5LGaWZ-2jGD20Th8wq4ZEScpx_hsph4Lfaxam3O/s400/800px-Deira_on_9_May_2007_Pict_1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2050. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2051. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/5518433522402233722/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/al-ras.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/5518433522402233722'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/5518433522402233722'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/al-ras.html' title='Al Ras'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_A2yTsok6DEbtnU0XBMCiTSzDtPZIXDNrlWNGw1747rBiRoNRAWz4D1q9pEeEXt5busEm2d0Ag-K6HixnsP3Sdy-PD2jZJqnCsce8iwGUkotFuOxR2OII7VkV_H1uo0RHds_aqIKTfpr-/s72-c/800px-Al_Ras_on_26_December_2007_Pict_1.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-8477420429483860056</id><published>2013-11-14T00:27:00.002-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-14T00:27:58.788-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Al Bastakiya</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  2052. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2053. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvomUhLe9WLEVahUDBSJp0YbEXDetKvHL9iygI6BE04BJBEMsx3pDX2e46bTeS8i7DvvejlIp2aqCQmpzQWGwuHy8BnuCFfnOG0fD5WhdGo4hOHnAwLlUNUggbPzVW27pKBgNaxDJfLEhK/s1600/Al_Bastakiya-Dubai8878.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;298&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvomUhLe9WLEVahUDBSJp0YbEXDetKvHL9iygI6BE04BJBEMsx3pDX2e46bTeS8i7DvvejlIp2aqCQmpzQWGwuHy8BnuCFfnOG0fD5WhdGo4hOHnAwLlUNUggbPzVW27pKBgNaxDJfLEhK/s400/Al_Bastakiya-Dubai8878.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2054. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  2055.  
  2056.  
  2057.  
  2058. &lt;br /&gt;
  2059. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2060. Al Bastakiya (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;البستكية&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is a historic district in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2061. (UAE). Together with Al Shindagha, Al Bastakiya is one of the oldest
  2062. residential areas in the city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai.The&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2063. locality lies along Dubai Creek and includes narrow lanes and wind towers, as
  2064. well as the Al Fahidi Fort, the oldest existing building in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Traditionally a stronghold of rich
  2065. Persian merchants, the demographic of the locality changed with the discovery
  2066. of oil, which resulted in many rich families relocating to other parts of the
  2067. city.&lt;/div&gt;
  2068. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2069. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2070. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2071. The construction of Al Bastakiya dates back to the 1690s. In
  2072. its prime, the locality was capable of supporting 60 housing units, most of
  2073. which were separated by narrow, winding lanes. As a result, expatriate families
  2074. moved into Al Bastakiya and the Al Souk Al Kabir area (referred to as Meena
  2075. bazaar by immigrant residents).&lt;/div&gt;
  2076. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2077. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2078. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2079. In the 1970s about half of Bastakiya was destroyed to make
  2080. way for the development of a new office complex for the emirate&#39;s ruler. The
  2081. remaining area fell into some disrepair and, apart from the Majlis Gallery, an
  2082. art and crafts centre, the wind tower houses became largely used as warehouses
  2083. or for accommodation of expatriate labourers. A British architect, Rayner Otter,
  2084. took up residence in one house and carried out extensive renovations within. In
  2085. 1989 the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Municipality&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; scheduled the remaining
  2086. area of Bastakiya to be demolished. Rayner Otter started a campaign to preserve
  2087. the area and wrote to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Britain&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s
  2088. Prince Charles who was due to visit the emirate that year. When he arrived in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Prince Charles, who
  2089. is known for his views on architecture and his love of historic buildings, asked
  2090. to visit Bastakiya. Here he met Otter and explored the whole area. It is
  2091. understood that during his visit Charles suggested to his hosts that Bastakiya
  2092. should be preserved. Shortly after his departure the decision to demolish
  2093. Bastakiya was reversed.&lt;/div&gt;
  2094. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2095. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2096. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2097. A project aimed at restoring the locality&#39;s old buildings
  2098. and lanes was initiated by &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2099. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Municipality&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; in 2005&lt;/div&gt;
  2100. &lt;/div&gt;
  2101. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/8477420429483860056/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/al-bastakiya.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/8477420429483860056'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/8477420429483860056'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/al-bastakiya.html' title='Al Bastakiya'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvomUhLe9WLEVahUDBSJp0YbEXDetKvHL9iygI6BE04BJBEMsx3pDX2e46bTeS8i7DvvejlIp2aqCQmpzQWGwuHy8BnuCFfnOG0fD5WhdGo4hOHnAwLlUNUggbPzVW27pKBgNaxDJfLEhK/s72-c/Al_Bastakiya-Dubai8878.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-6189802050724047001</id><published>2013-11-12T05:30:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-12T05:33:19.457-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Dubai</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  2102. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2103. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2104. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2105. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2106. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2107. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5SwArfBUcO4FHjG72qG2mEqN0PAlbC8mGs9jHeVApekmzUOQL8bof1TZmQghXQuWy_zOgvZun279Emi7JwFh-6foEEo5riyq6PrcKcRcZ-y7McY9_gFfawNcxtC6PNtyEPWlyFvLuZKS/s1600/Dubaicollage.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5SwArfBUcO4FHjG72qG2mEqN0PAlbC8mGs9jHeVApekmzUOQL8bof1TZmQghXQuWy_zOgvZun279Emi7JwFh-6foEEo5riyq6PrcKcRcZ-y7McY9_gFfawNcxtC6PNtyEPWlyFvLuZKS/s400/Dubaicollage.jpg&quot; width=&quot;286&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2108. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  2109. &lt;br /&gt;
  2110. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2111. &lt;/div&gt;
  2112. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2113. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; ( &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;دبيّ&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt; Dubayy,) is a
  2114. city in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab
  2115.  Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, located within the emirate of the
  2116. same name. The emirate of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is located on
  2117. the southeast coast of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt; and is
  2118. one of the seven emirates that make up the country. It has the largest
  2119. population in the UAE (2,106,177) and the second-largest land territory (4,114
  2120. km2) after the capital, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  2121. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; are the only two emirates to have veto
  2122. power over critical matters of national importance in the country&#39;s
  2123. legislature. The city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2124. is located on the emirate&#39;s northern coastline and heads up the
  2125. Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is
  2126. often misperceived as a country or city-state and, in some cases, the UAE as a
  2127. whole has been described as &#39;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;.&lt;/div&gt;
  2128. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2129. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2130. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2131. The earliest mention of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is in 1095 AD, and the earliest
  2132. recorded settlement in the region dates from 1799. The Sheikhdom of Dubai was
  2133. formally established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Butti Al-Maktoum when he
  2134. persuaded around 800 members of his tribe of the Bani Yas, living in what was
  2135. then the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Second&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2136. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;State&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; and now part of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  2137. to follow him to the Dubai Creek by the Abu Falasa clan of the Bani Yas. It
  2138. remained under the tribe&#39;s control when the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  2139. Kingdom&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; agreed to protect the Sheikhdom in 1892 and
  2140. joined the nascent &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  2141.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; upon independence in 1971 as
  2142. the country&#39;s second emirate. Its strategic geographic location made the town
  2143. an important trading hub and by the beginning of the 20th century, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was already an
  2144. important regional port.&lt;/div&gt;
  2145. &lt;br /&gt;
  2146. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2147. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2148. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2149. Today, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; has emerged as a
  2150. cosmopolitan metropolis that has grown steadily to become a global city and a
  2151. business and cultural hub of the Middle East and the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian
  2152. Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt; region. It is also a major transport hub for passengers and
  2153. cargo. Although &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2154. economy was historically built on the oil industry, the emirate&#39;s Western-style
  2155. model of business drives its economy with the main revenues now coming from
  2156. tourism, aviation, real estate, and financial services. Dubai has recently
  2157. attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects
  2158. and sports events. The city has become symbolic for its skyscrapers and
  2159. high-rise buildings, such as the world&#39;s tallest Burj Khalifa, in addition to
  2160. ambitious development projects including man-made islands, hotels, and some of
  2161. the largest shopping malls in the region and the world. This increased
  2162. attention has also highlighted labor and human rights issues concerning the
  2163. city&#39;s largely South Asian workforce. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2164. property market experienced a major deterioration in 2008–2009 following the financial
  2165. crisis of 2007-2008, but is making a gradual recovery with help coming from
  2166. neighboring emirates.&lt;/div&gt;
  2167. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2168. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2169. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2170. As of 2012, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is the 22nd
  2171. most expensive city in the world, and the most expensive city in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Dubai has also been rated as one of the best
  2172. places to live in the Middle East, including by American global consulting firm
  2173. Mercer who rated the city as the best place to live in the Middle East in 2011.&lt;/div&gt;
  2174. &lt;br /&gt;
  2175. &lt;br /&gt;
  2176. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2177. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Etymology&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2178. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2179. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2180. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2181. In the 1820s, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2182. was referred to as Al Wasl by British historians. Few records pertaining to the
  2183. cultural history of the UAE or its constituent emirates exist and because of
  2184. the region&#39;s oral traditions, folklore and myth were not written down.
  2185. According to Fedel Handhal, a researcher in the history and culture of the UAE,
  2186. the word Dubai may have come from the word Daba (a derivative of Yadub, which
  2187. means to creep); referring to the slow flow of Dubai Creek inland. The poet and
  2188. scholar Ahmad Mohammad Obaid traces it to the same word, but to its alternative
  2189. of locust.&lt;/div&gt;
  2190. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2191. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2192. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2193. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2194. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2195. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2196. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2197. Although stone tools have been found at many sites, little
  2198. is known about the UAE&#39;s early inhabitants as only a few settlements have been
  2199. found. Many ancient towns in the area were trading centers between the Eastern
  2200. and Western worlds. The remnants of an ancient mangrove swamp, dated at 7,000
  2201. BC, were discovered during the construction of sewer lines near &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Internet&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2202. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The area was
  2203. covered with sand about 5,000 years ago as the coast retreated inland, becoming
  2204. a part of the city&#39;s present coastline. Pre Islamic ceramics have been found
  2205. from the 3rd and 4th century.Prior to Islam, the people in this region
  2206. worshiped Bajir (or Bajar). The Byzantine and Sassanian (Persian) empires
  2207. constituted the great powers of the period, with the Sassanians controlling
  2208. much of the region. After the spread of Islam in the area, the Umayyad Caliph,
  2209. of the eastern Islamic world, invaded south-east &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2210. and drove out the Sassanians. Excavations by the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Museum&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2211. in the region of Al-Jumayra (Jumeirah) found several artifacts from the Umayyad
  2212. period.&lt;/div&gt;
  2213. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2214. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2215. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2216. The earliest recorded mention of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is in 1095, in the &quot;Book of
  2217. Geography&quot; by the Andalusian-Arab geographer Abu Abdullah al-Bakri. The
  2218. Venetian pearl merchant Gaspero Balbi visited the area in 1580 and mentioned &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; (Dibei) for its
  2219. pearling industry. Since 1799, there has been a settlement known as &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; town. In the early
  2220. 19th century, the Al Abu Falasa clan (House of Al-Falasi) of Bani Yas clan
  2221. established Dubai, which remained an important dependent of Abu Dhabi until
  2222. 1833 On 8 January 1820, the sheikh of Dubai and other sheikhs in the region
  2223. signed the &quot;General Maritime Peace Treaty&quot; with the British
  2224. government. In 1833, following tribal feuding, the Al Maktoum dynasty (also
  2225. descendants of the House of Al-Falasi) of the Bani Yas tribe left their
  2226. ancestral home of the Liwa Oasis, South-west of the settlement of Abu Dhabi and
  2227. quickly took over Dubai from the Abu Fasala clan without resistance. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  2228. &lt;br /&gt;
  2229. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2230. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhE3haUvQi8h1il9c7u6_eaZ4D5z8FyiQiQjqASPH0TTNQ5kl0o62BVVXgFwqhUYiISAVTE8gvoqKHDzRvBmiDlHU07MXEb5lRctz0r42-AmHSwtUJMhLqN0TkFa_SWZmK5LJikCaDe2T/s1600/Al_Bastakiya-Dubai8878.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;298&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhE3haUvQi8h1il9c7u6_eaZ4D5z8FyiQiQjqASPH0TTNQ5kl0o62BVVXgFwqhUYiISAVTE8gvoqKHDzRvBmiDlHU07MXEb5lRctz0r42-AmHSwtUJMhLqN0TkFa_SWZmK5LJikCaDe2T/s400/Al_Bastakiya-Dubai8878.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2231. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; came under the
  2232. protection of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Kingdom&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2233. by the &quot;Exclusive Agreement&quot; of 1892, in which the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;UK&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; agreed to protect &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2234. against the developing interests of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;France&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  2235. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Germany&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Russia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  2236. Two catastrophes struck the town during the 1800s. First, in 1841, a smallpox
  2237. epidemic broke out in the Bur Dubai locality, forcing residents to relocate
  2238. east to Deira. Then, in 1894, fire swept through Deira, burning down most
  2239. homes. However, the town&#39;s geographical location continued to attract traders
  2240. and merchants from around the region. The emir of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was keen to attract foreign traders and
  2241. lowered trade tax brackets, which lured traders away from Sharjah and Bandar
  2242. Lengeh, the region&#39;s main trade hubs at the time. Persian merchants naturally
  2243. looked across to the Arab shore of the Persian Gulf finally making their homes
  2244. in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. They
  2245. continued to trade with Lingah, however, as do many of the dhows in Dubai Creek
  2246. today, and they named their district Bastakiya, after the Bastak region in
  2247. southern &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
  2248. &lt;br /&gt;
  2249. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2250. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2251. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2252. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s geographical
  2253. proximity to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2254. made it an important trade location. The town of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2255. was an important port of call for foreign tradesmen, chiefly those from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, many of
  2256. whom eventually settled in the town. By the beginning of the 20th century, it
  2257. was an important port.Dubai was known for its pearl exports until the 1930s;
  2258. the pearl trade was damaged irreparably by World War I, and later on by the
  2259. Great Depression in the 1930s. With the collapse of the pearling industry, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; fell into a deep depression and many residents
  2260. starved or migrated to other parts of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  2261. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2262. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2263. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2264. In the early days since its inception, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2265. was constantly at odds with &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  2266. In 1947, a border dispute between &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; on the northern
  2267. sector of their mutual border, escalated into war.Arbitration by the British
  2268. and the creation of a buffer frontier running south eastwards from the coast at
  2269. Ras Hasian resulted in a temporary cessation of hostilities. Electricity, telephone
  2270. services, and an airport were established in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in the 1950s, when the British moved
  2271. their local administrative offices there from Sharjah. After years of
  2272. exploration following large finds in neighboring &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  2273. oil was eventually discovered in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2274. in 1966, albeit in far smaller quantities. This led the emirate to grant
  2275. concessions to international oil companies, thus igniting a massive influx of
  2276. foreign workers, mainly Indians and Pakistanis. Between 1968 and 1975 the
  2277. city&#39;s population grew by over 300%.&lt;/div&gt;
  2278. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2279. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2280. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2281. On 2 December 1971 &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  2282. together with &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; and five other emirates,
  2283. formed the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2284. after the former protector, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Britain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  2285. left the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt; in 1971. In 1973, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; joined the other
  2286. emirates to adopt a uniform currency: the UAE dirham. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; chose to remain independent
  2287. nations. In 1973, the monetary union with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; was dissolved and the UAE
  2288. Dirham was introduced throughout the Emirates.&lt;/div&gt;
  2289. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2290. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2291. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2292. During the 1970s, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2293. continued to grow from revenues generated from oil and trade, even as the city
  2294. saw an influx of immigrants fleeing the Lebanese civil war. Border disputes
  2295. between the emirates continued even after the formation of the UAE; it was only
  2296. in 1979 that a formal compromise was reached that ended hostilities. The Jebel
  2297. Ali port was established in 1979. Jafza (Jebel Ali Free Zone) was built around
  2298. the port in 1985 to provide foreign companies unrestricted import of labor and
  2299. export capital.&lt;/div&gt;
  2300. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2301. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2302. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2303. The Gulf War of 1990 had a negative financial effect on the
  2304. city, as depositors withdrew their money and traders withdrew their trade, but
  2305. subsequently the city recovered in a changing political climate and thrived.
  2306. Later in the 1990s, many foreign trading communities—first from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, during the Gulf War, and later from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, during
  2307. the Shia unrest—moved their businesses to Dubai.Dubai provided refueling bases
  2308. to allied forces at the Jebel Ali Free Zone during the Gulf War, and again
  2309. during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Large increases in oil prices after the Gulf
  2310. War encouraged &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; to continue to focus on free trade and tourism.&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2311. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2312. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOct8kEF-SH8rtDDAEgZhzwWGmXoqwvRtrYmHVSrii0i50X9qghCHFMsfRbckhYZWQNTmlehbubE8LrHZ1PWr0QvG8EaV6nwudxNN3VtrEI7TUH4HAuVVBgD6w9qTh1jM9hy46Bj2GWKHg/s1600/AlRas_Deira_Mid1960s.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;303&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOct8kEF-SH8rtDDAEgZhzwWGmXoqwvRtrYmHVSrii0i50X9qghCHFMsfRbckhYZWQNTmlehbubE8LrHZ1PWr0QvG8EaV6nwudxNN3VtrEI7TUH4HAuVVBgD6w9qTh1jM9hy46Bj2GWKHg/s400/AlRas_Deira_Mid1960s.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2313. &lt;br /&gt;
  2314. &lt;br /&gt;
  2315. &lt;br /&gt;
  2316. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2317. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Geography&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2318. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2319. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2320. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2321. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is situated on the
  2322. Persian Gulf coast of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  2323.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and is roughly at sea level
  2324. (16 m or 52 ft above). The emirate of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2325. shares borders with &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2326. in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the
  2327. southeast. Hatta, a minor exclave of the emirate, is surrounded on three sides
  2328. by &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and by the emirates
  2329. of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ajman&lt;/st1:place&gt; (in the west) and Ras Al Khaimah (in
  2330. the north). The &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt; borders the
  2331. western coast of the emirate. Dubai is positioned at 25.2697°N 55.3095°E and
  2332. covers an area of 1,588 sq mi (4,110 km2), which represents a significant
  2333. expansion beyond its initial 1,500 sq mi (3,900 km2) designation due to land
  2334. reclamation from the sea.&lt;/div&gt;
  2335. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2336. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2337. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2338. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; lies directly within
  2339. the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Desert&lt;/st1:place&gt;. However, the topography of
  2340. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is significantly different from that of
  2341. the southern portion of the UAE in that much of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s landscape is highlighted by sandy
  2342. desert patterns, while gravel deserts dominate much of the southern region of
  2343. the country. The sand consists mostly of crushed shell and coral and is fine,
  2344. clean and white. East of the city, the salt-crusted coastal plains, known as
  2345. sabkha, give way to a north-south running line of dunes. Farther east, the
  2346. dunes grow larger and are tinged red with iron oxide.&lt;/div&gt;
  2347. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2348. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2349. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2350. The flat sandy desert gives way to the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Western&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2351. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hajar&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mountains&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  2352. which run alongside &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s border with &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2353. at Hatta. The &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Western Hajar&lt;/st1:place&gt; chain has an arid,
  2354. jagged and shattered landscape, whose mountains rise to about 1,300 metres
  2355. (4,265 feet) in some places. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; has no
  2356. natural river bodies or oases; however, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2357. does have a natural inlet, Dubai Creek, which has been dredged to make it deep
  2358. enough for large vessels to pass through. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2359. also has multiple gorges and waterholes which dot the base of the Western Al
  2360. Hajar mountains. A vast sea of sand dunes covers much of southern &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, and eventually
  2361. leads into the desert known as The Empty Quarter. Seismically, Dubai is in a
  2362. very stable zone—the nearest seismic fault line, the Zagros Fault, is 200
  2363. kilometres (124 miles) from the UAE and is unlikely to have any seismic impact
  2364. on Dubai.Experts also predict that the possibility of a tsunami in the region
  2365. is minimal because the Persian Gulf waters are not deep enough to trigger a
  2366. tsunami.&lt;/div&gt;
  2367. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2368. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2369. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2370. The sandy desert surrounding the city supports wild grasses
  2371. and occasional date palms. Desert hyacinths grow in the sabkha plains east of
  2372. the city, while acacia and ghaf trees grow in the flat plains within the
  2373. proximity of the Western Al Hajar mountains. Several indigenous trees such as
  2374. the date palm and neem as well as imported trees like the eucalypts grow in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s natural parks.
  2375. The houbara bustard, striped hyena, caracal, desert fox, falcon and Arabian
  2376. oryx are common in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2377. desert. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is on the migration path between
  2378. Europe, Asia and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Africa&lt;/st1:place&gt;, and more than 320
  2379. migratory bird species pass through the emirate in spring and autumn. The
  2380. waters of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2381. are home to more than 300 species of fish, including the hammour. The typical
  2382. marine life off the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2383. coast includes tropical Fish, jellyfish, coral, dugong, dolphins, whales and
  2384. sharks. Various types of turtles can also be found in the area including the
  2385. Hawksbill turtle and Green Turtle which are listed as endangered species.&lt;/div&gt;
  2386. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2387. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2388. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2389. Dubai Creek runs northeast-southwest through the city. The
  2390. eastern section of the city forms the locality of Deira and is flanked by the
  2391. emirate of Sharjah in the east and the town of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al Aweer&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in the south. The &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2392. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; is located south of Deira,
  2393. while the Palm Deira is located north of Deira in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian
  2394. Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Much of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2395. real-estate boom is concentrated to the west of the Dubai Creek, on the
  2396. Jumeirah coastal belt. Port Rashid, Jebel Ali, Burj Al Arab, the Palm Jumeirah
  2397. and theme-based free-zone clusters such as &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Business&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bay&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; are all located in this section.&lt;/div&gt;
  2398. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2399. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRaqu0tUPm6sFivVssHhVcyC-AXU1zNvft_0-OkEjpGtT1e_rFCLGfDVKVo5MreCmCTKpXJZyhC-_DUNg-Jew0w7zap1KpbQJAl-vgwr49ZBbCBZMJDsgfnQbNJ-zh6E4riLFv8aTJ19E/s1600/Dubai_map_city.svg.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;262&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRaqu0tUPm6sFivVssHhVcyC-AXU1zNvft_0-OkEjpGtT1e_rFCLGfDVKVo5MreCmCTKpXJZyhC-_DUNg-Jew0w7zap1KpbQJAl-vgwr49ZBbCBZMJDsgfnQbNJ-zh6E4riLFv8aTJ19E/s400/Dubai_map_city.svg.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2400. &lt;br /&gt;
  2401. &lt;br /&gt;
  2402. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2403. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: maroon; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Climate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2404. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2405. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2406. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2407. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2408. has a hot desert climate. Summers in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2409. are extremely hot, windy, and humid, with an average high around 42 °C (108 °F)
  2410. and overnight lows around 29 °C (84 °F). Most days are sunny throughout the
  2411. year. Winters are warm with an average high of 23 °C (73 °F) and overnight lows
  2412. of 14 °C (57 °F). Precipitation, however, has been increasing in the last few
  2413. decades with accumulated rain reaching 250 mm (9.84 in) per year. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; summers are also
  2414. known for the high humidity level, which can make it uncomfortable for many.&lt;/div&gt;
  2415. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2416. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2417. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2418. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Governance
  2419. and politics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2420. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2421. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2422. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2423. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s
  2424. government operates within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, and has
  2425. been ruled by the Al Maktoum family since 1833. The current ruler, His Highness
  2426. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is also the Vice President and Prime
  2427. Minister of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab
  2428.  Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and member of the Supreme Council
  2429. of the Union (SCU). &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2430. appoints eight members in two-term periods to the Federal National Council
  2431. (FNC) of the UAE, the supreme federal legislative body.&lt;/div&gt;
  2432. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2433. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2434. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2435. The Dubai Municipality (DM) was established by the then
  2436. ruler of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  2437. Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum in 1954 for purposes of city planning, citizen
  2438. services and upkeep of local facilities. DM is chaired by Hamdan bin Rashid Al
  2439. Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and comprises several departments such as the
  2440. Roads Department, Planning and Survey Department, Environment and Public Health
  2441. Department and Financial Affairs Department. In 2001, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Municipality&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2442. embarked on an e-Government project with the intention of providing 40 of its
  2443. city services through its web portal, dubai.ae. Thirteen such services were
  2444. launched by October 2001, while several other services were expected to be
  2445. operational in the future. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2446. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Municipality&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is also in
  2447. charge of the city&#39;s sanitation and sewage infrastructure.&lt;/div&gt;
  2448. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2449. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2450. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2451. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Law
  2452. enforcement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2453. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2454. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2455. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2456. In 2013, the Norway-based Global Network for Rights and
  2457. Development (GNRD) released its annual International Human Rights Indicator
  2458. (IHRRI) report that ranks the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  2459.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; first among Arab countries and
  2460. 14th globally for respecting human rights. The next Arab country on the list, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tunisia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, was
  2461. ranked at 72. The UAE was also ranked six spots ahead of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United States&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2462. which was placed 20th overall. To acquire its 14th position, the UAE fared well
  2463. across 21 individual categories, performing best in the education category with
  2464. a 94 per cent finish for ensuring top education for all children.&lt;/div&gt;
  2465. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2466. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2467. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2468. The UAE earned a 93 per cent rating for providing right to
  2469. health care followed by an 85 per cent rating for right to life. For its
  2470. protection for residents the right not to be deprived of property arbitrarily,
  2471. the UAE was scored at 80 per cent while the country was scored at 79 per cent
  2472. for protecting the rights of foreigners. The UAE was marked at 76 per cent for
  2473. the right of protection for honour and equally at 76 per cent for the right to
  2474. marry. A rating of 75 per cent was given to the UAE for working to protect the
  2475. right to an adequate standard of living and 75 per cent was also given for the
  2476. country’s protection of the rights of the accused. The UAE’s right to liberty
  2477. and security was ranked at 71 per cent while the right of assembly in the UAE
  2478. earned 70 points. The UAE also earned a 70 per cent rating for providing rights
  2479. to acceptable conditions at work. Freedom of expression was scored at 69 per
  2480. cent by the human rights indicator. The right to liberty of movement within the
  2481. UAE was also scored at 69 per cent. The right to be free of discrimination was
  2482. ranked at 66 per cent in the country.&lt;/div&gt;
  2483. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2484. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2485. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2486. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993300; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Demographics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2487. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2488. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2489. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2490. According to the census conducted by the Statistics Centre
  2491. of Dubai, the population of the emirate was 1,771,000 as of 2009, which included
  2492. 1,370,000 males and 401,000 females. The region covers 497.1 square miles
  2493. (1,287.5 km2). The population density is 408.18/km² – more than eight times
  2494. that of the entire country. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2495. is the second most expensive city in the region, and 20th most expensive city
  2496. in the world.&lt;/div&gt;
  2497. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2498. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2499. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2500. As of 2005, 17% of the population of the emirate was made up
  2501. of Arab UAE nationals, with the rest comprising expatriates. Approximately 85%
  2502. of the expatriate population (and 71% of the emirate&#39;s total population) was
  2503. Asian, chiefly Indian (51%) and Pakistani (16%); other significant groups
  2504. include Bangladeshis (9%) and Filipinos (3%) and a sizeable community of
  2505. Somalis numbering around 30,000, as well as other communities of various
  2506. nationalities. A quarter of the population reportedly traces their origins to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. In
  2507. addition, 16% of the population (or 288,000 persons) living in collective
  2508. labour accommodation were not identified by ethnicity or nationality, but were
  2509. thought to be primarily Asian. There are over 100,000 British expatriates in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, by far the largest
  2510. group of Western expatriates in the city. The median age in the emirate was
  2511. about 27 years. The crude birth rate, as of 2005, was 13.6%, while the crude
  2512. death rate was about 1%.&lt;/div&gt;
  2513. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2514. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2515. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2516. Arabic is the national and official language of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  2517. The Gulf dialect of Arabic is spoken natively by the Emirati people. English is
  2518. used as a second language. Other languages spoken in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, due to immigration, are Urdu, Hindi,
  2519. Persian, Bengali, Malayalam, Tulu, Tamil, Kannada, Sinhala, Telugu, Tagalog and
  2520. Chinese, in addition to many other languages.&lt;/div&gt;
  2521. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2522. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2523. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2524. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Year&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Population&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2525. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2526. 18221&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;1,200&lt;/div&gt;
  2527. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2528. 19001&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;10,000&lt;/div&gt;
  2529. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2530. 19301&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;20,000&lt;/div&gt;
  2531. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2532. 19401&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;38,000&lt;/div&gt;
  2533. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2534. 19541&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;20,000&lt;/div&gt;
  2535. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2536. 19601&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;40,000&lt;/div&gt;
  2537. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2538. 1968&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;58,971&lt;/div&gt;
  2539. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2540. 1975&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;183,000&lt;/div&gt;
  2541. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2542. 1985&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;370,800&lt;/div&gt;
  2543. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2544. 1995&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;674,000&lt;/div&gt;
  2545. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2546. 2005&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;1,204,000&lt;/div&gt;
  2547. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2548. 2013&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;2,106,177&lt;/div&gt;
  2549. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2550. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2551. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2552. 1 The town of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2553. first conducted a census in 1968. All population figures in this table prior to
  2554. 1968 are estimates obtained from various sources.&lt;/div&gt;
  2555. &lt;br /&gt;
  2556. &lt;br /&gt;
  2557. &lt;br /&gt;
  2558. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2559. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00ccff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Religion&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2560. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2561. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2562. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2563. Article 7 of the UAE&#39;s Provisional Constitution declares
  2564. Islam the official state religion of the UAE. The government subsidises almost
  2565. 95% of mosques and employs all Imams; approximately 5% of mosques are entirely
  2566. private, and several large mosques have large private endowments.&lt;/div&gt;
  2567. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2568. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2569. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2570. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; also has large Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Bahá&#39;í, Buddhist and other religious
  2571. communities residing in the city. Non-Muslim groups can own their own houses of
  2572. worship, where they can practice their religion freely, by requesting a land
  2573. grant and permission to build a compound. Groups that do not have their own
  2574. buildings must use the facilities of other religious organisations or worship
  2575. in private homes. Non-Muslim religious groups are permitted to openly advertise
  2576. group functions; however, proselytising or distributing religious literature is
  2577. strictly prohibited under penalty of criminal prosecution, imprisonment, and
  2578. deportation for engaging in behaviour offensive to Islam.&lt;/div&gt;
  2579. &lt;br /&gt;
  2580. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2581. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKr5j5hSJgVJ_-dO6vnkcdO-gdhaNDrekBA2naim_tCQ4kIuUwGKtp5Pq4S2wOwK8PMwYitwASLK8xvAQTdEQg_iNTPLxcInTnyG8wx9qoywbfzeq3r2jY780o3-yclqqHVR7xPScYNLc/s1600/Dubai_UAE_Jumeirah_Mosque_1301200712683.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKr5j5hSJgVJ_-dO6vnkcdO-gdhaNDrekBA2naim_tCQ4kIuUwGKtp5Pq4S2wOwK8PMwYitwASLK8xvAQTdEQg_iNTPLxcInTnyG8wx9qoywbfzeq3r2jY780o3-yclqqHVR7xPScYNLc/s400/Dubai_UAE_Jumeirah_Mosque_1301200712683.jpg&quot; width=&quot;376&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2582. &lt;br /&gt;
  2583. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2584. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Economy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2585. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2586. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2587. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2588. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2589. gross domestic product as of 2011 was US $83.4 billion. Although &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s economy was built
  2590. on the back of the oil industry, revenues from oil and natural gas currently
  2591. account for less than 7% of the emirate&#39;s revenues. It is estimated that &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; produces 50,000 to
  2592. 70,000 barrels (11,000 m3) of oil a day and substantial quantities of gas from
  2593. offshore fields. The emirate&#39;s share in UAE&#39;s gas revenues is about 2%. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s oil reserves have
  2594. diminished significantly and are expected to be exhausted in 20 years. Real
  2595. estate and construction (22.6%), trade (16%), entrepôt (15%) and financial
  2596. services (11%) are the largest contributors to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s economy. Dubai&#39;s top exporting
  2597. destinations include India (US$ 5.8 billion), Switzerland (US$ 2.37 billion)
  2598. and Saudi Arabia (US$ 0.57 billion). &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s top
  2599. re-exporting destinations include &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2600. (US$ 6.53 billion), &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2601. (US$ 5.8 billion) and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2602. (US$ 2.8 billion). The emirate&#39;s top import sources are &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; (US$ 12.55 billion), &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;China&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; (US$ 11.52 billion) and the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United States&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2603. (US$ 7.57 billion). As of 2009 &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2604. was &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2605. largest trade partner.&lt;/div&gt;
  2606. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2607. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2608. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2609. Historically, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; and its
  2610. twin across the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; creek, Deira (independent
  2611. of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; at that time), were important ports
  2612. of call for Western manufacturers. Most of the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;new city&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s banking and financial centres were
  2613. headquartered in the port area. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2614. maintained its importance as a trade route through the 1970s and 1980s. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; has a free trade in gold and, until the 1990s, was
  2615. the hub of a &quot;brisk smuggling trade&quot; of gold ingots to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, where
  2616. gold import was restricted. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2617. Jebel Ali port, constructed in the 1970s, has the largest man-made harbour in
  2618. the world and was ranked seventh globally for the volume of container traffic
  2619. it supports. Dubai is also a hub for service industries such as information
  2620. technology and finance, with industry-specific free zones throughout the city. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Internet&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2621. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, combined with &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Media&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2622. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; as part of TECOM
  2623. (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one
  2624. such enclave whose members include IT firms such as Hewlett-Packard, EMC
  2625. Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, and IBM, and media organisations
  2626. such as MBC, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Sky News and AP.&lt;/div&gt;
  2627. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2628. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2629. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2630. The government&#39;s decision to diversify from a trade-based,
  2631. oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented made property
  2632. more valuable, resulting in the property appreciation from 2004 to 2006. A
  2633. longer-term assessment of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2634. property market, however, showed depreciation; some properties lost as much as
  2635. 64% of their value from 2001 to November 2008. The large scale real estate
  2636. development projects have led to the construction of some of the tallest
  2637. skyscrapers and largest projects in the world such as the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Emirates&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2638. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Towers&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, the Burj Khalifa, the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Palm&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Islands&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2639. and the most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s property market experienced a major
  2640. downturn in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the slowing economic climate. By early
  2641. 2009, the situation had worsened with the Great Recession taking a heavy toll
  2642. on property values, construction and employment. This has had a major impact on
  2643. property investors in the region, some of whom were unable to release funds
  2644. from investments made in property developments. As of February 2009 &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s foreign debt was
  2645. estimated at approximately $80 billion, although this is a tiny fraction of the
  2646. sovereign debt worldwide. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; real estate and
  2647. UAE property experts believe that by avoiding the mistakes of the past, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s realty market can
  2648. achieve stability in future.&lt;/div&gt;
  2649. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2650. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2651. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2652. The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) was established in March
  2653. 2000 as a secondary market for trading securities and bonds, both local and
  2654. foreign. As of fourth quarter 2006, its trading volume stood at about 400
  2655. billion shares, worth $95 billion in total. The DFM had a market capitalisation
  2656. of about $87 billion. The other Dubai-based stock exchange is NASDAQ Dubai,
  2657. which is the international stock exchange in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle
  2658. East&lt;/st1:place&gt;. It enables a range of companies, including UAE and regional
  2659. small and medium-sized enterprises, to trade on an exchange with an
  2660. international brand name, with access by both regional and international
  2661. investors.&lt;/div&gt;
  2662. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2663. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2664. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2665. Dubai is also known as City of Gold, a major part of economy
  2666. based on Gold trades in Dubai, Dubai&#39;s total gold trading volumes in H1 2011
  2667. reached 580 tonnes (average price US$1,455).&lt;/div&gt;
  2668. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2669. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2670. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2671. A City Mayors survey rated &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2672. as 44th among the world&#39;s best financial cities in 2007, while another report
  2673. by City Mayors indicated that &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2674. was the world&#39;s 27th richest city in 2012, in terms of purchasing power parity
  2675. (PPP). Dubai is also an international financial centre and has been ranked 37th
  2676. within the top 50 global financial cities as surveyed by the MasterCard
  2677. Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index (2007),and 1st within the Middle East.&lt;/div&gt;
  2678. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2679. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2680. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2681. In 2012, the Global City Competitiveness Index by the
  2682. Economist Intelligence Unit ranked &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2683. at No. 40 with a total score of 55.9. According to their 2013 research report
  2684. on the future competitiveness of cities, in 2025 &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; moves up to 23rd place overall in the
  2685. Index. Indians are top foreign investors in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; realty.&lt;/div&gt;
  2686. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2687. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2688. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2689. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; has launched several major projects to support its economy and develop
  2690. different sectors. These include Dubai Fashion 2020 which is believed to be fully
  2691. unveiled by fall of 2013 and Dubai Design District, expected to become a home
  2692. to leading local and international designers. The AED 4 billion phase 1 of the
  2693. project will be complete by January 2015.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  2694. &lt;br /&gt;
  2695. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2696. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ36dITgJ-cVKCoynYgy00j6Jr0-MoR_psTQB69PuUCNhEKLgHvcPtWdS79HbLP8T-6C_TYR7PttXdBI4zrBT3-lAFFe0eGYqN-kJnZGw28frk654hzhj-GjDsVYTpCDbfJgO72LjpaAz8/s1600/450px-Dubai_WTC_at_night.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ36dITgJ-cVKCoynYgy00j6Jr0-MoR_psTQB69PuUCNhEKLgHvcPtWdS79HbLP8T-6C_TYR7PttXdBI4zrBT3-lAFFe0eGYqN-kJnZGw28frk654hzhj-GjDsVYTpCDbfJgO72LjpaAz8/s400/450px-Dubai_WTC_at_night.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2697. &lt;br /&gt;
  2698. &lt;br /&gt;
  2699. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2700. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Tourism and
  2701. retail&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2702. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2703. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2704. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2705. Tourism is an important part of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; government&#39;s strategy to maintain the
  2706. flow of foreign cash into the emirate. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2707. lure for tourists is based mainly on shopping, but also on its possession of
  2708. other ancient and modern attractions. As of 2010, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was the 7th most visited city of the
  2709. world with 7.6 million visitors a year. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2710. is expected to accommodate over 15 million tourists by 2015. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2711. is the most populous emirate of the seven emirates of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  2712. It is distinct from other members of the UAE in that a large part of the
  2713. emirate&#39;s revenues are from tourism.&lt;/div&gt;
  2714. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2715. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2716. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2717. In 2012 a 16.4% increase in inflation affected the city&#39;s restaurant
  2718. and hotel sector. In early August 2013, plans for &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s first underwater hotel the Water
  2719. Discus Hotel were publicly revealed. Developed by Polish company Deep Ocean
  2720. Technology, the Water Discus will be the world&#39;s largest hotel of its kind and
  2721. will be in addition to two underwater suites in existence at &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s The Palm: Atlantis accommodation
  2722. venue.&lt;/div&gt;
  2723. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2724. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2725. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2726. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; has been called the
  2727. &quot;shopping capital of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt;&quot;.
  2728. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; alone has
  2729. more than 70 shopping malls, including the world&#39;s largest shopping mall, Dubai
  2730. Mall. The city draws large numbers of shopping tourists from countries within
  2731. the region and from as far as Eastern Europe, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Africa&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2732. and the Indian Subcontinent. Most boutiques, some electronics shops, department
  2733. stores and supermarkets operate on a fixed-price basis, other outlets do allow
  2734. negotiation.&lt;/div&gt;
  2735. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2736. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2737. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2738. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2739. is also known for souk districts located on either side of the creek.
  2740. Traditionally, dhows from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;East Asia&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;China&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sri Lanka&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  2741. and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  2742. would discharge their cargo and the goods would be bargained over in the souks
  2743. adjacent to the docks. Many boutiques and jewellery stores are also found in
  2744. the city. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is known as &quot;the City of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Gold&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&quot; and Gold Souk
  2745. in Deira houses nearly 250 gold retail shops. Dubai Duty Free (DDF) at the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2746. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; offers
  2747. merchandise catering to the multinational passengers using the airport.&lt;/div&gt;
  2748. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2749. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2750. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2751. Drug laws are very strictly enforced. Several people have
  2752. been arrested, and some sentenced to four years in prison, for
  2753. &quot;possession&quot; of trace amounts stuck to the soles of their shoes,
  2754. adhering to their clothing, or in pocket lint.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  2755. &lt;br /&gt;
  2756. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2757. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-K-aNvNJsOl0pBoyi0tiSOHeiE1R8GVz4anXiRQkOI4-O7RzBk65Aqj2ZsoP3zQ6XeaXE6DtvPhf1upgMqXG9l_aYPT1FPCQ2fhiSqUFlIpNKBbAabOgoPR9EseBDH41i6zH0-Pp0XHRZ/s1600/Dubai_mall-2011-5.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;265&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-K-aNvNJsOl0pBoyi0tiSOHeiE1R8GVz4anXiRQkOI4-O7RzBk65Aqj2ZsoP3zQ6XeaXE6DtvPhf1upgMqXG9l_aYPT1FPCQ2fhiSqUFlIpNKBbAabOgoPR9EseBDH41i6zH0-Pp0XHRZ/s400/Dubai_mall-2011-5.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2758. &lt;br /&gt;
  2759. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2760. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt; bid for Expo 2020&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2761. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2762. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2763. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2764. On November 2, 2011 four cities had their bids for Expo 2020
  2765. already lodged, with &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2766. making the last-minute entry. The delegation from the Bureau International des
  2767. Expositions who visited &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; in February 2013 to examine the Emirate’s readiness for the largest exposition,
  2768. was impressed by the infrastructure, and the level of national support. In May
  2769. 2013, Dubai Expo 2020 Master Plan was revealed showing the city&#39;s great chances
  2770. to win. If the city’s bid is successful, the event will bring huge economic
  2771. benefits by generating activities worth billions of dirhams. According to a
  2772. research from Oxford Economics, Dubai Expo 2020 may create over 270,000 jobs. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  2773. &lt;br /&gt;
  2774. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2775. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yHJadp5CtCYa3sub7Sa4RtByILottQazf5iaOu_A_zu50ps4l5R9s3do1j4bjpeUibMaE17A07TNMW0wOY7qo0xUQm3CQnff4dQSE5rUuHIK7WYYD_1P7IZ3PCSoAwozIczzLZ-po7q3/s1600/Dubai_Creek_2012.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;298&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yHJadp5CtCYa3sub7Sa4RtByILottQazf5iaOu_A_zu50ps4l5R9s3do1j4bjpeUibMaE17A07TNMW0wOY7qo0xUQm3CQnff4dQSE5rUuHIK7WYYD_1P7IZ3PCSoAwozIczzLZ-po7q3/s400/Dubai_Creek_2012.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2776. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  2777. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Architecture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  2778. &lt;br /&gt;
  2779. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2780. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2781. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2782. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2783. has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural
  2784. styles. Many modern interpretations of Islamic architecture can be found here,
  2785. due to a boom in construction and architectural innovation in the Arab World in
  2786. general, and in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; in particular, supported
  2787. not only by top Arab or international architectural and engineering design
  2788. firms such as Al Hashemi and Aedas, but also by top firms of &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;New
  2789. York&lt;/st1:state&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chicago&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  2790. As a result of this boom, modern Islamic – and world – architecture has
  2791. literally been taken to new levels in skyscraper building design and
  2792. technology. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2793. now boasts more completed or topped-out skyscrapers higher than 2/3 km, 1/3 km,
  2794. or 1/4 km than any other city. A culmination point was reached in 2010 with the
  2795. completion of the Burj Khalifa (&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Khalifa&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2796. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;), now by far the
  2797. world&#39;s tallest building at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). The Burj Khalifa&#39;s design is
  2798. derived from the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture, with the
  2799. triple-lobed footprint of the building based on an abstracted version of the
  2800. desert flower hymenocallis which is native to the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; region. The completion of the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Khalifa&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  2801. following the construction boom that began in the 1980s, accelerated in the
  2802. 1990s, and took on a rapid pace of construction unparalled in modern human
  2803. history during the decade of the 2000s, leaves &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; with the world&#39;s tallest skyline as of
  2804. 4 January 2010.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  2805. &lt;br /&gt;
  2806. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2807. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKggP8_fLK0Q0eJe4DpJnsMsrPx6wPYyhXrj7qLMlcpQ1wWXz6HuVQc3ajCfD4MG2qonyUUVkIgevhkrLlGKhjlTY2udtsp22r4oj9XBDIIcr_wMqDTWFsQRSCU_6y2KiKH2vMGMk7HzLJ/s1600/Dubai_banner_2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;89&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKggP8_fLK0Q0eJe4DpJnsMsrPx6wPYyhXrj7qLMlcpQ1wWXz6HuVQc3ajCfD4MG2qonyUUVkIgevhkrLlGKhjlTY2udtsp22r4oj9XBDIIcr_wMqDTWFsQRSCU_6y2KiKH2vMGMk7HzLJ/s640/Dubai_banner_2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;640&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2808. &lt;br /&gt;
  2809. &lt;br /&gt;
  2810. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2811. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff9900; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Burj al Arab&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2812. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2813. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2814. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2815. The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;برج العرب&lt;/span&gt;, Tower of the Arabs) is a 5 star luxury
  2816. hotel. Although the hotel is frequently described as &quot;the world&#39;s only
  2817. seven-Star hotel&quot;, the hotel management claims to never have done that
  2818. themselves. The Burj al Arab&#39;s management company, Jumeira Group, describes the
  2819. hotel as simply a &quot;five-star deluxe&quot; property. A Jumeirah Group
  2820. spokesperson is quoted as saying: &quot;There&#39;s not a lot we can do to stop it.
  2821. We&#39;re not encouraging the use of the term. We&#39;ve never used it in our
  2822. advertising.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  2823. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2824. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2825. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2826. The Burj Al Arab is located on an artificial island 280
  2827. metres (919 ft) from Jumeirah beach on the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; shoreline and is connected to the
  2828. mainland by a private curving bridge. It is managed by the Jumeirah Group and
  2829. built by Said Khalil. Construction started in 1994 and completed in 1999. The
  2830. design, by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC, is designed to symbolize &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s urban
  2831. transformation and to mimic the sail of a traditional Arab dhow. The hotel cost
  2832. $650 million to build. At 321 metres (1,053 ft) and 60 floors, it was the world&#39;s
  2833. tallest building used exclusively as a hotel until the completion of the Rose
  2834. Rayhaan by Rotana in 23 December 2009, also in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2835. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2836. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkk-s7LhtLMyp4PNT_C4eC0wCSSsbyFnLV2CC169CxIr2Q_R2XNnAEB5AfiIE055W0TJbhVKClCbiYJUnRLEyEviMgCZ30ivDt3m6HsRW97h2xHJPnx5ijgQJKWUQujhdJWuahWfeWLtg/s1600/Burj_Khalifa_building.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkk-s7LhtLMyp4PNT_C4eC0wCSSsbyFnLV2CC169CxIr2Q_R2XNnAEB5AfiIE055W0TJbhVKClCbiYJUnRLEyEviMgCZ30ivDt3m6HsRW97h2xHJPnx5ijgQJKWUQujhdJWuahWfeWLtg/s400/Burj_Khalifa_building.jpg&quot; width=&quot;266&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2837. &lt;br /&gt;
  2838. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2839. The design features a steel exoskeleton wrapped around a
  2840. reinforced concrete tower. Two wings spread in a V shape to form a vast mast,
  2841. while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium by a teflon-coated
  2842. fibreglass sail. During the day, the white fabric allows a soft, milky light
  2843. inside the hotel, whereas a clear, glass front would produce blinding amounts of
  2844. glare and a constantly increasing temperature. At night, both inside and
  2845. outside, the fabric is lit by colour changing lights. Near the top of the
  2846. building is a suspended helipad supported by a cantilever which has featured
  2847. some of the hotel&#39;s notable publicity events.&lt;/div&gt;
  2848. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2849. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2850. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2851. The hotel&#39;s interior was designed by Kunan Chew. It features
  2852. the world&#39;s tallest atrium lobby at 180 metres. The atrium lobby is formed by
  2853. the building&#39;s V-shaped span, dominates the interior of the hotel, and takes up
  2854. over 1/3 of the interior space. Despite its size, the Burj Al Arab holds only
  2855. 28 double-story floors, accommodating 202 bedroom suites. It is one of the most
  2856. expensive hotels in the world. The cost of staying at a suite begins at $1,000
  2857. per night. The Royal Suite is the most expensive, at $28,000 per night.&lt;/div&gt;
  2858. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2859. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2860. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2861. One of its restaurants, Al Muntaha, is located 200 metres
  2862. above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. It is supported by a full cantilever
  2863. that extends 27 metres from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic
  2864. elevator. Another restaurant, the Al Mahara, which is accessed by a simulated
  2865. submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 35,000
  2866. cubic feet (990 m3) of water. The tank, made of acrylic glass in order to
  2867. withstand the water pressure, is about 18 centimetres thick.&lt;/div&gt;
  2868. &lt;br /&gt;
  2869. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2870. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm0lepHoOzNCaY3DYgHZgwlRPWSdGrHKMOv7gft9v3snAhmXWmv0B7EJ8RhpilVQpk-c1tEpEqALtiFCYDDKG5Pu1cQe8vOPVO4llEAlhg4OrYLvqQGN5Q4gDxyO9VH6laOv4MIB-THnP/s1600/Burj_Al_Arab_Dubai.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm0lepHoOzNCaY3DYgHZgwlRPWSdGrHKMOv7gft9v3snAhmXWmv0B7EJ8RhpilVQpk-c1tEpEqALtiFCYDDKG5Pu1cQe8vOPVO4llEAlhg4OrYLvqQGN5Q4gDxyO9VH6laOv4MIB-THnP/s400/Burj_Al_Arab_Dubai.jpg&quot; width=&quot;398&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2871. &lt;br /&gt;
  2872. &lt;br /&gt;
  2873. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2874. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ccffff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;QE2&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2875. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2876. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2877. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2878. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  2879. is currently the home of the famous former Cunard ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth
  2880. 2. The ship was bought by developers Istithmar World in 2007 for US$100m at
  2881. Port Rashid. QE2&#39;s distinctive profile is a regular sight for travellers
  2882. arriving into Dubai International Airport as the flight path takes aircraft
  2883. over the port.&lt;/div&gt;
  2884. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2885. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2886. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2887. In January 2013, the QE2&#39;s owners announced that the ship
  2888. will be upgraded into a luxury floating hotel with 500 rooms and will be moored
  2889. in an Asian harbor. The refurbishment will be completed in collaboration with
  2890. Oceanic Group based in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Singapore&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  2891. &lt;br /&gt;
  2892. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2893. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamg-Zk3MkKiOVGdSn9h_1KsCIgzBHuMIN8-zT3pIdVK1q-EuIxbWmBkJF0YlUqXS3UUcL2rB04-nENpA9-DdJggHn6FVzkEJrEGkdFOHt24jc8Kbx5MRfDD2IPSDS94924UDawFF1vRFR/s1600/800px-QE2_in_Dubai_2.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamg-Zk3MkKiOVGdSn9h_1KsCIgzBHuMIN8-zT3pIdVK1q-EuIxbWmBkJF0YlUqXS3UUcL2rB04-nENpA9-DdJggHn6FVzkEJrEGkdFOHt24jc8Kbx5MRfDD2IPSDS94924UDawFF1vRFR/s400/800px-QE2_in_Dubai_2.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2894. &lt;br /&gt;
  2895. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2896. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Sanitation
  2897. issues&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2898. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2899. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2900. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2901. Currently, sewage is piped to one of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s two main sewage treatment plants at
  2902. Jebel Ali and Al-Awir. In 2009, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  2903. rapid growth and the failure to increase sewerage infrastructure commensurately
  2904. meant that it briefly stretched its sewage treatment infrastructure beyond its
  2905. limits. Sewage tankers were drafted in to supplement the piped sewage network
  2906. and, because of the long queues and delays, some tanker drivers resorted to
  2907. illegally dumping the effluent into storm drains or behind dunes in the desert.
  2908. Sewage dumped into storm drains flowed directly into the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian
  2909. Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;, near the city&#39;s prime swimming beaches. Doctors at the time
  2910. warned that tourists using the beaches ran the risk of contracting serious
  2911. illnesses like typhoid and hepatitis. Dubai municipality says that it is
  2912. committed to catching the culprits and has imposed fines of up to $25,000 and
  2913. threatened to confiscate tankers if dumping persists. The municipality
  2914. maintains that test results show samples of the water are &quot;within the
  2915. standards&quot;. As of September 2009, these queues and illegal dumping are no
  2916. longer reported to be a problem.&lt;/div&gt;
  2917. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2918. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2919. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2920. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Miracle&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2921. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Garden&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2922. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2923. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2924. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2925. On Valentine&#39;s Day 2013, the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Miracle&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2926. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Garden&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, a 72,000-square
  2927. meter flower garden, opened in Dubailand. It is currently the world&#39;s largest
  2928. flower garden. When complete it will have 45 million flowers with re-use of
  2929. waste water through drip irrigation. During &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s summer months from late May to
  2930. September when the climate can get extremely hot with an average high of about
  2931. 40 °C (104 °F), the garden will be closed.&lt;/div&gt;
  2932. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2933. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2934. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2935. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Transportation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2936. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2937. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2938. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2939. Transport in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is
  2940. controlled by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), an agency of the
  2941. government of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  2942. formed by royal decree in 2005. The public transport network has in the past
  2943. faced congestion and reliability issues which a large investment programme has
  2944. addressed, including over AED 70 billion of improvements planned for completion
  2945. by 2020, when the population of the city is projected to exceed 3.5 million. In
  2946. 2009, according to &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Municipality&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; statistics, there were an estimated
  2947. 1,021,880 cars in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  2948. In January 2010, the number of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  2949. residents who use public transport stood at 6%.&lt;/div&gt;
  2950. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2951. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2952. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2953. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Road&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2954. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2955. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2956. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2957. Five main routes – E 11 (&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sheikh Zayed Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;), E 311 (&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;),
  2958. E 44 (&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai-Hatta Highway&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;),
  2959. E 77 (&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai-Al Habab Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;)
  2960. and E 66 (&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oud Metha Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;)
  2961. – run through &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  2962. connecting the city to other towns and emirates. Additionally, several
  2963. important intra-city routes, such as D 89 (Al Maktoum Road/Airport Road), D 85
  2964. (Baniyas Road), D 75 (Sheikh Rashid Road), D 73 (Al Dhiyafa Road now named as
  2965. the 2 December street), D 94 (Jumeirah Road) and D 92 (Al Khaleej/Al Wasl Road)
  2966. connect the various localities in the city. The eastern and western sections of
  2967. the city are connected by Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge, Al Shindagha
  2968. Tunnel, Business Bay Crossing and Floating Bridge.&lt;/div&gt;
  2969. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2970. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2971. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2972. The Public Bus Transport system in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is run by the RTA. The bus system
  2973. services 140 routes and transported over 109 million people in 2008. By the end
  2974. of 2010, there will be 2,100 buses in service across the city. In 2006, the
  2975. Transport authority announced the construction of 500 air-conditioned (A/C)
  2976. Passenger Bus Shelters, and planned for 1,000 more across the emirates in a
  2977. move to encourage the use of public buses.&lt;/div&gt;
  2978. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2979. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2980. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  2981. All taxi services are licenced by the RTA. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; licensed taxis are easily identifiable
  2982. by their cream bodywork colour and varied roof colours identifying the
  2983. operator. Dubai Taxi Corporation, a division of the RTA, is the largest
  2984. operator and has taxis with red roofs. There are four private operators: Metro
  2985. Taxis (orange roofs); Network Taxis (yellow roofs); Cars Taxis (blue roofs);
  2986. and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt; Taxis (green roofs). In addition,
  2987. Dubai Taxi Corporation has a Ladies Taxi service, with pink roofs, which caters
  2988. exclusively for female passengers, using female drivers. The &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  2989. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; taxi concession
  2990. is operated by Dubai Taxi Corporation. There are more than 3000 taxis operating
  2991. within the emirate making an average of 192,000 trips every day, carrying about
  2992. 385,000 persons. In 2009 taxi trips exceeded 70 million trips serving around
  2993. 140.45 million passengers.&lt;/div&gt;
  2994. &lt;br /&gt;
  2995. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2996. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZjEWbdBX-p6YRWRzN7bx83oyNJB8RFIi4JSek13F_nxU_66U1J6_yxAubF1sUunAiTKVtCBQ9WROTRCwmKMo_eRZQCTsRhcMGoR85KcM80fGTEcrWdhMnNKHNtlg_obtqPSou6FD526q/s1600/800px-Dubai_Bus_on_26_December_2007_Pict_4.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZjEWbdBX-p6YRWRzN7bx83oyNJB8RFIi4JSek13F_nxU_66U1J6_yxAubF1sUunAiTKVtCBQ9WROTRCwmKMo_eRZQCTsRhcMGoR85KcM80fGTEcrWdhMnNKHNtlg_obtqPSou6FD526q/s400/800px-Dubai_Bus_on_26_December_2007_Pict_4.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  2997. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  2998. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  2999. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2meeBbpK-7QZPj-T4-IM3QAF21O2y0-grmh9z1cjC7yJyI9r1Z28U2yxu47osGW2P88h60wuSrTUSWWla1OQcbm8fwQt7vVUENYmHPCZdFDhwQYRWBwpWoHlUwb1HzoZf9e9lcApqC6QR/s1600/800px-Dubai_Bus_Shelters_on_15_December_2007_Pict_2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;277&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2meeBbpK-7QZPj-T4-IM3QAF21O2y0-grmh9z1cjC7yJyI9r1Z28U2yxu47osGW2P88h60wuSrTUSWWla1OQcbm8fwQt7vVUENYmHPCZdFDhwQYRWBwpWoHlUwb1HzoZf9e9lcApqC6QR/s400/800px-Dubai_Bus_Shelters_on_15_December_2007_Pict_2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3000. &lt;br /&gt;
  3001. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3002. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: navy; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Air&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3003. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3004. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3005. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3006. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  3007. (IATA: DXB), the hub for the Emirates Airline, serves the city of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; and other emirates
  3008. in the country. The airport was the 15th busiest airport in the world by
  3009. passenger traffic handling 40.9 million passengers in 2009. The airport was
  3010. also the 2nd busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic.
  3011. In addition to being an important passenger traffic hub, the airport is the 7th
  3012. busiest cargo airport in world, handling 1.927 million tonnes of cargo in 2009,
  3013. a 5.6% increase compared to 2008 and was also the 4th busiest International
  3014. freight traffic airport in world. Emirates Airline is the national airline of
  3015. Dubai. As of 2009, it operated internationally serving 101 destinations in 61
  3016. countries across six continents.&lt;/div&gt;
  3017. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3018. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3019. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3020. The development of Al Maktoum International Airport (IATA:
  3021. DWC) was announced in 2004. The first phase of the airport, featuring one A380
  3022. capable runway, 64 remote stands, one cargo terminal with annual capacity for
  3023. 250,000 tonnes of cargo and a passenger terminal building designed to
  3024. accommodate five million passengers per year, has been opened. When completed,
  3025. Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International will be the largest airport in the
  3026. world with five runways, four terminal buildings and capacity for 160 million
  3027. passengers and 12 million tons of cargo.&lt;/div&gt;
  3028. &lt;br /&gt;
  3029. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3030. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05HFo8szulDOKC4BER8WSeaK6nEMOLfMj5zXL-XefNBiHETit2eOIFj_Zh6izKfe6SANJYP2WGH-Eg2IU8zKvkugd9aH2sSDbo8cZFtzLLB46podnfyk5e3vBSWo_4VQPzg5260zcwJW7/s1600/800px-Dubai_Flusstaxi.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;298&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05HFo8szulDOKC4BER8WSeaK6nEMOLfMj5zXL-XefNBiHETit2eOIFj_Zh6izKfe6SANJYP2WGH-Eg2IU8zKvkugd9aH2sSDbo8cZFtzLLB46podnfyk5e3vBSWo_4VQPzg5260zcwJW7/s400/800px-Dubai_Flusstaxi.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3031. &lt;br /&gt;
  3032. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3033. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #003366; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Metro rail&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3034. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3035. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3036. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3037. A $3.89 billion Dubai Metro project is currently
  3038. operational. It currently consists of two lines (Red line and Green line) which
  3039. run through the major financial and residential areas of the city. The Metro
  3040. system was partially opened on September 2009. UK-based international service
  3041. company Serco Group is responsible for operating the metro. Dubai Metro is the
  3042. world&#39;s second cheapest metro transportation system after Tehran Metro in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The metro
  3043. comprises the Green Line which runs from the Etisalat Station to the Creek
  3044. Station (though Creek Station is still not operational and stops at Dubai
  3045. Healthcare City Station, just before Creek Station) and the Red Line, the major
  3046. back bone line, which runs from Rashidiya Station to Jebel Ali Station Jebel
  3047. Ali. A Blue and a Purple Line have also been planned. The Dubai Metro (Green
  3048. and Blue Lines) will have 70 km (43.5 mi) of track and 43 stations, 37 above ground
  3049. and ten underground. The Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;. All the trains run without a driver
  3050. and are based on automatic navigation.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  3051. &lt;br /&gt;
  3052. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3053. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwitzAct3EFsgiqUgsqcNImDvN9Hjma13H2empnfpGY4Twqadj33dIvxrKYglTSkwwPZ4P6b8yoop1x3qnFZUT2BLguGVyrCG-Sv4djoMWEeT8Rn5GY0OpTzNltWBM8ws1zBQcZIPA1b5p/s1600/Dubai_Metro.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwitzAct3EFsgiqUgsqcNImDvN9Hjma13H2empnfpGY4Twqadj33dIvxrKYglTSkwwPZ4P6b8yoop1x3qnFZUT2BLguGVyrCG-Sv4djoMWEeT8Rn5GY0OpTzNltWBM8ws1zBQcZIPA1b5p/s400/Dubai_Metro.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3054. &lt;br /&gt;
  3055. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3056. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvG3ukFNTA7w2IeEAM_X8rTwjrPuTGHw2TOSGUj514huTLwCcPl3sKiV38tESftgRmm5amPFQi9taDKmt1xx4OOPu6_7WZBncruLHlY6eCp7UtYYDqFGq3waEhYPXz9KzgqSc0PZyYT3s/s1600/Metro_Dubai_2.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvG3ukFNTA7w2IeEAM_X8rTwjrPuTGHw2TOSGUj514huTLwCcPl3sKiV38tESftgRmm5amPFQi9taDKmt1xx4OOPu6_7WZBncruLHlY6eCp7UtYYDqFGq3waEhYPXz9KzgqSc0PZyYT3s/s400/Metro_Dubai_2.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3057. &lt;br /&gt;
  3058. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3059. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00ccff; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Palm
  3060. Jumeirah Monorail&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3061. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3062. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3063. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3064. The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a monorail line on the Palm
  3065. Jumeirah. It connects the Palm Jumeirah to the mainland, with a planned further
  3066. extension to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro. The line opened on 30 April 2009.
  3067. Two trams systems are expected to be built in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; by 2011. The first is the Downtown Burj
  3068. Khalifa Tram System and the second is the Al Sufouh Tram. The Downtown Burj
  3069. Khalifa Tram System is a 4.6 km (2.9 mi) tram service that is planned to
  3070. service the area around the Burj Khalifa, and the second tram will run 14.5 km
  3071. (9.0 mi) along &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al Sufouh Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;
  3072. from Dubai Marina to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates.&lt;/div&gt;
  3073. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3074. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3075. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3076. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; has announced it will
  3077. complete a link of the UAE high speed rail system which will eventually hook up
  3078. with the whole GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council, also known as Cooperation Council
  3079. for the Arab States of the Gulf) and then possibly &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Europe&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  3080. The High Speed Rail will serve passengers and cargo.&lt;/div&gt;
  3081. &lt;br /&gt;
  3082. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3083. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41FH-TmDkiPNhSdREPFGDmrvKBL6B5ZmyHCpQK9eYttTnsU1bfWAYkcYlZiTVCUsPetUpSG01IAD_YH8vowvzKo-6KioUPIFesEhOS94pkY3oWrNRcfWbHvDXCEO2GhslaLIo2XVs7Z2T/s1600/800px-Dubai_Monorail_01.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41FH-TmDkiPNhSdREPFGDmrvKBL6B5ZmyHCpQK9eYttTnsU1bfWAYkcYlZiTVCUsPetUpSG01IAD_YH8vowvzKo-6KioUPIFesEhOS94pkY3oWrNRcfWbHvDXCEO2GhslaLIo2XVs7Z2T/s400/800px-Dubai_Monorail_01.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3084. &lt;br /&gt;
  3085. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3086. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Waterways&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3087. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3088. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3089. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3090. There are two major commercial ports in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali. Port
  3091. Jebel Ali is the world&#39;s largest man-made harbour, the biggest port in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt;, and the 7th-busiest port in the world. One
  3092. of the more traditional methods of getting across Bur Dubai to Deira is by
  3093. abras, small boats that ferry passengers across the Dubai Creek, between abra
  3094. stations in Bastakiya and &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Baniyas
  3095.  Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;. The Marine Transport Agency has also
  3096. implemented the Dubai Water Bus System. Water bus is a fully air conditioned
  3097. boat service across selected destinations across the creek. One can also avail
  3098. oneself of the tourist water bus facility in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Latest addition to the water transport
  3099. system is the Water Taxi.&lt;/div&gt;
  3100. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3101. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3102. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3103. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Culture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3104. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3105. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3106. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3107. The UAE culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam
  3108. and traditional Arab and Bedouin culture. In contrast, the city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is a highly
  3109. cosmopolitan society with a diverse and vibrant culture. The influence of
  3110. Islamic and Arab culture on its architecture, music, attire, cuisine and
  3111. lifestyle are very prominent as well. Five times every day, Muslims are called
  3112. to prayer from the minarets of mosques which are scattered around the country.
  3113. Since 2006, the weekend has been Friday-Saturday, as a compromise between
  3114. Friday&#39;s holiness to Muslims and the Western weekend of Saturday-Sunday.&lt;/div&gt;
  3115. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3116. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3117. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3118. In 2005, 84% of the population of metropolitan &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; was foreign-born, about half of them from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The
  3119. city&#39;s cultural imprint as a small, ethnically homogenous pearling community
  3120. was changed with the arrival of other ethnic groups and nationals—first by the
  3121. Iranians in the early 1900s, and later by Indians and Pakistanis in the 1960s.&lt;/div&gt;
  3122. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3123. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3124. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3125. Major holidays in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3126. include Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and National Day (2
  3127. December ), which marks the formation of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Annual
  3128. entertainment events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Dubai Summer
  3129. Surprises (DSS) attract over 4 million visitors from across the region and
  3130. generate revenues in excess of $2.7 billion.&lt;/div&gt;
  3131. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3132. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3133. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3134. The International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA),
  3135. the world&#39;s leading events trade association, has crowned &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3136. as IFEA World Festival and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Event&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3137. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, 2012 in the cities
  3138. category with a population of more than one million.&lt;/div&gt;
  3139. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3140. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3141. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3142. Large shopping malls in the city, such as Deira City Centre,
  3143. Mirdiff City Centre, BurJuman, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall and Ibn Battuta
  3144. Mall as well as traditional souks attract shoppers from the region.&lt;/div&gt;
  3145. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3146. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3147. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3148. Khor Dubai, or Dubai Creek in English, is one of the few
  3149. places in the city where old traditions could still be seen. Dubai Creek may
  3150. become a UNESCO World Heritage Site if the authorities&#39; bid is successful. In
  3151. that case, it will earn a place among internationally famous sites such as
  3152. Grand Canyon, &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yellowstone&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;National Park&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Stonehenge&lt;/st1:place&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  3153. &lt;br /&gt;
  3154. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3155. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNOMeMkTsBjUWcLX55JJ50YBsvJ-yDdSvYU9u040fIXQsG0ASmUrPgmbsUYjxhml5utD3g39pI43a_pD_dY5wGHJzDtpbo0N50tXKm5KStbU7XR0fn_ccjK7ojCvilG5RmCyvFBiJqyjt/s1600/800px-Deira_Souk_on_9_May_2007_Pict_2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNOMeMkTsBjUWcLX55JJ50YBsvJ-yDdSvYU9u040fIXQsG0ASmUrPgmbsUYjxhml5utD3g39pI43a_pD_dY5wGHJzDtpbo0N50tXKm5KStbU7XR0fn_ccjK7ojCvilG5RmCyvFBiJqyjt/s400/800px-Deira_Souk_on_9_May_2007_Pict_2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3156. &lt;br /&gt;
  3157. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3158. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Food&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3159. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3160. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3161. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3162. Arabic food is very popular and is available everywhere in
  3163. the city, from the small shawarma diners in Deira and Al Karama to the
  3164. restaurants in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s
  3165. hotels. Fast food, South Asian, and Chinese cuisines are also very popular and
  3166. are widely available. The sale and consumption of pork, though legal, is
  3167. regulated and is sold only to non-Muslims, in designated areas of supermarkets
  3168. and airports. Similarly, the sale of alcoholic beverages is regulated. A liquor
  3169. permit is required to purchase alcohol; however, alcohol is available in bars
  3170. and restaurants within hotels. Shisha and qahwa boutiques are also popular in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is known for its nightlife. Clubs and
  3171. bars are found mostly in hotels due to the liquor laws. The New York Times
  3172. described &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3173. as &quot;the kind of city where you might run into Michael Jordan at the Buddha
  3174. Bar or stumble across Naomi Campbell celebrating her birthday with a multiday
  3175. bash&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3176. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3177. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3178. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3179. Biryani is also a popular cuisine across &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3180. with being the most popular among Indians and Pakistanis present in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3181. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3182. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3183. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3184. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3185. has a vast variety of cuisines for people from all over the world. One of the
  3186. most popular cuisines in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3187. is Indian.&lt;/div&gt;
  3188. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3189. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3190. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3191. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: navy; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Dress and
  3192. etiquette&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3193. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3194. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3195. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3196. The Islamic dress code is not compulsory. Most Emirati males
  3197. prefer to wear a kandura, an ankle-length white shirt woven from wool or
  3198. cotton, and most Emirati women wear an abaya, a black over-garment covering
  3199. most parts of the body. On an average a UAE male national would have up to 50
  3200. kanduras as they keep changing their clothing to ensure the dress being kept
  3201. clean. This attire is particularly well-suited for the UAE&#39;s hot and dry
  3202. climate, the reason being that the white cloak reflects back the sunlight, for
  3203. the same reason the UAE men wear white cloaks throughout the summer season
  3204. while colorful cloaks are seen during the winters. Conversely, the black
  3205. clothing that women are obliged to wear absorbs and concentrates the sunlight. Western-style
  3206. clothing is, however, dominant because of the large expatriate population, and
  3207. this practice is beginning to grow in popularity among Emiratis.&lt;/div&gt;
  3208. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3209. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3210. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3211. Prohibitions on &quot;indecent clothing&quot; are an aspect
  3212. of the UAE to which visitors are expected to conform. Recently, many
  3213. expatriates have disregarded the law and been arrested for indecent clothing, or
  3214. lack thereof, at beaches. Western-style dress is tolerated in places such as
  3215. bars or clubs, but the UAE has enforced anti-indecency prohibitions in other
  3216. public spaces.&lt;/div&gt;
  3217. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3218. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3219. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3220. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Entertainment&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3221. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3222. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3223. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3224. The &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  3225.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is a part of the khaliji
  3226. tradition, and is also known for Bedouin folk music. During celebrations
  3227. singing and dancing also take place and many of the traditional songs and
  3228. dances have survived to the present time. Yowalah is the traditional dance of
  3229. the UAE. Young girls would dance by swinging their long black hair and swaying
  3230. their bodies in time to the strong beat of the music. Men would re-enact
  3231. battles fought or successful hunting expeditions, often symbolically using
  3232. sticks, swords or rifles.&lt;/div&gt;
  3233. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3234. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3235. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3236. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hollywood&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3237. and Indian movies are popular in Dubai (UAE). Since 2004, the city has hosted
  3238. the annual Dubai International Film Festival which serves as a showcase for
  3239. Arab film making talent. Musicians Amr Diab, Diana Haddad, Tarkan, Aerosmith,
  3240. Santana, Mark Knopfler, Rick Ross, Elton John, Pink, Shakira, Celine Dion,
  3241. Coldplay, Keane, Phil Collins, Kavita Krishnamurthy, A R Rahman, and Roxette have
  3242. performed in the city. Kylie Minogue was reportedly paid $3.5 million to
  3243. perform at the opening of the Atlantis resort on 20 November 2008. The &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; Desert Rock
  3244. Festival is also another major festival consisting of heavy metal and rock
  3245. artists.&lt;/div&gt;
  3246. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3247. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3248. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3249. One of the lesser known sides of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is the importance of its young contemporary
  3250. art gallery scene. Since 2008, the leading contemporary art galleries such as
  3251. Carbon 12 Dubai, Green Art, gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, and The Third Line
  3252. are bringing the city on the international art map. Art Dubai, the growing and
  3253. reputable art fair of the region is as well a major contributor of the
  3254. contemporary art scene&#39;s development.&lt;/div&gt;
  3255. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3256. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3257. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3258. The largest Cinema Hall in UAE is Reel Cinemas located at
  3259. Dubai Mall. It has 22 screens available with a total of 2800 seats.&lt;/div&gt;
  3260. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3261. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3262. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3263. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Sports&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3264. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3265. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3266. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3267. Football and cricket are the most popular sports in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Five teams (Al Wasl
  3268. FC, Al-Ahli &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Al &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nasr&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3269. &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;SC&lt;/st1:state&gt;, Al Shabab Al Arabi Club and Dubai Club)
  3270. represent &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3271. in UAE Pro-League. Al-Wasl have the second-most number of championships in the
  3272. UAE League, after Al Ain. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3273. also hosts both the annual Dubai Tennis Championships and The Legends Rock
  3274. Dubai tennis tournaments, as well as the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament
  3275. and the Dubai World Championship, all of which attract sports stars from around
  3276. the world. The Dubai World Cup, a thoroughbred horse race, is held annually at
  3277. the Meydan Racecourse. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3278. also hosts the traditional rugby union tournament Dubai Sevens, part of the
  3279. Sevens World Series. In 2009, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3280. hosted the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Auto racing is also a big sport in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, the Dubai Autodrome
  3281. is home to many auto racing events throughout the year.&lt;/div&gt;
  3282. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3283. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3284. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3285. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Cricket&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3286. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3287. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3288. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3289. Cricket is followed by &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  3290. large community of Indians and Pakistanis alongside the residents from other
  3291. cricket playing nations (&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sri Lanka&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  3292. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bangladesh&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;England&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Australia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3293. and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;South Africa&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;).
  3294. In 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC) moved its headquarters from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;London&lt;/st1:city&gt; to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  3295. The city has hosted several &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Pakistan&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3296. matches and two new grass grounds are being developed in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sports&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3297. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. And lot of
  3298. tournaments also take place in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3299. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3300. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3301. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3302. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00ccff; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Potential
  3303. Olympic bid&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3304. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3305. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3306. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3307. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3308. had expressed great interest in a 2020 Olympic bid but had not formally
  3309. announced it would bid. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s hosting of
  3310. Sportaccord 2010 has been a great way to show off &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s sport infrastructure. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; has already won the
  3311. rights to host the 10th FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m). Statement
  3312. from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  3313. ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: &quot;We will have to take an
  3314. honest look at our weaknesses as well as our strengths,&quot; Sheikh Mohammed
  3315. said on 25 April. &quot;I can assure you of this, though: if we decide to make
  3316. a bid for the Olympics, we will be in it to win&quot;. On 29 July 2011, it was
  3317. announced that &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; would not bid for the 2020
  3318. Olympics but would instead focus on bidding for the 2024 Games (similar to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Toronto&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;). As reported by
  3319. Olympic news outlet Around the Rings, the United Arab Emirates Olympic
  3320. Committee shifted the focus to 2024, event though &quot;... as much of 70
  3321. percent of the &#39;hard&#39; infrastructure was already in place or planned.&quot; &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; was looking into the
  3322. possibility of bidding for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, however they never
  3323. submitted a bid.&lt;/div&gt;
  3324. &lt;br /&gt;
  3325. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3326. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK82eAICBv9IJIHGEoQrr123TYAtryvw-laGB6VEZpudNA-jX6HO44-k8lK8ZxjAUnwrxHtL1dxCa84EMminSJZ46Q2-gAGu0hORFQRRzbhVxpu1k3epxB16PAeRQkXKnyzuGX0Hh7atXY/s1600/DTC1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK82eAICBv9IJIHGEoQrr123TYAtryvw-laGB6VEZpudNA-jX6HO44-k8lK8ZxjAUnwrxHtL1dxCa84EMminSJZ46Q2-gAGu0hORFQRRzbhVxpu1k3epxB16PAeRQkXKnyzuGX0Hh7atXY/s400/DTC1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3327. &lt;br /&gt;
  3328. &lt;br /&gt;
  3329. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3330. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Education&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3331. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3332. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3333. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3334. The school system in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3335. follows that of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  3336.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. As of 2009, there are 79
  3337. public schools run by the Ministry of Education that serve Emiratis and
  3338. expatriate Arab people as well as 145 private schools. The medium of
  3339. instruction in public schools is Arabic with emphasis on English as a second
  3340. language, while most of the private schools use English as their medium of
  3341. instruction. Most private schools cater to one or more expatriate communities.&lt;/div&gt;
  3342. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3343. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3344. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3345. The &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;New&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Indian&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Model&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3346. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, Dubai (NIMS), &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Delhi Private&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  3347. Our Own English High School, the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3348. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Modern&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;High
  3349. School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, and The Indian High School, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; offer either a CBSE or an Indian
  3350. Certificate of Secondary Education Indian syllabus. Similarly, there are also
  3351. several reputable Pakistani schools offering FBISE curriculum for expatriate
  3352. children.&lt;/div&gt;
  3353. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3354. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3355. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3356. Dubai English Speaking School, Jumeirah Primary School,
  3357. Jebel Ali Primary School, Cambridge International School, Jumeirah English
  3358. Speaking School, King&#39;s School and the Horizon School all offer British primary
  3359. education up to the age of eleven. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai Gem Private&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3360. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3361. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;British&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  3362. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;College&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  3363. English College Dubai, English Language School Pvt., &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jumeirah&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3364. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;English&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Speaking&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3365. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; – Arabian Ranches, &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jumeirah&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;College&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  3366. and St. Mary&#39;s &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Catholic&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3367. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;High School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; are British
  3368. eleven-to-eighteen secondary schools offering General Certificate of Secondary
  3369. Education and A-Levels. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Emirates&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  3370. The Cambridge International School and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Wellington&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3371. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; provides full
  3372. student education up to the age of 18, and offers International General
  3373. Certificate of Secondary Education and A-Levels. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Deira&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3374. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  3375. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3376. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Academy&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jumeirah&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;English&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3377. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Speaking&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3378. offer the International Baccalaureate program with the IGCSE program. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;American&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3379. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Academy&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;American&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3380. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3381. and the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Universal&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;American&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;School&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  3382. of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; offer curriculum of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United States&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3383. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3384. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3385. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3386. The Ministry of Education of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is responsible
  3387. for accreditation of schools.&lt;/div&gt;
  3388. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3389. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3390. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3391. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) was
  3392. established in 2006 to develop education and human resource sectors in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, and license
  3393. educational institutes.&lt;/div&gt;
  3394. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3395. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3396. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3397. Approximately 10% of the population has university or
  3398. postgraduate degrees. Many expatriates tend to send their children back to
  3399. their home country or to Western countries for university education and to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; for
  3400. technology studies. However, a sizeable number of foreign accredited
  3401. universities have been set up in the city over the last ten years. Some of
  3402. these universities include Hult International Business School, Manchester
  3403. Business School, RIT Dubai, Michigan State University Dubai (MSU Dubai),
  3404. Middlesex University Dubai campus, the Birla Institute of Technology &amp;amp;
  3405. Science, Pilani – Dubai (BITS Pilani), Murdoch University Dubai, Heriot-Watt
  3406. University Dubai, American University in Dubai (AUD), Gulf Medical University
  3407. Gulf Medical College, European university college(nicolas and asp postgraduate
  3408. dental college), the American College of Dubai, Mahatma Gandhi University
  3409. (Off-Campus Centre), Institute of Management Technology – Dubai Campus, SP Jain
  3410. Center of Management, University of Wollongong in Dubai, University of Waterloo
  3411. – UAE Campus, and MAHE Manipal. In 2004, the Dubai School of Government in
  3412. collaboration with &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Harvard&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&#39;s John F. Kennedy School of Government and
  3413. Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) were established in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. In 2010 London
  3414. College of Fashion began to run its thrice-yearly portfolio of fashion short
  3415. courses which are run in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3416. using London-based tutors. The Dubai Public Libraries is the public library
  3417. system in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai.&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3418. &lt;br /&gt;
  3419. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3420. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvBPkAbDUy9Ba8ZQ1nqguk4BTPvmzdvctebE3yfW_eQxBEderYVqHgry7u2gZeJilrjLk8slMkun8PV-y4zRNEzLOZ-B4pPi0okBGcC8eSXNH-9YkYSCHmr2xhjyJZ5ZGTkbAn6dTOsNM/s1600/Knowledge_Village_1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;237&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvBPkAbDUy9Ba8ZQ1nqguk4BTPvmzdvctebE3yfW_eQxBEderYVqHgry7u2gZeJilrjLk8slMkun8PV-y4zRNEzLOZ-B4pPi0okBGcC8eSXNH-9YkYSCHmr2xhjyJZ5ZGTkbAn6dTOsNM/s400/Knowledge_Village_1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3421. &lt;br /&gt;
  3422. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3423. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff6600; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Healthcare&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3424. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3425. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3426. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3427. Healthcare in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3428. can be divided in two different sectors; public and private. While we are
  3429. focusing on &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  3430. each Emirate is able to dictate health care standards according to their
  3431. internal laws, although the standards and regulations rarely have extreme
  3432. differences. Public hospitals in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3433. were first built in the late 1950s and continued to grow with public health
  3434. initiatives. In the 80’s to ‘98 there were more than 20 medical clinics built
  3435. within the Emirate. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3436. decided to keep the momentum going by following the WHO’s policy of ‘Healthcare
  3437. for all by 2000’ and kept building. 2007 launched a new year and a new
  3438. initiative of the Dubai Health Care Authority, which opened to continue
  3439. progress in regulations and movements in healthcare in regards to health care.
  3440. UAE nationals make up less than 20% of the population in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, making the rest of the population
  3441. foreign. In the past there has been no laws forbidding foreign nationals using
  3442. the national and public healthcare systems. Unfortunately due to the population
  3443. overload of the international community, most hospital beds seemed to be used
  3444. less for those from the homeland and more for everybody else.&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3445. &lt;br /&gt;
  3446. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3447. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeQNQaOUKJq50Osyt0M8KnY9bPYUzNoLBLChtwDdhsE9kA2vUxBwshiy6RFRWWVR5w4VQ6a6fiiq-wcudgbt2qalDxw_M5WgPlwaKs6S6n5hl6JZbUujO9z56ju3kmzYW8FBINmzcCKv-/s1600/Dubai_Al_Wasl_Rd.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;270&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeQNQaOUKJq50Osyt0M8KnY9bPYUzNoLBLChtwDdhsE9kA2vUxBwshiy6RFRWWVR5w4VQ6a6fiiq-wcudgbt2qalDxw_M5WgPlwaKs6S6n5hl6JZbUujO9z56ju3kmzYW8FBINmzcCKv-/s400/Dubai_Al_Wasl_Rd.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3448. &lt;br /&gt;
  3449. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3450. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Media&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3451. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3452. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3453. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3454. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3455. has a well-established network, radio, television and electronic media which
  3456. serve the city. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; is the home of the Arabian
  3457. Radio Network, which broadcasts eight FM radio stations including the first
  3458. talk radio station in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt;, Dubai
  3459. Eye 103.8. Dubai-based FM radio stations such as Radio 1 and Radio 2 (104.1 and
  3460. 99.3), Dubai92 (92.0), Al Khaleejia (100.9) and Hit FM (96.7) provide
  3461. programming in English, Arabic and South Asian languages. Multiple
  3462. international channels available through cable, while satellite, radio and
  3463. local channels are provided via the Arabian Radio Network and Dubai Media
  3464. Incorporated systems. The UAE&#39;s most popular English radio station, Channel 4
  3465. FM, took to the air in 1997 and became the UAE&#39;s first private commercial radio
  3466. station.&lt;/div&gt;
  3467. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3468. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3469. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3470. Many international news agencies such as Reuters, APTN, Bloomberg
  3471. L.P. and Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) as well as network news channels
  3472. operate in &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Media&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3473. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Internet&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3474. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Additionally,
  3475. several local network television channels such as Dubai One (formerly Channel
  3476. 33), and Dubai TV (EDTV) provide programming in English and Arabic
  3477. respectively. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is also the headquarters for several print media outlets. Dar Al Khaleej, Al
  3478. Bayan and Al Ittihad are the city&#39;s largest circulating Arabic language
  3479. newspapers, while Gulf News, Khaleej Times and 7DAYS are the largest circulating
  3480. English newspapers.&lt;/div&gt;
  3481. &lt;br /&gt;
  3482. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3483. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOaTOgjHY5R3Mj1ya5NAb06g7V9vBbUkKTMSIshVQ5cgnYbwdbVwr86yXDO2f5nkM-L6wXBmMzKNqC5_xmZsykjGyCBtsyNQTqlaYiQeIixDaK7zjNfOarD8kFK3VabgBG83r-gZ62k_1/s1600/800px-Dubai_Zabeel_Park.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOaTOgjHY5R3Mj1ya5NAb06g7V9vBbUkKTMSIshVQ5cgnYbwdbVwr86yXDO2f5nkM-L6wXBmMzKNqC5_xmZsykjGyCBtsyNQTqlaYiQeIixDaK7zjNfOarD8kFK3VabgBG83r-gZ62k_1/s400/800px-Dubai_Zabeel_Park.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3484. &lt;br /&gt;
  3485. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3486. Etisalat, the government-owned telecommunications provider,
  3487. held a virtual monopoly over telecommunication services in Dubai prior to the
  3488. establishment of other, smaller telecommunications companies such as Emirates
  3489. Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC—better known as Du) in 2006.
  3490. Internet was introduced into the UAE (and therefore &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;) in 1995. The current network has an
  3491. Internet bandwidth of 7.5 Gbit/s with capacity of 49 STM1 links. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; houses two of four
  3492. Domain Name System (DNS) data centres in the country (DXBNIC1, DXBNIC2).
  3493. Censorship is common in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3494. and used by the government to control content that it believes violates the
  3495. cultural and political sensitivities of Emirates. Homosexuality, drugs, and the
  3496. theory of evolution are generally considered taboo.&lt;/div&gt;
  3497. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3498. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3499. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3500. Internet content is regulated in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Etisalat uses a proxy server to filter
  3501. Internet content that the government deems to be inconsistent with the values
  3502. of the country, such as sites that provide information on how to bypass the
  3503. proxy; sites pertaining to dating, gay and lesbian networks, and pornography;
  3504. sites pertaining to the Bahá&#39;í Faith and sites originating from Israel.
  3505. Emirates Media and Internet (a division of Etisalat) notes that as of 2002, 76%
  3506. of Internet users are male. About 60% of Internet users were Asian, while 25%
  3507. of users were Arab. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; enacted an Electronic Transactions and Commerce Law in 2002 which deals with
  3508. digital signatures and electronic registers. It prohibits Internet Service
  3509. Providers (ISPs) from disclosing information gathered in providing services.
  3510. The penal code contains official provisions that prohibit digital access to
  3511. pornography; however, it does not address cyber crime or data protection.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  3512. &lt;br /&gt;
  3513. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3514. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wUIsAbfNtTKMRbFUi_6wrB6lJp5a0FKrhhzh2w75BV1PerQSIzZbKa2qwkuEbgFvmC7fO6krva-ggGB1XzD6YKQoIZ_IXBj9mV7EJPEGWGHszzQ0GGHQibkk5IVtjRh0ZqJwMHpjQ5H_/s1600/800px-Dubai_Media_City_1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;271&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wUIsAbfNtTKMRbFUi_6wrB6lJp5a0FKrhhzh2w75BV1PerQSIzZbKa2qwkuEbgFvmC7fO6krva-ggGB1XzD6YKQoIZ_IXBj9mV7EJPEGWGHszzQ0GGHQibkk5IVtjRh0ZqJwMHpjQ5H_/s400/800px-Dubai_Media_City_1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3515. &lt;/div&gt;
  3516. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/6189802050724047001/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/dubai.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/6189802050724047001'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/6189802050724047001'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/dubai.html' title='Dubai'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5SwArfBUcO4FHjG72qG2mEqN0PAlbC8mGs9jHeVApekmzUOQL8bof1TZmQghXQuWy_zOgvZun279Emi7JwFh-6foEEo5riyq6PrcKcRcZ-y7McY9_gFfawNcxtC6PNtyEPWlyFvLuZKS/s72-c/Dubaicollage.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-273762528082908537</id><published>2013-11-11T09:26:00.003-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-11T09:30:32.259-08:00</updated><title type='text'>United Arab Emirates</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  3517. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3518. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftuBNaGsXCyWHhtIejNCgJ6TrBABLJv0xy0S8DSQwVqkFBcPee_O8F-4Czv3oArCE7LUvhwC2QtN-UNH9Nlv-335PM-_9n10lNJWAPSuv10t0EbiyBDZjMHaic2nkll64lMoOKGQUFaaD/s1600/Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates.svg.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftuBNaGsXCyWHhtIejNCgJ6TrBABLJv0xy0S8DSQwVqkFBcPee_O8F-4Czv3oArCE7LUvhwC2QtN-UNH9Nlv-335PM-_9n10lNJWAPSuv10t0EbiyBDZjMHaic2nkll64lMoOKGQUFaaD/s400/Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates.svg.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3519. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  3520. &lt;br /&gt;
  3521. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3522. The United Arab Emirates (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;دولة
  3523. الإمارات العربية المتحدة&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt; Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah),
  3524. sometimes simply called the Emirates or the UAE, is an Arab country located in
  3525. the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman
  3526. to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing sea borders with
  3527. Qatar and Iran.&lt;/div&gt;
  3528. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3529. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3530. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3531. The UAE is a federation of seven emirates (equivalent to
  3532. principalities). Each emirate is governed by a hereditary emir who jointly form
  3533. the Federal Supreme Council which is the highest legislative and executive body
  3534. in the country. One of the emirs is selected as the President of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  3535. The constituent emirates are &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Ajman, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Fujairah&lt;/st1:place&gt;, Ras
  3536. al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. The capital is &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu
  3537. Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;, which is one of the two centers of commercial and cultural
  3538. activities, together with &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  3539. Islam is the official religion of the UAE, and Arabic is the official language.&lt;/div&gt;
  3540. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3541. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3542. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3543. Since 1962, when &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu
  3544.  Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; became the first of the emirates to begin
  3545. exporting oil, the country&#39;s society and economy have been transformed. The
  3546. late Sheikh Zayed, ruler of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3547. and the first president of the UAE, oversaw the development of the Emirates and
  3548. steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and infrastructure. Today,
  3549. Emirates oil reserves are ranked as the seventh largest in the world, along
  3550. with world&#39;s seventeenth largest natural gas reserves has contributed towards
  3551. making UAE one of the most developed economies in Western Asia with world&#39;s
  3552. seventh highest per capita income. It&#39;s most populous city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3553. has emerged as a global city and a business gateway for the Middle East and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Africa&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3554. &lt;br /&gt;
  3555. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  3556. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3557. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;The earliest known human habitation in the UAE dated from
  3558. 5500 BC. At this early stage, there is proof of interaction with the outside
  3559. world, particularly with civilizations to the northwest in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mesopotamia&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  3560. These contacts persisted and became wide-ranging, probably motivated by trade
  3561. in copper from the Hajar Mountains, which commenced around 3000 BC. Foreign
  3562. trade, the recurring motif in the history of this strategic region, flourished
  3563. also in later periods, facilitated by the domestication of the camel at the end
  3564. of the second millennium BC.&lt;/div&gt;
  3565. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3566. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3567. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3568. By the 1st century AD overland caravan traffic between &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and cities in southern &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; began. Also, there was
  3569. seaborne travel to the important &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;port&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  3570. of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Omana&lt;/st1:placename&gt; (present-day Umm al-Qaiwain)
  3571. and then to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  3572. These routes were an alternative to the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Red Sea&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3573. route used by the Romans. Pearls had been exploited in the area for millennia
  3574. but at this time the trade reached new heights. Seafaring was also a mainstay
  3575. and major fairs were held at Dibba, bringing in merchants from as far as &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;China&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3576. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3577. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3578. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3579. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Advent of Islam&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3580. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3581. The arrival of envoys from the Islamic prophet Muhammad in
  3582. 630 heralded the conversion of the region to Islam. After Muhammad, one of the
  3583. major battles of the Ridda Wars was fought at Dibba resulting in the defeat of
  3584. the non-Muslims and the triumph of Islam in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian
  3585. Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3586. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3587. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3588. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3589. In 637, Julfar (today Ra&#39;s al-Khaimah) was used as a staging
  3590. post for the Islamic invasion of Sasanian &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. Over many centuries, Julfar
  3591. became a wealthy port and pearling center from which dhows travelled throughout
  3592. the Indian Ocean especially to neighboring &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;land&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sindh&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3593. and its cities of Thatta and Debal.&lt;/div&gt;
  3594. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3595. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3596. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3597. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333333; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Portuguese,
  3598. Ottoman, and British control&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3599. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3600. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Portuguese expansion into the Indian Ocean in the early 16th
  3601. century following Vasco da Gama&#39;s route of exploration saw them battle Safavid &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; up the coast of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian
  3602. Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;. In 1507, the Portuguese Captain Afonso de Albuquerque sailed
  3603. a small fleet into the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Gulf&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:placename&gt; and the Straits of Hormuz seeking a way of
  3604. by-passing Arab traders and taking control of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Indian
  3605. Ocean&lt;/st1:place&gt; to increase the amount of wealth flowing into the Portuguese
  3606. monarchy’s coffers. Vasco da Gama was helped by Ahmad Ibn Majid, a navigator
  3607. and cartographer from Julfar, to find the spice route from &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Asia&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3608. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3609. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3610. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3611. During the 16th century, the entire territory came under the
  3612. direct influence of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ottoman Empire&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The
  3613. Ottoman Navy defeated Portuguese forces on several fronts including the Gulf
  3614. coast. The British eventually got the upper hand, but the region was known to
  3615. the British as the &quot;Pirate Coast&quot;, as raiders based there harassed
  3616. the shipping industry despite both European and Omani navies patrolling the
  3617. area from the 17th century into the 19th. British expeditions to protect the
  3618. Indian trade from raiders at Ras al-Khaimah led to campaigns against that
  3619. headquarters and other harbours along the coast in 1819. The following year, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Britain&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and
  3620. local rulers signed a treaty to combat piracy along the Persian-Gulf coast. Yet
  3621. according to the local Qawassim version, the piracy issue was a pretext. The
  3622. British Empire tried to further establish itself in the Persian Gulf region and
  3623. to secure it from any other European influence, particularly from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;France&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Russia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, not from local raiders.
  3624. This version has been particularly well articulated by the current emir of
  3625. Sharjah in his 1986 book &#39;The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf’. From this, and
  3626. from later agreements, the area became known as the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Trucial&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Coast&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  3627. Raids continued intermittently until 1835, when the sheikhs agreed not to
  3628. engage in hostilities at sea. In 1853, they signed a treaty with the British,
  3629. under which the sheikhs (the &quot;Trucial Sheikhdoms&quot;) agreed to a
  3630. &quot;perpetual maritime truce.&quot; It was enforced by the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Kingdom&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  3631. and disputes among sheikhs were referred to the British for settlement.&lt;/div&gt;
  3632. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3633. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3634. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3635. Primarily in reaction to the ambitions of other European
  3636. countries, the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Kingdom&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3637. and the Trucial Sheikhdoms established closer bonds in an 1892 treaty, similar
  3638. to treaties entered into by &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Britain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3639. with other principalities in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  3640. The sheikhs agreed not to dispose of any territory except to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Britain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and not to enter into relationships with
  3641. any foreign government other than the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Kingdom&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; without its consent.
  3642. In return, the British promised to protect the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Trucial&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Coast&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3643. from all aggression by sea and to help in case of land attack. British
  3644. suppression of piracy meant that pearling fleets could operate in relative
  3645. security. However, the British prohibition of the slave trade meant an
  3646. important source of income was lost to some sheikhs and merchants.&lt;/div&gt;
  3647. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3648. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Pearling
  3649. industry&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3650. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3651. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the pearling
  3652. industry thrived in the relatively calm sea, providing both income and
  3653. employment to the people of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  3654. It began to become a good economic resource for the local people. Then the
  3655. First World War had a severe impact on the pearl fishery, but it was the
  3656. economic depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s, coupled with the
  3657. Japanese invention of the cultured pearl, that all but destroyed it. The
  3658. industry eventually faded away shortly after the Second World War, when the
  3659. newly independent Government of India imposed heavy taxation on pearls imported
  3660. from the Arab states of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3661. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3662. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3663. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3664. The decline of pearling resulted in a very difficult era,
  3665. with little opportunity to build any infrastructure.&lt;/div&gt;
  3666. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3667. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  3668. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3669. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xueU5hNEs36ZRzxS8-tFIMTrTNspJNRFPD_iUubf99fiW8r1Vl52ql4627NTUrz3JGPb9T17x6MJrir9_GdnZQnhwljMpP25w4c3Ios633eWWRxFgRI5KRw16RrAjtV7ygW0m_P2cjzR/s1600/450px-Hatta_01.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xueU5hNEs36ZRzxS8-tFIMTrTNspJNRFPD_iUubf99fiW8r1Vl52ql4627NTUrz3JGPb9T17x6MJrir9_GdnZQnhwljMpP25w4c3Ios633eWWRxFgRI5KRw16RrAjtV7ygW0m_P2cjzR/s400/450px-Hatta_01.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3670. &lt;br /&gt;
  3671. &lt;br /&gt;
  3672. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3673. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Beginning of
  3674. the oil era&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3675. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3676. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Oil was first discovered in the 1950s. At the beginning of
  3677. the 1960s, the first oil company teams carried out preliminary surveys and the
  3678. first cargo of crude was exported from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu
  3679.  Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 1962. As oil revenues increased, the ruler of
  3680. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  3681. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, undertook a massive construction program, building
  3682. schools, housing, hospitals and roads. When &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;’s
  3683. oil exports commenced in 1969, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the de facto
  3684. ruler of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  3685. was also able to use oil revenues to improve the quality of life of his people.&lt;/div&gt;
  3686. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3687. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3688. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3689. In 1955, the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Kingdom&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3690. sided with Abu Dhabi in the latter&#39;s dispute with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; over the Buraimi Oasis,
  3691. another territory to the south. A 1974 agreement between Abu Dhabi and Saudi
  3692. Arabia would have settled the Abu Dhabi-Saudi border dispute; however, the
  3693. agreement has yet to be ratified by the UAE government and is not recognised by
  3694. the Saudi government. The border with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; also remains officially
  3695. unsettled, but the two governments agreed to delineate the border in May 1999.&lt;/div&gt;
  3696. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3697. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3698. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3699. The British had set up a development office that helped in
  3700. some small developments in the emirates. The seven sheikhs of the emirates then
  3701. decided to form a council to coordinate matters between them and took over the
  3702. development office. In 1952, they formed the Trucial States Council, and
  3703. appointed Adi Bitar, Sheikh Rashid&#39;s legal advisor, as Secretary General and
  3704. Legal Advisor to the Council. The council was terminated once the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3705. was formed. The development of the oil industry in the 1960s, encouraged
  3706. unification of the sheikdoms. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became ruler of
  3707. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 1966 and the British started losing
  3708. their oil investments and contracts to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;U.S.&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; oil companies. As independence
  3709. loomed in 1968, Bahrain and Qatar joined the Trucial States. Differences caused
  3710. them to leave the union in 1971.&lt;/div&gt;
  3711. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3712. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  3713. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3714. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghH9B4bpxhL8-SibSDe6ens1bU-gDvEkP-A2kQwmWChxR9oRISGCLoyNpKOa2DNbg5yUY9lHO-nM008-ibz4yx2eDtcXsEEW4VkoMMa7rjjdCKNHha7Uj6_ocq_69FcULQF9TUVXFX6KIA/s1600/718px-Mid-20th_century_Dubai.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;332&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghH9B4bpxhL8-SibSDe6ens1bU-gDvEkP-A2kQwmWChxR9oRISGCLoyNpKOa2DNbg5yUY9lHO-nM008-ibz4yx2eDtcXsEEW4VkoMMa7rjjdCKNHha7Uj6_ocq_69FcULQF9TUVXFX6KIA/s400/718px-Mid-20th_century_Dubai.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3715. &lt;br /&gt;
  3716. &lt;br /&gt;
  3717. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3718. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993300; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Independence&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3719. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3720. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;By 1966 it had become clear the British Government could no
  3721. longer afford to administer and protect what is now the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  3722. British MPs debated the preparedness of the Royal Navy to defend the trucial
  3723. sheikhdoms. Secretary of State for Defence Denis Healey reported that the
  3724. British Armed Forces were seriously overstretched and in some respects
  3725. dangerously under-equipped to defend the trucial sheikhdoms. On 24 January
  3726. 1968, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced the government&#39;s decision,
  3727. reaffirmed in March 1971 by Prime Minister Edward Heath to end the treaty
  3728. relationships with the seven Trucial sheikhdoms that had been, together with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, under British protection.
  3729. Days after the announcement, the ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
  3730. Nahyan, fearing vulnerability, tried to persuade the British to honour the
  3731. protection treaties by offering to pay the full costs of keeping the British
  3732. Armed Forces in the Emirates. The British Labour government rejected the offer.
  3733. After Labour MP Goronwy Roberts informed Sheikh Zayed of the news of British
  3734. withdrawal, the nine Gulf sheikhdoms attempted to form a union of Arab
  3735. emirates, but by mid-1971 they were still unable to agree on terms of union
  3736. even though the British treaty relationship was to expire in December of that
  3737. year.&lt;/div&gt;
  3738. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3739. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3740. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3741. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3742. became independent in August, and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; in September 1971. When the
  3743. British-Trucial Sheikhdoms treaty expired on 1 December 1971, they became fully
  3744. independent. The rulers of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; decided to form a
  3745. union between their two emirates independently, prepare a constitution, then
  3746. call the rulers of the other five emirates to a meeting and offer them the
  3747. opportunity to join. It was also agreed between the two that the constitution
  3748. be written by 2 December 1971. On that date, at the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3749. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guesthouse&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Palace&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  3750. four other emirates agreed to enter into a union called the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  3751. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; declined
  3752. their invitations to join the union. Ras al-Khaimah joined later, in early 1972.
  3753. In February 1972, the Federal National Council (FNC) was created; it was a 40
  3754. member consultative body appointed by the seven rulers.The UAE joined the Arab
  3755. League in 1971. It was a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council in May
  3756. 1981, with &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3757. hosting the first summit. UAE forces joined the allies against &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; after the invasion of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; in 1991.&lt;/div&gt;
  3758. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3759. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3760. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3761. The UAE supported military operations from the United States
  3762. and other Coalition nations that are engaged in the war against the Taliban in
  3763. Afghanistan (2001) and Saddam Hussein in Iraq (2003) as well as operations
  3764. supporting the Global War on Terrorism for the Horn of Africa at Al Dhafra Air
  3765. Base located outside of Abu Dhabi. The air base also supported
  3766. Allied operations during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and Operation Northern
  3767. Watch. The country had already signed a military defense agreement with the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;U.S.&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in 1994 and one with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;France&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in 1995.
  3768. In January 2008, France and the UAE signed a deal allowing &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;France&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to set up a permanent military base in
  3769. the emirate of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  3770. The UAE joined international military operations in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Libya&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in March 2011.&lt;/div&gt;
  3771. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3772. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3773. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3774. On 2 November 2004, the UAE&#39;s first president, Sheikh Zayed
  3775. bin Sultan Al Nahyan, died. His eldest son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
  3776. succeeded as Emir of Abu Dhabi. In accordance with the constitution, the UAE&#39;s
  3777. Supreme Council of Rulers elected Khalifa as president. Sheikh Mohammed bin
  3778. Zayed Al Nahyan succeeded Khalifa as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. In January
  3779. 2006, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister of the UAE and
  3780. the ruler of Dubai, died, and the crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
  3781. Maktoum assumed both roles.&lt;/div&gt;
  3782. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3783. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3784. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3785. The first-ever national elections were held in the UAE on 16
  3786. December 2006. A small number of hand-picked voters chose half of the members
  3787. of the Federal National Council—which is an advisory body.&lt;/div&gt;
  3788. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3789. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3790. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3791. Largely unaffected by the Arab Spring turmoil, the
  3792. government has nonetheless clamped down on Internet activism. In April 2011,
  3793. five activists who signed an online petition calling for reforms were
  3794. imprisoned. They were pardoned and released in November. Since March 2012 more
  3795. than 60 activists (later showed evidence of being moved by &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to create
  3796. chaos) have been detained without charge (at the time) – some of them
  3797. supporters of the Islah Islamic group. A member of the ruling family in Ras
  3798. al-Khaimah was put under house arrest in April 2012 after calling for political
  3799. openness. Mindful of the protests in nearby &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, in November 2012 the UAE
  3800. outlawed online mockery of its own government or attempts to organise public
  3801. protests through social media.&lt;/div&gt;
  3802. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3803. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3804. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3805. &lt;/div&gt;
  3806. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3807. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Geography&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3808. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3809. The &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3810. is situated in Southwest Asia, bordering the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Gulf&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  3811. of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:placename&gt; and the Persian Gulf, between &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  3812. Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;; it is in a strategic location along southern
  3813. approaches to the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Strait of Hormuz&lt;/st1:place&gt;, a vital
  3814. transit point for world crude oil.&lt;/div&gt;
  3815. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3816. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3817. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3818. The UAE lies between 22°30&#39; and 26°10&#39; north latitude and
  3819. between 51° and 56°25′ east longitude. It shares a 530-kilometer border with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; on the west, south, and southeast,
  3820. and a 450-kilometer border with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  3821. on the southeast and northeast. The land border with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in the Khawr al Udayd area is
  3822. about nineteen kilometers (12 miles) in the northwest; however, it is a source
  3823. of ongoing dispute. Following Britain&#39;s military departure from UAE in 1971,
  3824. and its establishment as a new state, the UAE laid claim to islands resulting
  3825. in disputes with Iran that remain unresolved. UAE also disputes claim on other
  3826. islands against the neighboring state of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The largest emirate, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, accounts for
  3827. 87% of the UAE&#39;s total area (67,340 square kilometres (26,000 sq mi)). The
  3828. smallest emirate, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ajman&lt;/st1:place&gt;, encompasses only 259
  3829. km2 (100 sq mi).&lt;/div&gt;
  3830. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3831. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3832. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3833. The UAE coast stretches for more than 650 km (404 mi) along
  3834. the southern shore of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Most
  3835. of the coast consists of salt pans that extend far inland. The largest natural
  3836. harbor is at &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;, although other ports have
  3837. been dredged at &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  3838. Sharjah, and elsewhere. Numerous islands are found in the Persian Gulf, and the
  3839. ownership of some of them has been the subject of international disputes with
  3840. both &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The
  3841. smaller islands, as well as many coral reefs and shifting sandbars, are a
  3842. menace to navigation. Strong tides and occasional windstorms further complicate
  3843. ship movements near the shore. The UAE also has a stretch of the Al Bāţinah
  3844. coast of the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Gulf&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:placename&gt;, although the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Musandam&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3845. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Peninsula&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, the very tip of Arabia by
  3846. the Strait of Hormuz is an exclave of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; separated by the UAE.&lt;/div&gt;
  3847. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3848. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3849. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3850. South and west of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  3851. vast, rolling sand dunes merge into the Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  3852. The desert area of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3853. includes two important oases with adequate underground water for permanent
  3854. settlements and cultivation. The extensive Liwa Oasis is in the south near the
  3855. undefined border with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  3856.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. About 100 km (62 mi) to the
  3857. northeast of Liwa is the Al-Buraimi oasis, which extends on both sides of the
  3858. Abu Dhabi-Oman border. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Lake&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Zakher&lt;/st1:placename&gt; is a man-made lake near the border with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  3859. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3860. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3861. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3862. Prior to withdrawing from the area in 1971, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Britain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  3863. delineated the internal borders among the seven emirates in order to preempt
  3864. territorial disputes that might hamper formation of the federation. In general,
  3865. the rulers of the emirates accepted the British intervention, but in the case
  3866. of boundary disputes between &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;, and also between &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; and Sharjah, conflicting claims were
  3867. not resolved until after the UAE became independent. The most complicated
  3868. borders were in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al-Hajar&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  3869. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;al-Gharbi&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mountains&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  3870. where five of the emirates contested jurisdiction over more than a dozen
  3871. enclaves.&lt;/div&gt;
  3872. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3873. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  3874. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3875. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHomXFp9HRscwIAXX3iRGcmCBnZoDkOAkk30302y7XP7Nx-waglLS0XNZbecOOMbh2gFgCw2Vntr1sQdRqq6p288BzXz7EJa0v_FVII2eqel0TKkLe6XXdeK3gfTitEltP93nukmoFoLQg/s1600/800px-Dunebashing_group_Dubai.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHomXFp9HRscwIAXX3iRGcmCBnZoDkOAkk30302y7XP7Nx-waglLS0XNZbecOOMbh2gFgCw2Vntr1sQdRqq6p288BzXz7EJa0v_FVII2eqel0TKkLe6XXdeK3gfTitEltP93nukmoFoLQg/s400/800px-Dunebashing_group_Dubai.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3876. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3877. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Flora and
  3878. fauna&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3879. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3880. The oasis grow date palms, acacia and eucalyptus trees. In
  3881. the desert the flora is very sparse and consists of grasses and thornbushes.
  3882. The indigenous fauna had come close to extinction because of intensive hunting,
  3883. which has led to a conservation program on &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bani&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yas&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Island&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; initiated by Sheikh Zayed bin
  3884. Sultan Al Nahyan in the 1970s, resulting in the survival of, for example,
  3885. Arabian oryx and leopards. Coastal fish and mammals consist mainly of mackerel,
  3886. perch and tuna, as well as sharks and whales.&lt;/div&gt;
  3887. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  3888. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3889. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixAAT0JgCfVehDd6_87iGeiS4aRax6vSDL4xFISzG2kXzNiNORq_ebAsB02R_jH2bwPL0RYEeomWieqffBZ2I71QUzZETlOr0VTUZC2Q5SzdQWCHNC0MglKVGU_atSzzkCDj2xydZEXNR/s1600/800px-1501200713074_Acacia_tortilis.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixAAT0JgCfVehDd6_87iGeiS4aRax6vSDL4xFISzG2kXzNiNORq_ebAsB02R_jH2bwPL0RYEeomWieqffBZ2I71QUzZETlOr0VTUZC2Q5SzdQWCHNC0MglKVGU_atSzzkCDj2xydZEXNR/s400/800px-1501200713074_Acacia_tortilis.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3890. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;
  3891. &lt;/span&gt;
  3892. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3893. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Climate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3894. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3895. The climate of the U.A.E is subtropical-arid with hot
  3896. summers and warm winters. The hottest months are July and August, when average
  3897. maximum temperatures reach above 45 °C (113.0 °F) on the coastal plain. In the
  3898. Al Hajar Mountains, temperatures are considerably lower, a result of increased
  3899. elevation. Average minimum temperatures in January and February are between 10
  3900. and 14 °C (50 and 57.2 °F). During the late summer months, a humid southeastern
  3901. wind known as Sharqi (i.e. &quot;Easterner&quot;) makes the coastal region especially
  3902. unpleasant. The average annual rainfall in the coastal area is less than 120 mm
  3903. (4.7 in), but in some mountainous areas annual rainfall often reaches 350 mm
  3904. (13.8 in). Rain in the coastal region falls in short, torrential bursts during
  3905. the summer months, sometimes resulting in floods in ordinarily dry wadi beds.
  3906. The region is prone to occasional, violent dust storms, which can severely
  3907. reduce visibility. The Jebel Jais mountain cluster in Ras al-Khaimah has
  3908. experienced snow only twice since records began.&lt;/div&gt;
  3909. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3910. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3911. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3912. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Government
  3913. and politics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3914. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3915. The &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  3916.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is a federation of absolute
  3917. hereditary monarchies. It is governed by a Federal Supreme Council made up of
  3918. the seven emirs of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Ajman, Fujairah,
  3919. Sharjah, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  3920. Ras al-Khaimah and Umm al-Qaiwain. All responsibilities not granted to the
  3921. national government are reserved to the emirates. A percentage of revenues from
  3922. each emirate are allocated to the UAE’s central budget.&lt;/div&gt;
  3923. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3924. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3925. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3926. Although elected by the Supreme Council, the president and
  3927. prime minister are essentially hereditary. The emir of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu
  3928. Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; holds the presidency, and the emir of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is prime minister. All but one prime
  3929. minister served concurrently as vice president. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
  3930. Nahyan was the UAE&#39;s president from the nation&#39;s founding until his death on 2
  3931. November 2004. On the following day the Federal Supreme Council elected his
  3932. son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to the post. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed
  3933. Al Nahyan, is the heir apparent.&lt;/div&gt;
  3934. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3935. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3936. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3937. The UAE convened a half-elected Federal National Council in
  3938. 2006. The FNC consists of 40 members drawn from all the emirates. Half are
  3939. appointed by the rulers of the constituent emirates, and the other half are
  3940. indirectly elected to serve two-year terms. However, the FNC is restricted to a
  3941. largely consultative role. In December 2008, the Supreme Council approved
  3942. constitutional amendments both to empower the FNC and to improve government
  3943. transparency and accountability.&lt;/div&gt;
  3944. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3945. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3946. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3947. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) eGovernment is the extension
  3948. of the UAE Federal Government in its electronic form.&lt;/div&gt;
  3949. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3950. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3951. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3952. &lt;/div&gt;
  3953. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3954. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Law&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3955. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3956. The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates confers
  3957. equality, liberty, rule of law, presumption of innocence in legal procedures,
  3958. inviolability of the home, freedom of movement, freedom of opinion and speech,
  3959. freedom of communication, freedom of religion, freedom of council and
  3960. association, freedom of occupation, freedom to be elected to office and others
  3961. onto all citizens, within the limit of the law.&lt;/div&gt;
  3962. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3963. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3964. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3965. A constitutionally independent judiciary includes the
  3966. Federal Supreme Court. However, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  3967. and Ras al-Khaimah are not part of the federal judicial system. All emirates
  3968. have their own secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts.&lt;/div&gt;
  3969. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3970. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3971. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3972. The court system comprises Sharia courts and civil courts.
  3973. The Personal Status Law, which is based on Sharia and was enacted in 2005,
  3974. regulates matters such as marriage, divorce and child custody. In criminal
  3975. matters a woman’s testimony is worth half of that of a man before a court.
  3976. Sharia courts have exclusive jurisdiction to hear family disputes, including
  3977. matters involving divorce, inheritances, child custody, child abuse and
  3978. guardianship of minors. Sharia courts may, at the federal level only, also hear
  3979. appeals of certain criminal cases including rape, robbery, driving under the
  3980. influence of alcohol and related crimes.&lt;/div&gt;
  3981. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3982. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3983. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3984. Homosexual relationships are illegal: article 80 of the Abu
  3985. Dhabi Penal Code makes sodomy punishable with imprisonment of up to 14 years,
  3986. while article 177 of the Penal Code of Dubai imposes imprisonment of up to 10
  3987. years on consensual sodomy. Foreigners generally receive deportation, which is
  3988. sometimes temporary. Prospective foreign employees infected with hepatitis,
  3989. tuberculosis, or HIV will not be given work visas and have to leave the
  3990. country.&lt;/div&gt;
  3991. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3992. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  3993. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3994. During the month of Ramadan, between sunrise and sunset, it
  3995. is illegal to publicly eat, drink (even water), or smoke. Exceptions are made
  3996. for pregnant or nursing women, as well as children. This applies to non-Muslims
  3997. as well as Muslims, and failure to comply may result in arrest.&lt;/div&gt;
  3998. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  3999. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4000. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4001. Article 1 of the 1987 Federal Penal Code states that
  4002. &quot;provisions of the Islamic Law shall apply to the crimes of doctrinal
  4003. punishment, punitive punishment and blood money.&quot; The Federal Penal Code
  4004. repealed only those provisions within the penal codes of individual Emirates
  4005. which are contradictory to the Federal Penal Code. Hence, both are enforceable
  4006. simultaneously.&lt;/div&gt;
  4007. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4008. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4009. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4010. The Federal Supreme Court ruled that wife beating is not
  4011. illegal, as long as it leaves no physical marks on the victim.&lt;/div&gt;
  4012. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4013. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4014. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4015. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Human rights&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4016. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4017. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Many expatriate workers, mostly of Asian origin, have, after
  4018. their arrival in the UAE, been turned into debt-ridden de facto indentured
  4019. servants. Confiscation of passports, although illegal, occurs on a large scale,
  4020. primarily from unskilled or semi-skilled employees.&lt;/div&gt;
  4021. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4022. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4023. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4024. Labourers often toil in intense heat with temperatures
  4025. reaching 40-50 degrees celsius in the cities in August. Official temperatures
  4026. are censored during the summer months – this is a common practice among all Gulf
  4027. countries. Although attempts have been made since 2009 to enforce a midday
  4028. break rule, these are frequently flouted. Those labourers who do receive a
  4029. midday break often have no suitable place to rest and tend to seek relief in
  4030. bus or taxi stands and gardens.&lt;/div&gt;
  4031. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4032. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4033. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4034. Police departments and non-Government organizations provide
  4035. shelter and support for human trafficking victims until they are able to
  4036. acquire the right documents and many victims are then sent home at the
  4037. Government’s expense, under the Crime Victim Assistance Programme. These
  4038. shelters include the Dubai Women&#39;s and Children&#39;s Foundation, which was
  4039. established in July 2007, and Ewaa in Abu Dhabi, which opened in late 2008, as
  4040. well as the Human Rights Care Department in Dubai and the Social Support Centre
  4041. in Abu Dhabi, which have been operating for several years.&lt;/div&gt;
  4042. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4043. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4044. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4045. The issue of sexual abuse among female domestic servants is
  4046. an area of concern, particularly given that domestic servants are not covered
  4047. by the UAE Labor Law of 1980 or the Draft Labor Law of 2007. Worker protests
  4048. have been suppressed and protesters imprisoned without due process.&lt;/div&gt;
  4049. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4050. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4051. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4052. In 2004, the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4053. police opened designated departments in all emirate police stations that are
  4054. mandated to protect the human rights of both victims and perpetrators of crime.&lt;/div&gt;
  4055. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4056. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4057. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4058. The UAE government is currently studying the establishment
  4059. of a national human-rights commission.&lt;/div&gt;
  4060. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4061. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4062. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4063. In 2013, the Norway-based Global Network for Rights and
  4064. Development (GNRD) released its annual International Human Rights Indicator
  4065. (IHRRI) report that ranks the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  4066.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; first among Arab countries and
  4067. 14th globally for respecting human rights. The next Arab country on the list, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tunisia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, was
  4068. ranked at 72. The UAE was also ranked six spots ahead of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United States&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4069. which was placed 20th overall. To acquire its 14th position, the UAE fared well
  4070. across 21 individual categories, performing best in the education category with
  4071. a 94 per cent finish for ensuring top education for all children.&lt;/div&gt;
  4072. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4073. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4074. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4075. The UAE earned a 93 per cent rating for providing right to
  4076. health care followed by an 85 per cent rating for right to life. For its
  4077. protection for residents the right not to be deprived of property arbitrarily,
  4078. the UAE was scored at 80 per cent while the country was scored at 79 per cent
  4079. for protecting the rights of foreigners. The UAE was marked at 76 per cent for
  4080. the right of protection for honour and equally at 76 per cent for the right to
  4081. marry. A rating of 75 per cent was given to the UAE for working to protect the
  4082. right to an adequate standard of living and 75 per cent was also given for the
  4083. country’s protection of the rights of the accused. The UAE’s right to liberty
  4084. and security was ranked at 71 per cent while the right of assembly in the UAE
  4085. earned 70 points. The UAE also earned a 70 per cent rating for providing rights
  4086. to acceptable conditions at work. Freedom of expression was scored at 69 per
  4087. cent by the human rights indicator. The right to liberty of movement within the
  4088. UAE was also scored at 69 per cent. The right to be free of discrimination was
  4089. ranked at 66 per cent in the country.&lt;/div&gt;
  4090. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4091. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4092. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4093. In July 2013, a video was uploaded onto Youtube, which
  4094. depicted a local driver hitting an expatriate worker, following a road related
  4095. incident. Using part of his head gear, the local driver whips the expatriate and
  4096. also taunts him, before other passers-by intervene. A short while later, Dubai
  4097. Police announced that both, the local driver and the person who filmed the
  4098. video, have been taken into custody. It was also revealed that the local driver
  4099. was a senior UAE government official, although the exact government department
  4100. is not known. The video once again brings into question the way that lower
  4101. classes of foreign workers are treated.&lt;/div&gt;
  4102. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4103. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4104. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4105. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Foreign
  4106. relations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4107. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4108. The UAE’s liberal climate towards foreign cooperation,
  4109. investment and modernization has prompted extensive diplomatic and commercial
  4110. relations with other countries. It plays a significant role in OPEC and the UN,
  4111. and is one of the founding members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).&lt;/div&gt;
  4112. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4113. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4114. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4115. The Emirates have long maintained close relations with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Egypt&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and
  4116. remain the highest investor in the country from among the rest of the Arab
  4117. world. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Pakistan&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4118. had been first to formally recognize the UAE upon its formation and continues
  4119. to be one of its major economic and trading partners with about 400,000
  4120. expatriates receiving employment in the UAE.&lt;/div&gt;
  4121. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4122. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4123. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4124. Trade between the Arabian peninsula and Indian
  4125. sub-continent, together with shared British history, has over the centuries
  4126. evolved into current close political, economic and cultural ties between the
  4127. UAE and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  4128. The largest expatriate presence in the Emirates is Indian, with many local
  4129. Emiratis identifying some of their ancestors as being from the Indian
  4130. Sub-continent. Following British withdrawal from UAE in 1971, and the
  4131. establishment of UAE as a newly formed state, the UAE disputed rights to a
  4132. number of islands in the Persian Gulf against &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The UAE went so far as
  4133. brining the matter to the United Nations, however the case was dismissed. The
  4134. dispute has not significantly impacted relations because of the large Iranian
  4135. community presence and strong economic ties.&lt;/div&gt;
  4136. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4137. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4138. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4139. In its dispute with the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;USA&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4140. and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Israel&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; has repeatedly threatened to close the
  4141. strait at the mouth of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;, a
  4142. vital oil-trade route. Therefore, in July 2012, the UAE began operating a key
  4143. overland oil pipeline which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, to mitigate any
  4144. consequences of an Iranian shut-off.&lt;/div&gt;
  4145. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4146. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4147. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4148. Commercially, the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;UK&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4149. and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Germany&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4150. are the UAE’s largest export markets and bilateral relations have long been
  4151. close as a large number of their nationals reside in the UAE. &lt;/div&gt;
  4152. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4153. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4154. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4155. Diplomatic relations between UAE and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Japan&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; were
  4156. established as early as UAE&#39;s independence in December 1971. The two countries
  4157. had always enjoyed friendly ties and trade between each other. Exports from the
  4158. UAE to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Japan&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; include crude
  4159. oil and natural gas and imports from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Japan&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to UAE include cars and
  4160. electric items.&lt;/div&gt;
  4161. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4162. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4163. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4164. The UAE has continuously been a major contributor of
  4165. emergency relief to regions affected by conflict and natural disasters in the
  4166. developing world. The main UAE governmental agency for foreign aid is the Abu
  4167. Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) which was established in 1971. Since its
  4168. establishment, the ADFD has provided over Dh12.6 billion (US$3.45 billion) in
  4169. soft loans and grants to countries mainly in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Africa&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  4170. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4171. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4172. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4173. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Military&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4174. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4175. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;France&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4176. and the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United States&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4177. have played the most strategically significant roles with defense cooperation
  4178. agreements and military material provision. The UAE discussed with &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;France&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  4179. the possibility of a purchase of 60 Rafale fighter aircraft in January 2013.&lt;/div&gt;
  4180. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4181. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  4182. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4183. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZcPaUv6aM6DV5lmvEs_IkNyDCeVbuY0xFZqG_flaiON6UMxz05Go1RGt2CRromV3My14cBZnirqDSEJWDiDBlJJOYP7DXj987h7nzt9Hn_BdyLmJJIW853Bats7M9pmiCsI9tKlCLTg0/s1600/750px-F-16e_block60.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZcPaUv6aM6DV5lmvEs_IkNyDCeVbuY0xFZqG_flaiON6UMxz05Go1RGt2CRromV3My14cBZnirqDSEJWDiDBlJJOYP7DXj987h7nzt9Hn_BdyLmJJIW853Bats7M9pmiCsI9tKlCLTg0/s400/750px-F-16e_block60.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4184. &lt;br /&gt;
  4185. &lt;br /&gt;
  4186. &lt;br /&gt;
  4187. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4188. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Political
  4189. divisions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4190. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4191. The &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  4192.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is divided into seven
  4193. emirates. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4194. is the most populated Emirate with 35.6% of the UAE population. The Emirate of
  4195. Abu Dhabi has a further 31.2%, meaning that over two-thirds of the UAE
  4196. population live in either &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; or &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  4197. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4198. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4199. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4200. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  4201. has an area of 67,340 square kilometres (26,000 square miles), which is 86.7%
  4202. of the country’s total area, excluding the islands. It has a coastline
  4203. extending for more than 400 km (249 mi) and is divided for administrative
  4204. purposes into three major regions. The Emirate of Dubai extends along the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt; coast of the UAE for approximately 72 km (45
  4205. mi). &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; has
  4206. an area of 3,885 square kilometres (1,500 square miles), which is equivalent to
  4207. 5% of the country’s total area, excluding the islands. The Emirate of Sharjah
  4208. extends along approximately 16 km (10 mi) of the UAE’s &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian
  4209. Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt; coastline and for more than 80 km (50 mi) into the interior.
  4210. The northern emirates which include Fujairah, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ajman&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  4211. Ras al-Khaimah, and Umm al-Qaiwain all have a total area of 3,881 km2. There
  4212. are two areas under joint control. One is jointly controlled by &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and Ajman, the other by &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Fujairah&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  4213. and Sharjah.&lt;/div&gt;
  4214. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4215. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4216. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4217. There is an Omani exclave surrounded by UAE territory, known
  4218. as Wadi Madha. It is located halfway between the Musandam peninsula and the
  4219. rest of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4220. in the Emirate of Sharjah. It covers approximately 75 square kilometres (29
  4221. square miles) and the boundary was settled in 1589. The north-east corner of Madha
  4222. is closest to the Khor Fakkan-Fujairah road, barely 10 metres (33 ft) away.
  4223. Within the Omani exclave of Madha, is a UAE exclave called Nahwa, also
  4224. belonging to the Emirate of Sharjah. It is about 8 kilometres (5 mi) on a dirt
  4225. track west of the town of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;New Madha&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  4226. It consists of about forty houses with its own clinic and telephone exchange.&lt;/div&gt;
  4227. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4228. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4229. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4230. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Economy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4231. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4232. The UAE has a relatively high Human Development Index among
  4233. the Asian continent, ranking forty-first globally. In 2011, UAE is ranked as
  4234. the 14th best nation in the world for doing business based on its economy and
  4235. regulatory environment, ranked by the Doing Business 2011 Report published by
  4236. the World Bank Group&lt;/div&gt;
  4237. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4238. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4239. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4240. The GDP growth rate for 2010 was 3.20%. CPI inflation in the
  4241. April 2008 — April 2009 year was 1.9%. The national debt as of June 2009 was
  4242. $142 billion. In 2009, its GDP, as measured by purchasing power parity, stood
  4243. at US$ 400.4 billion. With a population of just under 900,000 &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was labeled &quot;The richest city
  4244. in the world&quot; by a CNN article.&lt;/div&gt;
  4245. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4246. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4247. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4248. Petroleum and natural gas exports play an important role in
  4249. the economy, especially in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  4250. More than 85% of the UAE&#39;s economy was based on the exports of natural
  4251. resources in 2009. The UAE has tried to reduce its dependency on oil exports by
  4252. diversifying the economy, particularly in the financial, tourism and
  4253. construction sectors. While &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; remained
  4254. relatively conservative in its approach, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  4255. which has far smaller oil reserves, was bolder in its diversification policy&lt;/div&gt;
  4256. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4257. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4258. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4259. UAE law does not allow trade unions to exist. The right to
  4260. collective bargaining and the right to strike are not recognised, and the
  4261. Ministry of Labour has the power to force workers to go back to work. Migrant
  4262. workers who participate in a strike can have their work permits cancelled and
  4263. be deported. Consequently, there are very few anti-discrimination laws in
  4264. relation to labour issues, with Emiratis - other GCC Arabs - getting preference
  4265. when it comes to employment, even though they show scant regard for work and
  4266. learning on the job.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  4267. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4268. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e92hmJGpncgpQ3agA9en4gVVxaFr3hrC02vyU3yB4IwXdi1LzvvTlKksqEQQDr9sNL6InRoijEBlkPvPIpBLgIBCxRe56LDtFJ4LEekalc5doJDv70h3uOAw-YnhVjhddQZhfIZQv8Fq/s1600/Dubai_night_skyline.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e92hmJGpncgpQ3agA9en4gVVxaFr3hrC02vyU3yB4IwXdi1LzvvTlKksqEQQDr9sNL6InRoijEBlkPvPIpBLgIBCxRe56LDtFJ4LEekalc5doJDv70h3uOAw-YnhVjhddQZhfIZQv8Fq/s400/Dubai_night_skyline.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4269. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4270. The UAE&#39;s economy, particularly that of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, was badly hit by the financial crisis
  4271. of 2007–2010. In 2009, the country&#39;s economy shrank by 4.00% and the property
  4272. sector and construction went into decline. However, tourism, trade and the
  4273. retail sector have remained buoyant and the UAE&#39;s overseas investments are
  4274. expected to support its full economic recovery. Concern remains about the
  4275. property sector. Property prices in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  4276. fell dramatically when Dubai World, the government construction company, sought
  4277. to delay a debt payment.&lt;/div&gt;
  4278. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4279. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4280. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4281. The UAE has been spending billions of dollars on
  4282. infrastructure. These developments are particularly evident in the larger
  4283. emirates of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. The northern emirates are rapidly
  4284. following suit, providing major incentives for developers of residential and
  4285. commercial property.&lt;/div&gt;
  4286. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4287. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4288. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4289. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  4290. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  4291. was the Busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic from
  4292. January to May 2013, overtaking London Heathrow. As roads in the western and
  4293. southern regions are still relatively undeveloped, residents prevalently use
  4294. airplanes as the main or alternative mode of transportation. A 1,200 km (750
  4295. mi) country-wide national railway is under construction which will connect all
  4296. the major cities and ports. The Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in
  4297. the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The major ports of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; are &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Khalifa&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Port&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  4298. Mina Zayed, Port Jebel Ali, Port Rashid, Port Khalid, Port Saeed, and Port Khor
  4299. Fakkan.&lt;/div&gt;
  4300. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4301. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4302. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4303. The UAE has signed peaceful nuclear agreements with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;France&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  4304. States&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;South Korea&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  4305. and a MOU with the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  4306.  Kingdom&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  4307. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4308. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4309. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4310. The UAE is presently serviced by two telecommunications
  4311. operators, Etisalat and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company
  4312. (&quot;du&quot;). Etisalat operated a monopoly until du launched mobile
  4313. services in February 2007. Internet subscribers are expected to increase from
  4314. 0.904 million in 2007 to 2.66 million in 2012. The authorities filter websites
  4315. for religious, political and sexual content.&lt;/div&gt;
  4316. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4317. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  4318. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4319. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd48Lz8z8o8-Utq1ADpA5mLpy-NLBV59TXmtwWyuissA8xPSPDzkSm2BP40RNP2BpXsFp4zdF3KIND-X4d7PoPZzQDIxTGvmMtEhnQYW06TbDd26wUzpYxwfV5prluAXMUjo0HWvKw-Rrn/s1600/A380_Emirates_A6-EDC.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd48Lz8z8o8-Utq1ADpA5mLpy-NLBV59TXmtwWyuissA8xPSPDzkSm2BP40RNP2BpXsFp4zdF3KIND-X4d7PoPZzQDIxTGvmMtEhnQYW06TbDd26wUzpYxwfV5prluAXMUjo0HWvKw-Rrn/s400/A380_Emirates_A6-EDC.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4320. &lt;br /&gt;
  4321. &lt;br /&gt;
  4322. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4323. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99cc00; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Demographics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4324. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4325. The demographics of the UAE is extremely diverse. In 2010,
  4326. the UAE&#39;s population was estimated at 8,264,070, of whom only 13% were UAE
  4327. nationals or Emiratis, while the majority of the population were expatriates.
  4328. The country&#39;s net migration rate stands at 21.71, the world&#39;s highest. Under
  4329. Article 8 of UAE Federal Law no. 17, an expatriate can apply for UAE
  4330. citizenship after residing in the country for 20 years, providing that person
  4331. has never been convicted of a crime and can speak fluent Arabic.&lt;/div&gt;
  4332. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4333. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4334. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4335. With a male/female sex ratio of 2.2 for the total population
  4336. and 2.75 for the 15–65 age group, the UAE&#39;s gender imbalance is second highest
  4337. in the world after &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  4338. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4339. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4340. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4341. In 2009, Emirati citizens accounted for 16.5% of the total
  4342. population; South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) constituted the
  4343. largest group, making up 58.4% of the total; other Asians made up 16.7% while
  4344. Western expatriates were 8.4% of the total population.&lt;/div&gt;
  4345. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4346. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4347. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4348. There is a growing presence of Europeans especially in
  4349. multi-cultural cities such as &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Western expatriates, from Europe, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Australia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, Northern Africa, Africa and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Latin America&lt;/st1:place&gt; make up 500,000 of the UAE population. The
  4350. UAE has also attracted a small number of expatriates from countries in Europe,
  4351. North America, Asia, and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oceania&lt;/st1:place&gt;. More than
  4352. 100,000 British nationals live in the country. The rest of the population were
  4353. from other Arab states.&lt;/div&gt;
  4354. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4355. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4356. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4357. The average life expectancy is 76.7 years (2012), higher
  4358. than for any other Arab country.&lt;/div&gt;
  4359. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4360. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4361. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4362. About 88% of the population of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is urban.&lt;/div&gt;
  4363. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4364. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4365. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4366. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Religion&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4367. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4368. Islam is the largest and the official state religion of the
  4369. UAE, the government follows a policy of tolerance toward other religions and
  4370. rarely interferes in the activities of non-Muslims. By the same token,
  4371. non-Muslims are expected to avoid interfering in Islamic religious matters or
  4372. the Islamic upbringing of Muslims.&lt;/div&gt;
  4373. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4374. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4375. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4376. The government imposes restrictions on spreading other
  4377. religions through any form of media as it is considered a form of
  4378. proselytizing. There are approximately 31 churches throughout the country, one
  4379. Hindu temple in the region of Bur Dubai, one Sikh Gurudwara in Jebel Ali and
  4380. also a Buddhist temple in Al Garhoud.&lt;/div&gt;
  4381. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4382. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4383. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4384. Based on the Ministry of Economy census in 2005, 76% of the
  4385. total population was Muslim, 9% Christian, and 15% other (mainly Hindu). Census
  4386. figures do not take into account the many &quot;temporary&quot; visitors and
  4387. workers while also counting Baha&#39;is and Druze as Muslim. Among Emirati
  4388. citizens, 85% are Sunni Muslim, while Shi&#39;a Muslims are 15%, mostly
  4389. concentrated in the emirates of Sharjah and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Omani immigrants are mostly Ibadi,
  4390. while Sufi influences exist too.&lt;/div&gt;
  4391. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4392. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4393. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4394. According to some sources, between 5 to 8% of the population
  4395. are atheist. People of all faiths or no faith are given equal protection under
  4396. the country&#39;s constitution and laws.&lt;/div&gt;
  4397. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4398. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4399. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4400. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwKV0M9PQEuWFbeWGZ5q9wcbmLtcsnS8YcKXbyRgOSz609uckUK4BopXr_G_TjK7KvOUCVSJirvKd_3VFCf7e0bZ0YBX0xqkQWFR-MAfHi4-i79cIbnc-wQLfz7tNSAa0BCiQ2D1oo7Gn/s1600/13-08-06-Scheich-Zayid-Moschee-RalfR-05.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;251&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwKV0M9PQEuWFbeWGZ5q9wcbmLtcsnS8YcKXbyRgOSz609uckUK4BopXr_G_TjK7KvOUCVSJirvKd_3VFCf7e0bZ0YBX0xqkQWFR-MAfHi4-i79cIbnc-wQLfz7tNSAa0BCiQ2D1oo7Gn/s400/13-08-06-Scheich-Zayid-Moschee-RalfR-05.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4401. &lt;br /&gt;
  4402. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4403. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Languages&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4404. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4405. Arabic is the national language of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The Gulf
  4406. dialect of Arabic is spoken natively by the Emirati people. Being ruled by the
  4407. British until 1971 and being a hub for trade,English is the primary lingua
  4408. franca and a such, a knowledge of the same, is a requirement when applying for
  4409. most of the jobs in the UAE. Other widely used languages are Persian, spoken by
  4410. the Iranian diaspora, as well as Hindi-Urdu, Pashto and Tagalog, spoken by the
  4411. large South Asian, Pashtun and Filipino diasporas, respectively. Malayalam, the
  4412. official language of Kerala (&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;)
  4413. is spoken widely by the Malayali community that forms a huge majority of the
  4414. Indian diaspora in the UAE. Other small Asian groups do exist, primiarily,
  4415. Indonesian, Mainland Chinese and Japanese.&lt;/div&gt;
  4416. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4417. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4418. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4419. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ccffff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Culture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4420. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4421. The &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  4422.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; has a diverse and
  4423. multicultural society. Major holidays in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4424. include Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and National Day (2
  4425. December), which marks the formation of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  4426. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4427. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4428. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4429. Most Emirati males prefer to wear a kandura, an ankle-length
  4430. white tunic woven from wool or cotton, and most Emirati women wear an abaya, a
  4431. black over-garment that covers most parts of the body. The non-governmental
  4432. campaign UAE Dress Code aims to educate the expat population on local dressing
  4433. and its sensitivity to Emirati population. Each of the seven semiautonomous
  4434. emirates has its own rules about attire. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4435. is the most liberal in that regard, allowing miniskirts and bikinis, while Ras
  4436. al-Khaimah adopted a rule in April 2013 prohibiting bikinis, as well as tight
  4437. swimsuits for males, on public beaches.&lt;/div&gt;
  4438. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4439. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4440. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4441. Ancient Emirati poetry was strongly influenced by the
  4442. 8th-century Arab scholar Al Khalil bin Ahmed. The earliest known poet in the
  4443. UAE is Ibn Majid, born between 1432 and 1437 in Ras Al-Khaimah. The most famous
  4444. Emirati writers were Mubarak Al Oqaili (1880–1954), &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Salem&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; bin Ali al Owais (1887–1959) and Ahmed
  4445. bin Sulayem (1905–1976). Three other poets from Sharjah, known as the Hirah
  4446. group, are observed to have been heavily influenced by the Apollo and romantic
  4447. poets. The Sharjah International Book Fair is the oldest and largest in the
  4448. country.&lt;/div&gt;
  4449. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4450. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4451. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4452. The list of museums in the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; includes some
  4453. of regional repute, most famously Sharjah with its Heritage District containing
  4454. 17 museums, which in 1998 was the Cultural Capital of the Arab World. In &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;, the area of Al Quoz has attracted a number of art
  4455. galleries as well as museums such as the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Salsali Private&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Museum&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  4456. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; has established a culture district on &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saadiyat&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Island&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. There, six grand projects are
  4457. planned, including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; also plans to build
  4458. a Kunsthal museum and a district for galleries and artists.&lt;/div&gt;
  4459. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4460. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4461. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4462. The &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  4463.  Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is a part of the khaliji
  4464. tradition, and is also known for Bedouin folk music. Liwa is a type of music
  4465. and dance performed mainly in communities that contain descendants of Bantu
  4466. peoples from the African Great Lakes region. The Dubai Desert Rock Festival is
  4467. also another major festival consisting of heavy metal and rock artists. The
  4468. cinema of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab
  4469.  Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is minimal but expanding.&lt;/div&gt;
  4470. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4471. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4472. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4473. The Media of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; plays an
  4474. important role in the region. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Media&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  4475. and twofour54, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  4476. media zone, were set up to attract key players. The UAE is home to major
  4477. pan-Arab broadcasters, including the Middle East Broadcasting Centre and Orbit
  4478. Showtime Network. On 25 September 2007 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
  4479. decreed that journalists can no longer be prosecuted or imprisoned for reasons
  4480. relating to their work. At the same time, the UAE has made it illegal to
  4481. disseminate online material that can threaten &quot;public order&quot;.
  4482. Criticism of the Royal family or government procedures is not allowed. Prison
  4483. terms have been given to those who &quot;deride or damage&quot; the reputation
  4484. of the state and &quot;display contempt&quot; for religion. Very recently, a
  4485. YouTube user was arrested in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4486. for filming and uploading a video of a UAE local hitting an overseas worker.&lt;/div&gt;
  4487. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4488. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  4489. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4490. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEzJAUjjZLQkYhIrppfxTDXje5l2y6uXsXjGuuugccN9eg30lKMGLPRZbdmaZERxAIPZjt-xNjT78qYX_U6jfj6-9wt7wT5zSmUgQbG9Z2hm0-v_lgVRGuvmu5P_vfHcrJwgTt4YSDIAT/s1600/800px-Deira_Souk_on_9_May_2007_Pict_2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEzJAUjjZLQkYhIrppfxTDXje5l2y6uXsXjGuuugccN9eg30lKMGLPRZbdmaZERxAIPZjt-xNjT78qYX_U6jfj6-9wt7wT5zSmUgQbG9Z2hm0-v_lgVRGuvmu5P_vfHcrJwgTt4YSDIAT/s400/800px-Deira_Souk_on_9_May_2007_Pict_2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4491. &lt;br /&gt;
  4492. &lt;br /&gt;
  4493. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4494. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Food&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4495. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4496. The traditional food of the Emirates has always been rice,
  4497. fish, and meat. The people of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab
  4498. Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; have adopted most of their foods from other
  4499. Middle Eastern countries including &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  4500. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Pakistan&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. Seafood has been the mainstay
  4501. of the Emirati diet for centuries. Meat and rice are other staple foods; lamb
  4502. and mutton are the more favored meats, then goat and beef. Popular beverages
  4503. are coffee and tea, which can be supplemented with cardamom, saffron, or mint
  4504. to give them a distinct flavor. The cosmopolitan nature of the UAE means that
  4505. food from every continent can be found here. Fast food has become very popular
  4506. among youth, to the extent that campaigns are underway to highlight the dangers
  4507. of fast food excesses.&lt;/div&gt;
  4508. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4509. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4510. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4511. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork, so it is not
  4512. included in Arab menus. Hotels and other establishments frequently have pork
  4513. substitutes such as beef sausages and veal rashers on their breakfast menus. If
  4514. pork is available, it is clearly labeled as such. Unlike other Muslim
  4515. countries, it is not against the law to bring pork products into the country
  4516. for personal consumption.&lt;/div&gt;
  4517. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4518. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4519. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4520. Alcohol is generally only served in hotel restaurants and
  4521. bars (but not in Sharjah). All nightclubs and golf clubs are permitted to sell
  4522. alcohol. Specific supermarkets may sell alcohol, but these products are sold in
  4523. separate sections. Note that although alcohol may be consumed, it is illegal to
  4524. be intoxicated in public or driver a motor vehicle with any trace of alcohol in
  4525. the blood. Etihad Airways and Emirates airlines, both owned by the UAE, serve
  4526. alcohol on their beverage menus too.&lt;/div&gt;
  4527. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  4528. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4529. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCqxQ16RwBHU-sKT8-0x1AHv890JdIiEYpdeNQCIEJwWaMrGp7zbNusgGCpU_9wRIyxbPDa07yL18c4894uhbMhy0WqTUwF6GbnhdEHSPJI3rSosOeokOTyrM5rUTQT5MGziGHm-CLOyX/s1600/Tea-224-nevit.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCqxQ16RwBHU-sKT8-0x1AHv890JdIiEYpdeNQCIEJwWaMrGp7zbNusgGCpU_9wRIyxbPDa07yL18c4894uhbMhy0WqTUwF6GbnhdEHSPJI3rSosOeokOTyrM5rUTQT5MGziGHm-CLOyX/s400/Tea-224-nevit.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4530. &lt;br /&gt;
  4531. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4532. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Sports&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4533. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4534. Football is the most popular sport in the UAE. Emirati
  4535. football clubs Al-Ain, Al-Wasl, Al-Shabbab ACD, Al-Sharjah, Al-Wahda, and
  4536. Al-Ahli are the most popular teams and enjoy the reputation of long-time
  4537. regional champions. The United Arab Emirates Football Association was first
  4538. established in 1971 and since then has dedicated its time and effort to
  4539. promoting the game, organizing youth programs and improving the abilities of
  4540. not only its players, but of the officials and coaches involved with its
  4541. regional teams. The UAE national football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup
  4542. in 1990 with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Egypt&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  4543. It was the third consecutive World Cup with two Arab nations qualifying, after &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Algeria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  4544. in 1982, and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Algeria&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; again
  4545. in 1986. The UAE won the Gulf Cup Championship two times.They won the first cup
  4546. in January 2007 held in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; and has won
  4547. the recent cup in January 2013 held in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  4548. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4549. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4550. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4551. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the UAE,
  4552. largely because of the expatriate population from the Indian subcontinent, the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Kingdom&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Australia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The Sharjah Cricket
  4553. Association Stadium in Sharjah has hosted 4 international test cricket matches
  4554. so far. Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu
  4555.  Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; also hosted international cricket matches. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt; has two cricket stadiums (Dubai Cricket Ground No.1
  4556. and No.2) with a third, the DSC Cricket Stadium as part of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sports&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  4557. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is also home to the International
  4558. Cricket Council. The UAE national cricket team qualified for the 1996 Cricket
  4559. World Cup and narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2007 Cricket World
  4560. Cup.&lt;/div&gt;
  4561. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4562. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4563. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4564. Formula One is particularly popular in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, and is
  4565. annually held at the picturesque Yas Marina Circuit. The race is held at
  4566. evening time, and is the first ever Grand Prix to start in daylight and finish
  4567. at night.&lt;/div&gt;
  4568. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4569. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4570. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4571. Other popular sports include camel racing, falconry,
  4572. endurance riding, and tennis.&lt;/div&gt;
  4573. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4574. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  4575. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4576. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJP88fG9O0SLZx57yBNx57n3q7hk0jwj0Iorvj-NAjtdPWrnlzH_k19V_GqPsGS68Dx_bMkbubBHGCn6t2MwzOG2BstEMfRqD0TMzQJJZrOmOrZISHL_pW-W17CvcJkBcR5VbAthXySokX/s1600/DTC1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJP88fG9O0SLZx57yBNx57n3q7hk0jwj0Iorvj-NAjtdPWrnlzH_k19V_GqPsGS68Dx_bMkbubBHGCn6t2MwzOG2BstEMfRqD0TMzQJJZrOmOrZISHL_pW-W17CvcJkBcR5VbAthXySokX/s400/DTC1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4577. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4578. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333333; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Education&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4579. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4580. The education system through secondary level is monitored by
  4581. the Ministry of Education in all emirates except &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, where it falls under the authority
  4582. of the Abu Dhabi Education Council. It consists of primary schools, middle
  4583. schools and high schools. The public schools are government-funded and the
  4584. curriculum is created to match the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; development&#39;s
  4585. goals and values. The medium of instruction in the public school is Arabic with
  4586. emphasis on English as a second language. There are also many private schools
  4587. which are internationally accredited. Public schools in the country are free
  4588. for citizens of the UAE, while the fees for private schools vary.&lt;/div&gt;
  4589. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4590. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4591. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4592. The higher education system is monitored by the Ministry of
  4593. Higher Education. The ministry also is responsible for admitting students to
  4594. its undergraduate institutions.&lt;/div&gt;
  4595. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4596. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4597. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4598. The literacy rate in 2007 was 91%. Currently there are
  4599. thousands of nationals pursuing formal learning at 86 adult education centres
  4600. spread across the country.&lt;/div&gt;
  4601. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4602. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4603. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4604. The UAE has shown a strong interest in improving education
  4605. and research. Enterprises include the establishment of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;CERT&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Research&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  4606. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Centers&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; and the Masdar
  4607. Institute of Science and Technology and Institute for Enterprise Development.&lt;/div&gt;
  4608. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4609. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4610. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4611. According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities,
  4612. the top-ranking universities in the country are the United Arab Emirates
  4613. University (1217th worldwide), the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;American&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  4614. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of Sharjah (2833th) and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sharjah&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; (3046th)&lt;/div&gt;
  4615. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4616. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  4617. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4618. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDTg-8tZECyQnYdztrEZ-7HG3Owqu0k6jU0eN4hO78ENGZfmRqDUmAwS4dJ1uKLK9slkjQwLB9Cl3IqbYoEFD1dBg1MoqFyNAlcabQLO-mbPKUHSJNdKPA3_cQlTKRB_V24zRokK9erRc/s1600/800px-American_University_of_Sharjah_(AUS)_4_.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDTg-8tZECyQnYdztrEZ-7HG3Owqu0k6jU0eN4hO78ENGZfmRqDUmAwS4dJ1uKLK9slkjQwLB9Cl3IqbYoEFD1dBg1MoqFyNAlcabQLO-mbPKUHSJNdKPA3_cQlTKRB_V24zRokK9erRc/s400/800px-American_University_of_Sharjah_(AUS)_4_.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4619. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4620. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4621. &lt;br /&gt;
  4622. &lt;br /&gt;
  4623. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4624. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Health&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4625. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4626. The life expectancy at birth in the UAE is at 78.5 years.
  4627. Cardiovascular disease is the principal cause of death in the UAE, constituting
  4628. 28% of total deaths; other major causes are accidents and injuries,
  4629. malignancies, and congenital anomalies.&lt;/div&gt;
  4630. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4631. In February 2008, the Ministry of Health unveiled a five-year
  4632. health strategy for the public health sector in the northern emirates, which
  4633. fall under its purview and which, unlike &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4634. and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, do
  4635. not have separate healthcare authorities. The strategy focuses on unifying
  4636. healthcare policy and improving access to healthcare services at reasonable
  4637. cost, at the same time reducing dependence on overseas treatment. The ministry
  4638. plans to add three hospitals to the current 14, and 29 primary healthcare
  4639. centres to the current 86. Nine were scheduled to open in 2008.&lt;/div&gt;
  4640. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4641. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4642. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4643. The introduction of mandatory health insurance in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; for expatriates
  4644. and their dependants was a major driver in reform of healthcare policy. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abu Dhabi&lt;/st1:city&gt; nationals were brought under the scheme from 1
  4645. June 2008 and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4646. followed for its government employees. Eventually, under federal law, every
  4647. Emirati and expatriate in the country will be covered by compulsory health
  4648. insurance under a unified mandatory scheme. Recently the country has been
  4649. benefiting from medical tourists from all over the GCC. The UAE currently
  4650. attracts medical tourists seeking plastic surgery and advanced procedures,
  4651. cardiac and spinal surgery, and dental treatment, as health services have
  4652. higher standards than other Arab countries in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian
  4653. Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  4654. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4655. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  4656. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4657. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHX7n8TVVauHkm1H4MnZdWujRSmznsBp95ZQNFBp514jDaGm2ERqgpXT-yZ1ngWP-4cCmozLghP05zhV_l3vq8F2UNDapa1GmMqgMKWXDnEyN7niF0H7YhUa6xRefhcMhe8pEiqvrJOrpj/s1600/800px-Dubai_Healthcare_City_from_Dubai_Creek_on_31_May_2007.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;237&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHX7n8TVVauHkm1H4MnZdWujRSmznsBp95ZQNFBp514jDaGm2ERqgpXT-yZ1ngWP-4cCmozLghP05zhV_l3vq8F2UNDapa1GmMqgMKWXDnEyN7niF0H7YhUa6xRefhcMhe8pEiqvrJOrpj/s400/800px-Dubai_Healthcare_City_from_Dubai_Creek_on_31_May_2007.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4658. &lt;/div&gt;
  4659. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/273762528082908537/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/united-arab-emirates_3713.html#comment-form' title='3 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/273762528082908537'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/273762528082908537'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/united-arab-emirates_3713.html' title='United Arab Emirates'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftuBNaGsXCyWHhtIejNCgJ6TrBABLJv0xy0S8DSQwVqkFBcPee_O8F-4Czv3oArCE7LUvhwC2QtN-UNH9Nlv-335PM-_9n10lNJWAPSuv10t0EbiyBDZjMHaic2nkll64lMoOKGQUFaaD/s72-c/Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates.svg.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-6836027365928936304</id><published>2013-11-11T04:12:00.003-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-11T04:12:31.707-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Al-Masjid an-Nabawi</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  4660. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4661. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIFIM_xbOlMxLg9fpKBFNrtFpJ4DKwy6FJX_jYCW9ONjKeQtxhyphenhyphenlCahJM2ONeB5cQbWoM29bgLou6OQhxnf0ug5PuFaKZMOrmwMVcg2_wUWwJGixeIN0qjKKjToI73FMUoSytcaO0QAzu/s1600/_City.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIFIM_xbOlMxLg9fpKBFNrtFpJ4DKwy6FJX_jYCW9ONjKeQtxhyphenhyphenlCahJM2ONeB5cQbWoM29bgLou6OQhxnf0ug5PuFaKZMOrmwMVcg2_wUWwJGixeIN0qjKKjToI73FMUoSytcaO0QAzu/s400/_City.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4662. &lt;br /&gt;
  4663. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  4664.  
  4665.  
  4666. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4667. Al-Masjid al-Nabawī (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;اَلْمَسْجِد
  4668. اَلنَّبَوِي&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;, &quot;Mosque of the Prophet&quot;),
  4669. often called the Prophet&#39;s Mosque, is a mosque built by the Islamic Prophet
  4670. Muhammad situated in the city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  4671. It is the second holiest site in Islam (the first being the Masjid al-Haram in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;). It was the second
  4672. mosque built in history and is now one of the largest mosques in the world. After
  4673. an expansion during the reign of al-Walid I, it also now incorporates the site
  4674. of the final resting place of Muhammad and early Muslim leaders Abu Bakr and
  4675. Umar.&lt;/div&gt;
  4676. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4677. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4678. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4679. The site was originally adjacent to Muhammad&#39;s house; he
  4680. settled there after his Hijra (emigration) to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; in 622. He shared in the heavy work of
  4681. construction. The original mosque was an open-air building. The basic plan of
  4682. the building has been adopted in the building of other mosques throughout the
  4683. world.&lt;/div&gt;
  4684. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4685. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4686. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4687. The mosque also served as a community center, a court, and a
  4688. religious school. There was a raised platform for the people who taught the
  4689. Quran. Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expanded and decorated it. In 1909, it
  4690. became the first place in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  4691. to be provided with electrical lights. The mosque is under the control of the
  4692. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.&lt;/div&gt;
  4693. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4694. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4695. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4696. One of the most notable features of the site is the Green
  4697. Dome in the south-east corner of the mosque, originally Aisha&#39;s house, where
  4698. the tomb of Muhammad is located. In 1279 AD, a wooden cupola was built over the
  4699. tomb which was later rebuilt and renovated multiple times in late 15th century
  4700. and once in 1817. The dome was first painted green in 1837, and later became
  4701. known as the Green Dome.&lt;/div&gt;
  4702. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4703. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4704. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4705. The mosque is located in what was traditionally the center
  4706. of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, with
  4707. many hotels and old markets nearby. It is a major pilgrimage site. Many
  4708. pilgrims who perform the Hajj go on to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4709. to visit the mosque and the Prophet. The mosque is open for service 24/7, all
  4710. year round.&lt;/div&gt;
  4711. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4712. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4713. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4714.  
  4715.  
  4716. &lt;/div&gt;
  4717. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4718. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4719. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4720. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4721. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4722. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;First Built&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4723. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4724. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4725. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4726. The original mosque was built by Prophet Mohammed and his
  4727. companions next to the house where he settled after his journey to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 622 CE. The
  4728. original mosque was an open-air building (covered by palm fronds) with a raised
  4729. platform for the reading of the Quran. It was a rectangular enclosure of 30 × 35
  4730. m (98 × 115 ft) at a height of 2 m (6 ft 7 in) wall which was built with palm
  4731. trunks and mud walls. It was accessed through three doors: Bab Rahmah (Door of
  4732. Mercy) to the south, Bab Jibril (Door of Gabriel) to the west and Bab al-Nisa&#39; (Door
  4733. of the Women) to the east.[citation needed]The basic plan of the building has
  4734. since been adopted in the building of most mosques throughout the world.&lt;/div&gt;
  4735. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4736. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4737. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4738. Inside, Prophet Mohammed created a shaded area to the south
  4739. called the suffah and aligned the prayer space facing north towards &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jerusalem&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. When the qibla
  4740. (prayer direction) was changed to face the Kaaba in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, the mosque was re-oriented to the
  4741. south. The mosque also served as a community center, a court, and a religious
  4742. school.&lt;/div&gt;
  4743. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4744. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4745. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4746. Seven years later (629 AD/7 AH), the mosque was doubled in
  4747. size to accommodate the increasing number of Muslims. The area of the mosque
  4748. was enlarged by 20 × 15 m (66 × 49 ft) and became almost a square 50 × 49.5 m (160
  4749. × 162.4 ft).[citation needed] The height increased to became 3.5 m (11 ft) and
  4750. the mosque encompassed 35 columns.&lt;/div&gt;
  4751. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4752. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4753. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4754. The mosque remained like that during the caliphate of Abu
  4755. Bakr until the caliphate of &#39;Umar bin al-Khattab, who enlarged the area of the
  4756. mosque to 3575 m2 and built more wooden columns.&lt;/div&gt;
  4757. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4758. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4759. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4760. During the Uthman ibn Affan an arcade of stone and plaster
  4761. was added to the mosque and the columns were remolded and built of stone.&lt;/div&gt;
  4762. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  4763. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4764. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK5WGYkPwLDwlWFcz1xXSePo4vrSQVl9JOpDHBNaoqLqHwc_hy0at83YXnHNBxRYgJauum1GRq8f0A8jwUH9jvqjIH1K7pgq2HrKClHDxtLKtsEaaPLCUXJpohE867yglGfwfltmKoNl2/s1600/794px-Medina_Grab_des_Propheten.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;301&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK5WGYkPwLDwlWFcz1xXSePo4vrSQVl9JOpDHBNaoqLqHwc_hy0at83YXnHNBxRYgJauum1GRq8f0A8jwUH9jvqjIH1K7pgq2HrKClHDxtLKtsEaaPLCUXJpohE867yglGfwfltmKoNl2/s400/794px-Medina_Grab_des_Propheten.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4765. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  4766. &lt;br /&gt;
  4767.  
  4768.  
  4769.  
  4770. &lt;br /&gt;
  4771. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4772. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Umayyads&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4773. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4774. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4775. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4776. Subsequent Islamic rulers continued to enlarge and embellish
  4777. the mosque over the centuries. In 707, Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik
  4778. (705-715) replaced the old structure and built a larger one in its place, incorporating
  4779. the tomb of Prophet Mohammed . This mosque was 84 by 100 m (276 by 330 ft) in
  4780. size, with stone foundations and a teak roof supported on stone columns. The
  4781. mosque walls were decorated with mosaics by Coptic and Greek craftsmen, similar
  4782. to those seen in the Umayyad Mosque in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Damascus&lt;/st1:city&gt; and
  4783. the Dome of the Rock in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jerusalem&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  4784. (built by the same Caliph). The courtyard was surrounded by a gallery on four
  4785. sides, with four minarets on its corners. A mihrab topped by a small dome was
  4786. built on the qibla wall.&lt;/div&gt;
  4787. &lt;br /&gt;
  4788.  
  4789.  
  4790.  
  4791. &lt;br /&gt;
  4792. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4793. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Abbasids&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4794. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4795. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4796. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4797. Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi (775-785) replaced the northern
  4798. section of Al-Walid&#39;s mosque between 778 and 781 to enlarge it further. He also
  4799. added 20 doors to the mosque: eight on each of the east and west walls, and
  4800. four on the north wall.&lt;/div&gt;
  4801. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4802. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4803. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4804. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Mamluks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4805. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4806. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4807. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4808. During the reign of the Mamluk Sultan Al Mansur Qalawun, a
  4809. dome was erected above the tomb of Prophet Mohammed and an ablution fountain
  4810. was built outside of Bab al-Salam (Door of Peace). Sultan Al-Nasir Mohammed
  4811. rebuilt the fourth minaret that had been destroyed earlier. After a lightning
  4812. strike destroyed much of the mosque in 1481, Sultan Qaitbay rebuilt the east, west
  4813. and qibla walls.&lt;/div&gt;
  4814. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4815. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4816. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4817. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Ottomans&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4818. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4819. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4820. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4821. The Ottoman sultans who controlled &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; from 1517 until World War I also made
  4822. their mark. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520–1566) rebuilt the western and
  4823. eastern walls of the mosque and built the northeastern minaret known as al-Suleymaniyya.
  4824. He added a new mihrab (al-Ahnaf) next to the Prophet&#39;s mihrab (al-Shafi&#39;iyyah),
  4825. and placed a new dome covered in lead sheets above the tomb of Prophet Mohammed
  4826. .&lt;/div&gt;
  4827. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4828. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4829. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4830. The Rawdah (referred to as al-Rawdah al-Mutaharah), covered
  4831. by the dome over the south-east corner of the mosque, was constructed in 1817C.E.
  4832. during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II. The dome was painted green in 1839 C.E. and
  4833. came to be known as the Green Dome.&lt;/div&gt;
  4834. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4835. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4836. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4837. During the reign of Sultan Abdul Majid I (1839–1861), the
  4838. mosque was entirely remodeled with the exception of Prophet Mohammed &#39;s Tomb, the
  4839. three mihrabs, the minbar and the Suleymaniyya minaret. The precinct was
  4840. enlarged to include an ablution area to the north. The prayer hall to the south
  4841. was doubled in width and covered with small domes equal in size except for
  4842. domes covering the mihrab area, Bab al-Salam and Prophet Mohammed &#39;s Tomb. The
  4843. domes were decorated with Quranic verses and lines from Qaṣīda al-Burda (Poem
  4844. of the Mantle), the famous poem by 13th century Arabic poet Busiri. The qibla
  4845. wall was covered with glazed tiles featuring Quranic calligraphy. The floors of
  4846. the prayer hall and the courtyard were paved with marble and red stones and a
  4847. fifth minaret (al-Majidiyya), was built to the west of the enclosure.&lt;/div&gt;
  4848. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4849. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  4850. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4851. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZkV5REf5cuK16yjCll4_icofhvpzGG0W-wMLIjzyQQfrc7ut8wF0b6OdX4GUjCRsE2w4geLamAiyWlHMobYPu7ryPHJ3USwjOIiBBweCNT7p0VVGNX9-Uj7PzW7eKMCeV2qSAizQ_WQN/s1600/800px-Burton_Nabi.gif&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;260&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZkV5REf5cuK16yjCll4_icofhvpzGG0W-wMLIjzyQQfrc7ut8wF0b6OdX4GUjCRsE2w4geLamAiyWlHMobYPu7ryPHJ3USwjOIiBBweCNT7p0VVGNX9-Uj7PzW7eKMCeV2qSAizQ_WQN/s400/800px-Burton_Nabi.gif&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4852. &lt;br /&gt;
  4853.  
  4854.  
  4855.  
  4856. &lt;br /&gt;
  4857. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4858.  
  4859.  
  4860. &lt;/div&gt;
  4861. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4862. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Saudis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4863. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4864. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4865. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4866. When bin Saud took &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 1805,
  4867. his followers, the Wahhabis, demolished nearly every tomb dome in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in order to
  4868. prevent their veneration, and the Green Dome is said to have narrowly escaped
  4869. the same fate. Prophet Mohammed &#39;s tomb was stripped of its gold and jewel
  4870. ornaments, but the dome was preserved either because of an unsuccessful attempt
  4871. to demolish its hardened structure, or because some time ago Ibn Abd al-Wahhab
  4872. wrote that he did not wish to see the dome destroyed despite his aversion to
  4873. people praying at the tomb. Similar events took place in 1925 when the Saudi
  4874. ikhwans retook—and this time managed to keep—the city. In the Wahabi
  4875. interpretation of Islam, the veneration of tombs and places thought to possess
  4876. supernatural powers was an offense against tawhid.&lt;/div&gt;
  4877. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4878. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4879. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4880. After the foundation of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  4881. in 1932, the mosque underwent several major modifications. In 1951 King Ibn
  4882. Saud (1932–1953) ordered demolitions around the mosque to make way for new
  4883. wings to the east and west of the prayer hall, which consisted of concrete
  4884. columns with pointed arches. Older columns were reinforced with concrete and
  4885. braced with copper rings at the top. The Suleymaniyya and Majidiyya minarets
  4886. were replaced by two minarets in Mamluk revival style. Two additional minarets
  4887. were erected to the northeast and northwest of the mosque. A library was built
  4888. along the western wall to house historic Qurans and other religious texts.&lt;/div&gt;
  4889. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4890. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4891. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4892. In 1973 Saudi King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz ordered the construction
  4893. of temporary shelters to the west of the mosque to accommodate the growing
  4894. number of worshippers in 1981, the old mosque was surrounded by new prayer
  4895. areas on these sides, enlarging five times its size.&lt;/div&gt;
  4896. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4897. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4898. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4899. The latest renovations took place under King Fahd and have
  4900. greatly increased the size of the mosque, allowing it to hold a large number of
  4901. worshippers and pilgrims and adding modern comforts like air conditioning. He
  4902. also installed twenty seven moving domes at the roof of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi.&lt;/div&gt;
  4903. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4904. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4905. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4906. In 2007, according to the The Independent, a pamphlet, published
  4907. by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs and endorsed by the grand mufti of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, stated
  4908. that &quot;the green dome shall be demolished and the three graves flattened in
  4909. the Prophet&#39;s Masjid&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  4910. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4911. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4912. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4913. The original mosque was not very large, and today the
  4914. original exists only as a small portion of the larger mosque. The newer and
  4915. older sections of the mosque are quite distinct. The older section has many
  4916. colorful decorations and numerous small pillars.&lt;/div&gt;
  4917. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  4918. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4919. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoRqUK3cgpAk_VunPmQB36MCz6GSdQySTTC30Bi28p01GWcDMmXU_sUYvaE94WUOJxEYrr6u2-0gT1E2kAVKBQniZxeDbF5Apb1dnkwsTDkfpYP5hXIOLIN6OXl4OxpchyphenhyphendI-yJqUY2ZV/s1600/450px-Al-Masjid_al-Nabawi_06.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoRqUK3cgpAk_VunPmQB36MCz6GSdQySTTC30Bi28p01GWcDMmXU_sUYvaE94WUOJxEYrr6u2-0gT1E2kAVKBQniZxeDbF5Apb1dnkwsTDkfpYP5hXIOLIN6OXl4OxpchyphenhyphendI-yJqUY2ZV/s400/450px-Al-Masjid_al-Nabawi_06.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4920. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  4921. &lt;br /&gt;
  4922.  
  4923.  
  4924.  
  4925. &lt;br /&gt;
  4926. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4927. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Architecture
  4928. and Special Structures&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4929. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4930. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4931. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4932. As it stands today, the mosque has a rectangular plan on two
  4933. floors with the Ottoman prayer hall projecting to the south. The main prayer
  4934. hall occupies the entire first floor. The mosque enclosure is 100 times bigger
  4935. than the first mosque built by Muhammad and can accommodate more than half a
  4936. million worshippers.&lt;/div&gt;
  4937. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4938. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4939. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4940. The mosque has a flat paved roof topped with 27 sliding
  4941. domes on square bases.Holes pierced into the base of each dome illuminate the
  4942. interior. The roof is also used for prayer during peak times, when the domes
  4943. slide out on metal tracks to shade areas of the roof, creating light wells for
  4944. the prayer hall. At these times, the courtyard of the Ottoman mosque is also
  4945. shaded with umbrellas affixed to freestanding columns. The roof is accessed by
  4946. stairs and escalators. The paved area around the mosque is also used for prayer,
  4947. equipped with umbrella tents. Sliding Domes and retractable umbrellas are
  4948. designed by the German architect Mahmoud Bodo Rasch and his firm SL Rasch GmbH&lt;/div&gt;
  4949. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4950. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4951. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4952. The north facade has three evenly spaced porticos, while the
  4953. east, west and south facades have two. The walls are composed of a series of
  4954. windows topped by pointed arches with black and white voussoirs. There are six
  4955. peripheral minarets attached to the new extension, and four others frame the
  4956. Ottoman structure. The mosque is lavishly decorated with polychrome marble and
  4957. stones. The columns are of white marble with brass capitals supporting slightly
  4958. pointed arches, built of black and white stones. The column pedestals have
  4959. ventilation grills that regulate the temperature inside the prayer hall.&lt;/div&gt;
  4960. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4961. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4962. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4963. This new mosque contains the older mosque within it. The two
  4964. sections can be easily distinguished: the older section has many colorful
  4965. decorations and numerous small pillars, and fans have been installed in the
  4966. ceiling; the new section is in gleaming white marble and is completely air-conditioned.&lt;/div&gt;
  4967. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4968. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4969. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4970. The open courtyard of the mosque can be shaded by folded, umbrella-like
  4971. canopies, designed by Mahmoud Bodo Rasch with his firm SL Rasch GmbH and Buro
  4972. Happold&lt;/div&gt;
  4973. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  4974. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  4975. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0K2WG5JuGqe8Hil3DVJVVfQYGTI3JbB8z5B_cnfiLINvFgOEY14s8MUVEjmabYpXfJCk-zmjk83LV5PRF63DQnw1bDxMM2FtVlvOkCTdgTm8DjDcP9ORVGEJWVRcnUYUoY1whFxIDpKW/s1600/800px-Masjed_Nabawi_Sahn.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0K2WG5JuGqe8Hil3DVJVVfQYGTI3JbB8z5B_cnfiLINvFgOEY14s8MUVEjmabYpXfJCk-zmjk83LV5PRF63DQnw1bDxMM2FtVlvOkCTdgTm8DjDcP9ORVGEJWVRcnUYUoY1whFxIDpKW/s400/800px-Masjed_Nabawi_Sahn.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4976. &lt;br /&gt;
  4977.  
  4978.  
  4979.  
  4980. &lt;br /&gt;
  4981. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4982. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Riad ul-Jannah&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4983. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4984. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4985. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4986. The heart of the mosque houses a very special but small area
  4987. named Riad ul-Jannah (Gardens of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Paradise&lt;/st1:place&gt;). It
  4988. extends from Muhammad&#39;s tomb (Rawdah) to his pulpit (minbar). Pilgrims attempt
  4989. to visit the confines of the area, for there is a tradition that supplications
  4990. and prayers uttered here are never rejected. Entrance into the area is not
  4991. always possible, especially during the Hajj season, as the space can only
  4992. accommodate a few hundred people.&lt;/div&gt;
  4993. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4994. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4995. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  4996. Riad ul-Jannah is considered to be a part Jannah (&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Paradise&lt;/st1:place&gt;). It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that
  4997. Muhammad said, &quot;The area between my house and my minbar is one of the
  4998. gardens of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Paradise&lt;/st1:place&gt;, and my minbar is on my
  4999. cistern (hawd).&lt;/div&gt;
  5000. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  5001. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5002. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QgLlFvoQlRt_0TmxHoXS4nRPnH4gKZoVTaNH7YUXZc3es8s5OD0HJlVvrssOrhC7c2VyG_hnUlsSpP1x_0ySjWeqQMhCV034X86aBcATlRif0auE1fAY38PtSaSKTqJxFsHprK6TT4JI/s1600/800px-Masjed_Nabawi_interior.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QgLlFvoQlRt_0TmxHoXS4nRPnH4gKZoVTaNH7YUXZc3es8s5OD0HJlVvrssOrhC7c2VyG_hnUlsSpP1x_0ySjWeqQMhCV034X86aBcATlRif0auE1fAY38PtSaSKTqJxFsHprK6TT4JI/s400/800px-Masjed_Nabawi_interior.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5003. &lt;br /&gt;
  5004.  
  5005.  
  5006.  
  5007. &lt;br /&gt;
  5008. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5009. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Rawdah&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5010. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5011. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5012. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5013. As per Prophet Mohammed, Rawadh is also in Heaven, the same
  5014. Rawdah which is currently in Masjid -e- Nabwi. It is a small place in Masjid -e-
  5015. Nabwi, floored with Green Carpet just to identify it &amp;amp; the entire Mosque is
  5016. floored with red carpet. The Rawdah is one of the most important features of
  5017. the site. It holds the tomb of Muhammad and two of his companions and first
  5018. Caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab. A fourth grave is reserved for Jesus,
  5019. as it is believed that he will return and will be buried at the site. The site
  5020. is covered by the Green Dome. It was constructed in 1817 C.E. during the reign
  5021. of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II and painted green in 1839 C.E.The Rawdah has two
  5022. small gateways. The original pulpit was much smaller than the current one, and
  5023. constructed of palm tree wood, not marble. The current marble pulpit was
  5024. constructed by the Ottomans.&lt;/div&gt;
  5025. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  5026. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5027. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzh1zmX52UUrWU1L03SHgJwMNjkjblw4h4QVOR06_lci30LvpSKvfvE8LrphWWtQaBIu-V-k8R_L9sNpP_Su4WaGsLavHhvXO1Q0qZJoRf9OiG-KMgOtwmuyriIx9w_8ZRAPXPSmrRpQK/s1600/Tombstone_of_Umar_(r.a)_by_mohammad_adil_rais.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;280&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzh1zmX52UUrWU1L03SHgJwMNjkjblw4h4QVOR06_lci30LvpSKvfvE8LrphWWtQaBIu-V-k8R_L9sNpP_Su4WaGsLavHhvXO1Q0qZJoRf9OiG-KMgOtwmuyriIx9w_8ZRAPXPSmrRpQK/s400/Tombstone_of_Umar_(r.a)_by_mohammad_adil_rais.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5028. &lt;br /&gt;
  5029. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  5030. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5031. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvdVIG4ODMVr7-3DMIVHSZpRajczE5vaEs_MuFJwnO3gDMfIz1KC3XygIfM2s4bvY13X1K1dRwIZo4-V7vdZChNwSMzu-yEIV9I9cR3t-npAHePTqqrH9hfPUoCcWhMqXVejEa5u_tsJI/s1600/800px-Raouda.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvdVIG4ODMVr7-3DMIVHSZpRajczE5vaEs_MuFJwnO3gDMfIz1KC3XygIfM2s4bvY13X1K1dRwIZo4-V7vdZChNwSMzu-yEIV9I9cR3t-npAHePTqqrH9hfPUoCcWhMqXVejEa5u_tsJI/s400/800px-Raouda.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5032. &lt;/div&gt;
  5033. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/6836027365928936304/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/al-masjid-nabawi.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/6836027365928936304'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/6836027365928936304'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/al-masjid-nabawi.html' title='Al-Masjid an-Nabawi'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIFIM_xbOlMxLg9fpKBFNrtFpJ4DKwy6FJX_jYCW9ONjKeQtxhyphenhyphenlCahJM2ONeB5cQbWoM29bgLou6OQhxnf0ug5PuFaKZMOrmwMVcg2_wUWwJGixeIN0qjKKjToI73FMUoSytcaO0QAzu/s72-c/_City.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-6119023527786462239</id><published>2013-11-11T03:04:00.002-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-11T03:04:38.036-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Kaaba </title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  5034. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5035. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5kq2iZ1RYi2Ie_OZoNOQWQw9TuOKtD6ghlURy5RpxV8YgjceADRy0m2QjiK8s_gjkuEhgxtdRTo6rXda2BV0xCGYkBwDh7Tkon9wimtv8lD08ff_AsBtlgSF-ri2ZBzcQqat7wNgcx74/s1600/Mosqu%C3%A9e_Masjid_el_Haram_%C3%A0_la_Mecque.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5kq2iZ1RYi2Ie_OZoNOQWQw9TuOKtD6ghlURy5RpxV8YgjceADRy0m2QjiK8s_gjkuEhgxtdRTo6rXda2BV0xCGYkBwDh7Tkon9wimtv8lD08ff_AsBtlgSF-ri2ZBzcQqat7wNgcx74/s400/Mosqu%C3%A9e_Masjid_el_Haram_%C3%A0_la_Mecque.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5036. &lt;br /&gt;
  5037. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  5038.  
  5039.  
  5040. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5041. The Kaaba (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;الكعبة&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt; al-Kaʿbah IPA:
  5042. &quot;The Cube&quot;), also known as the Sacred House (&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;بيت الحرام&lt;/span&gt; Baytu
  5043. l-Ḥarām) and the Ancient House (&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;بيت العتيق&lt;/span&gt; Baytu l-&#39;Atīq), is a cuboid building in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  5044.  Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. It is the most sacred site in Islam.&lt;/div&gt;
  5045. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5046. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5047. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5048. Al-Masjid al-Haram, the most sacred mosque in Islam, is
  5049. built around the Kaaba.Muslims are expected to face the Kaaba during prayers,
  5050. no matter where they are. From any given point in the world, the direction
  5051. facing the Kaaba is called the Qibla.&lt;/div&gt;
  5052. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5053. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5054. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5055. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to
  5056. perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do
  5057. so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to make Tawaf, the
  5058. circumambulation seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction.
  5059. This circumambulation is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser
  5060. pilgrimage). However, the most dramatic times are during the Hajj, when
  5061. millions of pilgrims gather to circle the building on the same day. In 2013,
  5062. the number of pilgrims coming from outside the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  5063. to perform Hajj was officially reported as 1,100,544.&lt;/div&gt;
  5064. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  5065.  
  5066.  
  5067.  
  5068. &lt;br /&gt;
  5069. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5070. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff6600; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Architecture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5071. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5072. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5073. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5074. The Kaaba is a cuboid-shape structure which is made of
  5075. granite quarried from nearby hills. Standing upon a 250 cm (98 in) marble base
  5076. that projects outwards about 35 cm (14 in). It is approximately 13.1 m (43 ft)
  5077. high, with sides measuring 11.03 m (36.2 ft) by 12.86 m (42.2 ft). Inside the
  5078. Kaaba, the floor is made of marble and limestone. The interior walls are clad
  5079. with marble halfway to the roof. The marble is inset with Qur&#39;anic
  5080. inscriptions.&lt;/div&gt;
  5081. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5082. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5083. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5084. The wall directly adjacent to the entrance of the Kaaba has
  5085. six tablets inlaid with inscriptions. The top part of the walls are covered
  5086. with a green cloth embroidered with gold Qur&#39;anic verses. Caretakers anoint the
  5087. marble cladding with scented oil used on the Black Stone outside. Three pillars
  5088. stand inside the Kaaba, with a small altar set between one and the other two.
  5089. Lamp-like objects (possible crucible censers) hang by a rope above the
  5090. platform. An enclosed staircase leads to the roof.&lt;/div&gt;
  5091. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5092. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5093. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5094. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i-DBtPKIS0tWiPU4x4kUsdwDo5IMU_1JKMbamBMnOCsyerCof9QQVftweOAKBWZFpeZ8EnJuaGnhS17osa8B46uxcVWFEF7XOhmcBFArDoR6cvSdBzeCMYFU3r0YSwdyzh8aTUUZzy7B/s1600/Kaaba-plan.svg.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i-DBtPKIS0tWiPU4x4kUsdwDo5IMU_1JKMbamBMnOCsyerCof9QQVftweOAKBWZFpeZ8EnJuaGnhS17osa8B46uxcVWFEF7XOhmcBFArDoR6cvSdBzeCMYFU3r0YSwdyzh8aTUUZzy7B/s400/Kaaba-plan.svg.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5095. &amp;nbsp;
  5096.  
  5097.  
  5098. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5099. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Structures&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5100. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5101. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5102. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5103. &lt;b&gt;Each numbered item in the following list corresponds to
  5104. features called out in the diagram image, on right.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5105. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5106. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5107. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5108. &lt;b&gt;1&lt;/b&gt; Al-Ħajaru l-Aswad, &quot;the Black Stone&quot;, is
  5109. located in the Kaaba&#39;s eastern corner. Its northern corner is known as the
  5110. Ruknu l-ˤĪrāqī, &quot;the Iraqi corner&quot;, its western as the Ruknu
  5111. sh-Shāmī, &quot;the Levantine corner&quot;, and its southern as Ruknu l-Yamanī
  5112. &quot;the Yemeni corner&quot;. The four corners of the Kaaba roughly point
  5113. toward the four cardinal directions of the compass. Its major (long) axis is
  5114. aligned with the rising of the star Canopus toward which its southern wall is
  5115. directed, while its minor axis (its east-west facades) roughly align with the
  5116. sunrise of summer solstice and the sunset of winter solstice.&lt;/div&gt;
  5117. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5118. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5119. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5120. &lt;b&gt;2&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The entrance
  5121. is a door set 2.13 m (7 ft) above the ground on the north-eastern wall of the
  5122. Kaaba, which acts as the façade. In 1979 the 300 kg gold doors made by chief
  5123. artist Ahmad bin Ibrahim Badr, replaced the old silver doors made by his
  5124. father, Ibrahim Badr in 1942.There is a wooden staircase on wheels, usually
  5125. stored in the mosque between the arch-shaped gate of Banū Shaybah and the
  5126. Zamzam Well.&lt;/div&gt;
  5127. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5128. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5129. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5130. &lt;b&gt;3 &lt;/b&gt;Meezab-i Rahmat, rainwater spout made of gold.
  5131. Added in the rebuilding of 1627 after the previous year&#39;s rain caused three of
  5132. the four walls to collapse.&lt;/div&gt;
  5133. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5134. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5135. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5136. &lt;b&gt;4&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Gutter,
  5137. added in 1627 to protect the foundation from groundwater.&lt;/div&gt;
  5138. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5139. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5140. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5141. &lt;b&gt;5&lt;/b&gt; Hatim, a low wall originally part of the Kaaba. It
  5142. is a semi-circular wall opposite, but not connected to, the north-west wall of
  5143. the Kaaba known as the hatīm. This is 90 cm (35 in) in height and 1.5 m (4.9
  5144. ft) in width, and is composed of white marble. At one time the space lying
  5145. between the hatīm and the Kaaba belonged to the Kaaba itself, and for this
  5146. reason it is not entered during the tawaf. Some believe that the graves of
  5147. Ismail and his mother Hagar are located in this space.&lt;/div&gt;
  5148. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5149. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5150. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5151. &lt;b&gt;6 &lt;/b&gt;Al-Multazam, the part of the wall between the Black
  5152. Stone and the entry door.&lt;/div&gt;
  5153. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5154. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5155. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5156. &lt;b&gt;7&lt;/b&gt; The Station of Abraham, a glass and metal enclosure
  5157. with what is said to be an imprint of Abraham&#39;s foot. Abraham is said to have
  5158. stood on this stone during the construction of the upper parts of the Kaaba,
  5159. raising Ismail on his shoulders for the uppermost parts.&lt;/div&gt;
  5160. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5161. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5162. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5163. &lt;b&gt;8&lt;/b&gt; Corner of the Black Stone (East).&lt;/div&gt;
  5164. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5165. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5166. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5167. &lt;b&gt;9&lt;/b&gt; Corner of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yemen&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; (South-West). Pilgrims
  5168. traditionally acknowledge a large vertical stone that forms this corner.&lt;/div&gt;
  5169. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5170. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5171. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5172. &lt;b&gt;10&lt;/b&gt; Corner of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; (North-West).&lt;/div&gt;
  5173. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5174. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5175. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5176. &lt;b&gt;11&lt;/b&gt; Corner of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; (North-East). This inside
  5177. corner, behind a curtain, contains the Babut Taubah, Door of Repentance, which
  5178. leads to a staircase to the roof.&lt;/div&gt;
  5179. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5180. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5181. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5182. &lt;b&gt;12 &lt;/b&gt;Kiswa, the embroidered covering. Kiswa is a black
  5183. silk and gold curtain which is replaced annually during the Hajj pilgrimage.
  5184. Two-thirds of the way up is a band of gold-embroidered Quranic text, including
  5185. the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith&lt;b&gt;.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5186. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5187. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5188. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5189. &lt;b&gt;13&lt;/b&gt; Marble stripe marking the beginning and end of
  5190. each circumperambulation.&lt;/div&gt;
  5191. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5192. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5193. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5194. &lt;b&gt;14&lt;/b&gt; The station of Gabriel. &lt;/div&gt;
  5195. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  5196. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5197. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gIE0smyJLrAQ8l2j2TddsvWpTVVILAEeWLEdBNQdwksIbQiVM1YZrbcLjJsNV1Fl5EaN2ybbqCJsofbXRDnRD30dmd_OP648yF-x-FbD4R-jKUk_UdtGHLVUR41NFgUEc7h-M_o_wddH/s1600/Kaaba.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gIE0smyJLrAQ8l2j2TddsvWpTVVILAEeWLEdBNQdwksIbQiVM1YZrbcLjJsNV1Fl5EaN2ybbqCJsofbXRDnRD30dmd_OP648yF-x-FbD4R-jKUk_UdtGHLVUR41NFgUEc7h-M_o_wddH/s400/Kaaba.png&quot; width=&quot;372&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5198. &lt;br /&gt;
  5199. &lt;br /&gt;
  5200.  
  5201.  
  5202.  
  5203. &lt;br /&gt;
  5204. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5205. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff99cc; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Religious
  5206. significance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5207. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5208. The Kaaba is the holiest site in Islam, and similar to the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mount&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  5209. for Jewish people, where they also turn to pray&lt;/div&gt;
  5210. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5211. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5212. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5213. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Qibla&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5214. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5215. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5216. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5217. The Qibla is the Muslims name for the direction faced during
  5218. prayer.Quran 2:143–144 It is the focal point for prayer. The direction faced
  5219. during prayer is the direction of where the Kaaba is.&lt;/div&gt;
  5220. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5221. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  5222. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5223. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgSWoXYfbtOlyPniwpt91URZNJQFeoklm1xpJFwV5do-yNLlSONJA9Nh-MnsAjnctLPWeMFSXRtGHGDspqXtEOg4dhWVnl0KNftkKwRdTyMJvxyT2uCWl_aSBykFD2FF3Ce68TbRKjKsh/s1600/800px-Al-Haram_mosque_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgSWoXYfbtOlyPniwpt91URZNJQFeoklm1xpJFwV5do-yNLlSONJA9Nh-MnsAjnctLPWeMFSXRtGHGDspqXtEOg4dhWVnl0KNftkKwRdTyMJvxyT2uCWl_aSBykFD2FF3Ce68TbRKjKsh/s400/800px-Al-Haram_mosque_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5224. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5225. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5226. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5227. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Pilgrimage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5228. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5229. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5230. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5231. The Haram is the focal point of the Hajj and Umrah
  5232. pilgrimages that occur in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar
  5233. and at any time of the year, respectively. The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the
  5234. Pillars of Islam, required of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford the trip.
  5235. In recent times, about 6 million Muslims perform the Hajj every year.&lt;/div&gt;
  5236. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5237. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5238. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5239. Some of the rituals performed by pilgrims are symbolic of
  5240. historical incidents. For example, the episode of Hagar&#39;s search for water is
  5241. emulated by Muslims as they run between the two hills of Safa and Marwah
  5242. whenever they visit &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  5243. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5244. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5245. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5246. The Hajj is associated with the life of the Islamic prophet
  5247. Muhammad from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is considered by
  5248. Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Sayyidna Ibrahim
  5249. (Abraham).&lt;/div&gt;
  5250. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  5251. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5252. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRDxO7p-LxrIBuy_Gsur4k09X2UExadgaOhst8MNtV4q1hd_MevkgdW2BMy3PEusu-rIIJVL5WWA2r83AP0ZUHzmVjx2dy-KGx6Vd66Fv0mRtLC2qF-K7sWE78eXUqVo8dsTDE5reL9Cn/s1600/Kaaba_mirror_edit_jj.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRDxO7p-LxrIBuy_Gsur4k09X2UExadgaOhst8MNtV4q1hd_MevkgdW2BMy3PEusu-rIIJVL5WWA2r83AP0ZUHzmVjx2dy-KGx6Vd66Fv0mRtLC2qF-K7sWE78eXUqVo8dsTDE5reL9Cn/s400/Kaaba_mirror_edit_jj.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5253. &lt;br /&gt;
  5254. &lt;br /&gt;
  5255.  
  5256.  
  5257.  
  5258. &lt;br /&gt;
  5259. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5260. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5261. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5262. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5263. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5264. According to Quran and Islamic tradition the Kaaba was
  5265. rebuild by Ibrahim (Abraham). It is stated in the Qur&#39;an that this was the
  5266. first house that was built for humanity to worship Allah.&lt;/div&gt;
  5267. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5268. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5269. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5270. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Pre-Islamic
  5271. era&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5272. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5273. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5274. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5275. Writing in the Encyclopedia of Islam, Wensinck identifies &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; with a place called Macoraba mentioned by Ptolemy
  5276. and found in a 3rd-century BC map which suggests that Macoraba was &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  5277. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5278. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5279. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5280. In her book, Islam: A Short History, Karen Armstrong asserts
  5281. that the Kaaba was at some point dedicated to Hubal, a Nabatean deity, and
  5282. contained 360 idols that probably represented the days of the year. But by
  5283. Muhammad&#39;s day, the Kaaba was venerated as the shrine of Allah, the High God.
  5284. Once a year, tribes from all around the Arabian peninsula, whether Christian or
  5285. pagan, would converge on &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  5286. to perform the Hajj, marking the widespread conviction that Allah was the same
  5287. deity worshiped by monotheists.&lt;/div&gt;
  5288. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5289. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5290. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5291. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;Coloured
  5292. stones&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5293. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5294. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5295. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5296. Imoti contends that there were numerous such
  5297. &quot;Kaaba&quot; sanctuaries in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt; at one
  5298. time, but this was the only one built of stone. The others also allegedly had
  5299. counterparts of the Black Stone. There was a &quot;red stone&quot;, the deity
  5300. of the south Arabian city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ghaiman&lt;/st1:city&gt;, and the
  5301. &quot;white stone&quot; in the Kaaba of al-Abalat (near the city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tabala&lt;/st1:city&gt;, south of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;).
  5302. Grunebaum in Classical Islam points out that the experience of divinity of that
  5303. period was often associated with stone fetishes, mountains, special rock
  5304. formations, or &quot;trees of strange growth.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  5305. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5306. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5307. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5308. The Kaaba was thought to be at the center of the world, with
  5309. the Gate of Heaven directly above it. The Kaaba marked the location where the
  5310. sacred world intersected with the profane; the embedded Black Stone was a
  5311. further symbol of this as a meteorite that had fallen from the sky and linked
  5312. heaven and earth.&lt;/div&gt;
  5313. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5314. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5315. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5316. According to Sarwar, about 400 years before the birth of
  5317. Muhammad, a man named &quot;Amr bin Lahyo bin Harath bin Amr ul-Qais bin
  5318. Thalaba bin Azd bin Khalan bin Babalyun bin Saba&quot;, who was descended from Qahtan
  5319. and was the king of Hijaz (the northwestern section of Saudi Arabia, which
  5320. encompassed the cities of Mecca and Medina), had placed a Hubal idol onto the
  5321. roof of the Kaaba. This idol was one of the chief deities of the ruling
  5322. Quraysh. The idol was made of red agate and shaped like a human, but with the
  5323. right hand broken off and replaced with a golden hand. When the idol was moved
  5324. inside the Kaaba, it had seven arrows in front of it, which were used for
  5325. divination.&lt;/div&gt;
  5326. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5327. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5328. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5329. To maintain peace among the perpetually warring tribes, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was declared a
  5330. sanctuary where no violence was allowed within 20 miles (32 km) of the Kaaba.
  5331. This combat-free zone allowed &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5332. to thrive not only as a place of pilgrimage, but also as a trading center.&lt;/div&gt;
  5333. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5334. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5335. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5336. Edward Gibbon suggested that the Kaaba was mentioned by
  5337. ancient Greek writer, Diodorus Siculus, before the Christian era:&lt;/div&gt;
  5338. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5339. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5340. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5341. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;The
  5342. genuine antiquity of Caaba ascends beyond the Christian era: in describing the
  5343. coast of the Red sea the Greek historian Diodorus has remarked, between the
  5344. Thamudites and the Sabeans, a famous temple, whose superior sanctity was
  5345. revered by all the Arabians; the linen of silken veil, which is annually
  5346. renewed by the Turkish emperor, was first offered by the Homerites, who reigned
  5347. seven hundred years before the time of Mohammad.&lt;/div&gt;
  5348. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5349. —Edward Gibbon,&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;
  5350. &lt;/span&gt;Decline And Fall Of The &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Roman Empire&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  5351. Volume V, pp. 223–224&lt;/div&gt;
  5352. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5353. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5354. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5355. In Makkan Trade and the Rise of Islam, Patricia Crone argues
  5356. that the identification of Macoraba with &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5357. is false and that Macoraba was a town in southern &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  5358. in what was then known as Arabia Felix&lt;/div&gt;
  5359. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5360. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5361. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5362. Crone was responded to by Amaal Muhammad Al-Roubi in &quot;A
  5363. Response to Patrica Crone&#39;s book&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  5364. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5365. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5366. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5367. G. E. von Grunebaum says,&lt;/div&gt;
  5368. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5369. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5370. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5371. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  5372. is mentioned by Ptolemy. The name he gives it allows us to identify it as a
  5373. South Arabian foundation created around a sanctuary.&lt;/div&gt;
  5374. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5375. —G. E. Von Grunebaum,&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;
  5376. &lt;/span&gt;Classical Islam: A History 600–1258, p. 19&lt;/div&gt;
  5377. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5378. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5379. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5380. Many Muslim and academic historians stress the power and
  5381. importance of the pre-Islamic &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  5382. They depict it as a city grown rich on the proceeds of the spice trade. Crone
  5383. believes that this is an exaggeration and that &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; may only have been an outpost trading
  5384. with nomads for leather, cloth, and camel butter. Crone argues that if &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; had been a
  5385. well-known center of trade, it would have been mentioned by later authors such
  5386. as Procopius, Nonnosus, or the Syrian church chroniclers writing in Syriac. The
  5387. town is absent, however, from any geographies or histories written in the three
  5388. centuries before the rise of Islam.&lt;/div&gt;
  5389. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5390. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5391. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5392. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, &quot;before the
  5393. rise of Islam it was revered as a sacred sanctuary and was a site of
  5394. pilgrimage.&quot; According to German historian Eduard Glaser, the name
  5395. &quot;Kaaba&quot; may have been related to the southern Arabian or Ethiopian
  5396. word &quot;mikrab&quot;, signifying a temple. Again, Crone disputes this
  5397. etymology.&lt;/div&gt;
  5398. &lt;br /&gt;
  5399. &lt;br /&gt;
  5400.  
  5401.  
  5402.  
  5403. &lt;br /&gt;
  5404. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5405. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #339966; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Muhammad era&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5406. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5407. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5408. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5409. At the time of Muhammad (570–632 AD), his tribe, the
  5410. Quraysh, was in charge of the Kaaba, which was at that time a shrine containing
  5411. hundreds of idols representing Arabian tribal gods and other religious figures.
  5412. Muhammad earned the enmity of his tribe by claiming the Kaaba to be dedicated
  5413. to the worship of Allah alone and by having all the other idols evicted. The
  5414. Quraysh persecuted and harassed him continuously, so he and his followers
  5415. eventually migrated to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5416. in 622.&lt;/div&gt;
  5417. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5418. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5419. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5420. Islamic histories also mention a reconstruction of the Kaaba
  5421. around 600 AD. A story found in Ibn Ishaq&#39;s Sirat Rasūl Allāh, one of the
  5422. biographies of Muhammad (as reconstructed and translated by Guillaume),
  5423. describes Muhammad settling a quarrel between Meccan clans as to which clan
  5424. should set the Black Stone cornerstone in place. According to Ishaq&#39;s
  5425. biography, Muhammad&#39;s solution was to have all the clan elders raise the
  5426. cornerstone on a cloak, after which Muhammad set the stone into its final place
  5427. with his own hands. Ibn Ishaq says that the timber for the reconstruction of
  5428. the Kaaba came from a Greek ship that had been wrecked on the Red Sea coast at
  5429. Shu&#39;ayba and that the work was undertaken by a Coptic carpenter called Baqum.&lt;/div&gt;
  5430. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5431. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5432. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5433. After this migration, or Hijra, the Muslim community became
  5434. a political and military force, continuously repelling Meccan attacks. In 630
  5435. AD, two years after signing the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Meccan Quraysh
  5436. attacked the Bedouin Khuza&#39;a, thereby breaking the peace treaty. The Muslims
  5437. emerged as victors in the battle that followed this incident and Muhammad
  5438. entered &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5439. with his followers; they proceeded to the Kaaba. He refused, however, to enter
  5440. the Kaaba while there were idols in it and so sent Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and
  5441. Mughira ibn Shu&#39;ba to remove them.&lt;/div&gt;
  5442. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5443. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5444. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5445. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Narrated Ibn
  5446. Abbas: When Allah&#39;s Apostle arrived in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  5447. he refused to enter the Ka&#39;ba while there were idols in it. So he ordered that
  5448. they be taken out. The pictures of the (Prophets) Ibrahim and Ishmael, holding arrows
  5449. of divination in their hands, were carried out. The Prophet said, &quot;May
  5450. Allah ruin them (i.e. the infidels) for they knew very well that they (i.e.
  5451. Ibrahim and Ishmael) never drew lots by these (divination arrows). Then the
  5452. Prophet entered the Ka&#39;ba and said. &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; in all its
  5453. directions and came out and not offer any prayer therein.&lt;/div&gt;
  5454. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5455. —Sahih Al-Bukhari,&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;
  5456. &lt;/span&gt;Book 59, Hadith 584&lt;/div&gt;
  5457. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5458. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5459. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5460. The Kaaba was re-dedicated as an Islamic house of worship
  5461. and henceforth the annual pilgrimage was to be a Muslim rite, the Hajj, with
  5462. visits to the Kaaba and other sacred around &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5463. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5464. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  5465. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5466. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvuYXYq5PAGbszLPFwddBFU158-cCCkrz6ukTPIDWZEdVwzN6_jfMyZYnVL05D3zxN0apU8Fk6RBT08S43liRNwUDyZA-lHDa6A2uDYaMIA_4ERplIiyf-BuwVROc0R7TUL3WuW2tXmcj/s1600/Mohammed_kaaba_1315.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;292&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvuYXYq5PAGbszLPFwddBFU158-cCCkrz6ukTPIDWZEdVwzN6_jfMyZYnVL05D3zxN0apU8Fk6RBT08S43liRNwUDyZA-lHDa6A2uDYaMIA_4ERplIiyf-BuwVROc0R7TUL3WuW2tXmcj/s400/Mohammed_kaaba_1315.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5467. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5468. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;
  5469.  
  5470.  
  5471. &lt;/div&gt;
  5472. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5473. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;After
  5474. Muhammad&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5475. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5476. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5477. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5478. The Kaaba has been repaired and reconstructed many times
  5479. since Muhammad&#39;s day. The structure was severely damaged by fire on 3 Rabi I
  5480. (Sunday, 31 October 683), during the first siege of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5481. in the war between the Umayyads and Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr, an early Muslim
  5482. who ruled &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5483. for many years between the death of ʿAli and the consolidation of Umayyad
  5484. power. Ibn al-Zubayr rebuilt it to include the hatīm. He did so on the basis of
  5485. a tradition (found in several hadith collections) that the hatīm was a remnant
  5486. of the foundations of the Abrahamic Kaaba, and that Muhammad himself had wished
  5487. to rebuild so as to include it.&lt;/div&gt;
  5488. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5489. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5490. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5491. The Kaaba was bombarded with stones in the second siege of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 692, in which
  5492. the Umayyad army was led by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. The fall of the city and the
  5493. death of Ibn al-Zubayr allowed the Umayyads under ʿAbdu l-Malik ibn Marwan to
  5494. finally reunite all the Islamic possessions and end the long civil war. In 693
  5495. AD, ʿAbdu l-Malik had the remnants of al-Zubayr&#39;s Kaaba razed, and rebuilt on
  5496. the foundations set by the Quraysh. The Kaaba returned to the cube shape it had
  5497. taken during Muhammad&#39;s time.&lt;/div&gt;
  5498. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5499. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5500. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5501. During the Hajj of 930 AD, the Qarmatians attacked &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, defiled the Zamzam Well with the bodies of pilgrims
  5502. and stole the Black Stone, taking it to the oasis region of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Eastern
  5503. Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt; known as al-Aḥsāʾ, where it remained until the Abbasids
  5504. ransomed it in 952 AD. The basic shape and structure of the Kaaba have not
  5505. changed since then.&lt;/div&gt;
  5506. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5507. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5508. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5509. After heavy rains and flooding in 1629, the walls of the
  5510. Kaaba collapsed and the Masjid was damaged. The same year, during the reign of
  5511. Murad IV, the Kaaba was rebuilt with granite stones from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; and the Masjid was renovated. The
  5512. Kaaba&#39;s appearance has not changed since then.&lt;/div&gt;
  5513. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5514. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5515. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5516. The Kaaba is depicted on the reverse of 500 Saudi Riyal, and
  5517. the 2000 Iranian rial banknotes.&lt;/div&gt;
  5518. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5519. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzi4WcbDA3ensUpCM3257FTrax09aAmljwC3eMratx-Ggi16bDHXcmhGtBU9SMtQjiKNV8hzdBf7XEzIY9FF3aCu1djfGrUnQzm-WL3Gd9DsRfTWYbZRf7Kkw75pRy5SL50O2NQp7oKa_/s1600/Kaba.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;278&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzi4WcbDA3ensUpCM3257FTrax09aAmljwC3eMratx-Ggi16bDHXcmhGtBU9SMtQjiKNV8hzdBf7XEzIY9FF3aCu1djfGrUnQzm-WL3Gd9DsRfTWYbZRf7Kkw75pRy5SL50O2NQp7oKa_/s400/Kaba.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5520. &lt;br /&gt;
  5521. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5522. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuiOO1YJTUSf2I5sNF44NeL_iCoJNxY0GSrgRel35k0N7129vNiKVFL4UfjhrtAi8nAq7DGnDzXCO7soJyI5wXny_gf52FggI3_tk6prQyqXW4QTQEw5kihEUdEko9NUY1kMixuuye2XC/s1600/Masjid_al-Haram_1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuiOO1YJTUSf2I5sNF44NeL_iCoJNxY0GSrgRel35k0N7129vNiKVFL4UfjhrtAi8nAq7DGnDzXCO7soJyI5wXny_gf52FggI3_tk6prQyqXW4QTQEw5kihEUdEko9NUY1kMixuuye2XC/s400/Masjid_al-Haram_1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5523. &amp;nbsp; &lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  5524. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5525. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5526. &lt;/div&gt;
  5527. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/6119023527786462239/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/kaaba.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/6119023527786462239'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/6119023527786462239'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/11/kaaba.html' title='Kaaba '/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5kq2iZ1RYi2Ie_OZoNOQWQw9TuOKtD6ghlURy5RpxV8YgjceADRy0m2QjiK8s_gjkuEhgxtdRTo6rXda2BV0xCGYkBwDh7Tkon9wimtv8lD08ff_AsBtlgSF-ri2ZBzcQqat7wNgcx74/s72-c/Mosqu%C3%A9e_Masjid_el_Haram_%C3%A0_la_Mecque.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-7487120725131910396</id><published>2013-10-13T03:39:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-13T03:39:04.329-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Medina</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  5528. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5529. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Wq0mh21_x5Ppu9I-8TLw6-8eOhzBH7XqjQVUbuv7cY3MZTVVtnDuZMp-vJxEV0JVJhcMpXu9Rgj_wsuoIa4ROJCOi7XefZJPAEgtDXR5fwb3N5YUUcgU-5RAgx-PV_IhVWsxoiwvY2dJ/s1600/Mescidi_nebevi.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;301&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Wq0mh21_x5Ppu9I-8TLw6-8eOhzBH7XqjQVUbuv7cY3MZTVVtnDuZMp-vJxEV0JVJhcMpXu9Rgj_wsuoIa4ROJCOi7XefZJPAEgtDXR5fwb3N5YUUcgU-5RAgx-PV_IhVWsxoiwvY2dJ/s400/Mescidi_nebevi.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5530. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  5531.  
  5532.  
  5533.  
  5534. &lt;br /&gt;
  5535. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5536. &lt;b&gt;Medina&lt;/b&gt; ,(Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;اَلْمَدِينَة
  5537. اَلْمَنَوَّرَة&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;, officially
  5538. al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah, “the radiant city”, or &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;اَلْمَدِينَة&lt;/span&gt;
  5539. al-Madīnah, also officially transliterated as Madinah by the Saudi Government
  5540. and in modern Islamic literature generally), is a modern city in the Hejaz
  5541. region of western Saudi Arabia, and the capital of Al Madinah Province. An
  5542. alternative name is Madinat Al-Nabi (&quot;The City of the Prophet,&quot; i.e.
  5543. Muhammad). The Arabic word madinah simply means &quot;city.&quot; Before the
  5544. advent of Islam, the city was known as Yathrib but was personally renamed by
  5545. Muhammad.&lt;/div&gt;
  5546. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5547. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5548. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5549. It is the second holiest city in Islam after &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; and the burial place
  5550. of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5551. is critically significant in Islamic History for being where Muhammad&#39;s final
  5552. religious base was established after the Hijrah and where he died in 632 AD/11
  5553. AH. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was
  5554. the power base of Islam in its first century, being where the early Muslim
  5555. community (ummah) developed under the Prophet&#39;s leadership, then under the
  5556. leadership of the first four caliphs of Islam: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali.&lt;/div&gt;
  5557. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5558. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5559. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5560. In fact, Year 1 of the Islamic calendar is based on the year
  5561. of the emigration (or Hijra (&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;هِجْرَة&lt;/span&gt;))
  5562. of Muhammad and his original followers (Muhajirun) from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5563. to the city of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  5564. in 622 AD/1 AH. The Maliki madhab places emphasis on ulema and scholars
  5565. originating in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  5566. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5567. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5568. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5569. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt; is home to the three
  5570. oldest mosques in Islam, namely Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (The Prophet&#39;s Mosque),
  5571. Quba Mosque (the first mosque in Islam&#39;s history), and Masjid al-Qiblatain (The
  5572. Mosque of the Two Qiblahs - the mosque where the direction of Muslim prayer, or
  5573. qiblah, was switched from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jerusalem&lt;/st1:city&gt; to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;).&lt;/div&gt;
  5574. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5575. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5576. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5577. Similarly to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, entrance
  5578. to the sacred core of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  5579. (but not the entire city) is restricted to Muslims only; non-Muslims are
  5580. permitted neither to enter nor cross through the city center.&lt;/div&gt;
  5581. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5582. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5583. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5584. Muslims believe that the final chapters (surahs) of the
  5585. Qur&#39;an chronologically were revealed to the Prophet in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; and are called Medinan surahs in
  5586. contrast to earlier Meccan surahs.&lt;/div&gt;
  5587. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  5588.  
  5589.  
  5590.  
  5591. &lt;br /&gt;
  5592. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5593. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Overview&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5594. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5595. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5596. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5597. As of 2006, the city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; city has a population of about 1.3
  5598. million. During the pre-Islamic period up until 622 AD, the city was known as
  5599. Yathrib, an oasis city. In addition to its Arab inhabitants, Yathrib was
  5600. inhabited by Jewish refugees, who came expecting the coming of a prophet as
  5601. foretold in their books, in the second century AD. Later the city&#39;s name was
  5602. changed to Madīnat an-Nabiy (&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مَدِينَةُ ٱلنَّبِيّ&lt;/span&gt;
  5603. &quot;city of the prophet&quot;) or Al-Madīnat(u) &#39;l-Munawwarah (&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;اَلْمَدِينَةٌ ٱلْمٌنَوَّرَة&lt;/span&gt; &quot;the enlightened
  5604. city&quot; or &quot;the radiant city&quot;). &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5605. is celebrated for containing the mosque of Muhammad and also as the city which
  5606. gave refuge to him and his followers, and so ranks as the second holiest city
  5607. of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Islam&lt;/st1:city&gt;, after &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Muhammad was buried in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, under the Green
  5608. Dome, as were the first two Rashidun (Rightly Guided Caliphs), Abu Bakr and
  5609. Umar, who were buried next to him in what used to be the prophet house.&lt;/div&gt;
  5610. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5611. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5612. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5613. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt; is 210 mi (340 km)
  5614. north of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; and about 120 mi (190 km) from
  5615. the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Red Sea&lt;/st1:place&gt; coast. It is situated in the most
  5616. fertile part of all the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt; territory, the
  5617. streams of the vicinity tending to converge in this locality. An immense plain
  5618. extends to the south; in every direction the view is bounded by hills and
  5619. mountains.&lt;/div&gt;
  5620. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5621. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5622. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5623. The historic city formed an oval, surrounded by a strong
  5624. wall, 30 to 40 ft (9.1 to 12 m) high, dating from the 12th century CE, and was
  5625. flanked with towers, while on a rock, stood a castle. Of its four gates, the
  5626. Bab-al-Salam, or Egyptian gate, was remarkable for its beauty. Beyond the walls
  5627. of the city, west and south were suburbs consisting of low houses, yards,
  5628. gardens and plantations. These suburbs also had walls and gates. Almost all of
  5629. the historic city has been demolished in the Saudi era. The rebuilt city is
  5630. centred on the vastly expanded Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (The mosque of the Prophet).&lt;/div&gt;
  5631. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5632. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5633. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5634. The tombs of Fatimah (Muhammad&#39;s daughter) and Hasan
  5635. (Muhammad&#39;s grandson), across from the mosque at Jannat al-Baqi, and Abu Bakr
  5636. (first caliph and the father of Muhammad&#39;s wife, Aisha), and of Umar (Umar ibn
  5637. Al-Khattab), the second caliph, are also here. The mosque dates back to the time
  5638. of Muhammad, but has been twice burned and reconstructed.&lt;/div&gt;
  5639. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5640. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5641. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5642. Because of the Saudi government&#39;s religious policy and
  5643. concern that historic sites could become the focus for idolatry, much of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s Islamic physical
  5644. heritage has been destroyed since the beginning of Saudi rule.&lt;/div&gt;
  5645. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5646. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5647. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5648. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Religious
  5649. significance in Islam&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5650. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5651. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5652. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5653. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  5654. importance as a religious site derives from the presence of Al-Masjid al-Nabawi
  5655. or The Mosque of The Prophet. The tomb of Prophet Muhammad later became part of
  5656. the mosque when it was expanded by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I. Mount Uhud is
  5657. a mountain north of Medina which was the site of the second battle between
  5658. Muslim and Meccan forces.&lt;/div&gt;
  5659. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5660. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5661. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5662. The first mosque built during Muhammad&#39;s time is also
  5663. located in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5664. and is known as Masjid Qubaʼ (the Quba Mosque). It was destroyed by lightning,
  5665. probably about 850 CE, and the graves were almost forgotten. In 892, the place
  5666. was cleared up, the tombs located and a fine mosque built, which was destroyed
  5667. by fire in 1257 CE and almost immediately rebuilt. It was restored by Qaitbay,
  5668. the Egyptian ruler, in 1487.&lt;/div&gt;
  5669. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5670. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5671. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5672. Masjid al-Qiblatain is another mosque also historically
  5673. important to Muslims. It is where the prophet changed the direction of prayer
  5674. (qibla) from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jerusalem&lt;/st1:city&gt; to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; according to Sunni hadiths.&lt;/div&gt;
  5675. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5676. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5677. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5678. Like Mecca, the city of Medina only permits Muslims to
  5679. enter, although the haram (area closed to non-Muslims) of Medina is much
  5680. smaller than that of Mecca, with the result that many facilities on the
  5681. outskirts of Medina are open to non-Muslims, whereas in Mecca the area closed
  5682. to non-Muslims extends well beyond the limits of the built-up area. Both
  5683. cities&#39; numerous mosques are the destination for large numbers of Muslims on
  5684. their Hajj (annual pilgrimage). Hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; annually to visit
  5685. the Tomb of Prophet. Al-Baqi&#39; is a significant cemetery in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; where several family members of
  5686. Muhammad, caliphs and scholars are buried.&lt;/div&gt;
  5687. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5688. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5689. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5690. Islamic scriptures emphasize the sacredness of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is mentioned several times as being
  5691. sacred in the Qur&#39;an, for example ayah; 9:101, 9:129, 59:9, and ayah 63:7.
  5692. Medinan suras are typically longer than their Meccan counterparts. There is
  5693. also a book within the hadith of Bukhari titled &#39;virtues of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;.&lt;/div&gt;
  5694. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5695. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5696. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5697. &lt;b&gt;Sahih Bukhari says:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5698. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5699. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5700. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5701.  
  5702.  
  5703. &lt;/div&gt;
  5704. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5705. “&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Narrated
  5706. Anas: The Prophet said, &quot;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5707. is a sanctuary from that place to that. Its trees should not be cut and no
  5708. heresy should be innovated nor any sin should be committed in it, and whoever
  5709. innovates in it an heresy or commits sins (bad deeds), then he will incur the curse
  5710. of Allah, the angels, and all the people.&quot;.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;”&lt;/div&gt;
  5711. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5712. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  5713. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5714. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzc6KzRSNua7fK82TTpmZMLVddkVGFnQJuvHO7LjbO6AO3Id-xyAQlq9tEcnsVs43S0UEAt2ZXzZ9rQ1aDGBJiDJCS1lCzncGPuPLAE53fbc8dOcAyi06x1mWNN_cMGPKUq5f23BaxLl7Q/s1600/800px-The_Profit_Mosque.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzc6KzRSNua7fK82TTpmZMLVddkVGFnQJuvHO7LjbO6AO3Id-xyAQlq9tEcnsVs43S0UEAt2ZXzZ9rQ1aDGBJiDJCS1lCzncGPuPLAE53fbc8dOcAyi06x1mWNN_cMGPKUq5f23BaxLl7Q/s400/800px-The_Profit_Mosque.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5715. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  5716. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5717. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5718. &lt;br /&gt;
  5719.  
  5720.  
  5721.  
  5722. &lt;br /&gt;
  5723. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5724. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Pre-Islamic
  5725. times&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5726. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5727. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5728. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5729. The first mention of the city, under its old Arabic name
  5730. Yathrib, dates to the 6th century BC. It appears in Assyrian texts (namely, the
  5731. Nabonidus Chronicle) as Iatribu In the time of Ptolemy the oasis was known
  5732. as Lathrippa.&lt;/div&gt;
  5733. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5734. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5735. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5736. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Jewish
  5737. influence&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5738. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5739. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5740. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5741. Into the older Arab town of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yathrib&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Jews arrived in the 2nd century AD.
  5742. There were three prominent Jewish tribes that inhabited the city into the 7th
  5743. century AD: the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Qurayza, and Banu Nadir. Ibn Khordadbeh
  5744. later reported that during the Persian Empire&#39;s domination in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  5745. the Banu Qurayza served as tax collectors for the shah.&lt;/div&gt;
  5746. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5747. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5748. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5749. The situation changed after the arrival from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yemen&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; of two
  5750. new Arab tribes named Banu Aus (or Banu &#39;Aws) and Banu Khazraj. At first, these
  5751. tribes were clients of the Jews, but later they revolted and became independent.
  5752. Toward the end of the 5th century,the Jews lost control of the city to Banu Aus
  5753. and Banu Khazraj. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that they did so &quot;by
  5754. calling in outside assistance and treacherously massacring at a banquet the
  5755. principal Jews&quot;, Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj finally gained the upper hand
  5756. at Medina.&lt;/div&gt;
  5757. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5758. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5759. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5760. Most modern historians accept the claim of the Muslim
  5761. sources that after the revolt, the Jewish tribes became clients of the Aus and
  5762. the Khazraj. However, according to scholar of Islam William Montgomery Watt,
  5763. the clientship of the Jewish tribes is not borne out by the historical accounts
  5764. of the period prior to 627, and he maintained that the Jews retained a measure
  5765. of political independence.&lt;/div&gt;
  5766. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5767. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5768. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5769. Early Muslim chronicler Ibn Ishaq tells of a pre-Islamic
  5770. conflict between the last Yemenite king of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Himyarite&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;[and
  5771. the residents of Yathrib. When the king was passing by the oasis, the residents
  5772. killed his son, and the Yemenite ruler threatened to exterminate the people and
  5773. cut down the palms. According to Ibn Ishaq, he was stopped from doing so by two
  5774. rabbis from the Banu Qurayza tribe, who implored the king to spare the oasis because
  5775. it was the place &quot;to which a prophet of the Quraysh would migrate in time
  5776. to come, and it would be his home and resting-place.&quot; The Yemenite king
  5777. thus did not destroy the town and converted to Judaism. He took the rabbis with
  5778. him, and in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, they reportedly recognized
  5779. the Ka&#39;ba as a temple built by Abraham and advised the king &quot;to do what
  5780. the people of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  5781. did: to circumambulate the temple, to venerate and honour it, to shave his head
  5782. and to behave with all humility until he had left its precincts.&quot; On
  5783. approaching &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yemen&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  5784. tells ibn Ishaq, the rabbis demonstrated to the local people a miracle by
  5785. coming out of a fire unscathed and the Yemenites accepted Judaism.&lt;/div&gt;
  5786. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5787. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5788. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5789. Eventually the Banu Aus and the Banu Khazraj became hostile
  5790. to each other and by the time of Muhammad&#39;s Hijra (emigration) to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 622 AD/1 AH,
  5791. they had been fighting for 120 years and were the sworn enemies of each other.
  5792. The Banu Nadir and the Banu Qurayza were allied with the Aus, while the Banu
  5793. Qaynuqa sided with the Khazraj.They fought a total of four wars.&lt;/div&gt;
  5794. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5795. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5796. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5797. Their last and bloodiest battle was the Battle of Bu&#39;ath
  5798. that was fought a few years before the arrival of Muhammad. The outcome of the
  5799. battle was inconclusive, and the feud continued. Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy, one
  5800. Khazraj chief, had refused to take part in the battle, which earned him a
  5801. reputation for equity and peacefulness. Until the arrival of Muhammad, he was
  5802. the most respected inhabitant of Yathrib. To solve the ongoing feud, concerned
  5803. residents of the city met secretly with Muhammad in Aqaba, inviting him and his
  5804. small band of believers to come to Yathrib, where the Prophet could serve as
  5805. disinterested mediator between the factions and his community could practice
  5806. its faith freely.&lt;/div&gt;
  5807. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5808. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  5809. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5810. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLt4UReppF5LKxWScDi3oj5s1xF039mhEZTPA0tGGDB8WqiI0iUmlH_XHC9JN4P23GJJkYgVVhWxW-PtpC3YEamKSx2jAAR5MrRpd5EEZkDtBoz8jeXi9xpdW1pk4JWM5uMHmSgNQALpwR/s1600/Madina_old.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLt4UReppF5LKxWScDi3oj5s1xF039mhEZTPA0tGGDB8WqiI0iUmlH_XHC9JN4P23GJJkYgVVhWxW-PtpC3YEamKSx2jAAR5MrRpd5EEZkDtBoz8jeXi9xpdW1pk4JWM5uMHmSgNQALpwR/s400/Madina_old.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5811. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Medina 1940&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  5812. &lt;br /&gt;
  5813. &lt;br /&gt;
  5814. &lt;br /&gt;
  5815.  
  5816.  
  5817.  
  5818. &lt;br /&gt;
  5819. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5820. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Muhammad&#39;s
  5821. arrival&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5822. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5823. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5824. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5825. In 622 AD/1 AH, Muhammad and around 70 Meccan Muhajirun
  5826. believers left Mecca for sanctuary in Yathrib, an event that transformed the
  5827. religious and political landscape of the city completely; the longstanding
  5828. enmity between the Aus and Khazraj tribes was dampened as many of the two Arab
  5829. tribes and some local Jews embraced Islam. Muhammad, linked to the Khazraj
  5830. through his great-grandmother, was agreed on as civic leader. The Muslim
  5831. converts native to Yathrib of whatever background—pagan Arab or Jewish—were
  5832. called Ansar (&quot;the Patrons&quot; or &quot;the Helpers&quot;).&lt;/div&gt;
  5833. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5834. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5835. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5836. According to Ibn Ishaq, the local pagan Arab tribes, the
  5837. Muslim Muhajirun from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  5838. the local Muslims (Ansar), and the Jews of the area signed an agreement, the
  5839. so-called Constitution of Medina, which committed all parties to mutual cooperation
  5840. under the leadership of Muhammad. The nature of this document as recorded by
  5841. Ibn Ishaq and transmitted by Ibn Hisham is the subject of dispute among modern
  5842. Western historians, many of whom maintain that this &quot;treaty&quot; is
  5843. possibly a collage of different agreements, oral rather than written, of
  5844. different dates, and that it is not clear exactly when they were made. Other
  5845. scholars, however, both Western and Muslim, argue that the text of the
  5846. agreement—whether a single document originally or several—is possibly one of
  5847. the oldest Islamic texts we possess.&lt;/div&gt;
  5848. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  5849. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5850. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEn7IvVoLq9diDqYDR-yuobVny_AcZ-yO5TjVNY6WlD9tAF989FYTHeOfKXsapQWRcujaVbcJY_QJ8YMlf9nI8MbzS6hw9GvkoHtP4Qm2Y744QivYc7wagxmHRrIq7gEqCVEUTaMkNRdPh/s1600/800px-Quba_Mosque.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEn7IvVoLq9diDqYDR-yuobVny_AcZ-yO5TjVNY6WlD9tAF989FYTHeOfKXsapQWRcujaVbcJY_QJ8YMlf9nI8MbzS6hw9GvkoHtP4Qm2Y744QivYc7wagxmHRrIq7gEqCVEUTaMkNRdPh/s400/800px-Quba_Mosque.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5851. &lt;br /&gt;
  5852.  
  5853.  
  5854.  
  5855. &lt;br /&gt;
  5856. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5857. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;The &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Battle&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; of Badr&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5858. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5859. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5860. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5861. The Battle of Badr was a key battle in the early days of
  5862. Islam and a turning point in Muhammad&#39;s struggle with his opponents among the
  5863. Quraysh in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  5864. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5865. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5866. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5867. In the spring of 624, Muhammad received word from his
  5868. intelligence sources that a trade caravan, commanded by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and
  5869. guarded by thirty to forty men, was traveling from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  5870. back to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  5871. Muhammad gathered an army of 313 men, the largest army the Muslims had put in
  5872. the field yet. However, many early Muslim sources, including the Qur&#39;an,
  5873. indicate that no serious fighting was expected, and the future Caliph Uthman
  5874. ibn Affan stayed behind to care for his sick wife.&lt;/div&gt;
  5875. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5876. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5877. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5878. As the caravan approached &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Abu Sufyan began hearing from
  5879. travelers and riders about Muhammad&#39;s planned ambush. He sent a messenger named
  5880. Damdam to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  5881. to warn the Quraysh and get reinforcements. Alarmed, the Quraysh assembled an
  5882. army of 900–1,000 men to rescue the caravan. Many of the Qurayshi nobles, including
  5883. Amr ibn Hishām, Walid ibn Utba, Shaiba, and Umayyah ibn Khalaf, joined the
  5884. army. However, some of the army was to later return to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; before the battle.&lt;/div&gt;
  5885. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5886. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5887. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5888. The battle started with champions from both armies emerging
  5889. to engage in combat. The Muslims sent out Ali, Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (Obeida),
  5890. and Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. The Muslims dispatched the Meccan champions in
  5891. a three-on-three melee, Hamzah killed his victim on very first strike although
  5892. Ubaydah was mortally wounded.&lt;/div&gt;
  5893. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5894. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5895. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5896. Now both armies began firing arrows at each other. Two
  5897. Muslims and an unknown number of Quraysh were killed. Before the battle
  5898. started, Muhammad had given orders for the Muslims to attack with their ranged
  5899. weapons, and only engage the Quraysh with melee weapons when they advanced. Now
  5900. he gave the order to charge, throwing a handful of pebbles at the Meccans in
  5901. what was probably a traditional Arabian gesture while yelling &quot;Defaced be
  5902. those faces!&quot; The Muslim army yelled &quot;Yā manṣūr amit!&quot; and
  5903. rushed the Qurayshi lines. The Meccans, all tough substantially outnumbering
  5904. the Muslims, promptly broke and ran. The battle itself only lasted a few hours
  5905. and was over by the early afternoon. The Qur&#39;an describes the force of the
  5906. Muslim attack in many verses, which refer to thousands of angels descending
  5907. from Heaven at Badr to slaughter the Quraysh.Early Muslim sources take this
  5908. account literally, and there are several hadith where Muhammad discusses the
  5909. Angel Jibreel and the role he played in the battle.&lt;/div&gt;
  5910. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5911. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5912. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5913. Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (Obeida) was given the honour of
  5914. &quot;he who shot the first arrow for Islam&quot; as Abu Sufyan ibn Harb
  5915. altered course to flee the attack. In retaliation for this attack Abu Sufyan
  5916. ibn Harb requested an armed force from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  5917. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5918. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5919. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5920. Throughout the winter and spring of 623 other raiding
  5921. parties were sent by Muhammad from &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  5922. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5923. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5924. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5925. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;The &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Battle&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; of Uhud&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5926. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5927. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5928. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5929. In 625, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, King of Mecca, who paid tax to
  5930. the Byzantine empire regularly, once again led a Meccan force against &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Muhammad marched
  5931. out to meet the force but before reaching the battle, about one third of the
  5932. troops under Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy withdrew. With a smaller force, the Muslim
  5933. army had to find a strategy to gain the upper hand. A group of archers were
  5934. ordered to stay on a hill to keep an eye on the Meccan&#39;s cavalry forces and to
  5935. provide protection at the rear of the Muslim&#39;s army. As the battle heated up,
  5936. the Meccans were forced to somewhat retreat. The battle front was pushed
  5937. further and further away from the archers, whom, from the start of the battle,
  5938. had really nothing to do but watch. In their growing impatience to be part of
  5939. the battle, and seeing that they were somewhat gaining advantage over the
  5940. Kafiruns, these archers decided to leave their posts to pursue the retreating
  5941. Meccans. A small party, however, stayed behind; pleading all along to the rest
  5942. to not disobey their commanders&#39; orders. But their words were lost among the
  5943. enthusiastic yodels of their comrades.&lt;/div&gt;
  5944. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5945. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5946. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5947. However, the Meccans&#39; retreat was actually a manufactured
  5948. manouvre that paid off. The hillside position had been a great advantage to the
  5949. Muslim forces, and they had to be lured off their posts for the kafiruns to
  5950. turn the table over. Seeing that their strategy had actually worked, the
  5951. Meccans cavalry forces went around the hill and re-appeared behind the pursuing
  5952. archers. Thus, ambushed in the plain between the hill and the front line, the
  5953. archers were systematically slaughtered, watched upon by their desperate
  5954. comrades who stayed behind up in the hill, shooting arrows to thwart the
  5955. raiders, but to little effects. So they suffered defeat in the Battle of Uhud.&lt;/div&gt;
  5956. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5957. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5958. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5959. However, the Meccans did not capitalize on their victory by
  5960. invading &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt; and returned to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. The Medinans suffered heavy losses,
  5961. and Muhammad was injured.&lt;/div&gt;
  5962. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  5963. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  5964. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySd97PblU1VaQaQlCZrzlA1cN0W0-sKHaoXDLCrQK0wJ_HjiwZQ_olTeQ_ulh-z0UBNlWSwJ1F_r5EIvbuLkmiEr3za3fi-rfuhvQjwkyEJmhk-r0pQXNPu4zYWd66AeKAysY3oGQRDo5/s1600/800px-Mount_Uhud.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySd97PblU1VaQaQlCZrzlA1cN0W0-sKHaoXDLCrQK0wJ_HjiwZQ_olTeQ_ulh-z0UBNlWSwJ1F_r5EIvbuLkmiEr3za3fi-rfuhvQjwkyEJmhk-r0pQXNPu4zYWd66AeKAysY3oGQRDo5/s400/800px-Mount_Uhud.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5965. &lt;br /&gt;
  5966. &lt;br /&gt;
  5967.  
  5968.  
  5969.  
  5970. &lt;br /&gt;
  5971. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5972. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;The &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Battle&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; of the Trench&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5973. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5974. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  5975. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  5976. In 627, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb once more led Meccan forces
  5977. against &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  5978. Because the people of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt; had dug a trench to
  5979. further protect the city, this event became known as the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Battle&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; of the Trench. After a protracted
  5980. siege and various skirmishes, the Meccans withdrew again. During the siege, Abu
  5981. Sufyan ibn Harb had contacted the remaining Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza and
  5982. formed an agreement with them, to attack the defenders from behind the lines.
  5983. It was however discovered by the Muslims and thwarted. This was in breach of
  5984. the Constitution of Medina and after the Meccan withdrawal, Muhammad
  5985. immediately marched against the Qurayza and laid siege to their strongholds.
  5986. The Jews eventually surrendered. Some members of the Banu Aus now interceded on
  5987. behalf of their old allies and Muhammad agreed to the appointment of one of
  5988. their chiefs, Sa&#39;d ibn Mua&#39;dh, as judge. Sa&#39;ad judged by Jewish Law that all
  5989. male members of the tribe should be killed and the women and children enslaved
  5990. as was the law stated in the Old Testament for treason.(Deutoronomy) This
  5991. action was conceived of as a defensive measure to ensure that the Muslim
  5992. community could be confident of its continued survival in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. The historian Robert Mantran argues
  5993. that from this point of view it was successful — from this point on, the
  5994. Muslims were no longer primarily concerned with survival but with expansion and
  5995. conquest.&lt;/div&gt;
  5996. &lt;br /&gt;
  5997.  
  5998.  
  5999.  
  6000. &lt;br /&gt;
  6001. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6002. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Capital&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt; of Early Islam and the Caliphate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6003. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6004. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6005. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6006. In the ten years following the Hijra, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6007. formed the base from which Muhammad and the Muslim army attacked and were
  6008. attacked, and it was from here that he marched on &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, entering it without battle in 629 AD/8
  6009. AH, all parties acquiescing to his leadership. Afterwards, however, despite
  6010. Muhammad&#39;s tribal connection to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; and the
  6011. ongoing importance of the Meccan kaaba for Islamic pilgrimage (hajj), Muhammad
  6012. returned to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;, which remained for some
  6013. years the most important city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Islam&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6014. and the capital of the early Caliphate.&lt;/div&gt;
  6015. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6016. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6017. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6018. Pagan Yathrib was renamed &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; from &quot;Madinat al-Nabi&quot;
  6019. (&quot;city of the Prophet&quot; in Arabic) in honor of Muhammad&#39;s prophethood
  6020. and death there. (Alternatively, Lucien Gubbay suggests the name &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; could also have
  6021. been a derivative from the Aramaic word Medinta, which the Jewish inhabitants
  6022. could have used for the city.)&lt;/div&gt;
  6023. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6024. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6025. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6026. Under the first three Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, and Othman, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was the capital of
  6027. a rapidly increasing Muslim Empire. During the period of Othman, the third
  6028. caliph, a party of Arabs from Egypt, disgruntled at his political decisions,
  6029. attacked Medina in 656 AD/35 AH and murdered him in his own home . Ali, the
  6030. fourth caliph, changed the capital of the caliphate from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6031. to Kufa in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  6032. After that, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  6033. importance dwindled, becoming more a place of religious importance than of
  6034. political power.&lt;/div&gt;
  6035. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6036. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6037. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6038. After the fragmentation of the Caliphate, the city became
  6039. subject to various rulers, including the Mamluks of Cairo in the 13th century
  6040. and finally, in 1517, the Ottoman Turks.&lt;/div&gt;
  6041. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  6042. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6043. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfzFT4aLNTBJKPGCfa6WYME4BGpHr9KXbbmRxmifLc7NCkXmwSZLcqDFaQPaIlbFoqxJf1NMGIt7o2Le3DThFpmDtXCz_WuELkBk-gpaYTIZNhemlS5sJ0rMkQQZ4sAyy3g5Xmws64s-K/s1600/170px-Medina_ceramic_panel_Louvre_OA3919.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfzFT4aLNTBJKPGCfa6WYME4BGpHr9KXbbmRxmifLc7NCkXmwSZLcqDFaQPaIlbFoqxJf1NMGIt7o2Le3DThFpmDtXCz_WuELkBk-gpaYTIZNhemlS5sJ0rMkQQZ4sAyy3g5Xmws64s-K/s400/170px-Medina_ceramic_panel_Louvre_OA3919.jpg&quot; width=&quot;231&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6044. &lt;br /&gt;
  6045. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6046. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;World War I
  6047. to Saudi control&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6048. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6049. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6050. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6051. In the beginning of 20th century, during World War I, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; witnessed one of
  6052. the longest sieges in history. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6053. was a city of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Local rule was in the hands of the
  6054. Hashemite clan as Sharifs or Emirs of Mecca. Fakhri Pasha was the Ottoman
  6055. governor of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  6056. Ali bin Hussein, the Sharif of Mecca and leader of the Hashemite clan, revolted
  6057. against the Caliph in Constantinople (&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Istanbul&lt;/st1:city&gt;)
  6058. and sided with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Great Britain&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  6059. The city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6060. was besieged by the Sharif&#39;s forces, and Fakhri Pasha tenaciously held on
  6061. during the Siege of Medina from 1916 till 10 January 1919. He refused to
  6062. surrender and held on another 72 days after the Armistice of Moudros, until he
  6063. was arrested by his own men. In anticipation of the plunder and destruction to
  6064. follow, Fakhri Pasha secretly sent the Sacred Relics of Medina to Istanbul.&lt;/div&gt;
  6065. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6066. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6067. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6068. As of 1920, the British described &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6069. as &quot;much more self-supporting than &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&quot;
  6070. After the First World War, the Hashemite Sayyid Hussein bin Ali was proclaimed
  6071. King of an independent &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Soon after, in
  6072. 1924, he was defeated by Ibn Saud, who integrated &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6073. and the whole of the Hejaz into the modern &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6074. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6075. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6076. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6077. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt; today&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6078. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6079. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6080. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6081. Today, Medina (&quot;Madinah&quot; officially in Saudi
  6082. documents), in addition to being the second most important Islamic pilgrimage
  6083. destination after Mecca, is an important regional capital of the western Saudi
  6084. Arabian province of Al Madinah. In addition to the sacred core of the old city,
  6085. which is off limits to non-Muslims, Medina is a modern, multi-ethnic city
  6086. inhabited by Saudi Arabs and an increasing number of Muslim and non-Muslim
  6087. expatriate workers: other Arab nationalities (Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese,
  6088. etc.), South Asians ( Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis, etc.), and Filipinos.&lt;/div&gt;
  6089. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6090. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6091. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6092. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu691Q7olPkWNa7N_JuACIS8Dd-hfKflhj8u1Jqdd6ymnSGzfM8l_IsABU-hGEL7iBmsO3aQZPdxwFESliM84wpq3hOHlP4JR5Ivg5wDvut1r9g72viyGDGyXIyL6O9FUvYyKas7KQ-p8/s1600/800px-Modern_Medina.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu691Q7olPkWNa7N_JuACIS8Dd-hfKflhj8u1Jqdd6ymnSGzfM8l_IsABU-hGEL7iBmsO3aQZPdxwFESliM84wpq3hOHlP4JR5Ivg5wDvut1r9g72viyGDGyXIyL6O9FUvYyKas7KQ-p8/s400/800px-Modern_Medina.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6093. &lt;br /&gt;
  6094.  
  6095.  
  6096.  
  6097. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6098. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Economy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6099. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6100. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6101. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6102. Historically, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6103. is known for growing dates. As of 1920, 139 varieties of dates were being grown
  6104. in the area.Medina also was known for growing many types of vegetables.&lt;/div&gt;
  6105. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6106. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6107. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6108. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Religion&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6109. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6110. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6111. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6112. Islam is the religion followed by all the population of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;, just like most of the cities in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Sunnis of different
  6113. schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi&#39;i and Hanbali) constitute the majority while
  6114. there is a significant Shia minority in and around &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6115. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6116. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6117. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6118. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Geography&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6119. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6120. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6121. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6122. The soil surrounding &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6123. consist of mostly basalt, while the hills, especially noticeable to the south
  6124. of the city, are volcanic ash which date to the first geological period of the
  6125. Paleozoic Era.&lt;/div&gt;
  6126. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6127. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6128. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6129. In 1256 &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  6130. was threatened by lava flow from the last eruption of Harrat Rahat&lt;/div&gt;
  6131. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6132. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6133. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6134. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Devastation of
  6135. heritage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6136. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6137. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6138. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6139. The &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Knowledge&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Economic&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  6140. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; project, a city focused on
  6141. knowledge-based industries, has been planned and is expected to boost
  6142. development and increase the number of jobs in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6143. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6144. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6145. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6146. The city is served by the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Prince&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mohammad&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  6147. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bin&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdulaziz&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  6148. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; which opened in
  6149. 1974. It handles on average 20–25 flights a day, although this number triples
  6150. during the Hajj season and school holidays.&lt;/div&gt;
  6151. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6152. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6153. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6154. Saudi Wahhabism is hostile to any reverence given to
  6155. historical or religious places of significance for fear that it may give rise
  6156. to &#39;shirk&#39; (that is, idolatry). As a consequence, under Saudi rule, Medina has
  6157. suffered from considerable destruction of its physical heritage including the
  6158. loss of many buildings over a thousand years old.Critics have described this as
  6159. &quot;Saudi vandalism&quot; and claim that in Medina and Mecca over the last 50
  6160. years 300 historic sites linked to Muhammad, his family or companions have been
  6161. lost.In Medina, examples of historic sites which have been destroyed include
  6162. the Salman al-Farsi Mosque, the Raj&#39;at ash-Shams Mosque, the Jannat al-Baqi
  6163. cemetery, and the house of Muhammed.&lt;/div&gt;
  6164. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6165. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  6166. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6167. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tu01sg37SiUPLjs7gg5SsTKTu3YPgtqbnsRbBLbB5QvXkoDfhU9jchNBiRCtyzqqywlGKq1jFpqBxdVPjRue5bQTvs3gWFWzGIzGbMktTWooI9hDqDIL03LvFe6xty59aPEMlzDbkVNl/s1600/Madina_Munavara.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;290&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tu01sg37SiUPLjs7gg5SsTKTu3YPgtqbnsRbBLbB5QvXkoDfhU9jchNBiRCtyzqqywlGKq1jFpqBxdVPjRue5bQTvs3gWFWzGIzGbMktTWooI9hDqDIL03LvFe6xty59aPEMlzDbkVNl/s400/Madina_Munavara.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6168. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6169. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Climate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6170. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6171. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6172. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6173. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6174. has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh). Summers are
  6175. extremely hot with daytime temperatures averaging about 40 °C (104 °F) with
  6176. nights about 28 °C (82 °F). Temperatures above 45 °C (113 °F) are not unusual
  6177. between June and September. Winters are milder, with temperatures from 12 °C (54
  6178. °F) at night to 24 °C (75 °F) in the day. There is very little rainfall, which
  6179. falls almost entirely between November and May.&lt;/div&gt;
  6180. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6181. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  6182. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6183. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMBC-50JTtnYHsm-4TflNXSwnWJm56dndqtKSs6qd6NyrcEgebY6hyphenhyphenqiAnVaxGL1BgVTlIS0bE6d5RUkOZ152E65knid1WgAccaMSO75wieXLeL6dSE-UMHgBmd_GNcX6webFGe7JNYBG/s1600/Madina_Haram_at_evening_.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;66&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMBC-50JTtnYHsm-4TflNXSwnWJm56dndqtKSs6qd6NyrcEgebY6hyphenhyphenqiAnVaxGL1BgVTlIS0bE6d5RUkOZ152E65knid1WgAccaMSO75wieXLeL6dSE-UMHgBmd_GNcX6webFGe7JNYBG/s400/Madina_Haram_at_evening_.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6184. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6185. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6186. &lt;/div&gt;
  6187. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/7487120725131910396/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/medina.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7487120725131910396'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7487120725131910396'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/medina.html' title='Medina'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Wq0mh21_x5Ppu9I-8TLw6-8eOhzBH7XqjQVUbuv7cY3MZTVVtnDuZMp-vJxEV0JVJhcMpXu9Rgj_wsuoIa4ROJCOi7XefZJPAEgtDXR5fwb3N5YUUcgU-5RAgx-PV_IhVWsxoiwvY2dJ/s72-c/Mescidi_nebevi.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-6071233157292911007</id><published>2013-10-13T03:01:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-13T03:01:12.105-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Najd</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  6188. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6189. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6INVbsDZOfwmD2y0TT8IzouYJkMMNY0xFEodGXgCZynHnAimFK0okymFB3C2g5mJtoOePXFHw_FH7k4uCYbDRiwm7Xl95i6nNT4XK49HCar8bI-tMiPvmxTTHz7-E_zPYdCE7atBphlZg/s1600/Ibrahin-pasha-english.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6INVbsDZOfwmD2y0TT8IzouYJkMMNY0xFEodGXgCZynHnAimFK0okymFB3C2g5mJtoOePXFHw_FH7k4uCYbDRiwm7Xl95i6nNT4XK49HCar8bI-tMiPvmxTTHz7-E_zPYdCE7atBphlZg/s400/Ibrahin-pasha-english.jpg&quot; width=&quot;332&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6190. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  6191.  
  6192.  
  6193.  
  6194. &lt;br /&gt;
  6195. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6196. &lt;b&gt;Najd or Nejd&lt;/b&gt; (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;نجد&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt; ‎&lt;/span&gt;, Naǧd), literally &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Highland&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  6197. is the central region of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6198. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6199. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6200. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6201. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Geography&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6202. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6203. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6204. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6205. The Arabic word nejd literally means &quot;upland&quot; and
  6206. was once applied to a variety of regions within the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian
  6207. Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;. However, the most famous of these was the central
  6208. region of the Peninsula roughly bounded on the west by the mountains of the
  6209. Hejaz and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yemen&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and to the
  6210. east by the historical region of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  6211. and the north by &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6212. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6213. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6214. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6215. Medieval Muslim geographers spent a great amount of time
  6216. debating the exact boundaries between Hejaz and Nejd in particular, but
  6217. generally set the western boundaries of Nejd to be wherever the western
  6218. mountain ranges and lava beds began to slope eastwards, and set the eastern
  6219. boundaries of Nejd at the narrow strip of red sand dunes known as the Ad-Dahna
  6220. Desert, some 100 km (62 mi) east of modern-day Riyadh. The southern border of
  6221. Nejd has always been set at the large sea of sand dunes known today as Rub&#39; al
  6222. Khali (the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Empty Quarter&lt;/st1:place&gt;), while the
  6223. southwestern boundaries are marked by the valleys of Wadi Ranyah, Wadi Bisha, and
  6224. Wadi Tathlith.&lt;/div&gt;
  6225. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6226. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6227. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6228. The northern boundaries of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  6229. have fluctuated greatly historically and received far less attention from the
  6230. medieval geographers. In the early Islamic centuries, Nejd was considered to
  6231. extend as far north as the River Euphrates, or more specifically, the &quot;Walls
  6232. of Khosrau&quot;, constructed by the Persian Empire as a barrier between Arabia
  6233. and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  6234. immediately prior to the advent of Islam. The modern usage of the term
  6235. encompasses the region of Al-Yamama, which was not always considered part of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt; historically.&lt;/div&gt;
  6236. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6237. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6238. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6239. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Topography&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6240. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6241. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6242. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6243. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt;, as its name suggests,
  6244. is a plateau ranging from 762 to 1,525 m (2,500 to 5,003 ft) in height and
  6245. sloping downwards from west to east. The eastern sections (historically better
  6246. known as Al-Yamama) are marked by oasis settlements with lots of farming and
  6247. trading activities, while the rest has traditionally been sparsely occupied by
  6248. nomadic Bedouins. The main topographical features include the twin mountains of
  6249. Aja and Salma in the north near Ha&#39;il, the high &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;land&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jabal Shammar&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  6250. and the Tuwaiq mountain range running through its center from north to south. Also
  6251. important are the various dry river-beds (wadis) such as Wadi Hanifa near &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Wadi Na&#39;am in the south, Wadi Al-Rumah in the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al-Qassim&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Province&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  6252. in the north, and Wadi ad-Dawasir at the southernmost tip of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  6253. on the border with Najran. Most Nejdi villages and settlements are located
  6254. along these wadis, due to ability of these wadis to preserve precious rainwater
  6255. in the arid desert climate, while others are located near oases. Historically, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt; itself has been divided into small provinces made up
  6256. of constellations of small towns, villages and settlements, with each one
  6257. usually centered around one &quot;capital&quot;. These subdivisions are still
  6258. recognized by Nejdis today, as each province retains its own variation of the
  6259. Nejdi dialect and Nejdi customs. The most prominent among these provinces are
  6260. Al-&#39;Aridh, which includes Riyadh and the historical Saudi capital of Diriyah; Al-Qassim,
  6261. with its capital in Buraidah; Sudair, centered around Al Majma&#39;ah; Al-Washm, centered
  6262. around Shaqraa; and Jebel Shammar, with its capital, Ha&#39;il. Under modern-day &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, however, Nejd is divided into
  6263. three administrative regions: Ha&#39;il, Al-Qassim, and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, comprising a combined area of 554,000
  6264. km2 (214,000 sq mi).&lt;/div&gt;
  6265. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6266. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6267. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6268. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Major towns&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6269. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6270. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6271. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6272. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt; is the largest city in
  6273. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt;, as well as the largest city in the
  6274. country as a whole, with a population of more than 4,700,000 in 2009. Other
  6275. cities include Buraidah (505,845 in 2005), Unaizah (138,351 in 2005) and Ar
  6276. Rass (116,164 in 2005). Smaller towns and villages include Sudair, Al-Kharj, Dawadmi,
  6277. &#39;Afif, Al-Zilfi, Al Majma&#39;ah, Shaqraa, Tharmada&#39;a, Dhurma, Al-Gway&#39;iyyah, Al-Hareeq,
  6278. Hotat Bani Tamim, Layla, As Sulayyil, and Wadi ad-Dawasir, the southernmost
  6279. settlement in Nejd.&lt;/div&gt;
  6280. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6281. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6282. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6283. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Population&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6284. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6285. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6286. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6287. Prior to the formation of the modern &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  6288. of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt;, the native population
  6289. of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt; consisted mainly of members of several
  6290. Arabian tribes, who were either nomads (bedouins), or sedentary farmers and
  6291. merchants. The rest of the population consisted mainly of Arabs who were, for
  6292. various reasons, unaffiliated with any tribes, and who mostly lived in the
  6293. towns and villages of Nejd working in various trades such as carpentry or as
  6294. Sonnaa&#39; (craftsmen). There was also a small segment of the population made up
  6295. of African as well as some East and South Eastern European slaves or freedmen.&lt;/div&gt;
  6296. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6297. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6298. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6299. Most of the Nejdi tribes are of Adnani Arabic origin and had
  6300. immigrated in ancient times from Tihamah and Hijaz to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Najd&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  6301. The most famous Nejdi tribes in the pre-Islamic era were Banu Hanifa, who
  6302. occupied the area around modern-day Riyadh, `Anizzah, Banu Tamim, who occupied
  6303. areas further north, the tribe of Banu Abs who were centered in Al-Qassim, the
  6304. tribe of Tayy, centered around modern-day Ha&#39;il, and the tribe of Banu &#39;Amir in
  6305. southern Nejd. In the 15th through 18th centuries, there was considerable
  6306. tribal influx from the west, increasing both the nomadic and settled population
  6307. of the area and providing fertile soil for the Wahhabi movement. By the 20th
  6308. century, many of the ancient tribes had morphed into new confederations or
  6309. emigrated to other areas of the Middle East, and many tribes from other regions
  6310. of the Peninsula had moved into Nejd. However, the largest proportion of native
  6311. Nejdis today still belong to these ancient Nejdi tribes or to their newer
  6312. incarnations. Many of the Nejedi tribes even in ancient times were not nomadic
  6313. or bedouin but rather very well settled farmers and merchants. The royal family
  6314. of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  6315. Al Saud, for example, trace their lineage to Banu Hanifa. On the eve of the
  6316. formation of Saudi Arabia, the major nomadic tribes of Nejd included Dawasir, Mutayr
  6317. (historically known as Banu Abs), Shammar (historically known as Tayy), &#39;Utaybah
  6318. (historically known as Hawazen), Subay&#39;, Harb, the Suhool, and the Qahtanite. In
  6319. addition to those tribes, many of the sedentary population belonged to Banu
  6320. Tamim, `Anizzah (historically known as Bakr), Banu Hanifa, Banu Khalid, and
  6321. Banu Zayd.&lt;/div&gt;
  6322. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6323. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6324. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6325. Most of the nomadic tribes are now settled either in cities
  6326. such as &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  6327. or in special settlements, known as hijras, that were established in the early
  6328. part of the 20th century as part of a country-wide policy undertaken by King
  6329. Abdul-Aziz to put an end to nomadic life. Nomads still exist in the Kingdom, however,
  6330. in very small numbers – a far cry from the days when they made up the majority
  6331. of the people of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6332. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6333. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6334. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6335. Since the formation of modern &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  6336. Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, Nejd, and particularly &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, has seen an influx of immigrants from
  6337. all regions of the country and from virtually every social class. The native
  6338. Nejdi population has also largely moved away from its native towns and villages
  6339. to the capital, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  6340. However, most of these villages still retain a small number of their native
  6341. inhabitants. About a quarter of the population of Nejd, including about a third
  6342. of the population of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  6343. are non-Saudi expatriates, including both skilled professionals and unskilled
  6344. laborers.&lt;/div&gt;
  6345. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6346. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6347. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6348. Slavery was abolished in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; by King Faisal in 1962.
  6349. Some of those freed slaves chose to continue working for their former slave-owners,
  6350. particularly those whose former owners were members of the royal family.&lt;/div&gt;
  6351. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6352. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6353. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6354. Unlike Hejaz and Tihamah, Najd is remote and stayed outside
  6355. of the reign of important Islamic empires such as the Umayyads and the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ottoman Empire&lt;/st1:place&gt;. This fact largely shaped its current
  6356. dissimilarity to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6357. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6358. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6359. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6360. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Religion&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6361. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6362. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6363. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6364. The region is known for its puritanical interpretation of
  6365. Islam and is generally considered a bastion of religious conservatism, known
  6366. today as Wahhabiism or Salafism.&lt;/div&gt;
  6367. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6368. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6369. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6370. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Language&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6371. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6372. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6373. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6374. The people of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt; have
  6375. spoken Arabic, in one form or another, for practically all of recorded history.
  6376. As in other regions of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;, there is
  6377. a divergence between the dialect of the nomadic Bedouins and the dialect of the
  6378. sedentary townspeople. The variation, however, is far less pronounced in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt; than it is elsewhere in the country, and the Nejdi
  6379. sedentary dialect seems to be descended from the Bedouin dialect, just as most
  6380. sedentary Nejdis are descendants of nomadic Bedouins themselves. The Nejdi
  6381. dialect is seen by some to be the least foreign-influenced of all modern Arabic
  6382. dialects, due to the isolated location and harsh climate of the Nejdi plateau, as
  6383. well as the apparent absence of any substratum from a previous language. Indeed,
  6384. not even the ancient South Arabian language appears to have been widely spoken
  6385. in Nejd in ancient times, unlike southern &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, for example. Within &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt; itself, the different regions and towns have their
  6386. own distinctive accents and sub-dialects. However, these have largely merged in
  6387. recent times and have become heavily influenced by Arabic dialects from other
  6388. regions and countries. This is particularly the case in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6389. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  6390. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6391. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhUYof8USOvq6OyXWJqCiF2Vk35QNae1dbG23Guefgwn9uDFCISzSjbAsh053mx-Pyphdr-ql4Pdzs1oj9sXihB6z4IHx3Cm9Gkp8QuKwD4Fm1tac8jzZWo6DVA4bSISn1FWzi0V7X-mt/s1600/800px-Tuwaiq_Escarpment-14h38m25s-k.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhUYof8USOvq6OyXWJqCiF2Vk35QNae1dbG23Guefgwn9uDFCISzSjbAsh053mx-Pyphdr-ql4Pdzs1oj9sXihB6z4IHx3Cm9Gkp8QuKwD4Fm1tac8jzZWo6DVA4bSISn1FWzi0V7X-mt/s400/800px-Tuwaiq_Escarpment-14h38m25s-k.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6392. &lt;/div&gt;
  6393. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/6071233157292911007/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/najd.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/6071233157292911007'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/6071233157292911007'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/najd.html' title='Najd'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6INVbsDZOfwmD2y0TT8IzouYJkMMNY0xFEodGXgCZynHnAimFK0okymFB3C2g5mJtoOePXFHw_FH7k4uCYbDRiwm7Xl95i6nNT4XK49HCar8bI-tMiPvmxTTHz7-E_zPYdCE7atBphlZg/s72-c/Ibrahin-pasha-english.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-1184339310822888551</id><published>2013-10-13T02:47:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-13T02:47:36.636-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Jabal al-Nour</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  6394. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6395. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAq5EkgsJ0MGXeTmP5oyxklRCUbGVpvvsDJMGc-k0keQ2kX5i-ka7YEUZr3QAIcgnU4UjfuUsGIIPjC8TIbsw-MMaM2lzNuy1e9AL9UdaUTBUISDmtJwdjRG2uH252TXE7_YVy582lPq_7/s1600/800px-Jabal_Nur.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAq5EkgsJ0MGXeTmP5oyxklRCUbGVpvvsDJMGc-k0keQ2kX5i-ka7YEUZr3QAIcgnU4UjfuUsGIIPjC8TIbsw-MMaM2lzNuy1e9AL9UdaUTBUISDmtJwdjRG2uH252TXE7_YVy582lPq_7/s400/800px-Jabal_Nur.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6396. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  6397.  
  6398.  
  6399.  
  6400. &lt;br /&gt;
  6401. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6402. Jabal al-Nour (also Jabal an-Nur or Jabal Nur),which can be
  6403. translated from Arabic(&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;جبل النور&lt;/span&gt;),&quot;The Mountain
  6404. of Light&quot;, or &quot;Hill of Illumination&quot;,is a mountain near &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s
  6405. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt; region. It is one of the most popular
  6406. tourist attractions in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, and no pilgrimage
  6407. to the &#39;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Holy&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39; is complete without visiting this
  6408. mountain. The mountain houses the famed Ghar-E-Hira or Hira cave. The cave is
  6409. quite small, four arm&#39;s length long by 1.75 arm&#39;s length wide. The mountain is
  6410. barely six hundred and forty meters tall. It does however, take two hours to
  6411. make it to the cave and is extremely strenuous on the individual. However, the
  6412. mount and the cave hold tremendous significance from Muslims throughout the
  6413. world. The Prophet Muhammad is said to have spent a great deal of time in the
  6414. cave meditating and it is believed that he had received his first revelation
  6415. from the archangel Gabriel, inside this cave from (Allah).&lt;/div&gt;
  6416. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6417. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6418. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6419. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Naming&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6420. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6421. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6422. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6423. Since this is where the Prophet received the first verses of
  6424. the Quran(the Muslim holy book), the mountain was giving the title &quot;Jabal-al-Nour&quot;.
  6425. &quot;Jabal&quot; in Arabic means mountain and &quot;Nour&quot; or &quot;Noor&quot;
  6426. means hidayat (guidance).This experience is sometimes identified with the
  6427. beginning of revelation; hence the present name. As for the exact date of the
  6428. first revelation it can be seen through investigation to fix the time to Monday
  6429. the 21st of Ramadan at night, i.e. August, 10, 610 C.E. or exactly 40 lunar years,
  6430. 6 months and 12 days of age i.e., 39 Gregorian years, 3 months and 22 days.&lt;/div&gt;
  6431. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6432. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6433. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6434. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Why this
  6435. mountain?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6436. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6437. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6438. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6439. Before the Prophet Muhammad’s first revelation he would have
  6440. pleasant dreams. Among these dreams showed signs of his Prophethood starting to
  6441. appear as well as signs that the stones in Makkah would great him with Salam
  6442. which in turn proved true. These dreams lasted for six months. Also an
  6443. increasing need for solitude, lead him to seek seclusion and meditation in the
  6444. rocky hills which surrounded &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  6445. There he would retreat to Hira cave for one month,each year, engaging in
  6446. tahannuth, which means self-justification for the purpose of the Quraysh to
  6447. engage during Jahiliyyah. He would take provisions along with him during this
  6448. retreat, and would feed the poor that would come to him. Then before returning
  6449. home to his family for more previsions he would circumambulate the Ka&#39;ba seven
  6450. times, or however may times Allah willed; then he would go home. In the blaze
  6451. of day and during the clear desert nights, when the stars seem sharp enough to
  6452. penetrate the eye, his very substance was becoming saturated with the ‘signs’
  6453. in the heavens, so that he might serve as an entirely adequate instrument for a
  6454. revelation already inherent in these ‘signs.’ It was then that he was
  6455. undergoing a preparation for the enormous task which would be placed upon his shoulders,
  6456. the task of prophethood and conveying the true religion of Allah to his people
  6457. and the rest of humanity.&lt;/div&gt;
  6458. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6459. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6460. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6461. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: maroon; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Tahannuth&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6462. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6463. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6464. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6465. Tahannuth or tahannatha, verb, are words found in some of
  6466. the accounts of Muhammad’s first prophetic experience Tahannuth is immediately
  6467. glossed as tabarrur (“abstaining from sin”?): wa ’l-taḥannut̲h̲ al-tabarrur. Tahannuth
  6468. can be associated with an ancient custom of Kuraysh and that essentially it
  6469. consisted of veneration of the Ka’ba and works of charity while being withdrawn
  6470. on Jabal Al-Nour. It is suggested that tahannuth refers to the condition which,
  6471. in fikh, one assumes by making a binding vow- one becomes “liable” (hanith) to
  6472. fulfuil the vow. In the traditions about the prophet, the word would reflect
  6473. the idea that he made a vow to enter a period of retreat (iʿtikāf [q.v.]), a
  6474. practice of early Muslim times which was beginning less widespread as a result
  6475. of juristic disapproval of asceticism. It was because the practice was in
  6476. declind that the word was such a puzzle for later generations.&lt;/div&gt;
  6477. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6478. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6479. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6480. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;How Jabal-al
  6481. Nour looks today&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6482. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6483. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6484. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6485. One physical feature that differentiates it from other
  6486. mountains and hills is its strange looking summit, which makes it look more
  6487. like two mountains on top of each other. The top of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mountain&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nour&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  6488. in the mountainous desert is one of the loneliest of places. However, the cave
  6489. within, which faces the direction of the Ka’ba, is even more isolated. While
  6490. standing in the courtyard back then you can only look over the surrounding
  6491. rocks. Now a day you are still able to see the surrounding rocks as well as
  6492. buildings that are hundreds of meters down and hundreds of meters to many
  6493. kilometers away. Hira is both without water or vegetation other than a few
  6494. thorns. Hira is higher than Thabir, and is crowened by a steep and slippery
  6495. peek, which the Apostle with some companions once climbed. Muhammad was in the
  6496. habit of staying here with his wife.&lt;/div&gt;
  6497. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6498. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6499. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6500. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;The Mystery
  6501. of Cave Hira&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6502. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6503. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6504. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6505. A study, reported in August 2001 issued by the National
  6506. Geology, revealed that while investigating an ancient Greek temple that was
  6507. based on the Oracles of Delphi suggested the possibility that the vicinity of
  6508. the shrine that caused the oracles of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Delphi&lt;/st1:place&gt; to
  6509. experience their powers was attributed to intoxicating fumes. Not to say that
  6510. the Prophet Muhammad’s religious experience was not based on his faith but this
  6511. tries to gives a scientific explanation to a very powerful experience. However,
  6512. according to Welch these revelations were accompanied by mysterious seizures, and
  6513. reports are unlikely to have been forged by later Muslims.&lt;/div&gt;
  6514. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6515. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6516. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6517. When Muhammad returned to the cave seeking the angel Gabriel
  6518. after speaking to him once before he waited and prayed, was of no avail. In
  6519. despair, haunted by terrible doubts and assailed by fears of madness, Muhammad
  6520. climbed onto a precipice and prepared to leap to his death. At that very moment,
  6521. the angel appeared before him again and raised his hands, repeated, “I am
  6522. Gabriel, and thou art Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.” Muhammad froze on the
  6523. edge of the chasm in a spellbound trance. Hours passed. That night, one of
  6524. Khadija’s servants came and found Muhammad still perched on a crag, lost in
  6525. ecstasy, and led him home.&lt;/div&gt;
  6526. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6527. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6528. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6529. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;The
  6530. Pilgrimage to Jabal al-Nour&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6531. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6532. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6533. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6534. Pilgrims on Jabal al-Nour Hundreds of thousands of Muslims
  6535. arrive in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  6536. to take part in the year hajj pilgrimage. Before the four day pilgrimage Muslim
  6537. pilgrims pray on their way up &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mount&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Noor&lt;/st1:placename&gt; in the holy city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; before the start of the annual Hajj. The
  6538. Pilgrimage is one of the central pillars of Islam and is expected by all able-bodied
  6539. Muslims – both of Sunni and Shi’ite sects – at least once in their lifetime. The
  6540. event is expected to fall from the 13th -18 October this year, in which millions
  6541. of pilgrims packed shoulder to shoulder in prayer and supplication will walk
  6542. from Mecca to Mina to the Plain of Arafat to sand near Jabal al-Rahman, the
  6543. Mount of Mercy and ask Allah for forgiveness. “Let all your feuds be abolished,”
  6544. the Prophet Muhammad said in his last sermon on the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mountain&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mercy&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  6545. “You must know that every Muslim is the brother of every Muslim…between there
  6546. are no races and no tribes…do not oppress and do not be oppressed.” It is quite
  6547. common for those on pilgrimage to stop by the cave to pray. They also visit
  6548. other nearby landmarks such as &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mount&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  6549. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arafat&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;,Jabal Rahma,Muzdalifah,Jabal
  6550. al Thur and Jannat ul Mualla.&lt;/div&gt;
  6551. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  6552. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6553. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijvHJqONX4LuRnCIUP28sfct73bPl0zyz9jAzhHd8B35UHAcj5Ai6JbwY2djZJdbV6hyQvXPFjM7QEbtkfs0n1bybiM95myp6bUeet4yxdfEo2bLqsQA5O4CRKLoiXLDUQ3_U47gky6pp/s1600/Cave_Hira.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijvHJqONX4LuRnCIUP28sfct73bPl0zyz9jAzhHd8B35UHAcj5Ai6JbwY2djZJdbV6hyQvXPFjM7QEbtkfs0n1bybiM95myp6bUeet4yxdfEo2bLqsQA5O4CRKLoiXLDUQ3_U47gky6pp/s400/Cave_Hira.jpg&quot; width=&quot;347&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6554. &lt;/div&gt;
  6555. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/1184339310822888551/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/jabal-al-nour.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/1184339310822888551'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/1184339310822888551'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/jabal-al-nour.html' title='Jabal al-Nour'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAq5EkgsJ0MGXeTmP5oyxklRCUbGVpvvsDJMGc-k0keQ2kX5i-ka7YEUZr3QAIcgnU4UjfuUsGIIPjC8TIbsw-MMaM2lzNuy1e9AL9UdaUTBUISDmtJwdjRG2uH252TXE7_YVy582lPq_7/s72-c/800px-Jabal_Nur.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-2832128012735761502</id><published>2013-10-13T02:37:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-13T02:37:07.338-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ajyad Fortress</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  6556. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6557. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVkj0fSZtHuRrzaXkG4hBd6LVkF2LBu-mDsISWTBCeG7YoeB9ttmzbmH8HFd9vbjFpWmduhk2M9mq-La7jMvizOJDi56kXFEiM-i2jK2nfq2PXLtOhTb28DmZJM4gQ_v1AT6OkDEQCfzE/s1600/Ajyad_Fortress.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVkj0fSZtHuRrzaXkG4hBd6LVkF2LBu-mDsISWTBCeG7YoeB9ttmzbmH8HFd9vbjFpWmduhk2M9mq-La7jMvizOJDi56kXFEiM-i2jK2nfq2PXLtOhTb28DmZJM4gQ_v1AT6OkDEQCfzE/s400/Ajyad_Fortress.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6558. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  6559.  
  6560.  
  6561.  
  6562. &lt;br /&gt;
  6563. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6564. The Ajyad Fortress (Turkish: Ecyad Kalesi) was an Ottoman
  6565. citadel which stood on a hill overlooking the Grand Mosque of Mecca, in what is
  6566. now &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  6567. Built in the late 18th century, it was destroyed by the Saudi government in 2002
  6568. for commercial development of the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, sparking
  6569. global outcry.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6570. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  6571.  
  6572.  
  6573.  
  6574. &lt;br /&gt;
  6575. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6576. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6577. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6578. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6579. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6580. In 1781 (or 1777 or 1780, according to some sources), the
  6581. fortress was built in order to protect the Kaaba and Islamic shrines in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; from bandits and
  6582. invaders. The fort covered some 23,000 m2 (250,000 sq ft) on &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bulbul&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mountain&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  6583. (a spur of Jebel Kuda) overlooking the Masjid al-Haram from the south.&lt;/div&gt;
  6584. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6585. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6586. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6587. In early 2002, the Ajyad Fortress was demolished and most of
  6588. Bulbul mount was levelled,in order to clear the area for the $533 million
  6589. construction project of Abraj Al Bait Towers. Opening in 2012, the complex of
  6590. multiple high-rise buildings consists of apartments, a twin-tower five-star
  6591. hotel, restaurants, and a shopping centre, built by the Saudi Binladin Group&lt;/div&gt;
  6592. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6593. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6594. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6595. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Reactions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6596. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6597. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6598. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6599. The destruction of the historic structure stirred both
  6600. domestic and international protest.The Turkish Foreign Minister İsmail Cem
  6601. İpekçi and other institutions tried to prevent the demolition. The Turkish
  6602. Democratic Left Party (DSP) Deputy Ertuğrul Kumcuoğlu even suggested a boycott
  6603. on travelling to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  6604.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The Turkish Ministry of Culture and
  6605. Tourism condemned the obliteration of the fortress, comparing the act to the
  6606. destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan, and accusing the Saudi authorities of &quot;continuing
  6607. with their policy of demolishing Ottoman heritages.&quot; &lt;/div&gt;
  6608. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6609. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6610. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6611. The French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted
  6612. Saudi Islamic affairs Minister Saleh al-Shaikh as saying &quot;no-one has the
  6613. right to interfere in what comes under the state&#39;s authority&quot;. In
  6614. reference to the housing component of the plan, al-Sheikh added that it was
  6615. intended to house pilgrims to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  6616. and said &quot;this is in the interest of Muslims all over the world&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  6617. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6618. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6619. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6620. However, the destruction of this and other historic sites
  6621. fueled criticism of the Saudis, and plans were made to rebuild the castle, as
  6622. ordered by the King in 2001:&lt;/div&gt;
  6623. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6624. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6625. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6626. King Fahd has given his approval for the King Abdul Aziz
  6627. Endowment for the Holy Haram and for the preparation of the project site by
  6628. removing the hill and the castle. The king instructed that the castle should be
  6629. preserved in full by rebuilding it,&quot; the minister said in a statement.&lt;/div&gt;
  6630. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6631. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6632. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6633. A 1/25 scale model of the fortress is included along with
  6634. other architectural models at the Miniatürk miniature park in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Istanbul&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Turkey.&lt;/div&gt;
  6635. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  6636. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6637. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GlYoiunr0aha758uNv4oISRw0vV4R3zEFNokjcojCQFY_OM7VUsB7v4t5e3wBLueHMuLH6OBGnyfUEEq9_hba7e1TjHLJOjdcS0E09LwdAf1qoFpL5Wi13RHwOThPSKspMue239Cv5YO/s1600/Mecca_prayer,_1889.tif.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;302&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GlYoiunr0aha758uNv4oISRw0vV4R3zEFNokjcojCQFY_OM7VUsB7v4t5e3wBLueHMuLH6OBGnyfUEEq9_hba7e1TjHLJOjdcS0E09LwdAf1qoFpL5Wi13RHwOThPSKspMue239Cv5YO/s400/Mecca_prayer,_1889.tif.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6638. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Mecca prayer 1889&lt;/div&gt;
  6639. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/2832128012735761502/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/ajyad-fortress.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/2832128012735761502'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/2832128012735761502'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/ajyad-fortress.html' title='Ajyad Fortress'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVkj0fSZtHuRrzaXkG4hBd6LVkF2LBu-mDsISWTBCeG7YoeB9ttmzbmH8HFd9vbjFpWmduhk2M9mq-La7jMvizOJDi56kXFEiM-i2jK2nfq2PXLtOhTb28DmZJM4gQ_v1AT6OkDEQCfzE/s72-c/Ajyad_Fortress.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-8228538649312649858</id><published>2013-10-13T02:25:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-13T02:25:55.933-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Masjid al-Haram</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  6640. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6641. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsyexK_CzyqxcIKxcnVcC9imA6VlI1BuPfG3XDcOtkZCB0InxJ8OBedgMnZ1khKJ3t58rickiniq9AdHlJy-VLE83vJtOZ3tOez7U4TZb47oIrIab84WqiG6y3T2O9MrraA5ajkU8kj3S/s1600/Kaaba_mirror_edit_jj.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsyexK_CzyqxcIKxcnVcC9imA6VlI1BuPfG3XDcOtkZCB0InxJ8OBedgMnZ1khKJ3t58rickiniq9AdHlJy-VLE83vJtOZ3tOez7U4TZb47oIrIab84WqiG6y3T2O9MrraA5ajkU8kj3S/s400/Kaaba_mirror_edit_jj.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6642. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  6643.  
  6644.  
  6645.  
  6646. &lt;br /&gt;
  6647. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6648. Al-Masjid Al-Haram (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;المسجد
  6649. الحرام&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;, The Sacred Mosque or The Grand
  6650. Mosque) is in the city of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  6651. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. It
  6652. is the largest mosque in the world and surrounds one of Islam&#39;s holiest places,
  6653. the Kaaba. Muslims face in the direction of the Kaaba while performing formal
  6654. worship, salat. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to
  6655. perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do
  6656. so, includes circumambulation of the Kaaba.&lt;/div&gt;
  6657. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6658. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6659. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6660. The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square
  6661. metres (88.2 acres) including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can
  6662. accommodate up to two million worshipers during the Hajj period, one of the
  6663. largest annual gatherings of people in the world. Unlike many other mosques
  6664. which are segregated, men and women can worship at Al-Masjid Al-Haram together.&lt;/div&gt;
  6665. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  6666.  
  6667.  
  6668.  
  6669. &lt;br /&gt;
  6670. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6671. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6672. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6673. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6674. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6675. According to Islamic tradition the very first construction
  6676. of the Kaaba, the heart of Al-Masjid Al-Haram, was undertaken by Abraham. The
  6677. Qur&#39;an said that this was the first house built for humanity to worship Allah.&lt;/div&gt;
  6678. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6679. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6680. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6681. With the order of the God, Abraham and his son Ishmael found
  6682. the original foundation and rebuild the Kaaba in 2130 BCE. Hajar-Al-Aswad, the
  6683. Black Stone situated on the lower side of the eastern corner of the Kaaba, is
  6684. believed to be the only remnant of the original structure made by Abraham.&lt;/div&gt;
  6685. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6686. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6687. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6688. Muslim belief also places the story of Ishmael&#39;s mother
  6689. searching for water in the general vicinity of the mosque. In the story, Hagar
  6690. runs between the hills of Safa and Marwah looking for water for her infant son
  6691. until God eventually reveals her the Zamzam.The &quot;Zamzam well&quot; and &quot;Safa
  6692. and Marwah&quot; are structures in Al-Masjid al-Haram.&lt;/div&gt;
  6693. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6694. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6695. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6696. Upon Muhammad&#39;s victorious return to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 630, Muhammad and his son-in-law, Ali
  6697. Ibn Abi Talib, broke all the idols in and around the Kaaba and ended its pagan
  6698. use. This began the Islamic rule over the Kaaba and the building of Al-Masjid
  6699. Al-Haram around it.&lt;/div&gt;
  6700. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6701. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6702. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6703. The first major renovation to the mosque took place in 692. Before
  6704. this renovation, which included the mosque&#39;s outer walls being raised and
  6705. decoration added to the ceiling, the mosque was a small open area with the
  6706. Kaaba at the center. By the end of the 8th century, the Mosque&#39;s old wooden
  6707. columns had been replaced with marble columns and the wings of the prayer hall
  6708. had been extended on both sides along with the addition of a minaret. The
  6709. spread of Islam in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt; and the influx
  6710. of pilgrims required an almost complete rebuilding of the site which included
  6711. adding more marble and three more minarets.&lt;/div&gt;
  6712. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6713. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  6714. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6715. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYisrErTGJlF8fc56Gom9J9ppaQjUM92Or9NgNLwvNQ4KLnMOZUIAzSSKheCcYXRA6QnTltoEfyQoB-l0mJwp268Ciy8oYXHNn2BdP-lrpcSgDdJPWY0I-1BCJSQ2Xz0L1x0Gh7lr7bsz/s1600/Mecca-1850.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;270&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYisrErTGJlF8fc56Gom9J9ppaQjUM92Or9NgNLwvNQ4KLnMOZUIAzSSKheCcYXRA6QnTltoEfyQoB-l0mJwp268Ciy8oYXHNn2BdP-lrpcSgDdJPWY0I-1BCJSQ2Xz0L1x0Gh7lr7bsz/s400/Mecca-1850.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6716. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6717. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6718. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6719. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Ottomans&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6720. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6721. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6722. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6723. In 1570, Sultan Selim II commissioned the chief architect
  6724. Mimar Sinan to renovate the mosque. This renovation resulted in the replacement
  6725. of the flat roof with domes decorated with calligraphy internally, and the
  6726. placement of new support columns which are acknowledged as the earliest
  6727. architectural features of the present mosque. These features are the oldest
  6728. surviving parts of the building.&lt;/div&gt;
  6729. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6730. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6731. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6732. During the heavy rains and flash floods of 1621 and 1629, the
  6733. walls of the Kaaba and the mosque suffered extensive damage. In 1629, during
  6734. the reign of Sultan Murad IV, the Kaaba was rebuilt with stones from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; and the mosque was
  6735. renovated. In the renovation of the mosque, a new stone arcade was added, three
  6736. more minarets (which made the total number 7) were built, and the marble
  6737. flooring was retiled. This was the unaltered state of the mosque for nearly
  6738. three centuries&lt;/div&gt;
  6739. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6740. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6741. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6742. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00ccff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Saudis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6743. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6744. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6745. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6746. The first major renovation under the Saudi kings was done
  6747. between 1955 and 1973. In this renovation, four more minarets were added, the
  6748. ceiling was refurnished, and the floor was replaced with artificial stone and
  6749. marble. The Mas&#39;a gallery (Al-Safa and Al-Marwah) is included in the Masjid via
  6750. roofing and enclosements. During this renovation many of the historical
  6751. features built by the Ottomans, particularly the support columns, were
  6752. demolished.&lt;/div&gt;
  6753. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6754. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6755. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6756. The second Saudi renovations under King Fahd, added a new
  6757. wing and an outdoor prayer area to the mosque. The new wing, which is also for
  6758. prayers, is accessed through the King Fahd Gate. This extension is considered
  6759. to have been from 1982–1988.&lt;/div&gt;
  6760. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6761. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6762. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6763. The third Saudi extension (1988–2005) saw the building of
  6764. more minarets, the erecting of a King&#39;s residence overlooking the Masjid and
  6765. more prayer area in and around the mosque itself. These developments have taken
  6766. place simultaneously with those in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah. This third
  6767. extension has also resulted in 18 more gates, three domes corresponding in
  6768. position to each gate and the installation of nearly 500 marble columns. Other
  6769. modern developments include the addition of heated floors, air conditioning, escalators
  6770. and a drainage system.&lt;/div&gt;
  6771. &amp;nbsp;
  6772.  
  6773. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  6774. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6775. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VrGJgm2ej5PUS8RwBnCNUWiqaWgigzhHVVrfzBbOkn4Aqe907sVZz1GQGyoy8Kp_X1VGJlKRiXIIpOKBLKfz5Ykf05chyphenhyphenY8OQm27sF413L-v9gQ-A1NNTcRx-hgnojXdRhiKk4rS_9s7/s1600/Makkah-1910.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;281&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VrGJgm2ej5PUS8RwBnCNUWiqaWgigzhHVVrfzBbOkn4Aqe907sVZz1GQGyoy8Kp_X1VGJlKRiXIIpOKBLKfz5Ykf05chyphenhyphenY8OQm27sF413L-v9gQ-A1NNTcRx-hgnojXdRhiKk4rS_9s7/s400/Makkah-1910.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6776. &lt;br /&gt;
  6777.  
  6778.  
  6779.  
  6780. &lt;br /&gt;
  6781. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6782. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99cc00; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Current
  6783. expansion project&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6784. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6785. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6786. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6787. n 2007, the mosque went under a fourth extension project
  6788. which is estimated to last until 2020. King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Azeez plans to
  6789. increase the mosque&#39;s capacity to 2 million.&lt;/div&gt;
  6790. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6791. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6792. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6793. Northern expansion of the mosque began in August 2011 and is
  6794. expected to be completed in 1.5 years. The area of the mosque will be expanded
  6795. from the current 356,000 m2 (3,830,000 sq ft) to 400,000 m2 (4,300,000 sq ft). A
  6796. new gate named after King Abdullah will be built together with two new minarets,
  6797. bringing their total to 11. The cost of the project is $10.6-billion and after
  6798. completion the mosque will house over 2.5 million worshipers. The Mataf (the
  6799. circumambulation areas around the Kaaba) will also see expansion and all closed
  6800. spaces will be air conditioned.&lt;/div&gt;
  6801. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  6802. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6803. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoh4z_gPKdIzzEtTtx_ncmHsvPBpsX58gWCoKBn4ZdlWm99-KItsfdjsSoZ6pldFVhlHiD6OpP16ieF1g2tD5ijNDFlU8ehMd_EAj3TRXeOvOvrbhscJqJGdgiH8ZmVMaWLQJnnVpgkA_Z/s1600/800px-Minarets_in_Makkah_(Mecca).jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoh4z_gPKdIzzEtTtx_ncmHsvPBpsX58gWCoKBn4ZdlWm99-KItsfdjsSoZ6pldFVhlHiD6OpP16ieF1g2tD5ijNDFlU8ehMd_EAj3TRXeOvOvrbhscJqJGdgiH8ZmVMaWLQJnnVpgkA_Z/s400/800px-Minarets_in_Makkah_(Mecca).jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6804. &lt;br /&gt;
  6805. &lt;br /&gt;
  6806.  
  6807.  
  6808.  
  6809. &lt;br /&gt;
  6810. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6811. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Controversies
  6812. on expansion projects&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6813. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6814. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6815. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6816. There has been some controversy that the expansion projects
  6817. of the mosque and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6818. itself are causing harm to early Islamic heritage. Many ancient buildings, some
  6819. more than a thousand years old, have been demolished to make room not only for
  6820. the expansion of Al-Masjid Al-Haram, but for new malls and hotels. Some
  6821. examples are:&lt;/div&gt;
  6822. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6823. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6824. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6825. &lt;b&gt;1 Bayt Al-Mawlid, the house where Muhammad was born
  6826. demolished and rebuilt as a library.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6827. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6828. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6829. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6830. &lt;b&gt;2 Dar Al-Arqam, the first Islamic school where Muhammad
  6831. taught flattened to lay marble tiles.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6832. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6833. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6834. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6835. &lt;b&gt;3 The house of Abu Jahal has been demolished and replaced
  6836. by public washrooms.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6837. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6838. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6839. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6840. &lt;b&gt;4 Dome which served as a canopy over the Well of Zamzam
  6841. demolished.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6842. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6843. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6844. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6845. &lt;b&gt;5 Some Ottoman porticos at Al-Masjid Al-Haram demolished
  6846. and the remaining under threat.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6847. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6848. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6849. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6850. &lt;b&gt;6 House of Muhammed in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  6851. where he lived after the migration from &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6852. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6853. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6854. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6855.  
  6856.  
  6857. &lt;/div&gt;
  6858. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6859. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Religious
  6860. significance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6861. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6862. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6863. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6864. The importance of the mosque is twofold. It not only serves
  6865. as the common direction towards which Muslims pray, but is also the main
  6866. location for pilgrimages.&lt;/div&gt;
  6867. &lt;br /&gt;
  6868. &lt;br /&gt;
  6869. &lt;br /&gt;
  6870. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6871. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrnVCP7tEzhyLTVJQ_8XDZySOLYkaBM8_Aj0Cnud8ZTheMRBwbCSnPrx1URzxndnNMuK6rFZpG8EcJ3a8NXt4h9AasiOklkYgELhyphenhyphenIdrcqovx-dG73BQ8f3eNaq_YqsRcawSJQd2oAa5H/s1600/450px-Inside_Mesjid_Haram.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrnVCP7tEzhyLTVJQ_8XDZySOLYkaBM8_Aj0Cnud8ZTheMRBwbCSnPrx1URzxndnNMuK6rFZpG8EcJ3a8NXt4h9AasiOklkYgELhyphenhyphenIdrcqovx-dG73BQ8f3eNaq_YqsRcawSJQd2oAa5H/s400/450px-Inside_Mesjid_Haram.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6872. &lt;br /&gt;
  6873.  
  6874.  
  6875.  
  6876. &lt;br /&gt;
  6877. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6878.  
  6879.  
  6880. &lt;/div&gt;
  6881. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6882. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Qibla&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6883. &lt;br /&gt;
  6884. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6885. The Qibla—the direction that Muslims turn to in their
  6886. prayers (salat)—is toward the Kaaba and symbolizes unity in worshiping one
  6887. Allah (God). At one point the direction of the Qibla was toward Bayt Al-Maqdis (&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jerusalem&lt;/st1:city&gt;) (and is therefore called the First of the Two
  6888. Qiblas),[citation needed] however, this only lasted for seventeen months, after
  6889. which the Qibla became oriented towards the Kaaba in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. According to accounts from Muhammad&#39;s
  6890. companions, the change happened very suddenly during the noon prayer at &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in the Masjid al-Qiblatain.&lt;/div&gt;
  6891. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6892. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6893. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6894. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Pilgrimage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6895. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6896. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6897. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6898. The &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Haram is the
  6899. focal point of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages that occur in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah
  6900. in the Islamic calendar and at any time of the year, respectively. The Hajj
  6901. pilgrimage is one of the Pillars of Islam, required of all able-bodied Muslims
  6902. who can afford the trip. In recent times, about 3 million Muslims perform the
  6903. Hajj every year.&lt;/div&gt;
  6904. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6905. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6906. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6907. Some of the rituals performed by pilgrims are symbolic of
  6908. historical incidents. For example, the episode of Hagar&#39;s search for water is
  6909. emulated by Muslims as they run between the two hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah.&lt;/div&gt;
  6910. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6911. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6912. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6913. The Hajj is associated with the life of the Islamic prophet
  6914. Muhammad from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is considered by
  6915. Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Ibrahim (Abraham).&lt;/div&gt;
  6916. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6917. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6918. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6919. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEILGC8oXMqn6wlGtqYJxmx63lp5D1PIC01p1n-1op7Txanf4JcthOpB4UWti1jJ2yTFE7CiPgEv4n8ttEMdhLYzFNRoWc2QBPMt5JRPMGtrg72bkRUYU6RQzqi3VFylOfvBN1E-YyJLe/s1600/Masjid_al-Haram_panorama.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;70&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEILGC8oXMqn6wlGtqYJxmx63lp5D1PIC01p1n-1op7Txanf4JcthOpB4UWti1jJ2yTFE7CiPgEv4n8ttEMdhLYzFNRoWc2QBPMt5JRPMGtrg72bkRUYU6RQzqi3VFylOfvBN1E-YyJLe/s400/Masjid_al-Haram_panorama.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6920. &lt;br /&gt;
  6921. &lt;br /&gt;
  6922.  
  6923.  
  6924.  
  6925. &lt;br /&gt;
  6926. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6927. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Kaaba&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6928. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6929. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6930. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6931. The Kaaba (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;الكعبة&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is a cuboid-shaped building in the center of Al-Masjid
  6932. Al-Haram and is one of the most sacred sites in Islam. All Muslims around the
  6933. world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are. This is called
  6934. facing the Qibla.&lt;/div&gt;
  6935. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6936. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6937. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6938. The Hajj requires pilgrims to walk seven times around the
  6939. Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction. This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is
  6940. also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage).&lt;/div&gt;
  6941. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  6942. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6943. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWV3eD4DvsS0l7oWWopsqYp2kjxY7B0tgF0TzpsW9h1Yo7VlJBGWXbfO0TCYp4B-TpqWz5smiL-04K1_Z6LOWJyB6odIp64XWl4d3u0NbXkQXkvied37Cf38Iz7rQQXx3aVgNRSIlk6eP/s1600/Masjidalharam.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWV3eD4DvsS0l7oWWopsqYp2kjxY7B0tgF0TzpsW9h1Yo7VlJBGWXbfO0TCYp4B-TpqWz5smiL-04K1_Z6LOWJyB6odIp64XWl4d3u0NbXkQXkvied37Cf38Iz7rQQXx3aVgNRSIlk6eP/s400/Masjidalharam.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6944. &lt;br /&gt;
  6945. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6946. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: cyan; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Black Stone&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6947. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6948. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6949. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6950. The Black Stone (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;الحجر
  6951. الأسود&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt; al-Ḥajar al-Aswad) is the eastern
  6952. cornerstone of the Kaaba. It was set intact into the Kaaba &#39;s wall by Muhammad
  6953. in the year 605, five years before his first revelation. Since then it has been
  6954. broken into a number of fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in
  6955. the side of the Kaaba . Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark
  6956. rock, polished smooth by the hands of millions of pilgrims.&lt;/div&gt;
  6957. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6958. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6959. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6960. Many of the pilgrims, if possible, stop and kiss the Black
  6961. Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records it having received
  6962. from Muhammad.If they cannot reach it, they point to it on each of their seven
  6963. circuits around the Kaaba.&lt;/div&gt;
  6964. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  6965. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  6966. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cEiNeSdHLPjms0q9Fp774TBP0wTnnCJq79t-CzPykpmv8VQm0fmZ6MCcsrLDDAg-k9MqzqvN4UTSI-9ena-lmTUzojFBpQCYqC0AZ45UBCgw4WGBDcVM2ZOz4H2jfJseADDuGGUq28KG/s1600/450px-Coveting_the_Black_Stone.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cEiNeSdHLPjms0q9Fp774TBP0wTnnCJq79t-CzPykpmv8VQm0fmZ6MCcsrLDDAg-k9MqzqvN4UTSI-9ena-lmTUzojFBpQCYqC0AZ45UBCgw4WGBDcVM2ZOz4H2jfJseADDuGGUq28KG/s400/450px-Coveting_the_Black_Stone.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6967. &lt;br /&gt;
  6968. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6969. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Maqām
  6970. Ibrahim&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6971. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6972. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6973. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6974. The Maqām Ibrahim (Ibrahim&#39;s place of standing) is a rock
  6975. that reportedly has an imprint of Abraham&#39;s foot which is kept in a crystal
  6976. dome next to the Kaaba . Abraham is said&lt;/div&gt;
  6977. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6978. to have stood on this stone during the construction of the
  6979. upper parts of the Kaaba, raising Ishmail on his shoulders for the uppermost
  6980. parts. That means the height of Ibrahim is around parallel to roof top of the
  6981. Khana Kaaba.&lt;/div&gt;
  6982. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6983. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6984. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6985. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: maroon; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Al-Safa and
  6986. Al-Marwa&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6987. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6988. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6989. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6990. Al-Safa and Al-Marwah (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;الصفا&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt; Aṣ-Ṣafā, &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;المروة&lt;/span&gt;
  6991. Al-Marwah) are two hills, now located in Al-Masjid Al-Haram. In Islamic
  6992. tradition, Ibrahim&#39;s wife Hagar runs between the hills of Safa and Marwah
  6993. looking for water for her infant son Ishmael until God eventually reveals her
  6994. the Zamzam. Muslims also travel back and forth seven times during the ritual
  6995. pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah as a remembrance to her.&lt;/div&gt;
  6996. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6997. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  6998. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  6999. Al-Safa – from which the ritual walking (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;سعى&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt; saʿy) begins – is
  7000. located approximately half a mile from the Kaaba. Al-Marwah is located about 100
  7001. m (330 ft) from the Kaaba . The distance between Safa and Marwah is
  7002. approximately 450 m (1,480 ft)&lt;/div&gt;
  7003. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  7004. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7005. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVa-7xFrwJxW_q9nbzhUM8a9ysYUjz5vpvdTkjXEM4PNSKwkdwUukK9GM3RVBt6-Xtiqj0YwlER5zJmf-Rsr2OQgMs6_9A2PYIOmSaT80QsF3rM5nw1EDU967mzrWJg-_pS3YDN-CUsJI/s1600/800px-Mount_Safa_Mecca.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVa-7xFrwJxW_q9nbzhUM8a9ysYUjz5vpvdTkjXEM4PNSKwkdwUukK9GM3RVBt6-Xtiqj0YwlER5zJmf-Rsr2OQgMs6_9A2PYIOmSaT80QsF3rM5nw1EDU967mzrWJg-_pS3YDN-CUsJI/s400/800px-Mount_Safa_Mecca.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7006. &lt;br /&gt;
  7007. &lt;br /&gt;
  7008.  
  7009.  
  7010.  
  7011. &lt;br /&gt;
  7012. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7013. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Zamzam Well&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7014. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7015. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7016. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7017. The Zamzam Well (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;زمزم&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is a well located 20 m (66 ft) east of the Kaaba. It
  7018. began circa 2150 BCE when Abraham&#39;s (Ibrāhīm) infant son Ishmael (ʼIsmāʻīl) was
  7019. thirsty and kept crying for water. The well has never gone dry despite the
  7020. millions of liters of water consumed every year. It had been deepened several
  7021. times in history during periods of severe droughts.&lt;/div&gt;
  7022. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  7023. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7024. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-56_VgbPcCAI_Lj-2fMulS7ILHrNjBXHnYOhggRNkuVJgRTwK3nEA2yVPx-fyLboRtgdRWh0hqEXQZWdHYVpStitQCleVk6KBd507A0gPf89uIGEmDVEiWPCfXYjcSsAS6SqtsIje2Wu/s1600/800px-Zamzamwill.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-56_VgbPcCAI_Lj-2fMulS7ILHrNjBXHnYOhggRNkuVJgRTwK3nEA2yVPx-fyLboRtgdRWh0hqEXQZWdHYVpStitQCleVk6KBd507A0gPf89uIGEmDVEiWPCfXYjcSsAS6SqtsIje2Wu/s400/800px-Zamzamwill.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7025. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7026. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/8228538649312649858/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/masjid-al-haram.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/8228538649312649858'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/8228538649312649858'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/masjid-al-haram.html' title='Masjid al-Haram'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsyexK_CzyqxcIKxcnVcC9imA6VlI1BuPfG3XDcOtkZCB0InxJ8OBedgMnZ1khKJ3t58rickiniq9AdHlJy-VLE83vJtOZ3tOez7U4TZb47oIrIab84WqiG6y3T2O9MrraA5ajkU8kj3S/s72-c/Kaaba_mirror_edit_jj.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-2122842196005781872</id><published>2013-10-13T01:43:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-13T01:43:23.626-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Abraj Al Bait</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  7027. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7028. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlQg3LhnXoBKG87kHa8G-8z4kvpvBD0-JWiLOIAZYYhM22Mv7bteZA98E2xRbI-KqRa0JMdpT0_-V7kpDc4QGheYVzxWkuOgQc_vJti0UfK8vVWVxQefHUwlMzPdWcEiUt0JIKTYiFgcN/s1600/Abraj-al-Bait-Towers.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlQg3LhnXoBKG87kHa8G-8z4kvpvBD0-JWiLOIAZYYhM22Mv7bteZA98E2xRbI-KqRa0JMdpT0_-V7kpDc4QGheYVzxWkuOgQc_vJti0UfK8vVWVxQefHUwlMzPdWcEiUt0JIKTYiFgcN/s400/Abraj-al-Bait-Towers.JPG&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7029. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  7030.  
  7031.  
  7032.  
  7033. &lt;br /&gt;
  7034. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7035. The &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abraj&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al-Bait&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Towers&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  7036. also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, is a building complex in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  7037.  Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. These towers are a part of the King
  7038. Abdulaziz Endowment Project that strives to modernize the city in catering to
  7039. its pilgrims. The complex holds several world records, the tallest clock tower
  7040. in the world and the world&#39;s largest clock face. The complex&#39;s hotel tower
  7041. became the third tallest building in the world in 2012, surpassing &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taiwan&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taipei&lt;/st1:city&gt; 101
  7042. and surpassed only by &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s Burj Khalifa and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Shanghai&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Shanghai&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7043. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The building
  7044. complex is metres away from the world&#39;s largest mosque and Islam&#39;s most sacred
  7045. site, the Masjid al-Haram. The developer and contractor of the complex is the
  7046. Saudi Binladin Group, the Kingdom&#39;s largest construction company. The complex
  7047. bans any non-Muslims from entering, an extension of the general ban on non-Muslims
  7048. entering &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7049. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7050. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7051. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7052. The complex was built after the demolition of the Ajyad
  7053. Fortress, the 18th century Ottoman citadel which stood atop a hill overlooking
  7054. the Grand Mosque. The destruction of the fort in 2002 by the Saudi government
  7055. sparked Turkish and international outcry.&lt;/div&gt;
  7056. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7057. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7058. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7059. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;Description&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  7060. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/div&gt;
  7061. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7062. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7063. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7064. The tallest tower in the complex stands as the tallest
  7065. building in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  7066. with a height of 601 metres (1,972 feet). Currently it is the third tallest
  7067. freestanding structure in the world, surpassing &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taipei&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7068. 101 in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taipei&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taiwan&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The structure had surpassed
  7069. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7070. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; in having the largest floor
  7071. area of any structure in the world with 1,500,000 m2 (16,150,000 sq ft) of
  7072. floorspace, but is now second, after the 1,700,000 m2 (18,300,000 sq ft) New
  7073. Century Global Centre in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chengdu&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  7074. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;China&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7075. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7076.  
  7077.  
  7078.  
  7079. &lt;/div&gt;
  7080. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7081. The site of the complex is located across the street to the
  7082. south from an entrance to the Masjid al Haram mosque, which houses the Kaaba. To
  7083. accommodate worshipers visiting the Kaaba, the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abraj&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al-Bait&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7084. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Towers&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; has a large prayer
  7085. room capable of holding more than 10,000 people. The tallest tower in the
  7086. complex also contains a five-star hotel, operated by Fairmont Hotels and
  7087. Resorts, to help provide lodging for the millions of pilgrims that travel to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; annually to
  7088. participate in the Hajj.&lt;/div&gt;
  7089. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7090. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7091. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7092. In addition, the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abraj&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7093. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al-Bait&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Towers&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7094. has a 20-story shopping mall (the Abraj Al Bait Mall) and a parking garage
  7095. capable of holding over a thousand vehicles. Residential towers house permanent
  7096. residents while two heliports and a conference center are to accommodate business
  7097. travelers. In total, up to 100,000 people could be housed inside the towers.[citation
  7098. needed] The project uses clock faces for each side of the hotel tower. The
  7099. highest residential floor stands at 450 metres (1,480 feet), just below the
  7100. spires. The clock faces are 43 m × 43 m (141 ft × 141 ft), the largest in the
  7101. world. The roof of the clocks is 530 metres (1,740 feet) above the ground, making
  7102. them the world&#39;s most elevated architectural clocks. A 71-metre-tall spire (233
  7103. ft) has been added on top of the clock giving it a total height of 601 metres (1,972
  7104. feet), which makes it the second tallest building in the world, surpassing &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taipei&lt;/st1:city&gt; 101 in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Taiwan&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The tower also includes an
  7105. Islamic Museum and a &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Lunar&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7106. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Observation&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Center&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7107. which will also be used to sight the moon during the Holy Months.&lt;/div&gt;
  7108. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7109. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7110. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7111. The building was planned to be 734 metres tall in 2006. In 2009,
  7112. it was published that the final height will be 601 metres. The complex was
  7113. built by the Saudi Binladin Group, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s largest construction
  7114. company. The clock tower (from a hight of 450m up until the tip) was designed
  7115. by the German architect Mahmoud Bodo Rasch and his firm SL Rasch GmbH . The
  7116. facade was constructed by Premiere Composite Technologies, the clock by German
  7117. tower clock manufacturer PERROT GmbH &amp;amp; Co. KG Turmuhren und Läuteanlagen . According
  7118. to the Saudi Ministry of Religious Endowments, the project cost US$15 billion&lt;/div&gt;
  7119. &lt;br /&gt;
  7120. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7121. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  7122. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7123. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiN3HOHjQeQhCWzbujFocc0v4AOduvAz1OdIXZh6QVDkEav_poh-fz-ZP9JnnrksPN9M4__VGLOpCMef88GPcQa8hSbVAlgnQKZ_Jkro_jEuQF5wmkswbfNe9kHINB2C96oIKiDDPkPKfZ/s1600/Abraj-al-Bait.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiN3HOHjQeQhCWzbujFocc0v4AOduvAz1OdIXZh6QVDkEav_poh-fz-ZP9JnnrksPN9M4__VGLOpCMef88GPcQa8hSbVAlgnQKZ_Jkro_jEuQF5wmkswbfNe9kHINB2C96oIKiDDPkPKfZ/s400/Abraj-al-Bait.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7124. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7125. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;List of
  7126. component towers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7127. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  7128.  
  7129.  
  7130.  
  7131. &lt;br /&gt;
  7132. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7133. &lt;b&gt;Tower&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Height&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Floors
  7134. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Completion&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7135. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7136. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7137. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7138. &lt;b&gt;Hotel Tower&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;601 metres
  7139. (1,972 feet)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;120&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;2012&lt;/div&gt;
  7140. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7141. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7142. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7143. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Hajar&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;260 metres (850 feet)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;48&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;2011&lt;/div&gt;
  7144. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7145. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7146. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7147. &lt;b&gt;ZamZam &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;260 metres
  7148. (850 feet)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;48 &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;2011&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7149. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7150. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7151. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7152. &lt;b&gt;Maqam &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;250 metres (820 feet)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;45 &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;2012&lt;/div&gt;
  7153. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7154. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7155. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7156. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Qibla &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;250 metres (820 feet)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;45&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  7157. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;2011&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7158. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7159. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7160. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7161. &lt;b&gt;Marwah&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;240
  7162. metres (790 feet)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;42&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  7163. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;2008&lt;/div&gt;
  7164. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7165. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7166. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7167. &lt;b&gt;Safa&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;240 metres (790 feet)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;42&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;2007&lt;/div&gt;
  7168. &lt;br /&gt;
  7169.  
  7170.  
  7171.  
  7172. &lt;br /&gt;
  7173. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7174. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Features&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7175. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7176. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7177. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7178. The building is topped by a four-faced clock, visible from 25
  7179. kilometres (16 miles) away. The clock is the highest in the world at over 400
  7180. meters above the ground. It replaces the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Milwaukee&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Wisconsin&lt;/st1:state&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7181. as the tallest clock tower in the world. The clock&#39;s face is also bigger than
  7182. the previous record holder as the largest clock face in the world, the Cevahir
  7183. Mall clock in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Istanbul&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7184. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7185. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7186. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7187. Each of the clock&#39;s four faces measure 46 m (151 ft) in
  7188. diameter and are illuminated by 2 million LED lights, with four oriented edges,
  7189. just above the clock alongside huge Arabic script reading: “God is the
  7190. Greatest” on the north and south faces and on the west and east the Koran. Four
  7191. golden domes on pillars on all the corners are also present. Another 21,000
  7192. white and green colored lights, the same as the Saudi Flag, fitted at the top
  7193. of the clock, will flash to signal Islam&#39;s five-times daily prayers, and will
  7194. be visible as far as 30 km (19 mi) away. On special occasions such as new year,
  7195. 16 bands of vertical lights will shoot some 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) up into
  7196. the sky. The clock&#39;s four faces will be covered with 98 million pieces of glass
  7197. mosaics. The Saudi coat of arms is displayed at the center of each clock behind
  7198. the dials. The minute hand is 22 m (72 ft) long, while the hour hand is 17 m (56
  7199. ft) long.&lt;/div&gt;
  7200. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7201. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7202. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7203. An observatory deck is at the base of the clock. Elevators
  7204. take visitors up to an observation balcony just beneath the clock faces.&lt;/div&gt;
  7205. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7206. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7207. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7208. There were rumours &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;that
  7209. the clock would be set to local Mecca Time, in an attempt to replace Greenwich
  7210. as the prime meridian for global time keeping, but the clock is set to Arabia
  7211. Standard Time (UTC+03:00).&lt;/div&gt;
  7212. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  7213. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7214. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjeFGaZkaHAxUV5LukgpGPo3w_7e0ArG1qzhGgvZAZV4RJlnj5UZrE3D4HEvKeMiRYLOfqWxdLsvXfZGnb2RNLQa1bi889nUYf22t7n3TqWx32-RhUxdr97QakUTFK1-42pzfIAboRaqS/s1600/600px-Comparison_four_face_clocks.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjeFGaZkaHAxUV5LukgpGPo3w_7e0ArG1qzhGgvZAZV4RJlnj5UZrE3D4HEvKeMiRYLOfqWxdLsvXfZGnb2RNLQa1bi889nUYf22t7n3TqWx32-RhUxdr97QakUTFK1-42pzfIAboRaqS/s400/600px-Comparison_four_face_clocks.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7215. &lt;br /&gt;
  7216. &lt;br /&gt;
  7217.  
  7218.  
  7219.  
  7220. &lt;br /&gt;
  7221. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7222. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;The spire&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7223. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7224. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7225. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7226. The clock tower is topped by a 93 m (305 ft) spire with 23 m
  7227. (75 ft) high golden crescent at the top. The spire has the black observation
  7228. pod at the bottom which contains a lunar gallery, a control tower and the main
  7229. observation deck.&lt;/div&gt;
  7230. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7231. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7232. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7233. The crescent was constructed in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Dubai&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; by Premier Composite Technology in
  7234. April 2011. The crescent is made of fiberglass-backed mosaic gold, and it
  7235. weighs up to 35 tonnes. Peugeot Joseph, the company official, said a team of
  7236. five engineers and a hundred workers carried out the project, which cost 90
  7237. million &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  7238. dirham, and it took three months to build it. The company has also constructed
  7239. the Mecca Clock. The Crescent was divided into 10 parts to move it to Mecca.[10]
  7240. The crescent was partly assembled on the base of the clock-face to reduce it to
  7241. 5 parts. Those five parts were then lifted and installed above the spire from 20
  7242. June to 6 July 2011.&lt;/div&gt;
  7243. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7244. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7245. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7246. The minaret and its base have massive loudspeakers that will
  7247. emit prayer calls to a distance of seven km while nearly 21,000 lamps will
  7248. illuminate the surrounding area to a distance of 30 km. During occasions like
  7249. Muslim Eids and new Hijri years, a 16-beam light will illuminate an area of a
  7250. diameter of around 10 km while 21,000 lamps will beam white and green lights to
  7251. a distance of 30 km. The light beams are intended to allow deaf persons or
  7252. Muslims in far areas to know prayer timings in the western parts of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; and nearby cities. Yet,
  7253. despite the claimed need for illumination and awareness of prayer timings in discrete
  7254. areas and portions around and in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  7255. there are well over 200 existing old mosques in the city; most are frequently
  7256. attended and therefore well equipped with Muadhins to call the prayer.&lt;/div&gt;
  7257. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  7258. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7259. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYgjxWSpc1zKVh6YNbXZ1nKuVnXV7hD3gcY4BTmXSR4m_kU_PtXjYwaukL-GX5ykt26SoacKiQq2E6q9WklW_3tj0Sz9SoPz7X4pEAuhQRl7nBkaanBp_MLwXeE-OGyTIh9LRZKwVq6cV/s1600/AbrajAlBaitin2011Makkah.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYgjxWSpc1zKVh6YNbXZ1nKuVnXV7hD3gcY4BTmXSR4m_kU_PtXjYwaukL-GX5ykt26SoacKiQq2E6q9WklW_3tj0Sz9SoPz7X4pEAuhQRl7nBkaanBp_MLwXeE-OGyTIh9LRZKwVq6cV/s400/AbrajAlBaitin2011Makkah.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7260. &lt;br /&gt;
  7261.  
  7262.  
  7263.  
  7264. &lt;br /&gt;
  7265. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7266. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Construction
  7267. fire incidents&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7268. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7269. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7270. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7271. The Abraj-Al-Bait complex has seen two fire incidents during
  7272. construction. The first fire struck the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hajar&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7273. on 28 October 2008. It took 400 firefighters to put out the fire, which burned
  7274. for 10 hours, consuming nine floors of the tower. According to eyewitness
  7275. reports, the blaze erupted shortly after midnight, and spread rapidly because
  7276. of wood used for construction stored in the premises. Soon, the entire building
  7277. was engulfed in smoke. Hospitals were put on high alert, but no injuries were
  7278. reported. A civil defence spokesman said the fire started on the 32nd floor of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hajar&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tower&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7279. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7280. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7281. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7282. The second fire struck Safa tower on 1 May 2009. No deaths
  7283. or injuries were reported in the blaze that was quickly contained by Civil
  7284. Defense. Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out soon after Asr prayer while some
  7285. workers in the building were welding iron rods on wooden scaffoldings. The fire
  7286. damaged a large part of the under-construction tower. According to Major
  7287. General Adel Zamzami, director general of Civil Defense in the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; province, the fire broke out at the 14th
  7288. floor and reached up to the 20th.&lt;/div&gt;
  7289. &lt;/div&gt;
  7290. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/2122842196005781872/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/abraj-al-bait.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/2122842196005781872'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/2122842196005781872'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/abraj-al-bait.html' title='Abraj Al Bait'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlQg3LhnXoBKG87kHa8G-8z4kvpvBD0-JWiLOIAZYYhM22Mv7bteZA98E2xRbI-KqRa0JMdpT0_-V7kpDc4QGheYVzxWkuOgQc_vJti0UfK8vVWVxQefHUwlMzPdWcEiUt0JIKTYiFgcN/s72-c/Abraj-al-Bait-Towers.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-7283650799471388102</id><published>2013-10-13T00:59:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-13T01:07:47.652-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Mecca</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  7291. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7292. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvZxBfrVEEzcbqvW0X-RgqdVP3STuiHyxy_dfNx0v_hYJrgXK_UF3zizJMS8EUTKNm5Bx8lXoOkdQWArYYnEM0g2J9g-vBwvbm-xldkAX_sLPjFE_mFhOLVkRKHVUmrVRvELdwAFPdsX4/s1600/Meccamontage.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvZxBfrVEEzcbqvW0X-RgqdVP3STuiHyxy_dfNx0v_hYJrgXK_UF3zizJMS8EUTKNm5Bx8lXoOkdQWArYYnEM0g2J9g-vBwvbm-xldkAX_sLPjFE_mFhOLVkRKHVUmrVRvELdwAFPdsX4/s400/Meccamontage.jpg&quot; width=&quot;358&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7293. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  7294. &lt;br /&gt;
  7295. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7296. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; also transliterated as
  7297. Makkah, is a city in the Hejaz and the capital of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Makkah&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7298. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Province&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The city is located
  7299. 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m (909
  7300. ft) above sea level. Its resident population in 2012 was roughly 2 million,
  7301. although visitors more than triple this number every year during Hajj period
  7302. held in the twelfth Muslim lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah.&lt;/div&gt;
  7303. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7304. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7305. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7306. As the birthplace of Muhammad and a site of Muhammad&#39;s first
  7307. revelation of the Quran (the site in specificity being a cave 3.2 km (2 mi)
  7308. from Mecca), Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in the religion of Islam and
  7309. a pilgrimage to it known as the Hajj is obligatory for all able Muslims. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is home to the
  7310. Kaaba, by majority description Islam&#39;s holiest site, as well as being the
  7311. center of the Islamic universe. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7312. was long ruled by Muhammad&#39;s descendants, the sharifs, acting either as
  7313. independent rulers or as vassals to larger polities. It was absorbed into &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in
  7314. 1925. In its modern period, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7315. has seen tremendous expansion in size and infrastructure, home to structures
  7316. such as the Abraj Al Bait, also known as the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel,
  7317. the world&#39;s third tallest building and the building with the largest amount of
  7318. floor area. Due to this expansion, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7319. has lost some historical structures and archaeological sites, such as the Ajyad
  7320. Fortress. Today, more than 15 million Muslims visit &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; annually, including several million
  7321. during the few days of the Hajj. As a result, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; has become one of the most cosmopolitan
  7322. and diverse cities in the Muslim world, despite the fact that non-Muslims are
  7323. prohibited from entering the city.&lt;/div&gt;
  7324. &lt;br /&gt;
  7325. &lt;br /&gt;
  7326. &lt;br /&gt;
  7327. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7328. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Etymology and
  7329. usage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7330. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7331. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7332. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7333. &quot;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&quot;
  7334. is the familiar form of the English transliteration for the Arabic name of the
  7335. city, although the official transliteration used by the Saudi government is
  7336. Makkah, which is closer to the Arabic pronunciation. The word &quot;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&quot; in English
  7337. has come to be used to refer to any place that draws large numbers of people,
  7338. and because of this many Muslims regard the use of this spelling for the city
  7339. as offensive. The Saudi government adopted Makkah as the official spelling in
  7340. the 1980s, but is not universally known or used worldwide. The full official
  7341. name is Makkah al-Mukarramah (&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مكة المكرمة&lt;/span&gt;,
  7342. pronounced makka lmukarrama or makkah almukarrama), which means &quot;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; the Honored&quot;,
  7343. but is also loosely translated as &quot;The Holy City of Mecca&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7344. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7345. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7346. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7347. The ancient or early name for the site of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is Bakkah (also transliterated Baca,
  7348. Baka, Bakah, Bakka, Becca, Bekka,). An Arabic language word, its etymology,
  7349. like that of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  7350. is obscure. Widely believed to be a synonym for &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, it is said to be more specifically the
  7351. early name for the valley located therein, while Muslim scholars generally use
  7352. it to refer to the sacred area of the city that immediately surrounds and
  7353. includes the Kaaba.&lt;/div&gt;
  7354. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7355. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7356. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7357. The form Bakkah is used for the name &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7358. in the Quran in 3:96, while the form &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; is
  7359. used in 48:24.In South Arabic, the language in use in the southern portion of
  7360. the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt; at the time of Muhammad,
  7361. the b and m were interchangeable. Other references to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in the Quran (6:92, 42:5) call it Umm
  7362. al-Qura, meaning &quot;mother of all settlements.&quot; Another name of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; is Tihamah.&lt;/div&gt;
  7363. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7364. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7365. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7366. Another name for &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, or
  7367. the wilderness and mountains surrounding it, according to Arab and Islamic
  7368. tradition, is Faran or Pharan, referring to the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Desert&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Paran&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7369. mentioned in the Old Testament at Genesis 21:21. Arab and Islamic tradition
  7370. holds that the wilderness of Paran, broadly speaking, is the Tihamah and the
  7371. site where Ishmael settled was &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  7372. Yaqut al-Hamawi, the 12th century Syrian geographer, wrote that Fārān was
  7373. &quot;an arabized Hebrew word. One of the names of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; mentioned in the Torah.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  7374. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7375. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7376. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7377. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Government&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7378. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7379. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7380. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7381. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; is governed by the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Municipality&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, a municipal council of fourteen
  7382. locally elected members headed by a mayor (called an Al-Amin) appointed by the
  7383. Saudi Government. The current mayor of the city is Usama al-Bar.&lt;/div&gt;
  7384. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7385. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7386. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7387. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; is the capital of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Makkah&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Province&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  7388. which includes neighboring Jeddah. The provincial governor was Prince Abdul
  7389. Majeed bin Abdul Aziz from 2000 until his death in 2007. On 16 May 2007, Prince
  7390. Khalid al Faisal was appointed as the new governor.&lt;/div&gt;
  7391. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7392. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7393. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7394. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7395. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7396. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7397. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7398. Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; to Ishmael&#39;s
  7399. descendants. Many Muslims point to the Old Testament chapter Psalm 84:3–6 and a
  7400. mention of a pilgrimage at the Valley of Baca, that Muslims see as referring to
  7401. the mentioning of Mecca as Bakkah in Qur&#39;an Surah 3:96. Also the Greek historian
  7402. Diodorus Siculus who lived between 60 BCE and 30 BCE writes about the isolated
  7403. region of Arabia in his work Bibliotheca historica describing a holy shrine
  7404. that Muslims see as referring to the Kaaba at &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; &quot;And a temple has been set-up
  7405. there, which is very holy and exceedingly revered by all Arabians&quot;.
  7406. Ptolemy may have called the city &quot;Macoraba&quot;, though this
  7407. identification is controversial.&lt;/div&gt;
  7408. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7409. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7410. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7411. Mecca was also mentioned in the Samaritan literature, in the
  7412. Book of the “Secrets of Moses” (Asatir) which claimed that Mecca was built by
  7413. Ishmael and his eldest son Nebaioth&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The
  7414. Secrets of Moses” or Asatir book was suggested by some opinion to have been
  7415. written in 10th century., while another opinion suggests that it was written no
  7416. later than the second half of the 3rd century BC.&lt;/div&gt;
  7417. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7418. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7419. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7420. Some time in the 5th century CE, the Kaaba was a place of
  7421. worship for the deities of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s pagan
  7422. tribes. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  7423. most important pagan deity was Hubal, which had been placed there by the ruling
  7424. Quraysh tribe and remained until the 7th century CE.&lt;/div&gt;
  7425. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7426. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  7427. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7428. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiF1dcJkb1x7ngK8pHRk9EPQe0PvrbPbB_A0h08FzjajgiFl9N-suauA13m_mJOwl7czPxWyu_B1JeTVevP71KSjDG0F0QtGteQO2tIOCDncClaYN_cn73ce_ZFAYJfkjmCEdMt9jPniR/s1600/Mecca_from_Jabal_Nur.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiF1dcJkb1x7ngK8pHRk9EPQe0PvrbPbB_A0h08FzjajgiFl9N-suauA13m_mJOwl7czPxWyu_B1JeTVevP71KSjDG0F0QtGteQO2tIOCDncClaYN_cn73ce_ZFAYJfkjmCEdMt9jPniR/s400/Mecca_from_Jabal_Nur.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7429. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7430. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7431. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7432. In the 5th century, the Quraysh took control of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, and became skilled
  7433. merchants and traders. In the 6th century they joined the lucrative spice trade
  7434. as well, since battles in other parts of the world were causing trade routes to
  7435. divert from the dangerous sea routes to the more secure overland routes. The
  7436. Byzantine Empire had previously controlled the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Red Sea&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  7437. but piracy had been on the increase. Another previous route that ran through
  7438. the Persian Gulf via the Tigris and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Euphrates&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7439. rivers, was also being threatened by exploitations from the Sassanid Empire, as
  7440. well as being disrupted by the Lakhmids, the Ghassanids, and the Roman–Persian
  7441. Wars. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s prominence as a trading center
  7442. also surpassed the cities of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Petra&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Palmyra&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. The Sassanids
  7443. however did not always pose a threat to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; as
  7444. in 575 CE they actually protected the Arabian city from invasion of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Axum&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, led by its Christian leader
  7445. Abraha. The tribes of the southern Arabia, asked the Persian king Khosrau I for
  7446. aid, in response to which he came south to Arabia with both foot-soldiers and a
  7447. fleet of ships into &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  7448. The Persian intervention prevented Christianity from spreading eastward into
  7449. Arabia, and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7450. and the Islamic prophet Muhammad who was at the time a six year boy in the
  7451. Quraysh tribe &quot;would not grow up under the cross.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  7452. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7453. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7454. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7455. By the middle of the 6th century, there were three major
  7456. settlements in northern Arabia, all along the south-western coast that borders
  7457. the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Red Sea&lt;/st1:place&gt;, in a habitable region between the
  7458. sea and the great mountains to the east. Although the area around &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was completely
  7459. barren, it was the wealthiest of the three settlements with abundant water via
  7460. the renowned Zamzam Well and a position at the crossroads of major caravan
  7461. routes.&lt;/div&gt;
  7462. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7463. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7464. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7465. The harsh conditions and terrain of the Arabian peninsula
  7466. meant a near-constant state of conflict between the local tribes, but once a
  7467. year they would declare a truce and converge upon &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in an annual pilgrimage. Up to the 7th
  7468. century, this journey was intended for religious reasons by the pagan Arabs to
  7469. pay homage to their shrine, and to drink from the Zamzam Well. However, it was
  7470. also the time each year that disputes would be arbitrated, debts would be
  7471. resolved, and trading would occur at Meccan fairs. These annual events gave the
  7472. tribes a sense of common identity and made &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; an important focus for the peninsula.&lt;/div&gt;
  7473. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7474. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7475. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7476. Camel caravans, said to have first been used by Muhammad&#39;s
  7477. great-grandfather, were a major part of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  7478. bustling economy. Alliances were struck between the merchants in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; and the local nomadic tribes, who would bring goods
  7479. – leather, livestock, and metals mined in the local mountains – to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; to be loaded on the caravans and carried to cities
  7480. in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  7481. Historical accounts also provide some indication that goods from other
  7482. continents may also have flowed through Mecca. Goods from Africa and the Far
  7483. East passed through en route to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  7484. including spices, leather, medicine, cloth, and slaves; in return &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; received money, weapons, cereals and wine, which in
  7485. turn were distributed throughout &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The
  7486. Meccans signed treaties with both the Byzantines and the Bedouins, and
  7487. negotiated safe passages for caravans, giving them water and pasture rights. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; became the center
  7488. of a loose confederation of client tribes, which included those of the Banu
  7489. Tamim. Other regional powers such as the Abyssinian, Ghassan, and Lakhm were in
  7490. decline leaving Meccan trade to be the primary binding force in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt; in the late 6th century.&lt;/div&gt;
  7491. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7492. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  7493. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7494. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr7qCP5MGMgos8HNj93zay-v81BbkPvAkOfrWBuI0Uxy7hbr1t_xk_irJ4w8TGWpdX99Te4NFL09T5P7MbWMviEy2itEjUFiKAgWjTwS1zZSeYQbanL1cE9bP54B507KI_wOOmDhXodph/s1600/OldmapofMecca.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr7qCP5MGMgos8HNj93zay-v81BbkPvAkOfrWBuI0Uxy7hbr1t_xk_irJ4w8TGWpdX99Te4NFL09T5P7MbWMviEy2itEjUFiKAgWjTwS1zZSeYQbanL1cE9bP54B507KI_wOOmDhXodph/s400/OldmapofMecca.jpg&quot; width=&quot;271&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7495. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7496. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Thamudic
  7497. Inscriptions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7498. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7499. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7500. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7501. Some Thamudic inscription that were discovered in south &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jordan&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; contained names of some individuals such as &quot;Abd Mekkat&quot; which means
  7502. in English &quot;Servant of Mecca&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7503. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7504. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7505. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7506. There were also some other inscription that contained names
  7507. such as &quot;Makky&quot; which means &quot;The Meccan&quot;, but Professor
  7508. &quot;Jawwad Ali&quot; from the University of Baghdad stated that there&#39;s also
  7509. a probability of a tribe named &quot;Mecca&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7510. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7511. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7512. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7513. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Tradition&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7514. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7515. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7516. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7517. According to Islamic tradition, the history of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; goes back to Abraham
  7518. (Ibrahim) who built the Kaaba with the help of his elder son Ishmael in around
  7519. 2000 BCE when the inhabitants of what was then known as Bakkah had fallen away
  7520. from the original monotheism of Abraham through the influence of the Amelkites.&lt;/div&gt;
  7521. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7522. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7523. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7524. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Muhammad and
  7525. conquest of Mecca&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7526. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7527. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7528. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7529. Muhammad was born in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7530. in 570, and thus Islam has been inextricably linked with it ever since. He was
  7531. born in a minor faction, the Hashemites, of the ruling Quraysh tribe. It was in
  7532. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, in the nearby mountain &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;cave&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hira&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7533. on Jabal al-Nour, that, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad began
  7534. receiving divine revelations from God through the Archangel Gabriel in 610 AD,
  7535. and advocated his form of Abrahamic monotheism against Meccan paganism. After
  7536. enduring persecution from the pagan tribes for 13 years, Muhammad emigrated
  7537. (see Hijra) in 622 with his companions, the Muhajirun, to Yathrib (later called
  7538. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;). The
  7539. conflict between the Quraysh and the Muslims, however, continued: The two
  7540. fought in the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims defeated the Quraysh outside &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;; while the Battle
  7541. of Uhud ended indecisively. Overall, Meccan efforts to annihilate Islam failed
  7542. and proved to be costly and unsuccessful. During the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Battle&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7543. of the Trench in 627, the combined armies of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7544. were unable to defeat Muhammad&#39;s forces .&lt;/div&gt;
  7545. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7546. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7547. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7548. In 628, Muhammad and his followers wanted to enter &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; for pilgrimage, but
  7549. were blocked by the Quraysh. Subsequently, Muslims and Meccans entered into the
  7550. Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, whereby the Quraysh promised to cease fighting Muslims
  7551. and promised that Muslims would be allowed into the city to perform the
  7552. pilgrimage the following year. It was meant to be a ceasefire for 10 years.
  7553. However, just two years later, the Quraysh violated the truce by slaughtering a
  7554. group of Muslims and their allies. Muhammad and his companions, now 10,000
  7555. strong, marched into &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  7556. However, instead of continuing their fight, the city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; surrendered to Muhammad, who declared
  7557. peace and amnesty for its inhabitants. The pagan imagery was destroyed by
  7558. Muhammad&#39;s followers and the location Islamized and rededicated to the worship
  7559. of God. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7560. was declared as the holiest site in Islam ordaining it as the center of Muslim
  7561. pilgrimage, one of the faith&#39;s Five Pillars. Then, Muhammad returned to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, after assigning
  7562. Akib ibn Usaid as governor of the city. His other activities in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt; led to the unification of the peninsula.&lt;/div&gt;
  7563. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7564. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7565. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7566. Muhammad died in 632, but with the sense of unity that he
  7567. had passed on to his Ummah (Islamic nation), Islam began a rapid expansion, and
  7568. within the next few hundred years stretched from North Africa into Asia and
  7569. parts of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Europe&lt;/st1:place&gt;. As the Islamic Empire grew, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; continued to
  7570. attract pilgrims from all across the Muslim world and beyond, as Muslims came
  7571. to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage.&lt;/div&gt;
  7572. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7573. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7574. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7575. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7576. also attracted a year-round population of scholars, pious Muslims who wished to
  7577. live close to the Kaaba, and local inhabitants who served the pilgrims. Due to
  7578. the difficulty and expense of the Hajj, pilgrims arrived by boat at Jeddah, and
  7579. came overland, or joined the annual caravans from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  7580. or &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7581. &amp;nbsp;
  7582.  
  7583. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  7584. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7585. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHmQ956PHmE6H2PptGIIKmYpRGMzJ8wkurLzpb-VqYZhpGRrB16Du9cVOT8pGdX_oUNPtn3lvnqpns9Ai9ui7Xu7nMbRF2aeaUA5IAiVz58TvrCVDAq_Ql6wf9nLNIG1V5lctUU2UUSC7/s1600/800px-Jabal_Nur.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHmQ956PHmE6H2PptGIIKmYpRGMzJ8wkurLzpb-VqYZhpGRrB16Du9cVOT8pGdX_oUNPtn3lvnqpns9Ai9ui7Xu7nMbRF2aeaUA5IAiVz58TvrCVDAq_Ql6wf9nLNIG1V5lctUU2UUSC7/s400/800px-Jabal_Nur.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7586. &lt;br /&gt;
  7587. &lt;br /&gt;
  7588. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7589. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99cc00; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Medieval and
  7590. pre-modern times&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7591. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7592. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7593. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7594. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7595. was never the capital of any of the Islamic states but Muslim rulers did
  7596. contribute to its upkeep. During the reigns of Umar (634–44 CE) and Uthman ibn
  7597. Affan (644–56) concerns of flooding caused the caliphs to bring in Christian
  7598. engineers to build barrages in the low-lying quarters and construct dykes and
  7599. embankments to protect the area round the Kaaba.&lt;/div&gt;
  7600. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7601. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7602. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7603. Muhammad&#39;s migration to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7604. shifted the focus away from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  7605. this focus moved still more when Ali, the fourth caliph took power choosing
  7606. Kufa as his capital. The Umayyad Caliphate moved the capital to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Damascus&lt;/st1:city&gt; in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  7607. and the Abbasid Caliphate to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Baghdad&lt;/st1:city&gt;, in
  7608. modern-day &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  7609. which remained the center of the Islamic Empire for nearly 500 years. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; re-entered Islamic
  7610. political history during the Second Islamic Civil War, when it was held by Abd
  7611. Allah ibn al-Zubayr, an early Muslim who opposed the Umayyad caliphs. The city
  7612. was twice besieged by the Umayyads, in 683 and 692. For some time thereafter
  7613. the city figured little in politics, remaining a city of devotion and
  7614. scholarship governed by the Hashemite Sharifs.&lt;/div&gt;
  7615. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7616. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7617. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7618. In 930, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; was attacked
  7619. and sacked by Qarmatians, a millenarian Ismaili Muslim sect led by Abū-Tāhir
  7620. Al-Jannābī and centered in eastern &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The
  7621. Black Death pandemic hit &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7622. in 1349.&lt;/div&gt;
  7623. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7624. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7625. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7626. In 1517, the Sharif, Barakat bin Muhammed, acknowledged the
  7627. supremacy of the Ottoman Caliph but retained a great degree of local autonomy.&lt;/div&gt;
  7628. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7629. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7630. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7631. In 1803 the city was captured by the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;First&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7632. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;State&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  7633. which held &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7634. until 1813. This was a massive blow to the prestige of the (Turkish) &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ottoman Empire&lt;/st1:place&gt;, which had exercised sovereignty over the
  7635. holy city since 1517. The Ottomans assigned the task of bringing &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; back under Ottoman control to their powerful Khedive
  7636. (viceroy) of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Egypt&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  7637. Muhammad Ali Pasha. Muhammad Ali Pasha successfully returned &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; to Ottoman control in 1813.&lt;/div&gt;
  7638. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7639. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7640. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7641. In 1818, followers of the Salafi juristic school were again
  7642. defeated, but some of the Al Saud clan survived and founded the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Second&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7643. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;State&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; that lasted until 1891 and lead
  7644. on to the present country of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  7645.  Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7646. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7647. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7648. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7649. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7650. was regularly afflicted with cholera epidemics. 27 epidemics were recorded during
  7651. pilgrimages from the 1831 to 1930. More than 20,000 pilgrims died of cholera
  7652. during the 1907–08 hajj.&lt;/div&gt;
  7653. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7654. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  7655. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7656. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZ9kUJM7hKSY0ovhv0zPSDv5-mMDNr-tfnwHUVVzgLxARZppuKNDbBNhcp5I-XlbPQbTepVkryqN4gqd0CVriCLo7t5tMCRtIBcJ8Hkfgi4K409ixHNJIg3BkoD8u1OOuUFMvw-NH8FiW/s1600/734px-First_Saudi_State_Big.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;326&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZ9kUJM7hKSY0ovhv0zPSDv5-mMDNr-tfnwHUVVzgLxARZppuKNDbBNhcp5I-XlbPQbTepVkryqN4gqd0CVriCLo7t5tMCRtIBcJ8Hkfgi4K409ixHNJIg3BkoD8u1OOuUFMvw-NH8FiW/s400/734px-First_Saudi_State_Big.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7657. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7658. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Revolt of
  7659. Sharif of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7660. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7661. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7662. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7663. In World War I, the Ottoman Empire was at war with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Britain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and its allies, having sided with &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Germany&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. It had
  7664. successfully repulsed an attack on &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Istanbul&lt;/st1:city&gt; in
  7665. the Gallipoli Campaign and on &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Baghdad&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7666. in the Siege of Kut. The British agent T E Lawrence conspired with the Ottoman
  7667. governor Syed Hussain bin Ali, the Sharif of Mecca. Hussein bin Ali revolted
  7668. against the Ottoman Empire from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  7669. and it was the first city captured by his forces in the Battle of Mecca (1916).
  7670. Sharif&#39;s revolt proved a turning point of the war on the eastern front. Sharif
  7671. Hussein declared a new state, the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  7672. of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:placename&gt;, and declared &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; as the capital of
  7673. the new kingdom.&lt;/div&gt;
  7674. &amp;nbsp;
  7675.  
  7676. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  7677. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7678. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxISTRppnzlNTyNtoeIpr9wM7wXqGwFRZ-2o5aPvg45Mxiv89qG23xaM1gSfYUgAalGRktRCBCUSr8WkXO-jWSonmXU26C7JZw8F6IKpyQpkbtokCU2KtptxcFc86Pkt_ZIVn63b1sLF4o/s1600/Mecca-1850.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;270&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxISTRppnzlNTyNtoeIpr9wM7wXqGwFRZ-2o5aPvg45Mxiv89qG23xaM1gSfYUgAalGRktRCBCUSr8WkXO-jWSonmXU26C7JZw8F6IKpyQpkbtokCU2KtptxcFc86Pkt_ZIVn63b1sLF4o/s400/Mecca-1850.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7679. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;b&gt;Mecca 1850&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  7680. &lt;br /&gt;
  7681. &lt;br /&gt;
  7682. &lt;br /&gt;
  7683. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7684. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7685. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7686. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7687. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7688. Following the Battle of Mecca (1924), the Sharif of Mecca
  7689. was overthrown by the Saud family, and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; was
  7690. incorporated into &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  7691.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7692. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7693. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7694. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7695. Under Saudi rule, much of the historic city has been
  7696. demolished as a result of construction programs – see below.&lt;/div&gt;
  7697. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7698. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7699. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7700. On November 20, 1979 two hundred armed Islamist dissidents
  7701. led by Saudi preacher Juhayman al-Otaibi seized the Grand Mosque. They claimed
  7702. that the Saudi royal family no longer represented pure Islam and that the
  7703. Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque) and the Kaaba, must be held by those of
  7704. true faith. The rebels seized tens of thousands of pilgrims as hostages and
  7705. barricaded themselves in the mosque. The siege lasted two weeks, and resulted
  7706. in several hundred deaths and significant damage to the shrine, especially the
  7707. Safa-Marwa gallery. Pakistani forces carried out the final assault; they were
  7708. assisted with weapons, logistics and planning by an elite team of French
  7709. commandos from The French GIGN commando unit.&lt;/div&gt;
  7710. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  7711. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7712. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-BD9cTHksK5chqbcWxFBQ14JYKykO_7CJ7BOJ8GygzY1HVWI_Ey2cT0opiBLGNPOOvK3g_CxrxxXgHHq9eKuuhwxn_461tlO1ffav3w98Mdac8F7VgyyQNPtF5QzCQ88mM9QYRXjleni/s1600/Makkah-1910.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;281&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-BD9cTHksK5chqbcWxFBQ14JYKykO_7CJ7BOJ8GygzY1HVWI_Ey2cT0opiBLGNPOOvK3g_CxrxxXgHHq9eKuuhwxn_461tlO1ffav3w98Mdac8F7VgyyQNPtF5QzCQ88mM9QYRXjleni/s400/Makkah-1910.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7713. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Mecca 1910&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  7714. &lt;br /&gt;
  7715. &lt;br /&gt;
  7716. &lt;br /&gt;
  7717. &lt;br /&gt;
  7718. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7719. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Destruction
  7720. of historic buildings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7721. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7722. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7723. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7724. The officially approved form of Islam in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  7725. Wahhabism, is hostile to any reverence given to historical or religious places
  7726. of significance for fear that it may give rise to idolatry. As a consequence,
  7727. under Saudi rule, it has been estimated that since 1985 about 95% of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s historic
  7728. buildings, most over a thousand years old, have been demolished.&lt;/div&gt;
  7729. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7730. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7731. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7732. Historic sites of religious importance which have been
  7733. destroyed by the Saudis include five of the renowned &quot;Seven Mosques&quot;
  7734. initially built by Muhammad&#39;s daughter and four of his &quot;greatest
  7735. Companions&quot;: Masjid Abu Bakr, Masjid Salman al-Farsi, Masjid Umar ibn
  7736. al-Khattab, Masjid Sayyida Fatima bint Rasulullah and Masjid Ali ibn Abu Talib.&lt;/div&gt;
  7737. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7738. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7739. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7740. It has been reported that there now are fewer than 20
  7741. structures remaining in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7742. that date back to the time of Muhammad. Other buildings that have been
  7743. destroyed include the house of Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad, demolished to
  7744. make way for public lavatories; the house of Abu Bakr, Muhammad&#39;s companion,
  7745. now the site of the local Hilton hotel; the house of Muhammad&#39;s
  7746. grandsonAli-Oraid and the Mosque of abu-Qubais, now the location of the King&#39;s
  7747. palace in Mecca; Muhammad&#39;s birthplace, demolished to make way for a library;
  7748. and the Ottoman-era Ajyad Fortress, demolished for construction of the Abraj Al
  7749. Bait Towers.&lt;/div&gt;
  7750. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7751. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7752. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7753. The ostensible reason for much of the destruction of
  7754. historic buildings has been for the construction of hotels, apartments, parking
  7755. lots, and other infrastructure facilities for Hajj pilgrims. However, many have
  7756. been destroyed without any such reason. For example, when the house of
  7757. Ali-Oraid was discovered, King Fahd himself ordered that it be bulldozed lest
  7758. it should become a pilgrimage site.&lt;/div&gt;
  7759. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  7760. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7761. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWaxyW5MBSdDkEZo31YJVJYYgr6Vvxma4MmfQfhRt8cxDEzZkWbLh8q5cCAxpsFNkkVOn9bWhYQiBrSj6Pnbb9f__DDMMH8VyONUgRwqGTciaJT-G_-l6iyWRC8xCSobHBMJ6GhJoRFSE/s1600/800px-Mecca_view.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWaxyW5MBSdDkEZo31YJVJYYgr6Vvxma4MmfQfhRt8cxDEzZkWbLh8q5cCAxpsFNkkVOn9bWhYQiBrSj6Pnbb9f__DDMMH8VyONUgRwqGTciaJT-G_-l6iyWRC8xCSobHBMJ6GhJoRFSE/s400/800px-Mecca_view.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7762. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt; &amp;nbsp; Mecca 1910&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  7763. &lt;br /&gt;
  7764. &lt;br /&gt;
  7765. &lt;br /&gt;
  7766. &lt;br /&gt;
  7767. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7768. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Pilgrimage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7769. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7770. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7771. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7772. The pilgrimage to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7773. attracts millions of Muslims from all over the world. There are two
  7774. pilgrimages: the Hajj, and the Umrah.&lt;/div&gt;
  7775. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7776. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7777. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7778. The Hajj, the &#39;greater&#39; pilgrimage is performed annually in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; and nearby sites.
  7779. During the Hajj, several million people of varying nationalities worship in
  7780. unison. Every adult, healthy Muslim who has the financial and physical capacity
  7781. to travel to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7782. and can make arrangements for the care of his/her dependents during the trip,
  7783. must perform the Hajj at least once in a lifetime.&lt;/div&gt;
  7784. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7785. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7786. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7787. Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, is not obligatory, but is
  7788. recommended in the Qur&#39;an.&lt;/div&gt;
  7789. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7790. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Often, they perform
  7791. the Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, while visiting the Masjid al-Haram.&lt;/div&gt;
  7792. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7793. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7794. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7795. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Incidents
  7796. during Pilgrimage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7797. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7798. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7799. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7800. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7801. has been &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;of several incidents and
  7802. failures of crowd control because of the large numbers of people who come to
  7803. make the Hajj. For example, on 2 July 1990, a pilgrimage to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; ended in tragedy when the ventilation
  7804. system failed in a crowded pedestrian tunnel and 1,426 people were either
  7805. suffocated or trampled to death.&lt;/div&gt;
  7806. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7807. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7808. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7809. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Geography&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7810. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7811. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7812. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7813. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; is at an elevation of
  7814. 277 m (909 ft) above sea level, and approximately 80 km (50 mi) inland from the
  7815. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Red Sea&lt;/st1:place&gt;. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Central Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7816. lies in a corridor between mountains, which is often called the &quot;Hollow of
  7817. Mecca.&quot; The area contains the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;valley&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  7818. of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al Taneem&lt;/st1:placename&gt;, the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Valley&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bakkah&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7819. and the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;valley&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of
  7820. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abqar&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. This mountainous
  7821. location has defined the contemporary expansion of the city. The city centers
  7822. on the Masjid al-Haram area, whose elevation is lower than most of the city.
  7823. The area around the mosque comprises the old city. The main avenues are
  7824. Al-Mudda&#39;ah and Sūq al-Layl to the north of the mosque, and As-Sūg Assaghīr to
  7825. the south. As the Saudis expanded the Grand Mosque in the center of the city,
  7826. where there were once hundreds of houses are now replaced with wide avenues and
  7827. city squares. Traditional homes are built of local rock and are generally two
  7828. to three stories. The total area of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7829. today stands over 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi).&lt;/div&gt;
  7830. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7831. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7832. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7833. In pre-modern &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  7834. the city exploited a few chief sources of water. The first were local wells,
  7835. such as the Zamzam Well, that produced generally brackish water. The second
  7836. source was the spring of Ayn Zubayda. The sources of this spring are the
  7837. mountains of J̲abal Saʿd (Jabal Sa&#39;d) and Jabal Kabkāb, which lie a few
  7838. kilometers east of Jabal Arafa or about 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Mecca. Water
  7839. was transported from it using underground channels. A very sporadic third
  7840. source was rainfall which was stored by the people in small reservoirs or
  7841. cisterns. The rainfall, as scant as it is, also presents the threat of flooding
  7842. and has been a danger since earliest times. According to Al-Kurdī, there had
  7843. been 89 historic floods by 1965, including several in the Saudi period. In the
  7844. last century the most severe one occurred in 1942. Since then, dams have been
  7845. constructed to ameliorate the problem.&lt;/div&gt;
  7846. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7847. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7848. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7849. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Climate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7850. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7851. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7852. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7853. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7854. features an extremely arid climate. Unlike other Saudi Arabian cities, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; retains its warm
  7855. temperature in winter, which can range from 18 °C (64 °F) at night to 30 °C (86
  7856. °F) in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are considered very hot and break the
  7857. 40 °C (104 °F) mark in the afternoon dropping to 30 °C (86 °F) in the evening.
  7858. Rain usually falls in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7859. in small amounts between November and January.&lt;/div&gt;
  7860. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7861. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Landmarks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7862. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7863. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7864. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7865. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7866. houses the Masjid al-Haram, the largest mosque in the world. The mosque
  7867. surrounds the Kaaba, which Muslims turn towards while offering daily prayer.
  7868. This mosque is also commonly known as the Haram or Grand Mosque.&lt;/div&gt;
  7869. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7870. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7871. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7872. As mentioned above, because of the Wahhabist hostility to
  7873. reverence being paid to historic and religious buildings, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; has lost most of its heritage in recent
  7874. years and few buildings from the last 1500 years have survived Saudi rule.&lt;/div&gt;
  7875. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7876. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7877. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7878. Expansion of the city is ongoing and includes the
  7879. construction of 601 m (1,972 ft) tall Abraj Al Bait Towers across the street
  7880. from the Masjid al-Haram. The towers are set to be completed in 2012 when they
  7881. will become the 2nd tallest building in the world. The construction of the
  7882. towers involved the demolition of the Ajyad Fortress, which in turn sparked a
  7883. dispute between &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Turkey&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  7884. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7885. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7886. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7887. The Zamzam Well is home to a celebrated water spring. The
  7888. Qishla of Mecca was an Ottoman castle facing the Grand Mosque and defending the
  7889. city from attack. However, the Saudi government removed the structure to give
  7890. space for hotels and business buildings near to the Grand Mosque. Hira is a
  7891. cave near &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;, on the mountain named Jabal Al-Nūr
  7892. in the Tihamah region of present day &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. It is notable for
  7893. being the location where Muhammad received his first revelations from God
  7894. through the angel Jibreel, also known as Gabriel to Christians.&lt;/div&gt;
  7895. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  7896. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7897. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMf_qX9tSyHFA8ABxai9wXnV19HMjFLpsRHZlMAzejzyhmXekk_8mPmgOM18RSCdEHwUP_lhp7pDxiGbk6JDzUEcBJncrzAXP2LnEPBI_Ll1DUP3cL_Bq9O5D9CCNmMWALL_8PP_rtEtL/s1600/Masjid_al-Haram_panorama.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;70&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMf_qX9tSyHFA8ABxai9wXnV19HMjFLpsRHZlMAzejzyhmXekk_8mPmgOM18RSCdEHwUP_lhp7pDxiGbk6JDzUEcBJncrzAXP2LnEPBI_Ll1DUP3cL_Bq9O5D9CCNmMWALL_8PP_rtEtL/s400/Masjid_al-Haram_panorama.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7898. &lt;br /&gt;
  7899. &lt;br /&gt;
  7900. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7901. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Economy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7902. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7903. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7904. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7905. The Meccan economy has been heavily dependent on the annual
  7906. pilgrimage. As one academic put it, &quot;(Meccans) have no means of earning a
  7907. living but by serving the hajjis.&quot; Income generated from the Hajj, in fact,
  7908. not only powers the Meccan economy but has historically had far reaching
  7909. effects on the economy of the entire &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  7910. The income was generated in a number of ways. One method was taxing the
  7911. pilgrims. Taxes especially increased during the Great Depression, and many of
  7912. these taxes existed as late as 1972. Another way the Hajj generates income is
  7913. through services to pilgrims. For example, the Saudi national airline, Saudia, generates
  7914. 12% of its income from the pilgrimage. Fares paid by pilgrims to reach &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; by land also
  7915. generate income; as do the hotels and lodging companies that house them.&lt;/div&gt;
  7916. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7917. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7918. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7919. The city takes in more than $100 million, while the Saudi
  7920. government spends about $50 million on services for the Hajj. There are some
  7921. industries and factories in the city, but &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  7922. no longer plays a major role in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  7923.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s economy, which is mainly based on
  7924. oil exports. The few industries operating in Mecca include textiles, furniture,
  7925. and utensils. The majority of the economy is service oriented.&lt;/div&gt;
  7926. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7927. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7928. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7929. Nevertheless, many industries have been set up in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Various types of
  7930. enterprises that have existed since 1970: corrugated iron manufacturing, copper
  7931. smithies, carpentry shops, upholstering establishments, vegetable oil
  7932. extraction plants, sweets manufacturies, flour mills, bakeries, poultry farms, frozen
  7933. food importing, photography processing, secretarial establishments, ice
  7934. factories, bottling plants for soft drinks, barber shops, book shops, travel
  7935. agencies and banks.&lt;/div&gt;
  7936. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7937. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7938. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7939. The city has grown substantially in the 20th and 21st
  7940. centuries, as the convenience and affordability of jet travel has increased the
  7941. number of pilgrims participating in the Hajj. Thousands of Saudis are employed
  7942. year-round to oversee the Hajj and staff the hotels and shops that cater to
  7943. pilgrims; these workers in turn have increased the demand for housing and
  7944. services. The city is now ringed by freeways, and contains shopping malls and
  7945. skyscrapers.&lt;/div&gt;
  7946. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  7947. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  7948. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ekntyLn6K2XBDSdt0MjwjroatB7MoJhKKigQNfnWGHm4WJfkNE_Z-pL8yQcp2WSijkywxNP6XJWwTTbyaHN8YSPl7-aX2whvwhBJSiPU80Io3Axt5Z5ZgVNVEgHWE4p5uDOSyQj5yB-o/s1600/800px-Makkah_(Mecca)_(2).jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ekntyLn6K2XBDSdt0MjwjroatB7MoJhKKigQNfnWGHm4WJfkNE_Z-pL8yQcp2WSijkywxNP6XJWwTTbyaHN8YSPl7-aX2whvwhBJSiPU80Io3Axt5Z5ZgVNVEgHWE4p5uDOSyQj5yB-o/s400/800px-Makkah_(Mecca)_(2).jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7949. &lt;br /&gt;
  7950. &lt;br /&gt;
  7951. &lt;br /&gt;
  7952. &lt;br /&gt;
  7953. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7954. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Health care&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7955. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7956. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7957. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7958. Health care is provided by the Saudi government free of
  7959. charge to all pilgrims. There are Seven major hospitals in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;:&lt;/div&gt;
  7960. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7961. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7962. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7963. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;1 Ajyad Hospital (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مستشفى أجياد&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7964. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7965. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7966. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7967. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;2 King Faisal Hospital ( Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مستشفى الملك فيصل&lt;/span&gt; )&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7968. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7969. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7970. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7971. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;3 King Abdul Aziz Hospital ( Arabic:
  7972. &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مستشفى الملك عبدالعزيز&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7973. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7974. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7975. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7976. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;4 Sheesha Hospital ( Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مستشفى الششة&lt;/span&gt; )&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7977. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7978. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7979. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7980. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;5 Al Noor Hospital ( Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مستشفى النور&lt;/span&gt; )&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7981. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7982. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7983. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7984. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;6 Hira Hospital ( Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مستشفى حراء&lt;/span&gt; )&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7985. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7986. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7987. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7988. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;7 Maternity and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Children&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hospital&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7989. ( Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مستشفى الولادة والأطفال&lt;/span&gt; )&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7990. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7991. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7992. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7993. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;8 &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdullah&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  7994. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medical&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  7995. ( Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;مدينة الملك عبدالله الطبية&lt;/span&gt;
  7996. )&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7997. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  7998. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  7999. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8000. There are also many walk-in clinics available for both
  8001. residents and pilgrims. &lt;/div&gt;
  8002. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8003. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8004. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8005. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Culture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  8006. &lt;/div&gt;
  8007. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8008. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8009. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8010. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s
  8011. culture has been affected by the large number of pilgrims that arrive annually,
  8012. and thus boasts a rich cultural heritage.&lt;/div&gt;
  8013. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8014. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8015. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8016. As a result of the vast numbers of pilgims coming to the
  8017. city each year (many of whom remain permanently), &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; has become by far the most diverse city
  8018. in the Muslim world. In contrast to the rest of Saudi Arabia, and particularly
  8019. Nejd, Mecca has, according to the The New York Times, become &quot;a striking
  8020. oasis&quot; of free thought and discussion and, also, of &quot;unlikely
  8021. liberalism&quot; as &quot;Meccans see themselves as a bulwark against the
  8022. creeping extremism that has overtaken much Islamic debate&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8023. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8024. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8025. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8026. The first press was brought to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 1885 by Osman Nuri Paşa, an Ottoman
  8027. Wāli. During the Hashemite period, it was used to print the city&#39;s official
  8028. gazette, al-Qibla. The Saudi regime expanded this press into a larger operation,
  8029. introducing the new Saudi official gazette Umm al-Qurā. Henceforth presses and
  8030. printing techniques were introduced in the city from around the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt;, mostly via Jeddah.&lt;/div&gt;
  8031. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8032. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8033. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8034. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8035. owns its hometown paper, Al Nadwa. However, other Saudi and international
  8036. newspapers are also provided in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8037. such as the Saudi Gazette, Al Madinah, Okaz and Al Bilad. The first three are &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s (and other Saudi
  8038. cities&#39;) primary newspapers focusing mainly on issues that affect the city, with
  8039. over a million readers.&lt;/div&gt;
  8040. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8041. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8042. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8043. Many television stations serving the city area include Saudi
  8044. TV1, Saudi TV2, Saudi TV Sports, Al-Ekhbariya, Arab Radio and Television
  8045. Network and hundreds of cable, satellite and other speciality television
  8046. providers.&lt;/div&gt;
  8047. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8048. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8049. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8050. In pre-modern &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8051. the most common sports were impromptu wrestling and foot races. Football is the
  8052. most popular sport in Mecca, the city hosting some of the oldest sport clubs in
  8053. Saudi Arabia such as, Al-Wahda FC (established in 1945). King Abdulaziz Stadium
  8054. is the largest stadium in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  8055. with capacity of 38,000.&lt;/div&gt;
  8056. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8057. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8058. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  8059. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  8060. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfT_XnEOr_ymV9Sj6wshv-H_GclXvfzZZz96nFoj45hF6BZyc60JShF0oA9BcHKif21R-rXCvFB7F6-M4MEK8vxfKBisxDRvvD-e6iNrB-ZE-g3qwJHSXQRc-znAp-zAJC6K3ts3Ye7zC/s1600/800px-Mecca.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfT_XnEOr_ymV9Sj6wshv-H_GclXvfzZZz96nFoj45hF6BZyc60JShF0oA9BcHKif21R-rXCvFB7F6-M4MEK8vxfKBisxDRvvD-e6iNrB-ZE-g3qwJHSXQRc-znAp-zAJC6K3ts3Ye7zC/s400/800px-Mecca.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8061. &lt;br /&gt;
  8062. &lt;br /&gt;
  8063. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8064. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Cuisine&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  8065. &lt;/div&gt;
  8066. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8067. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8068. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8069. As in other Saudi cities Kabsa (a spiced dish of rice and
  8070. meat) is the most traditional lunch but the Yemeni mandi (a dish of rice and
  8071. tandoori cooked meat) is also popular. Grilled meat dishes such as shawarma (flat-bread
  8072. meat sandwich), kofta (meatballs) and kebab are widely sold in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. During Ramadan, fava beans in olive
  8073. oil and samosas are the most popular dishes and are eaten at dusk. These dishes
  8074. are almost always found in Lebanese, Syrian, and Turkish restaurants.&lt;/div&gt;
  8075. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8076. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8077. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8078. The mixture of different ethnicities and nationalities
  8079. amongst Meccan residents has significantly impacted &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s traditional cuisine. The city has
  8080. been described as one of the most cosmopolitan Islamic cities, with an
  8081. international cuisine.&lt;/div&gt;
  8082. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8083. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8084. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8085. Traditionally during the month of Ramadan, men (known as
  8086. Saggas) provided mineral water and fruit juice for Muslims breaking their fast
  8087. at dusk. Today, Saggas make money providing sweets such as baklava and basbosa
  8088. along with fruit juice drinks.&lt;/div&gt;
  8089. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8090. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8091. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8092. In the 20th century, many fast-food chains have opened
  8093. franchises in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  8094. catering to locals and pilgrims alike. Exotic foods, such as fruits from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;India&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Japan&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, are often brought by the
  8095. pilgrims.&lt;/div&gt;
  8096. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8097. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: navy; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Demographics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8098. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8099. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8100. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8101. Population density in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8102. is very high. Most long-term residents of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8103. live in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Old&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, and many work in the industry
  8104. known locally as the Hajj Industry. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iyad
  8105.  Madani&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s
  8106. minister for Hajj, was quoted as saying, &quot;We never stop preparing for the
  8107. Hajj.&quot; Year-round, pilgrims stream into the city to perform the rites of
  8108. Umrah, and during the last weeks of Dhu al-Qi&#39;dah, on average 4 million Muslims
  8109. arrive in the city to take part in the rites known as Hajj.&lt;/div&gt;
  8110. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8111. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8112. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8113. Pilgrims are from varying ethnicities and backgrounds, mainly
  8114. Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Africa&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Many of these pilgrims have remained and become
  8115. residents of the city. Adding to the Hajj-related diversity, the oil-boom of
  8116. the past 50 years has brought hundreds of thousands of working immigrants.&lt;/div&gt;
  8117. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8118. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8119. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8120. Non-Muslims are not permitted to enter &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; under Saudi law, and using fraudulent
  8121. documents to do so may result in arrest and prosecution. Nevertheless, many non-Muslims
  8122. have visited the city. The first such recorded example is that of Ludovico di
  8123. Varthema of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bologna&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8124. in 1503. Guru Nanak Sahib, the founder of Sikhism, visited &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in December 1518. One of the most
  8125. famous was Richard Francis Burton, who traveled as a Qadiriyyah Sufi from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Afghanistan&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in 1853.
  8126. The Saudi government supports their position using[citation needed] Sura 9:28 from
  8127. the Qur&#39;an: O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after
  8128. this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque.&lt;/div&gt;
  8129. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8130. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8131. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8132. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #339966; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Education&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8133. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8134. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8135. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8136. Formal education started to be developed in the late Ottoman
  8137. period continuing slowly into and Hashimite times. The first major attempt to
  8138. improve the situation was made by a Jeddah merchant, Muhammad ʿAlī Zaynal Riḍā,
  8139. who founded the Madrasat al-Falāḥ in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8140. in 1911–12 that cost £400,000.&lt;/div&gt;
  8141. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8142. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8143. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8144. The school system in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8145. has many public and private schools for both males and females. As of 2005, there
  8146. were 532 public and private schools for males and another 681 public and
  8147. private schools for female students. The medium of instruction in both public
  8148. and private schools is Arabic with emphasis on English as a second language, but
  8149. some private schools founded by foreign entities such as International schools
  8150. use the English language for medium of instruction. They also allow the mixing
  8151. between males and females while other schools do not.&lt;/div&gt;
  8152. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8153. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8154. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8155. For higher education, the city has only one university, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Umm&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;al-Qura&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8156. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, which was
  8157. established in 1949 as a college and became a public university in 1979.&lt;/div&gt;
  8158. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8159. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8160. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8161. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Paleontology&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8162. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8163. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8164. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8165. In 2010, the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8166. area became an important site for paleontology with respect to primate
  8167. evolution, with the discovery of a Saadanius fossil. Saadanius is considered to
  8168. be a primate closely related to the common ancestor of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Old
  8169. World&lt;/st1:place&gt; monkeys and apes. The fossil habitat, near what is now the
  8170. Red Sea in western &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  8171.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, was a damp forest area between 28mil
  8172. and 29mil years ago.&lt;/div&gt;
  8173. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8174. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8175. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8176. Paleontologists involved in the research hope to find
  8177. further fossils in the area.&lt;/div&gt;
  8178. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8179. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8180. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8181. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Communications&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8182. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8183. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8184. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8185. Telecommunications in the city were emphasized early under
  8186. the Saudi reign. King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (Ibn Saud) pressed them forward as he
  8187. saw them as a means of convenience and better governance. While in King Husayn&#39;s
  8188. time there were about 20 telephones in the entire city; in 1936 the number
  8189. jumped to 450, totalling about half the telephones in the country. During that
  8190. time telephone lines were extended to Jeddah and Ta’if, but not to the capital &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. By 1985, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, like other Saudi
  8191. cities, possessed the most modern telephone, telex, radio and TV communications.&lt;/div&gt;
  8192. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8193. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8194. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8195. Limited radio communication was established within the
  8196. Kingdom under the Hashimites. In 1929, wireless stations were set up in various
  8197. towns of the region, creating a network that would become fully functional by 1932.
  8198. Soon after World War II, the existing network was greatly expanded and improved.
  8199. Since then, radio communication has been used extensively in directing the
  8200. pilgrimage and addressing the pilgrims. This practice started in 1950, with the
  8201. initiation of broadcasts the Day of Arafa, and increased until 1957, at which
  8202. time Radio Makka became the most powerful station in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle
  8203. East&lt;/st1:place&gt; at 50 kW. Later, power was increased to 450 kW. Music was not
  8204. immediately broadcast, but gradually introduced.&lt;/div&gt;
  8205. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8206. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8207. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8208. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Transportation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8209. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8210. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8211. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8212. Transportation facilities related to the Hajj or Umrah are
  8213. the main services available. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; has only the
  8214. small &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;East&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8215. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; with no airline service, so
  8216. most pilgrims access the city through the Hajj terminal of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdulaziz&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8217. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  8218. or the Jeddah Seaport, both of which are in Jeddah.&lt;/div&gt;
  8219. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8220. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8221. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8222. A high speed inter-city rail line (Haramain High Speed Rail
  8223. Project also known as the &quot;Western Railway&quot;), is under construction
  8224. in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  8225. It will link along 444 kilometres (276 mi), the Muslim holy cities of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; via &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdullah&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8226. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Economic&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  8227. Rabigh, Jeddah and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8228. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdulaziz&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8229. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. It will be built
  8230. by a business consortium from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Spain&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8231. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8232. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8233. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8234. The city lacks any public transportation options for
  8235. residents and visitors alike, both during and outside of the pilgrimage season.
  8236. The main transportation options available for travel within and around the city
  8237. are either personal vehicles or private taxis.&lt;/div&gt;
  8238. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8239. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8240. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8241. The 18 km (11 mi) Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro opened in
  8242. November 2010.A total of 5 metro lines are planned to carry pilgrims to the
  8243. religious sites.&lt;/div&gt;
  8244. &lt;/div&gt;
  8245. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/7283650799471388102/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/mecca.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7283650799471388102'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7283650799471388102'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/mecca.html' title='Mecca'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvZxBfrVEEzcbqvW0X-RgqdVP3STuiHyxy_dfNx0v_hYJrgXK_UF3zizJMS8EUTKNm5Bx8lXoOkdQWArYYnEM0g2J9g-vBwvbm-xldkAX_sLPjFE_mFhOLVkRKHVUmrVRvELdwAFPdsX4/s72-c/Meccamontage.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-7229915315398641018</id><published>2013-10-12T03:45:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-12T03:45:53.758-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Riyadh</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  8246. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  8247. &lt;/div&gt;
  8248. &lt;div style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;
  8249. &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;351&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPiEtHNYWi8-G8cItMf_hbF4OFbZsZKIugrCZVC85h4351cLi3OCUAtkfCz1ouMSRaU-Gfs0mtLTcycccS6zo0JChZd9acuxwofPjlBbsJ2oSVAJ3XXjG3Np8DjcPbyrMHnhDck-3anDw/s400/map25.gif&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8250. &lt;br /&gt;
  8251. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPiEtHNYWi8-G8cItMf_hbF4OFbZsZKIugrCZVC85h4351cLi3OCUAtkfCz1ouMSRaU-Gfs0mtLTcycccS6zo0JChZd9acuxwofPjlBbsJ2oSVAJ3XXjG3Np8DjcPbyrMHnhDck-3anDw/s1600/map25.gif&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  8252. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  8253.  
  8254.  
  8255.  
  8256. &lt;br /&gt;
  8257. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8258. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt; (&quot;The
  8259. Gardens&quot;) is the capital and largest city of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. It is also the
  8260. capital of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Province&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, and belongs to the historical regions of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Najd&lt;/st1:place&gt; and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt; on a large plateau, and is home to
  8261. 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a region with a population of close
  8262. to 7 million people. The city is divided into 15 municipal districts, managed
  8263. by Riyadh Municipality headed by the mayor of Riyadh, and the Riyadh
  8264. Development Authority, chaired by the governor of Riyadh Province, Khalid bin
  8265. Bandar Al Saud. The current mayor of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8266. is Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Mogbel, appointed in 2012. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8267. has the largest all female university in the world, the Princess Nora bint &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdulrahman&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. It has been designated as a &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Beta&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;World&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8268. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8269. &lt;br /&gt;
  8270. &lt;br /&gt;
  8271.  
  8272.  
  8273.  
  8274. &lt;br /&gt;
  8275. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8276. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8277. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8278. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8279. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8280. During the Pre-Islamic era the settlement at the site was
  8281. called Hajr (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;حجر&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;), and was reportedly founded by the
  8282. tribe of Banu Hanifa. Hajr served as the capital of the province of Al Yamamah,
  8283. whose governors were responsible for most of central and eastern Arabia during
  8284. the Umayyad and Abbasid eras. Al-Yamamah broke away from the Abbasid Empire in
  8285. 866 and the area fell under the rule of the Ukhaydhirites, who moved the
  8286. capital from Hajr to nearby Al Kharj. The city then went into a long period of
  8287. decline. In the 14th century, North African traveller Ibn Battuta wrote of his visit
  8288. to Hajr, describing it as &quot;the main city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al-Yamamah&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, and its name is Hajr&quot;. Ibn
  8289. Battuta goes on to describe it as a city of canals and trees with most of its
  8290. inhabitants belonging to Bani Hanifa, and reports that he continued on with
  8291. their leader to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8292. to perform the Hajj.&lt;/div&gt;
  8293. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8294. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8295. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8296. Later on, Hajr broke up into several separate settlements
  8297. and estates. The most notable of these were Migrin (or Muqrin) and Mi&#39;kal,
  8298. though the name Hajr continued to appear in local folk poetry. The earliest
  8299. known reference to the area by the name &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8300. comes from a 17th-century chronicler reporting on an event from the year 1590.
  8301. In 1737, Deham ibn Dawwas, a refugee from neighboring Manfuha, took control of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Ibn Dawwas built
  8302. a single wall to encircle the various quarters of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, making them effectively a single
  8303. town.&lt;/div&gt;
  8304. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8305. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8306. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8307. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;The three
  8308. Saudi states&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8309. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8310. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8311. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8312. In 1744, Muhammad ibn Abdel Wahhab formed an alliance with
  8313. Muhammad ibn Saud, the ruler of the nearby town of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Diriyah&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. Ibn Saud then set out to conquer the
  8314. surrounding region with the goal of bringing it under the rule of a single
  8315. Islamic state. Ibn Dawwas of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  8316. led the most determined resistance, allied with forces from Al Kharj, Al Ahsa,
  8317. and the Banu Yam clan of Najran.&lt;/div&gt;
  8318. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8319. However, Ibn Dawwas fled and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8320. capitulated to the Saudis in 1774, ending long years of wars, and leading to
  8321. the declaration of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;First&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8322. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;State&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8323. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8324. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8325. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8326. The &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;First&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;State&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  8327. was destroyed by forces sent by Muhammad Ali of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Egypt&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  8328. acting on behalf of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ottoman Empire&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  8329. Ottoman forces razed the Saudi capital Diriyah in 1818. In 1823, Turki ibn
  8330. Abdallah, the founder of the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Second&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;State&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;,
  8331. revived the state and chose &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8332. as the new capital. Internecine struggles between Turki&#39;s grandsons led to the
  8333. fall of the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Second&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;State&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  8334. in 1891 at the hand of the rival Al Rashid clan, who ruled from the northern
  8335. city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ha&#39;il&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; itself fell under
  8336. the rule of Al Rashid in 1865. The al-Masmak fort dates from that period.&lt;/div&gt;
  8337. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8338. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8339. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8340. The city was recaptured in 1902 from the Al Rashid family by
  8341. King Abdulaziz. He went on to establish the modern &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  8342. of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt; in 1932, with &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; the capital of the
  8343. nation.&lt;/div&gt;
  8344. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8345. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8346. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  8347. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm5PwhPxG36lWizKi-MQ4L809ysyiGxItuyfjy1IDv2tp1LdAUPljcsOiwqtMYLuJBZ3hvx9Ux3CTsw_eY1D5uU4KVnpLt6MsGC3ojHx9x6Zd6Yk975pmdYM4c7KT-XrS3qsyVnHfZXdJ/s1600/Masmak_castle52.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm5PwhPxG36lWizKi-MQ4L809ysyiGxItuyfjy1IDv2tp1LdAUPljcsOiwqtMYLuJBZ3hvx9Ux3CTsw_eY1D5uU4KVnpLt6MsGC3ojHx9x6Zd6Yk975pmdYM4c7KT-XrS3qsyVnHfZXdJ/s400/Masmak_castle52.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8348. &lt;br /&gt;
  8349.  
  8350.  
  8351.  
  8352. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8353. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Climate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8354. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8355. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8356. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8357. Classified as having a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh).
  8358. Summer temperatures are extremely hot, approaching 50 °C (122 °F) occasionally.
  8359. The average high temperature in July is 44 °C (111 °F). Winters are warm with
  8360. cold, windy nights. The overall climate is arid, receiving very little
  8361. rainfall, but the city receives a fair amount of rain in March and April. It is
  8362. also known to have many dust storms. The dust is often so thick that visibility
  8363. is under 10 m (33 ft).&lt;/div&gt;
  8364. &lt;br /&gt;
  8365. &lt;br /&gt;
  8366.  
  8367.  
  8368.  
  8369. &lt;br /&gt;
  8370. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8371. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;City districts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8372. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8373. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8374. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8375. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8376. is divided into 15 branch municipalities, in addition to the Diplomatic
  8377. Quarter. Each branch municipality in turn contains several districts, though
  8378. some districts are divided between more than one branch municipality.&lt;/div&gt;
  8379. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8380. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8381. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8382. The branch municipalities are Al-Shemaysi, Irqah,
  8383. Al-Ma&#39;athar, Al-Olayya, Al-Aziziyya, Al-Malaz, Al-Selayy, Nemar, Al-Neseem,
  8384. Al-Shifa, Al-&#39;Urayja, Al-Bat&#39;ha, Al-Ha&#39;ir, Al-Rawdha, and Al-Shimal (&quot;the
  8385. North&quot;). Although the Riyadh Development Authority conducts projects in
  8386. Dir&#39;iyyah, administratively, Al-Diriyah is a separate city outside of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Municipality&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  8387. and is the seat of its own governorate.&lt;/div&gt;
  8388. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8389. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8390. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8391. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8392. contains more than 130 districts.&lt;/div&gt;
  8393. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8394. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8395. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8396. Examples of some of the main districts of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; are the following:&lt;/div&gt;
  8397. &lt;br /&gt;
  8398.  
  8399.  
  8400.  
  8401. &lt;br /&gt;
  8402. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8403. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;1&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Al-Bat&#39;ha&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8404. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8405. Al-Dirah (old &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;)&lt;/div&gt;
  8406. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8407. Mi&#39;kal&lt;/div&gt;
  8408. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8409. Manfuha&lt;/div&gt;
  8410. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8411. Manfuha Al-Jadidah (&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;منفوحة الجديدة&lt;/span&gt; – &quot;new Manfuha&quot;)&lt;/div&gt;
  8412. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8413. Al-&#39;Oud&lt;/div&gt;
  8414. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8415. Al-Margab&lt;/div&gt;
  8416. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8417. Salam&lt;/div&gt;
  8418. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8419. Jabrah&lt;/div&gt;
  8420. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8421. Al-Yamamah&lt;/div&gt;
  8422. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8423. &#39;Otayyigah&lt;/div&gt;
  8424. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8425. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8426. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8427. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;2&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Al-Shemaysi&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8428. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8429. Al-Shemaysi&lt;/div&gt;
  8430. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8431. Eleyshah&lt;/div&gt;
  8432. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8433. Al-Badi&#39;ah&lt;/div&gt;
  8434. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8435. Syah&lt;/div&gt;
  8436. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8437. Al-Nasriyyah&lt;/div&gt;
  8438. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8439. Umm Sleym&lt;/div&gt;
  8440. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8441. Al-Ma&#39;athar&lt;/div&gt;
  8442. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8443. Umm Al-Hamam (East)&lt;/div&gt;
  8444. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8445. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8446. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8447. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;3 &lt;/span&gt;Al-Malaz&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8448. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8449. Al-Malaz&lt;/div&gt;
  8450. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8451. Al-Rabwah&lt;/div&gt;
  8452. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8453. Jarir&lt;/div&gt;
  8454. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8455. Al-Murabba&#39;&lt;/div&gt;
  8456. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8457. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8458. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8459. Al-Naseem&lt;/div&gt;
  8460. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8461. Al-Naseem (East)&lt;/div&gt;
  8462. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8463. Al-Naseem (West)&lt;/div&gt;
  8464. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8465. As-Salam&lt;/div&gt;
  8466. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8467. Al-Manar&lt;/div&gt;
  8468. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8469. Al-Rimayah&lt;/div&gt;
  8470. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8471. Al-Nadheem&lt;/div&gt;
  8472. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8473. Al-Rayyan&lt;/div&gt;
  8474. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8475. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8476. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8477. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;4&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Al-&#39;Olayya &amp;amp;
  8478. Sulaymaniyyah&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  8479. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
  8480. Al-&#39;Olayya&lt;/div&gt;
  8481. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8482. Al-Sulaymaniyyah&lt;/div&gt;
  8483. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8484. Al Izdihar&lt;/div&gt;
  8485. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8486. King Fahd District&lt;/div&gt;
  8487. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8488. Al-Masif&lt;/div&gt;
  8489. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8490. Al-Murooj&lt;/div&gt;
  8491. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8492. Al-Mugharrazat&lt;/div&gt;
  8493. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8494. Al-Wurood&lt;/div&gt;
  8495. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8496. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8497. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8498. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;5 &lt;/span&gt;Al-Ma&#39;athar&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8499. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8500. Al-Olayya&lt;/div&gt;
  8501. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8502. Al-Nakheel&lt;/div&gt;
  8503. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8504. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8505. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saud&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  8506. main campus&lt;/div&gt;
  8507. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8508. Umm Al-Hamam (East)&lt;/div&gt;
  8509. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8510. Umm Al-Hamam (West)&lt;/div&gt;
  8511. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8512. Al-Ma&#39;athar Al-Shimali (&quot;North Ma&#39;athar&quot;)&lt;/div&gt;
  8513. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8514. Al-Rahmaniyya&lt;/div&gt;
  8515. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8516. Al-Muhammadiyya&lt;/div&gt;
  8517. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8518. Al-Ra&#39;id&lt;/div&gt;
  8519. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8520. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8521. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8522. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;6 &lt;/span&gt;Al-Shifa&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  8523. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8524. Al-Masani&#39;&lt;/div&gt;
  8525. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8526. Al-Shifa&lt;/div&gt;
  8527. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8528. Al-Mansuriyya&lt;/div&gt;
  8529. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8530. Al-Marwah&lt;/div&gt;
  8531. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8532. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8533. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8534. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;7 &lt;/span&gt;Al-Rawdhah&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8535. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8536. Al-Rawdhah&lt;/div&gt;
  8537. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8538. Al-Qadisiyah&lt;/div&gt;
  8539. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8540. Al-M&#39;aizliyyah&lt;/div&gt;
  8541. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8542. Al-Nahdhah&lt;/div&gt;
  8543. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8544. Gharnatah (&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Granada&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;)&lt;/div&gt;
  8545. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8546. Qortubah (&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Cordoba&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;)&lt;/div&gt;
  8547. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8548. Al-Hamra&lt;/div&gt;
  8549. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8550. Al-Qouds&lt;/div&gt;
  8551. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8552. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8553. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8554. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;8&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Nemar&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8555. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8556. Nemar&lt;/div&gt;
  8557. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8558. Dharat Nemar&lt;/div&gt;
  8559. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8560. Tuwaiq&lt;/div&gt;
  8561. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8562. Hazm&lt;/div&gt;
  8563. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8564. Deerab&lt;/div&gt;
  8565. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8566. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8567. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8568. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;9 &lt;/span&gt;Al-Ha&#39;ir[4]&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8569. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8570. Al-Ha&#39;ir&lt;/div&gt;
  8571. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8572. Al-Ghannamiyyah&lt;/div&gt;
  8573. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8574. Uraydh&lt;/div&gt;
  8575. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8576. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8577. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8578. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;10&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Al-Shemal&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8579. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8580. Al-Malga&lt;/div&gt;
  8581. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8582. Al-Sahafa&lt;/div&gt;
  8583. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8584. Hittin&lt;/div&gt;
  8585. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8586. Al-Wadi&lt;/div&gt;
  8587. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8588. Al-Ghadir&lt;/div&gt;
  8589. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8590. Al-Nafil&lt;/div&gt;
  8591. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8592. Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University main campus&lt;/div&gt;
  8593. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8594. Al-Qayrawan&lt;/div&gt;
  8595. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8596. Al-Aqiq&lt;/div&gt;
  8597. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8598. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;11 &lt;/span&gt;Al-Selayy&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8599. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8600. Al-Selayy&lt;/div&gt;
  8601. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8602. Ad Difa&#39;&lt;/div&gt;
  8603. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8604. Al Iskan&lt;/div&gt;
  8605. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8606. Khashm Al-&#39;Aan&lt;/div&gt;
  8607. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8608. Al-Sa&#39;adah&lt;/div&gt;
  8609. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8610. Al-Fayha&lt;/div&gt;
  8611. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8612. Al-Manakh&lt;/div&gt;
  8613. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8614. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8615. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8616. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;12&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Irqah&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8617. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8618. Irqah&lt;/div&gt;
  8619. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8620. Al-Khozama&lt;/div&gt;
  8621. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8622. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8623. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8624. &lt;b&gt;Diplomatic Quarter&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8625. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8626. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8627. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8628.  
  8629.  
  8630. &lt;/div&gt;
  8631. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8632. Olaya District is the commercial heart of the city, with
  8633. accommodation, entertainment, dining and shopping options. The &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Center&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, Al Faisalyah and &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al-Tahlya Street&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;
  8634. are the area&#39;s most prominent landmarks.&lt;/div&gt;
  8635. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8636. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8637. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8638. The Diplomatic Quarter, or DQ as it is popularly known, is
  8639. home to foreign embassies and international organizations as well as
  8640. residential structures and malls. With lush gardens and numerous sports
  8641. facilities, it is also one of the city&#39;s greenest areas. It is especially known
  8642. for its fine architecture, and is considered[by whom?] a model for other
  8643. Islamic cities around the world. Despite its name, the special privileges
  8644. offered in the Diplomatic Quarter constitute a controversial issue. All Saudi
  8645. laws must be obeyed and there are occasional patrols by the Mutaween, or Saudi
  8646. religious police. However, foreign diplomats and their families are allowed
  8647. certain privileges and it is not very uncommon to see foreign diplomats and
  8648. their wives strolling on the streets of the DQ in shorts and short-sleeve
  8649. shirts.&lt;/div&gt;
  8650. &lt;br /&gt;
  8651. &lt;br /&gt;
  8652. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  8653. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulE5AZMTx7My2zPb-vpGA9yHA-X_OqayfcA3bBi5URcx5iD9EnwUCRUEGCWix8m757RODsjUbGb5TMexjFVm2wmaA1X7tijbv8O8Y-4w-OzgGX3TXRcZRuiz9MQzM8Yxnca0MHOc1xP09/s1600/800px-Riyadh,_Saudi_Arabia_at_Night_(ISS006-E-42625).jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;265&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulE5AZMTx7My2zPb-vpGA9yHA-X_OqayfcA3bBi5URcx5iD9EnwUCRUEGCWix8m757RODsjUbGb5TMexjFVm2wmaA1X7tijbv8O8Y-4w-OzgGX3TXRcZRuiz9MQzM8Yxnca0MHOc1xP09/s400/800px-Riyadh,_Saudi_Arabia_at_Night_(ISS006-E-42625).jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8654. &lt;br /&gt;
  8655.  
  8656.  
  8657.  
  8658. &lt;br /&gt;
  8659. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8660. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Architectural
  8661. landmarks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8662. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8663. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8664. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8665. The old town of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt; within
  8666. the city Walls did exceed an area of 1 square km, therefore very few
  8667. significant architectural remnants of the original walled oasis town of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; exist today. The
  8668. most prominent is the Masmak fort and some parts of the original wall structure
  8669. with its gate which have been restored and reconstructed. There are also a
  8670. number of traditional mud-brick houses within these old limits, however they
  8671. are for the most part dilapidated.&lt;/div&gt;
  8672. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8673. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8674. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8675. Expansion outside the city walls was slow to begin with,
  8676. although there were some smaller oases and settlements surrounding &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;[citation needed].
  8677. The first major construction beyond the walls was King Abdulaziz&#39;s &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Murabba&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Palace&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. It was constructed in 1936,
  8678. completed in 1938, and a household of 800 people moved into it in 1938. The
  8679. palace is now part of a bigger complex called &quot;The King Abdulaziz
  8680. Historical Centre&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8681. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8682. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8683. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8684. There are other traditional villages and towns in the area
  8685. around traditional &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8686. which the urban sprawl reached and currently encompasses. These are Diriyah,
  8687. Manfuha and Wadi Laban to name a few. Unlike in the early days of development
  8688. in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8689. during which vernacular structures were razed to the ground without consideration,
  8690. there is a new-found appreciation for traditional architecture. The Saudi
  8691. Commission for Tourism and Antiquities is making efforts for revitalizing the
  8692. historic architecture in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  8693. and other parts of the kingdom.&lt;/div&gt;
  8694. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  8695. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  8696. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1wnd4JyCW0vy6fAgo034S_uX4tPI9fd_7qcJtBRa3cRay-MDwuU65GM5jzvTQ8CtV_TRwLAv1I_VR8KF-wODgnk-nZsHhp_XfKPTGaJ-BwFj0op6R5Syvb-hkgJN4izFiXh2ubXbUHW0/s1600/800px-Kubry_Wadi_Al-Leban.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1wnd4JyCW0vy6fAgo034S_uX4tPI9fd_7qcJtBRa3cRay-MDwuU65GM5jzvTQ8CtV_TRwLAv1I_VR8KF-wODgnk-nZsHhp_XfKPTGaJ-BwFj0op6R5Syvb-hkgJN4izFiXh2ubXbUHW0/s400/800px-Kubry_Wadi_Al-Leban.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8697. &lt;br /&gt;
  8698. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8699. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Contemporary
  8700. architecture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8701. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8702. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8703. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;The tower is built on 94,230 square meters of land.
  8704. The Kingdom Centre is owned by a group of companies including Kingdom Holding
  8705. Co. headed by Al-Waleed bin Talal, a prince of the Saudi royal family, and is
  8706. the headquarters of his holding company, the Kingdom Holding Company. The
  8707. project cost 2 billion Saudi Arabian Riyals and the contract was undertaken by
  8708. Saudi Binladin Group. The Kingdom Centre is located on &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Al-Urubah Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt; between &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King Fahd Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt; and &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Olaya Street&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt; in the growing business
  8709. district of Al-Olaya. The Kingdom Centre is the winner of the 2002 Emporis
  8710. Skyscraper Award, selected as the &quot;best new skyscraper of the year for
  8711. design and functionality&quot;. A three-level shopping center, which also won a
  8712. major design award, fills the east wing. The large opening is illuminated at
  8713. night in continuously changing colors. The shopping center has a separate floor
  8714. for women only to shop where men are not allowed to enter.&lt;/span&gt;
  8715. &lt;br /&gt;
  8716. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  8717. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  8718. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2D2M4TTSNGQ3kwRhFiYNwPnJ-1qpLUz9cN9BehiKuTJj7RXJT-W7KItcrBH0PNSn2-G1X0ZeSedQGrAwXqGwDlF8NcUBpcDzJ1ZOY9Rj-E3QF71ZoQDaHjCvf-KGO2MHyxlj0Bb8Vs5S/s1600/450px-KingdomCentre.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2D2M4TTSNGQ3kwRhFiYNwPnJ-1qpLUz9cN9BehiKuTJj7RXJT-W7KItcrBH0PNSn2-G1X0ZeSedQGrAwXqGwDlF8NcUBpcDzJ1ZOY9Rj-E3QF71ZoQDaHjCvf-KGO2MHyxlj0Bb8Vs5S/s400/450px-KingdomCentre.JPG&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8719. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  8720.  
  8721.  
  8722.  
  8723. &lt;br /&gt;
  8724. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8725. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: maroon; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Burj Al
  8726. Faisaliyah&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8727. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8728. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8729. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8730. Al Faisaliyah Center (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;برج
  8731. الفيصلية&lt;/span&gt;) is the first
  8732. skyscraper constructed in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  8733. and is the second tallest building in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8734. after the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  8735. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Center&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The golden ball
  8736. that lies atop the tower is said to be inspired by a ballpoint pen, and
  8737. contains a restaurant; immediately below this is an outside viewing deck. There
  8738. is a shopping center with major world brands at ground level. Al Faisaliyah
  8739. Center also has a hotel at both sides of the tower while the main building is
  8740. occupied by offices run by different companies.&lt;/div&gt;
  8741. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  8742.  
  8743.  
  8744.  
  8745. &lt;br /&gt;
  8746. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8747. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: green; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt; TV Tower&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8748. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8749. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8750. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8751. The Riyadh TV Tower is a 170 meter high television tower
  8752. located inside the premises of Saudi Ministry of Information. It was completed
  8753. in 1978.&lt;/div&gt;
  8754. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8755. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8756. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8757. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;King&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdullah&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Gardens&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8758. &lt;br /&gt;
  8759.  
  8760.  
  8761.  
  8762. &lt;br /&gt;
  8763. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8764. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Ministry of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Interior&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Building&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8765. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8766. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8767. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8768. The headquarters for the country&#39;s Interior Ministry has a
  8769. unique design of an upside down pyramid.&lt;/div&gt;
  8770. &lt;br /&gt;
  8771.  
  8772.  
  8773.  
  8774. &lt;br /&gt;
  8775. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8776. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Masmak&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Castle&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8777. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8778. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8779. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8780. This castle was built around 1865 under the reign of
  8781. Mohammed ibn Abdullah ibn Rasheed (1289–1315 AH), the ruler of Ha&#39;il to the
  8782. north, who had wrested control of the city from the rival clan of Al Saud. In
  8783. January 1902 Ibn Saud, who was at the time living in exile in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; succeeded in capturing the
  8784. Masmak fortress from its Rashid garrison. The event, which restored Saudi
  8785. control over &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;, has acquired almost mythical
  8786. status in the history of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  8787.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The story of the event is often
  8788. retold, and has as its central theme the heroism and bravery of the King Abd
  8789. Abdulaziz Ibn Saud.&lt;/div&gt;
  8790. &lt;br /&gt;
  8791.  
  8792.  
  8793.  
  8794. &lt;br /&gt;
  8795. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8796. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Economy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8797. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8798. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8799. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8800. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt; is one of the richest
  8801. cities in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt; and the 80th richest
  8802. city in the world. Once a small walled city, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; has developed into a dynamic
  8803. metropolis over the years. Along with the urban areas of Dhahran, Dammam,
  8804. Khobar and Jeddah, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8805. has become a focal point for both travel and trade.&lt;/div&gt;
  8806. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8807. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8808. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8809. In addition to being the center of power, the city is also a
  8810. commercial hub. Numerous educational, financial, agricultural, cultural,
  8811. technical, and social organizations have set up base here. The architecture is
  8812. mostly modern, including contemporary high-rise towers, but the Al-Dira
  8813. district, the nucleus of the city, has been rebuilt in a style meant to evoke
  8814. the old mud-brick buildings of pre-20th century &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8815. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8816. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8817. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8818. From the beginning of oil exploration in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to
  8819. the present day, the government has promoted growth in the private sector by
  8820. privatizing industries such as power and telecommunications. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  8821. announced plans for privatizing the electricity companies. A lot of these new
  8822. private conglomerates and companies headquarters are located in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, along with National
  8823. Banks headquarters. Because of that, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt; is
  8824. considered as the capital city financial and business center of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8825. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8826. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8827. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8828. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Khalid&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8829. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; has a major impact on the
  8830. commercial movement in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  8831. providing air transportation for millions of people each year and shipping
  8832. goods to the city from all continents. When Sama, a local low-cost airline
  8833. existed, its head office was in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8834. &lt;br /&gt;
  8835.  
  8836.  
  8837.  
  8838. &lt;br /&gt;
  8839. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8840. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #003300; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;King
  8841. Abdullah Financial District&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8842. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8843. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8844. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8845. King Abdullah Financial District will be the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Middle East&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s first financial district on a scale, and of
  8846. regulatory and technological standards, to match the major global financial
  8847. centres. Explaining the background to the Kingdom&#39;s ambitious but attainable
  8848. strategy, His Majesty said: &#39;We are blessed with a robust economy, a stable
  8849. currency and a strong financial sector with equally strong supervision.&#39; The
  8850. intention to construct the world&#39;s first major financial district of the twenty
  8851. first century is the latest stage in what is already a carefully planned and
  8852. implemented programme of financial modernisation by &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  8853. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  8854. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  8855. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC6JGqDHn8Yk5ZI0EJLFF7PB8BrsIyuK56BmayAR2vRzzWaBB15f6bxJUjqGNyJ1IuWtmHKepSQ6zurlgmMgoIfkJJ3sIW7HCE4X0BQ5UnKoKZymFBWUAPpQ0sCvC-IoybcUbmQdrhtVI/s1600/800px-The_king_Abdullah_Financial_District..JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;241&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC6JGqDHn8Yk5ZI0EJLFF7PB8BrsIyuK56BmayAR2vRzzWaBB15f6bxJUjqGNyJ1IuWtmHKepSQ6zurlgmMgoIfkJJ3sIW7HCE4X0BQ5UnKoKZymFBWUAPpQ0sCvC-IoybcUbmQdrhtVI/s400/800px-The_king_Abdullah_Financial_District..JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8856. &lt;br /&gt;
  8857. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8858. &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;King Fahd Road&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8859. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8860. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8861. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8862. King Fahd road is the main road in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8863. city and considered as the most beautiful street of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. It was constructed in 1980–1981. Many
  8864. business places in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8865. prefer to locate their head offices on King Fahd road, and headquarters of
  8866. major companies and organizations are located on both sides of the road. Huge
  8867. malls, business towers and skyscrapers are widely distributed on this road.
  8868. However, many roads are becoming more attractive to businesses as King Fahd
  8869. road is now crowded most times of the day. King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz road,
  8870. Mohammed bin Fahd &quot;Tahlia&quot;, Prince Sultan, north ring road have all
  8871. became alternatives for business and companies&#39; head offices.&lt;/div&gt;
  8872. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8873. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8874. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8875. The northern end reaches the Airport over another highway.
  8876. By many opinions. &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King Fahd Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;
  8877. is one of the most beautiful streets in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, making the road a
  8878. popular tourist attraction. Famous landmarks such as Kingdom Centre, Al
  8879. Faisaliyah Center, Al Anoud Tower and the Ministry of Interior building are
  8880. also located on &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King Fahd Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;.
  8881. However, it is fast becoming second to &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King Abdullah Street&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt; which has seen major
  8882. building projects and a train track and tunnel system is currently under
  8883. construction.&lt;/div&gt;
  8884. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8885. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8886. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8887. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: navy; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;The &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Industrial&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8888. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8889. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8890. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8891. The industrial areas are located on the East and the
  8892. North-East of the city, including some of the world&#39;s largest factories of
  8893. oil-related industries. Aramco has large operations in the area which includes
  8894. oil refineries. Electricity and water-treatments plants supply the city with
  8895. their much-needed energy and water, which also reach the nearby towns.&lt;/div&gt;
  8896. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8897. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8898. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8899. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Population&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8900. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8901. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8902. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8903. The population of the city was 40,000 in 1935 and 83,000 in
  8904. 1949. The city has experienced very high rates of population growth, from 150,000
  8905. inhabitants in the 1960s to over 5 million, according to the most recent
  8906. sources.&lt;/div&gt;
  8907. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8908. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8909. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8910. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Culture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8911. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8912. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8913. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8914. The city has over 4,300 mosques&lt;/div&gt;
  8915. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8916. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8917. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8918. In the city&#39;s municipal cemeteries, graves are not permitted
  8919. to have tombstones, but in March 2012 local authorities approved a project to
  8920. mark each grave using electronic devices. Spokesman Sulaiman Al-Bathi
  8921. explained: &quot;This will put an end to the old methods used by families,
  8922. relatives and friends to identify the graves of their loved ones&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  8923. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8924. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8925. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8926. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Cuisine&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8927. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8928. Like other Saudi cities, the Nejdi dish kabsa is the most
  8929. traditional meal in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  8930. The Yemeni dish mandi is also a popular meal, particularly as a lunchtime meal.
  8931. Fast food is also popular in the city, with several multinational chains. In
  8932. addition, there are various Pizza Huts throughout the city.&lt;/div&gt;
  8933. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8934. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8935. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8936. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ffcc99; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Museums and
  8937. collections&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8938. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8939. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8940. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8941. In 1999 a new central Museum was built in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; at the eastern side of the King Abdul
  8942. Aziz Historical Centre. This National Museum of Saudi Arabia combined several
  8943. collections and pieces that had up till then been scattered over several
  8944. Institutions and places in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8945. and the Kingdom. For example the meteorite fragment known as the &quot;Camel&#39;s
  8946. Hump&quot; that was on display at the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  8947. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saud&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  8948. in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8949. became the new entry piece of the National Museum of Saudi Arabia.&lt;/div&gt;
  8950. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8951. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8952. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8953. The &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Royal&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Air&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Force&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Museum&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  8954. or Saqr Al-Jazira is located on the &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;East
  8955.  Ring Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt; of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8956. between exits 10 and 11. It contains a collection of aircraft and
  8957. aviation-related items used by the Royal Saudi Air Force and Saudia.&lt;/div&gt;
  8958. &amp;nbsp;
  8959.  
  8960. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  8961. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  8962. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHo1pHklBo80RTQEVs3OYTOLtR_EMhdPA0Qw0qX99wjrQmV8y-lDH2vwczag5FeNgWJQR4ArBAZhflpidGkxsu057YGFHO8uguL5uWX93N3CztEXT2M9Grzr2J9hbvgYvVY9qnUQRBJ8j/s1600/KingFahd2Stadium.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;260&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHo1pHklBo80RTQEVs3OYTOLtR_EMhdPA0Qw0qX99wjrQmV8y-lDH2vwczag5FeNgWJQR4ArBAZhflpidGkxsu057YGFHO8uguL5uWX93N3CztEXT2M9Grzr2J9hbvgYvVY9qnUQRBJ8j/s400/KingFahd2Stadium.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8963. &lt;br /&gt;
  8964.  
  8965.  
  8966.  
  8967. &lt;br /&gt;
  8968. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8969. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Media&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8970. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8971. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8972. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8973. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  8974. is served by four Arabic, two English and one Malayalam language newspapers,
  8975. Asharq Al-Awsat (which is owned by the city governor), Al-Riyadh, Al-Jazeera
  8976. and Al-Watan. The Saudi Gazette and Arab News are in English. Gulf Madhyamam is
  8977. in Malayalam language. Television stations serving the city area include Saudi
  8978. TV1, Saudi TV2, Saudi TV Sports, Al-Ekhbariya, ART channels network. Arabic is
  8979. the main language used in television and radio but radio broadcasts are also
  8980. made in different languages such as French, or English; other languages are
  8981. also used by cable, satellite and other speciality television providers. The
  8982. Riyadh TV Tower is a 170 m (560 ft) high television tower with an observation
  8983. deck overlooking &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.
  8984. Construction was begun on the tower in 1978 and finished in 1981. It is
  8985. considered part of the Ministry of Information.&lt;/div&gt;
  8986. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8987. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8988. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8989. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff6600; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Sports&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8990. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8991. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  8992. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  8993. Football is the most popular sport in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;. The city hosts four major football
  8994. clubs, Al-Hilal, which is widely supported club in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, was established in
  8995. 1957 and has won thirteen championships in the Saudi Premier League. Al-Nasr
  8996. club is another team in the top league has many supporters around the city. It
  8997. was established in 1955, and has been named champion of the Saudi League five
  8998. times. Another well-known club, Al Shabab, which was established in 1947 and
  8999. holds seven championships. There is also Al-Riyadh Club, which was established
  9000. in 1954, as well as many other minor clubs.&lt;/div&gt;
  9001. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9002. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9003. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9004. The city also hosts several large stadiums such as King Fahd
  9005. International Stadium with a seating capacity of 70,000. The stadium hosted the
  9006. FIFA Confederations Cup three times, in the years 1992, 1995 and 1997. And also
  9007. the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1989.&lt;/div&gt;
  9008. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9009. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9010. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9011. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Language&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9012. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9013. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9014. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9015. The &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  9016. city area has a distinctive regional speech pattern called the Najdi dialect.
  9017. It is often considered to be one of the most recognizable accents within the
  9018. Arabic language. Najdi Arabic is widely spoken in the desert regions of central
  9019. and eastern &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  9020. English is also widely spoken and is understood by many residents of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  9021. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9022. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9023. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9024. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Airports&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9025. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9026. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9027. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9028. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Khalid&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  9029. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;International&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Airport&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  9030. (IATA: RUH), located 35 kilometers north from the city center, is the city&#39;s
  9031. main airport. It&#39;s one of the seven international airports in the country
  9032. serving over 15 million passengers a year. This Airport faces a huge load of
  9033. passengers which is increasing every year, especially during the Muslim festive
  9034. season in which mostly foreign residents travel to their home countries. In
  9035. addition, there is also the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  9036. old airport, or Riyadh Air Base airport as it is called now, which is used by
  9037. official delegations and dignitaries.&lt;/div&gt;
  9038. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9039. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9040. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9041. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ccffff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Highways&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9042. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9043. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9044. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9045. The city is served by a modern major highway system. The
  9046. main Eastern Ring Road connects the city&#39;s south and north, while the Northern
  9047. Ring Road connects the city&#39;s east and west. &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King Fahd Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt; runs through the center of
  9048. the city from north to south, in parallel with the East Ring Road. &lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Makkah Road&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;, which
  9049. runs east-west across the city&#39;s center, connects eastern parts of the city
  9050. with the city&#39;s main business district and the diplomatic quarters.&lt;/div&gt;
  9051. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9052. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9053. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9054. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #969696; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Railway&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9055. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9056. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9057. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9058. Saudi Railway Authority operates two separate passenger and
  9059. cargo lines between &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  9060. and Dammam passing through Hofuf, and Haradh. Two future railway projects
  9061. connecting &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt; with Jeddah and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt; in the western region and connecting &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt; with Buraidah, Ha&#39;il and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Northern
  9062. Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt; are underway.&lt;/div&gt;
  9063. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9064. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #66ff33; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Public
  9065. transport&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9066. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9067. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9068. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9069. The Saudi Arabian Public Transport Co. (SAPTCO), the
  9070. national bus system, does not provide public transportation inside the city,
  9071. but transports passengers to several cities across the kingdom and neighboring
  9072. countries.&lt;/div&gt;
  9073. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  9074. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9075. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZ3pe-wLthu309iyLwq5gq10AONokn_t47RgVwfevahr22YV0aBRAukp3gE-tJDOJwSnY9Ui0xlx1a_dpnfJUoQlqB8mVA-3vh0oyV2Ih_azcMxbDMJ09d1d3yvTc9e38vUkVbaO1jfcn/s1600/Riyadh_Station.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;298&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZ3pe-wLthu309iyLwq5gq10AONokn_t47RgVwfevahr22YV0aBRAukp3gE-tJDOJwSnY9Ui0xlx1a_dpnfJUoQlqB8mVA-3vh0oyV2Ih_azcMxbDMJ09d1d3yvTc9e38vUkVbaO1jfcn/s400/Riyadh_Station.JPG&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9076. &lt;br /&gt;
  9077. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9078. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #f8f8f8; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Metro&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9079. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9080. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9081. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9082. A metro has been approved, with six lines planned.&lt;/div&gt;
  9083. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9084. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9085. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9086. From Arab News June 2013: Three consortiums are in the
  9087. running to deliver &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;’s
  9088. new Metro system, according to the High Commission for Riyadh Development
  9089. (HCRD). The six-line network (Blue, Green, Red, &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Orange&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Yellow and Purple) will contain 85
  9090. air-conditioned stations, including main stations Downtown (Qasr Al Hokm) Olaya
  9091. and King Abdullah Financial District, which will serve as line intersections.
  9092. There will be four other transfer stations and five stations with major
  9093. park-and-ride facilities. The winning designs for the main stations from
  9094. architects Zaha Hadid, Snohetta and Gerber Architekten has been revealed.&lt;/div&gt;
  9095. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9096. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/7229915315398641018/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/riyadh_4024.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7229915315398641018'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7229915315398641018'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/riyadh_4024.html' title='Riyadh'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPiEtHNYWi8-G8cItMf_hbF4OFbZsZKIugrCZVC85h4351cLi3OCUAtkfCz1ouMSRaU-Gfs0mtLTcycccS6zo0JChZd9acuxwofPjlBbsJ2oSVAJ3XXjG3Np8DjcPbyrMHnhDck-3anDw/s72-c/map25.gif" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-1087096207452084115</id><published>2013-10-12T01:33:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-12T01:33:22.216-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Saudi Arabia</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  9097. &lt;br /&gt;
  9098. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9099. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJPAuiTu3Q3N2NvtqHrjyN13fxis2-Qcah3YL2EyqE5v_TJb1eW1k2h06XMdKb684xUScm7HrGMkIACgZIWOhzmYYGXLULnq_EQvgHTKPctx2nwpA-9H1xIjtnUFbnwktdUBIzeivql8J/s1600/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJPAuiTu3Q3N2NvtqHrjyN13fxis2-Qcah3YL2EyqE5v_TJb1eW1k2h06XMdKb684xUScm7HrGMkIACgZIWOhzmYYGXLULnq_EQvgHTKPctx2nwpA-9H1xIjtnUFbnwktdUBIzeivql8J/s320/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9100. &lt;br /&gt;
  9101. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  9102. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;
  9103.  
  9104.  
  9105. &lt;br /&gt;
  9106. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9107. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9108. officially known as the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt; (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;المملكة
  9109. العربية السعودية&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;
  9110. al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabiyyah as-Su‘ūdiyyah,&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;
  9111. &lt;/span&gt;Arabic), is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area
  9112. (approximately 2,150,000 km2 (830,000 sq mi), constituting the bulk of the
  9113. Arabian Peninsula) and the second-largest in the Arab world (after &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Algeria&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;).
  9114. It is bordered by &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jordan&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and
  9115. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to the north, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to the northeast, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Qatar&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Bahrain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9116. and the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9117. to the east, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Oman&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to the
  9118. southeast, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yemen&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in the
  9119. south, the Red Sea to the west and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  9120. to the east. Its population is estimated to consist of 16 million citizens and
  9121. an additional 9 million registered foreign expatriates and 2 million illegal
  9122. immigrants.&lt;/div&gt;
  9123. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9124. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9125. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9126. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin
  9127. Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests
  9128. which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he
  9129. captured Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud, referred
  9130. to in Arabic as Al Saud. The regime has been an absolute monarchy since its
  9131. inception. It describes itself as being Islamic and is highly influenced by
  9132. Wahhabism. Saudi Arabia is sometimes called &quot;the Land of the Two Holy Mosques&quot;
  9133. in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in
  9134. Medina), the two holiest places in Islam.&lt;/div&gt;
  9135. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9136. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9137. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9138. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9139. has the world&#39;s 2nd largest oil reserves, which are concentrated largely in the
  9140. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Eastern&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Province&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Oil accounts for more than 95%
  9141. of exports and 70% of government revenue, although the share of the non-oil
  9142. economy has been growing recently. This has facilitated the transformation of
  9143. an underdeveloped desert kingdom into one of the world&#39;s wealthiest nations.
  9144. Vast oil revenues have permitted rapid modernisation, such as the creation of a
  9145. welfare state. It has also the world&#39;s sixth largest natural gas reserves. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  9146. is the only country in the world which bans women from driving.&lt;/div&gt;
  9147. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  9148.  
  9149.  
  9150.  
  9151. &lt;br /&gt;
  9152. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9153. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 22.0pt;&quot;&gt;Etymology&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9154. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9155. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9156. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9157. Following the unification of the kingdoms of Hejaz and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt;, the new state was named al-Mamlakah al-ʻArabīyah
  9158. as-Suʻūdīyah (a transliteration of &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;المملكة العربية
  9159. السعودية&lt;/span&gt; in Arabic) by royal
  9160. decree on 23 September 1932 by its founder, king Abdul Aziz Al Saud. This is
  9161. normally translated as &quot;the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  9162. of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&quot; in English,
  9163. although it literally means &quot;the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arab&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  9164. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9165. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9166. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9167. The word &quot;Saudi&quot; is derived from the element
  9168. as-Suʻūdīyah in the Arabic name of the country, which is a type of adjective
  9169. known as a nisba, formed from the dynastic name of Al Saud (&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;آل سعود&lt;/span&gt;). Its
  9170. inclusion indicated that the country&#39;s ruler viewed it as the personal
  9171. possession of the royal family. Al Saud is an Arabic name formed by adding the
  9172. word Al, meaning &quot;family of&quot; or &quot;House of&quot;, to the personal
  9173. name of an ancestor. In the case of the Al Saud, this is the father of the dynasty&#39;s
  9174. 18th century founder, Muhammad bin Saud (Muhammad, son of Saud).&lt;/div&gt;
  9175. &amp;nbsp;
  9176.  
  9177.  
  9178. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9179. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 22.0pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9180. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9181. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9182. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9183. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;Before the
  9184. foundation of Saudi Arabia&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9185. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9186. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9187. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9188. Apart from a small number of urban trading settlements, such
  9189. as Mecca and Medina, located in the Hejaz in the west of the Arabian Peninsula,
  9190. most of what was to become Saudi Arabia was populated by nomadic tribal
  9191. societies in the inhospitable desert.The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was born
  9192. in Mecca in about 571. In the early 7th century, Muhammad united the various
  9193. tribes of the peninsula and created a single Islamic religious polity.
  9194. Following his death in 632, his followers rapidly expanded the territory under
  9195. Muslim rule beyond Arabia, conquering huge swathes of territory (from the
  9196. Iberian Peninsula in west to modern day &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Pakistan&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in east) in a matter of
  9197. decades. In so doing, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt; soon became a
  9198. politically peripheral region of the Muslim world as the focus shifted to the
  9199. more developed conquered lands. From the 10th century to the early 20th century
  9200. Mecca and Medina were under the control of a local Arab ruler known as the
  9201. Sharif of Mecca, but at most times the Sharif owed allegiance to the ruler of
  9202. one of the major Islamic empires based in Baghdad, Cairo or Istanbul. Most of
  9203. the remainder of what became &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9204.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; reverted to traditional tribal rule.&lt;/div&gt;
  9205. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9206. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9207. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9208. In the 16th century, the Ottomans added the Red Sea and
  9209. Persian Gulf coast (the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt;, Asir and
  9210. Al-Hasa) to the Empire and claimed suzerainty over the interior. One reason was
  9211. to thwart Portuguese attempts to attack the Red Sea (hence the Hejaz) and the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Indian Ocean&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Ottoman degree of control over these lands
  9212. varied over the next four centuries with the fluctuating strength or weakness
  9213. of the Empire&#39;s central authority. The emergence of what was to become the
  9214. Saudi royal family, known as the Al Saud, began in Nejd in central Arabia in
  9215. 1744, when Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the dynasty, joined forces with the
  9216. religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, founder of the Wahhabi movement, a
  9217. strict puritanical form of Sunni Islam. This alliance formed in the 18th
  9218. century provided the ideological impetus to Saudi expansion and remains the
  9219. basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today. The first &quot;Saudi state&quot;
  9220. established in 1744 in the area around &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  9221. rapidly expanded and briefly controlled most of the present-day &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;territory&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt;,
  9222. but was destroyed by 1818 by the Ottoman viceroy of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Egypt&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, Mohammed Ali Pasha. A much
  9223. smaller second &quot;Saudi state&quot;, located mainly in Nejd, was established
  9224. in 1824. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the Al Saud contested control
  9225. of the interior of what was to become &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; with another Arabian
  9226. ruling family, the Al Rashid. By 1891, the Al Rashid were victorious and the Al
  9227. Saud were driven into exile in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  9228. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9229. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9230. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9231. At the beginning of the 20th century, the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ottoman
  9232. Empire&lt;/st1:place&gt; continued to control or have a suzerainty over most of the
  9233. peninsula. Subject to this suzerainty, Arabia was ruled by a patchwork of
  9234. tribal rulers, with the Sharif of Mecca having pre-eminence and ruling the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt;. In 1902, Ibn Saud took control of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  9235. in Nejd and brought the Al Saud back to &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nejd&lt;/st1:place&gt;.
  9236. Ibn Saud gained the support of the Ikhwan, a tribal army inspired by Wahhabism
  9237. and led by Sultan ibn Bijad and Faisal Al-Dawish, and which had grown quickly
  9238. after its foundation in 1912.With the aid of the Ikhwan, Ibn Saud captured Hasa
  9239. from the Ottomans in 1913.&lt;/div&gt;
  9240. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9241. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9242. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9243. In 1916, with the encouragement and support of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Britain&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; (which was fighting the Ottomans in
  9244. World War I), the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali, led a pan-Arab revolt
  9245. against the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ottoman Empire&lt;/st1:place&gt; to create a united
  9246. Arab state. Although the Arab Revolt of 1916 to 1918 failed in its objective,
  9247. the Allied victory in World War I resulted in the end of Ottoman suzerainty and
  9248. control in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  9249. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9250. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9251. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9252. Ibn Saud avoided involvement in the Arab Revolt, and instead
  9253. continued his struggle with the Al Rashid. Following the latter&#39;s final defeat,
  9254. he took the title Sultan of Nejd in 1921. With the help of the Ikhwan, the
  9255. Hejaz was conquered in 1924-25 and on 10 January 1926, Ibn Saud declared
  9256. himself King of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt;. A year later, he
  9257. added the title of King of Nejd.&lt;/div&gt;
  9258. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9259. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9260. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9261. After the conquest of the Hejaz, the Ikhwan leadership&#39;s
  9262. objective switched to expansion of the Wahhabist realm into the British
  9263. protectorates of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Transjordan&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, and began raiding those
  9264. territories. This met with Ibn Saud&#39;s opposition, as he recognized the danger
  9265. of a direct conflict with the British. At the same time, the Ikhwan became
  9266. disenchanted with Ibn Saud&#39;s domestic policies which appeared to favor
  9267. modernization and the increase in the number of non-Muslim foreigners in the
  9268. country. As a result, they turned against Ibn Saud and, after a two-year
  9269. struggle, were defeated in 1930 at the Battle of Sabilla, where their leaders
  9270. were massacred. In 1932 the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as
  9271. the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  9272. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9273. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9274. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9275. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  9276. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9277. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ih2hCCpQ6hd49FYnaTRBIzd6PCAyxtJSfykP2aXtmY0uTTWK8XaRw2DqyAFgcZhQ3X92PAwcYDCjQWwwiER6KpDMBm0bHszLl-e3jWmcCeSjdMYX3uoyBe62dNcduQ9lsgk-Cp8ckQ4G/s1600/Arabia_1914.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;269&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ih2hCCpQ6hd49FYnaTRBIzd6PCAyxtJSfykP2aXtmY0uTTWK8XaRw2DqyAFgcZhQ3X92PAwcYDCjQWwwiER6KpDMBm0bHszLl-e3jWmcCeSjdMYX3uoyBe62dNcduQ9lsgk-Cp8ckQ4G/s320/Arabia_1914.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9278. &lt;br /&gt;
  9279. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  9280. &lt;br /&gt;
  9281.  
  9282.  
  9283.  
  9284. &lt;br /&gt;
  9285. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9286. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Post-unification&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9287. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9288. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9289. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9290. The new kingdom was one of the poorest countries in the
  9291. world, reliant on limited agriculture and pilgrimage revenues. However, in
  9292. 1938, vast reserves of oil were discovered in the Al-Hasa region along the
  9293. coast of the Persian Gulf, and full-scale development of the oil fields began
  9294. in 1941 under the US-controlled Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company). Oil
  9295. provided &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9296. with economic prosperity and substantial political leverage internationally.
  9297. Cultural life rapidly developed, primarily in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hejaz&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  9298. which was the center for newspapers and radio. But the large influx of
  9299. foreigners to work in the oil industry increased the pre-existing propensity
  9300. for xenophobia. At the same time, the government became increasingly wasteful
  9301. and extravagant. By the 1950s this had led to large governmental deficits and
  9302. excessive foreign borrowing.&lt;/div&gt;
  9303. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9304. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9305. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9306. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9307. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9308. King Saud succeeded to the throne on his father&#39;s death in
  9309. 1953. However, an intense rivalry between the King and his half-brother, Prince
  9310. Faisal emerged, fueled by doubts in the royal family over Saud&#39;s competence. As
  9311. a consequence, Saud was deposed in favor of Faisal in 1964. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; gained control of a proportion
  9312. (20%) of Aramco in 1972, thereby decreasing &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;US&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; control over Saudi oil. In 1973,
  9313. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; led an oil
  9314. boycott against the Western countries that supported &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Israel&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9315. in the October War against &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Egypt&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9316. and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Syria&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  9317. Oil prices quadrupled. Faisal was assassinated in 1975 by his nephew, Prince Faisal
  9318. bin Musaid and was succeeded by his half-brother King Khalid.&lt;/div&gt;
  9319. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9320. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9321. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9322. By 1976 &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9323.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; had become the largest oil producer
  9324. in the world. Khalid&#39;s reign saw economic and social development progress at an
  9325. extremely rapid rate, transforming the infrastructure and educational system of
  9326. the country; in foreign policy, close ties with the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;US&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; were developed. In 1979, two
  9327. events occurred which greatly concerned the Al Saud regime, and had a long-term
  9328. influence on Saudi foreign and domestic policy. The first was the Iranian
  9329. Islamic Revolution. It was feared that the country&#39;s Shi&#39;ite minority in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Eastern&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Province&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; (which is also the location of
  9330. the oil fields) might rebel under the influence of their Iranian
  9331. co-religionists. In fact, there were several anti-government uprisings in the
  9332. region in 1979 and 1980. The second event, was the seizure of the Grand Mosque
  9333. in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; by
  9334. Islamist extremists. The militants involved were in part angered by what they
  9335. considered to be the corruption and un-Islamic nature of the Saudi regime. The
  9336. government regained control of the mosque after 10 days and those captured were
  9337. executed. Part of the response of the royal family was to enforce a much
  9338. stricter observance of traditional religious and social norms in the country
  9339. (for example, the closure of cinemas) and to give the Ulema a greater role in
  9340. government. Neither entirely succeeded as Islamism continued to grow in
  9341. strength.&lt;/div&gt;
  9342. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9343. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9344. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9345. In 1980, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9346. took full control of Aramco from the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;US&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  9347. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9348. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9349. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9350. King Khalid died of a heart attack in June 1982, and was
  9351. succeeded by his brother, King Fahd, who added the title &quot;Custodian of the
  9352. Two Holy Mosques&quot; to his name in 1986. Fahd continued to develop close
  9353. relations with the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United
  9354.  States&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and increased the purchase of
  9355. American and British military equipment. The vast wealth generated by oil
  9356. revenues was beginning to have an even greater impact on Saudi society. It led
  9357. to rapid modernisation, urbanization, mass public education and the creation of
  9358. new media. This and the presence of increasingly large numbers of foreign
  9359. workers greatly affected traditional Saudi norms and values. Although there was
  9360. dramatic change in the social and economic life of the country, political power
  9361. continued to be monopolized by the royal family leading to discontent among many
  9362. Saudis who began to look for wider participation in government.&lt;/div&gt;
  9363. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9364. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9365. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9366. In the 1980s, the Saudi regime spent $25 billion in support
  9367. of Saddam Hussein in the Iran–Iraq War. However, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9368. Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; condemned the Iraqi invasion of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in 1990 and asked the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;US&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to
  9369. intervene. King Fahd allowed American and coalition troops to be stationed in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  9370. He invited the Kuwaiti government and many of its citizens to stay in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, but expelled citizens of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yemen&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jordan&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9371. because of their governments&#39; support of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. In 1991, Saudi Arabian forces
  9372. were involved both in bombing raids on &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9373. and in the land invasion that helped to liberate &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kuwait&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  9374. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9375. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9376. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9377. The Saudi regime&#39;s relations with the West began to cause
  9378. growing concern among some of the ulema and students of sharia law and was one
  9379. of the issues that led to an increase in Islamic terrorism in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, as well as Islamic
  9380. terrorist attacks in Western countries by Saudi nationals. Osama bin Laden was
  9381. a Saudi national (until stripped of his nationality in 1994). 15 of the 19
  9382. hijackers involved in 9/11 attacks on &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;New York&lt;/st1:city&gt;, &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Washington&lt;/st1:state&gt; and &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Virginia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:state&gt;
  9383. were Saudi nationals. Many Saudis, who did not in any way support the Islamist
  9384. terrorists were nevertheless deeply unhappy with the Saudi regime&#39;s policies.&lt;/div&gt;
  9385. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9386. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9387. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9388. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  9389. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9390. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBb101bUJNlirdgeROq3pnYTZRupuoa8zvQVmg3wCXatYr0dWfLE3Q9yV-Mz-cKhiDYl_J888AavDDawPFNGAeijoAuGEOwOmWkYT_t8WzMoNJtUm8gRtfX0faNcEvncGuFir9-zt71vI/s1600/Saudi_Arabia_map333.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;313&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBb101bUJNlirdgeROq3pnYTZRupuoa8zvQVmg3wCXatYr0dWfLE3Q9yV-Mz-cKhiDYl_J888AavDDawPFNGAeijoAuGEOwOmWkYT_t8WzMoNJtUm8gRtfX0faNcEvncGuFir9-zt71vI/s320/Saudi_Arabia_map333.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9391. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9392. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9393. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9394. Islamism was not the only source of hostility to the regime.
  9395. Although now extremely wealthy, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9396.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s economy was near stagnant. High
  9397. taxes and a growth in unemployment have contributed to discontent, and has been
  9398. reflected in a rise in civil unrest, and discontent with the royal family. In
  9399. response, a number of limited &quot;reforms&quot; were initiated by King Fahd.
  9400. In March 1992, he introduced the &quot;Basic Law&quot;, which emphasised the
  9401. duties and responsibilities of a ruler. In December 1993, the Consultative
  9402. Council was inaugurated. It is composed of a chairman and 60 members — all
  9403. chosen by the King. The King&#39;s intent was to respond to dissent while making as
  9404. few actual changes in the status quo as possible. Fahd made it clear that he
  9405. did not have democracy in mind: &quot;A system based on elections is not
  9406. consistent with our Islamic creed, which [approves of] government by
  9407. consultation [shūrā].&lt;/div&gt;
  9408. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9409. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9410. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9411. In 1995, Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke, and the Crown
  9412. Prince, Abdullah, assumed the role of de facto regent, taking on the day-to-day
  9413. running of the country. However, his authority was hindered by conflict with
  9414. Fahd&#39;s full brothers (known, with Fahd, as the &quot;Sudairi Seven&quot;). From
  9415. the 1990s, signs of discontent continued and included, in 2003 and 2004, a
  9416. series of bombings and armed violence in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;,
  9417. Jeddah, Yanbu and Khobar. In February–April 2005, the first-ever nationwide
  9418. municipal elections were held in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. Women were not
  9419. allowed to take part in the poll.&lt;/div&gt;
  9420. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9421. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9422. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9423. In 2005, King Fahd died and was succeeded by Abdullah, who
  9424. continued the policy of minimum reform and clamping down on protests. The king
  9425. introduced a number of economic reforms aimed at reducing the country&#39;s
  9426. reliance on oil revenue: limited deregulation, encouragement of foreign
  9427. investment, and privatization. In February 2009, Abdullah announced a series of
  9428. governmental changes to the judiciary, armed forces, and various ministries to
  9429. modernize these institutions including the replacement of senior appointees in
  9430. the judiciary and the Mutaween (religious police) with more moderate
  9431. individuals and the appointment of the country&#39;s first female deputy minister.&lt;/div&gt;
  9432. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9433. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9434. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9435. On 29 January 2011, hundreds of protesters gathered in the
  9436. city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Jeddah&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  9437. in a rare display of criticism against the city&#39;s poor infrastructure after
  9438. deadly floods swept through the city, killing eleven people. Police stopped the
  9439. demonstration after about 15 minutes and arrested 30 to 50 people.&lt;/div&gt;
  9440. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9441. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9442. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9443. Since 2011, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9444.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; has been affected by its own Arab
  9445. Spring protests. In response, King Abdullah announced on 22 Februaty 2011 a
  9446. series of benefits for citizens amounting to $36 billion, of which $10.7
  9447. billion was earmarked for housing. No political reforms were announced as part
  9448. of the package, though some prisoners indicted for financial crimes were
  9449. pardoned. On 18 March the same year, King Abdullah announced a package of $93
  9450. billion, which includeded 500,000 new homes to a cost of $67 billion, in
  9451. addition to creating 60,000 new security jobs.&lt;/div&gt;
  9452. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9453. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9454. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;Although male-only municipal elections were held on 29
  9455. September 2011, Abdullah announced that women will be able to vote and be
  9456. elected in the 2015 municipal elections, and also to be nominated to the Shura
  9457. Council&lt;/span&gt;
  9458. &lt;br /&gt;
  9459. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  9460. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9461. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9F3MEuq_1k5MdB1McOsYhgSUXBxZex5TSurk8zajtaAvhMhcOP-rCyxG1k7XvmeCW5X7K7xQ-gHa72Fyn04N_K6gOSIUdH5FhYrYJsJ2q9Pc6HkSZyedZu6EIwTi-e_igFdTAq4sNkXmg/s1600/681px-Oil_and_Gas_Infrastructure_Persian_Gulf_(large)858.gif&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;281&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9F3MEuq_1k5MdB1McOsYhgSUXBxZex5TSurk8zajtaAvhMhcOP-rCyxG1k7XvmeCW5X7K7xQ-gHa72Fyn04N_K6gOSIUdH5FhYrYJsJ2q9Pc6HkSZyedZu6EIwTi-e_igFdTAq4sNkXmg/s320/681px-Oil_and_Gas_Infrastructure_Persian_Gulf_(large)858.gif&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9462. &lt;br /&gt;
  9463. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9464. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Politics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9465. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9466. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9467. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9468. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9469.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is an absolute monarchy, although,
  9470. according to the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia adopted by royal decree in 1992, the
  9471. king must comply with Sharia (that is, Islamic law) and the Quran. The Quran
  9472. and the Sunnah (the traditions of Muhammad) are declared to be the country&#39;s
  9473. constitution, but no written modern constitution has ever been written for &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; remains the only Arab
  9474. nation where no national elections have ever taken place, since its creation.
  9475. No political parties or national elections are permitted and according to The
  9476. Economist&#39;s 2010 Democracy Index, the Saudi government is the seventh most
  9477. authoritarian regime from among the 167 countries rated.&lt;/div&gt;
  9478. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9479. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9480. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9481. In the absence of national elections and political parties,
  9482. politics in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9483. takes place in two distinct arenas: within the royal family, the Al Saud, and
  9484. between the royal family and the rest of Saudi society. Outside of the Al-Saud,
  9485. participation in the political process is limited to a relatively small segment
  9486. of the population and takes the form of the royal family consulting with the
  9487. ulema, tribal sheikhs and members of important commercial families on major
  9488. decisions.This process is not reported by the Saudi media.&lt;/div&gt;
  9489. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9490. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9491. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9492. By custom, all males of full age have a right to petition
  9493. the king directly through the traditional tribal meeting known as the majlis.
  9494. In many ways the approach to government differs little from the traditional
  9495. system of tribal rule. Tribal identity remains strong and, outside of the royal
  9496. family, political influence is frequently determined by tribal affiliation,
  9497. with tribal sheikhs maintaining a considerable degree of influence over local
  9498. and national events. As mentioned earlier, in recent years there have been
  9499. limited steps to widen political participation such as the establishment of the
  9500. Consultative Council in the early 1990s and the National Dialogue Forum in
  9501. 2003.&lt;/div&gt;
  9502. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9503. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9504. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9505. The rule of the Al Saud faces political opposition from four
  9506. sources: Sunni Islamist activism; liberal critics; the Shi&#39;ite minority –
  9507. particularly in the Eastern Province; and long-standing tribal and regional
  9508. particularistic opponents (for example in the Hejaz).Of these, the Islamic
  9509. activists have been the most prominent threat to the regime and have in recent
  9510. years perpetrated a number of violent or terrorist acts in the country.
  9511. However, open protest against the government, even if peaceful, is not
  9512. tolerated.&lt;/div&gt;
  9513. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9514. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9515. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9516. On 25 September 2011, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s King Abdullah has
  9517. announced that women will have the right to stand and vote in future local
  9518. elections and join the advisory Shura council as full members.&lt;/div&gt;
  9519. &lt;br /&gt;
  9520. &amp;nbsp;
  9521.  
  9522.  
  9523. &lt;br /&gt;
  9524. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9525. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff6600; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Monarchy
  9526. and royal family&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  9527. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9528. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9529. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9530. The king combines legislative, executive, and judicial
  9531. functions[ and royal decrees to form the basis of the country&#39;s legislation.
  9532. The king is also the prime minister, and presides over the Council of Ministers
  9533. (Majlis al-Wuzarāʾ), which comprises the first and second deputy prime.&lt;/div&gt;
  9534. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9535. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9536. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9537. The royal family dominates the political system. The
  9538. family&#39;s vast numbers allow it to control most of the kingdom&#39;s important posts
  9539. and to have an involvement and presence at all levels of government. The number
  9540. of princes is estimated to be at least 7,000, with most power and influence
  9541. being wielded by the 200 or so male descendants of King Abdul Aziz. The key
  9542. ministries are generally reserved for the royal family, as are the thirteen
  9543. regional governorships. Long term political and government appointments, such
  9544. as those of King Abdullah, who had been Commander of the National Guard since
  9545. 1963 (until 2010, when he appointed his son to replace him), former Crown
  9546. Prince Sultan, Minister of Defence and Aviation from 1962 to his death in 2011,
  9547. former crown prince Prince Nayef who was the Minister of Interior from 1975 to
  9548. his death in 2012, Prince Saud who has been Minister of Foreign Affairs since
  9549. 1975 and current Minister of Defence and Aviation Prince Salman, who was
  9550. Governor of the Riyadh Province from 1962 to 2011, have resulted in the
  9551. creation of &quot;power fiefdoms&quot; for senior princes.&lt;/div&gt;
  9552. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9553. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9554. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9555. The royal family is politically divided by factions based on
  9556. clan loyalties, personal ambitions and ideological differences. The most
  9557. powerful clan faction is known as the &#39;Sudairi Seven&#39;, comprising the late King
  9558. Fahd and his full brothers and their descendants. Ideological divisions include
  9559. issues over the speed and direction of reform, and whether the role of the ulema
  9560. should be increased or reduced. There were divisions within the family over who
  9561. should succeed to the throne after the accession or earlier death of Prince
  9562. Sultan. When prince Sultan died before ascending to the throne on 21 October
  9563. 2011, King Abdullah appointed Prince Nayef as crown prince. Prince Nayef also
  9564. died before ascending to the throne in 2012.&lt;/div&gt;
  9565. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9566. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9567. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9568. The Saudi government and the royal family have often, over
  9569. many years, been accused of corruption. In a country that is said to
  9570. &quot;belong&quot; to the royal family and is named for them, the lines between
  9571. state assets and the personal wealth of senior princes are blurred. The extent
  9572. of corruption has been described as systemic and endemic, and its existence was
  9573. acknowledged and defended by Prince Bandar bin Sultan (a senior member of the
  9574. royal family) in an interview in 2001. Although corruption allegations have
  9575. often been limited to broad undocumented accusations,specific allegations were
  9576. made in 2007, when it was claimed that the British defence contractor BAE
  9577. Systems had paid Prince Bandar US$2 billion in bribes relating to the
  9578. Al-Yamamah arms deal. Prince Bandar denied the allegations. Investigations by
  9579. both US and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;UK&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9580. authorities resulted, in 2010, in plea bargain agreements with the company, by
  9581. which it paid $447 million in fines but did not admit to bribery. Transparency
  9582. International in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2010 gave &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  9583. a score of 4.7 (on a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 is &quot;highly corrupt&quot;
  9584. and 10 is &quot;highly clean&quot;).&lt;/div&gt;
  9585. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9586. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9587. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9588. There has been mounting pressure to reform and modernize the
  9589. royal family&#39;s rule, an agenda championed by King Abdullah both before and
  9590. after his accession in 2005. The creation of the Consultative Council in the
  9591. early 1990s did not satisfy demands for political participation, and, in 2003,
  9592. an annual National Dialogue Forum was announced that would allow selected
  9593. professionals and intellectuals to publicly debate current national issues,
  9594. within certain prescribed parameters. In 2005, the first municipal elections were
  9595. held. In 2007, the Allegiance Council was created to regulate the succession.
  9596. In 2009, the king made significant personnel changes to the government by
  9597. appointing reformers to key positions and the first woman to a ministerial post.
  9598. However, the changes have been criticized as being too slow or merely cosmetic.&lt;/div&gt;
  9599. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9600. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9601. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9602. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 20.0pt;&quot;&gt;Al ash-Sheikh
  9603. and role of the ulema&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9604. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9605. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9606. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9607. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9608. is almost unique in giving the ulema (the body of Islamic religious leaders and
  9609. jurists) a direct role in government, the only other example being &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The ulema
  9610. have also been a key influence in major government decisions, for example the
  9611. imposition of the oil embargo in 1973 and the invitation to foreign troops to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in
  9612. 1990. In addition, they have had a major role in the judicial and education
  9613. systems and a monopoly of authority in the sphere of religious and social
  9614. morals.&lt;/div&gt;
  9615. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9616. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9617. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9618. By the 1970s, as a result of oil wealth and the
  9619. modernization of the country initiated by King Faisal, important changes to
  9620. Saudi society were under way and the power of the ulema was in decline.
  9621. However, this changed following the seizure of the Grand Mosque in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; in 1979 by Islamist
  9622. radicals. The government&#39;s response to the crisis included strengthening the
  9623. ulema&#39;s powers and increasing their financial support: in particular, they were
  9624. given greater control over the education system and allowed to enforce stricter
  9625. observance of Wahhabi rules of moral and social behaviour. Since his accession
  9626. to the throne in 2005, King Abdullah has taken steps to rein back the powers of
  9627. the ulema, for instance transferring their control over girls&#39; education to the
  9628. Ministry of Education.&lt;/div&gt;
  9629. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9630. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9631. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9632. The ulema have historically been led by the Al ash-Sheikh,
  9633. the country&#39;s leading religious family.The Al ash-Sheikh are the descendants of
  9634. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the 18th century founder of the Wahhabi form of
  9635. Sunni Islam which is today dominant in Saudi Arabia. The family is second in
  9636. prestige only to the Al Saud (the royal family) with whom they formed a
  9637. &quot;mutual support pact&quot; and power-sharing arrangement nearly 300 years
  9638. ago. The pact, which persists to this day, is based on the Al Saud maintaining
  9639. the Al ash-Sheikh&#39;s authority in religious matters and upholding and
  9640. propagating Wahhabi doctrine. In return, the Al ash-Sheikh support the Al Saud&#39;s
  9641. political authority thereby using its religious-moral authority to legitimize
  9642. the royal family&#39;s rule. Although the Al ash-Sheikh&#39;s domination of the ulema
  9643. has diminished in recent decades, they still hold the most important religious
  9644. posts and are closely linked to the Al Saud by a high degree of intermarriage.&lt;/div&gt;
  9645. &lt;br /&gt;
  9646. &lt;br /&gt;
  9647.  
  9648.  
  9649.  
  9650. &lt;br /&gt;
  9651. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9652. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: teal; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Legal system&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9653. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9654. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9655. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9656. The primary source of law is the Islamic Sharia derived from
  9657. the teachings of the Qu&#39;ran and the Sunnah (the traditions of the Prophet).
  9658. Sharia is not codified and there is no system of judicial precedent. Saudi
  9659. judges tend to follow the principles of the Hanbali school of jurisprudence (or
  9660. fiqh) found in pre-modern texts and noted for its literalist interpretation of
  9661. the Qu&#39;ran and hadith. Nevertheless, because the judge is empowered to
  9662. disregard previous judgments (either his own or of other judges) and will apply
  9663. his personal interpretation of Sharia to any particular case, divergent
  9664. judgements arise even in apparently identical cases.&lt;/div&gt;
  9665. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9666. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9667. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9668. Royal decrees are the other main source of law but are
  9669. referred to as regulations rather than laws because they are subordinate to the
  9670. Sharia. Royal decrees supplement Sharia in areas such as labor, commercial and
  9671. corporate law. Additionally, traditional tribal law and custom remain
  9672. significant.&lt;/div&gt;
  9673. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9674. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9675. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9676. Verses from the Quran. The Quran is the official constitution of the country and a primary source of law. Arabia is unique in enshrining a religious text as a political document.&lt;/div&gt;
  9677. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9678. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  9679. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9680. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeDp_0j5av7pL4CHLX04HJe5DsdhA1y_COgHn4ZneRvUhBZP57wL0Fl-meURYgIWNuMCoh7wiT0GlLlxnZEc7vlD1On8pmBPyM-5h2JOvoxJioex4-J0uoGwMjCBKRLhV9Z2rx9JF2Wpf/s1600/584.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeDp_0j5av7pL4CHLX04HJe5DsdhA1y_COgHn4ZneRvUhBZP57wL0Fl-meURYgIWNuMCoh7wiT0GlLlxnZEc7vlD1On8pmBPyM-5h2JOvoxJioex4-J0uoGwMjCBKRLhV9Z2rx9JF2Wpf/s320/584.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9681. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9682. The Sharia court system constitutes the basic judiciary of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9683. and its judges and lawyers form part of the ulema, the country&#39;s religious
  9684. leadership. However, there are also extra-Sharia government tribunals which
  9685. handle disputes relating to specific royal decrees. Final appeal from both
  9686. Sharia courts and government tribunals is to the King and all courts and
  9687. tribunals follow Sharia rules of evidence and procedure. The Saudi system of
  9688. justice has been criticized for being slow, arcane, lacking in some of the
  9689. safeguards of justice and unable to deal with the modern world.&lt;/div&gt;
  9690. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9691. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9692. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9693. In 2007, King Abdullah issued royal decrees reforming the
  9694. judiciary and creating a new court system, although the reforms have yet to be
  9695. implemented The capabilities and reactionary nature of the judges have, in
  9696. particular, been criticized and, in 2009, the King made a number of significant
  9697. changes to the judiciary&#39;s personnel at the most senior level by bringing in a
  9698. younger generation&lt;/div&gt;
  9699. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9700. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9701. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9702. Western-based organisations such as Amnesty International
  9703. and Human Rights Watch condemn both the Saudi criminal justice system and its
  9704. severe punishments. However, &quot;ordinary Saudis&quot;, according to a BBC
  9705. report, support the system and say that it maintains a low crime rate. There
  9706. are no jury trials in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9707.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and courts observe few formalities.
  9708. Human Rights Watch, in a 2008 report, noted that a criminal procedure code had
  9709. been introduced for the first time in 2002, but it lacked some basic
  9710. protections and, in any case, had been routinely ignored by judges. Those
  9711. arrested are often not informed of the crime of which they are accused or given
  9712. access to a lawyer and are subject to abusive treatment and torture if they do
  9713. not confess. At trial, there is a presumption of guilt and the accused is often
  9714. unable to examine witnesses and evidence or present a legal defense. Most
  9715. trials are held in secret.&lt;/div&gt;
  9716. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9717. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9718. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9719. The physical punishments imposed by Saudi courts, such as
  9720. beheading, stoning, amputation and lashing, and the number of executions have
  9721. been strongly criticized.The death penalty can be imposed for a wide range of
  9722. offences including murder, rape, armed robbery, repeated drug use, apostasy,
  9723. adultery, witchcraft and sorcery and can be carried out by beheading with a
  9724. sword, stoning or firing squad, followed by crucifixion. The 345 reported
  9725. executions between 2007 and 2010 were all carried out by public beheading. The
  9726. last reported execution for sorcery took place in June 2012 and three recent
  9727. convictions for witchcraft did not result in execution.&lt;/div&gt;
  9728. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9729. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9730. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9731. Although repeated theft can be punishable by amputation of
  9732. the right hand, only one instance of judicial amputation was reported between
  9733. 2007 and 2010. Gay rights are not recognised. Homosexual acts are punishable by
  9734. flogging or death. Lashings are a common form of punishment[ and are often
  9735. imposed for offences against religion and public morality such as drinking
  9736. alcohol and neglect of prayer and fasting obligations.&lt;/div&gt;
  9737. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9738. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9739. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9740. Retaliatory punishments, or Qisas, are practised: for
  9741. instance, an eye can be surgically removed at the insistence of a victim who
  9742. lost his own eye.Families of someone unlawfully killed can choose between
  9743. demanding the death penalty or granting clemency in return for a payment of
  9744. diyya, or blood money, by the perpetrator.&lt;/div&gt;
  9745. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  9746. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9747. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHRz81iV4FD7871JlacGBZJhNGCkAAgWh5BAhAHKxX9q5_GHwswB4GX0sULrQpzVOCRke5drQlP736Fe_nA_k6kmFMm1jrbadmWLUwZX3_whc8IG3w5OzVg1PtWuDzK7ue73ki76QzKyP/s1600/41.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHRz81iV4FD7871JlacGBZJhNGCkAAgWh5BAhAHKxX9q5_GHwswB4GX0sULrQpzVOCRke5drQlP736Fe_nA_k6kmFMm1jrbadmWLUwZX3_whc8IG3w5OzVg1PtWuDzK7ue73ki76QzKyP/s320/41.JPG&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9748. &lt;br /&gt;
  9749. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9750. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Human rights&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  9751. &lt;/div&gt;
  9752. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9753. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9754. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9755. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9756.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; has long been criticized for its
  9757. human rights record. Human rights issues that have attracted strong criticism
  9758. include the extremely disadvantaged position of women (see Women in Saudi
  9759. society below), religious discrimination, the lack of religious freedom and the
  9760. activities of the religious police (see Religion below). Between 1996 and 2000,
  9761. Saudi Arabia acceded to four UN human rights conventions and, in 2004, the
  9762. government approved the establishment of the National Society for Human Rights
  9763. (NSHR), staffed by government employees, to monitor their implementation. To
  9764. date, the activities of the NSHR have been limited and doubts remain over its
  9765. neutrality and independence. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9766.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; remains one of the very few countries
  9767. in the world not to accept the UN&#39;s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In
  9768. response to the continuing criticism of its human rights record, the Saudi
  9769. government points to the special Islamic character of the country, and asserts
  9770. that this justifies a different social and political order.&lt;/div&gt;
  9771. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9772. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9773. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9774. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: blue; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Foreign
  9775. relations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9776. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9777. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9778. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9779. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9780.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; joined the UN in 1945 and is a
  9781. founder member of the Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, Muslim World
  9782. League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (now the Organisation of
  9783. Islamic Cooperation). It plays a prominent role in the International Monetary
  9784. Fund and the World Bank, and in 2005 joined the World Trade Organization. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9785. supports the intended formation of the Arab Customs Union in 2015 and an Arab
  9786. common market by 2020, as announced at the 2009 Arab League summit. As a
  9787. founding member of OPEC, its oil pricing policy has been generally to stabilize
  9788. the world oil market and try to moderate sharp price movements so as to not
  9789. jeopardise the Western economies.&lt;/div&gt;
  9790. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9791. Between the mid-1970s and 2002 &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; expended over $70
  9792. billion in &quot;overseas development aid&quot;. However, there is evidence
  9793. that the vast majority was, in fact, spent on propagating and extending the
  9794. influence of Wahhabism at the expense of other forms of Islam. There has been
  9795. an intense debate over whether Saudi aid and Wahhabism has fomented extremism
  9796. in recipient countries. The two main allegations are that, by its nature,
  9797. Wahhabism encourages intolerance and promotes terrorism. Former CIA director
  9798. James Woolsey described it as &quot;the soil in which Al-Qaeda and its sister
  9799. terrorist organizations are flourishing.&quot; However, the Saudi government
  9800. strenuously denies these claims or that it exports religious or cultural
  9801. extremism.&lt;/div&gt;
  9802. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9803. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9804. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9805. In the Arab and Muslim worlds, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9806. Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is considered to be pro-Western and pro-American,
  9807. and it is certainly a long-term ally of the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;United States&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. However, this and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s role in the 1991 Persian Gulf
  9808. War, particularly the stationing of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;U.S.&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; troops on Saudi soil from
  9809. 1991, prompted the development of a hostile Islamist response internally. As a
  9810. result, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; has, to
  9811. some extent, distanced itself from the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;U.S.&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9812. and, for example, refused to support or to participate in the U.S.-led invasion
  9813. of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iraq&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9814. in 2003. Relations with the United States became strained following 9/11.
  9815. American politicians and media accused the Saudi government of supporting
  9816. terrorism and tolerating a jihadist culture. Indeed, Osama bin Laden and
  9817. fifteen out of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. According to the U.S.
  9818. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, &quot;Saudi Arabia remains a critical
  9819. financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist
  9820. groups... Donors in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9821.  Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; constitute the most significant
  9822. source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  9823. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9824. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9825. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9826. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s
  9827. increasing alarm at the rise of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9828. is reflected in the reported private comments of King Abdullah urging the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;US&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; to attack &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &quot;cut off the head of
  9829. the snake&quot;. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9830. has been seen as a moderating influence in the Arab-Israeli conflict,
  9831. periodically putting forward a peace plan between &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Israel&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and the Palestinians and
  9832. condemning Hezbollah. Following the Arab Spring Saudi Arabia offered asylum to
  9833. deposed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and King Abdullah
  9834. telephoned President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt (prior to his deposition) to offer
  9835. his support.&lt;/div&gt;
  9836. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9837. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9838. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9839. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Military&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9840. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9841. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9842. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9843. The Saudi military consists of the Royal Saudi Land Forces,
  9844. the Royal Saudi Air Force, the Royal Saudi Navy, the Royal Saudi Air Defense,
  9845. the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG, an independent military force), and
  9846. paramilitary forces, totaling nearly 200,000 active-duty personnel. In 2005 the
  9847. armed forces had the following personnel: the army, 75,000; the air force,
  9848. 18,000; air defense, 16,000; the navy, 15,500 (including 3,000 marines); and
  9849. the SANG had 75,000 active soldiers and 25,000 tribal levies.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;In addition, there is an Al Mukhabarat Al
  9850. A&#39;amah military intelligence service.&lt;/div&gt;
  9851. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9852. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9853. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9854. The SANG is not a reserve but a fully operational front-line
  9855. force, and originated out of Abdul Aziz&#39;s tribal military-religious force, the
  9856. Ikhwan. Its modern existence, however, is attributable to it being effectively
  9857. Abdullah&#39;s private army since the 1960s and, unlike the rest of the armed
  9858. forces, is independent of the Ministry of Defense and Aviation. The SANG has
  9859. been a counterbalance to the Sudairi faction in the royal family: Prince
  9860. Sultan, the Minister of Defense and Aviation, is one of the so-called &#39;Sudairi
  9861. Seven&#39; and controls the remainder of the armed forces.&lt;/div&gt;
  9862. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  9863. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9864. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSkZ7YL_jeh_aJ9kUjjwZlshcfI46BKHnqNGuunzIhcl6h0GWZ0N5Q_dTeZgvpfU0zgMDSHxdT3jkH9V51UsM8mThVuV_Ahs-cQX1JtI8U9EuzBgyS0vMeUTH21Pf2Tg0rvKoqfN16JZb/s1600/800px-RSAF_Typhoon_at_Malta_-_Gordon_Zammit22.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSkZ7YL_jeh_aJ9kUjjwZlshcfI46BKHnqNGuunzIhcl6h0GWZ0N5Q_dTeZgvpfU0zgMDSHxdT3jkH9V51UsM8mThVuV_Ahs-cQX1JtI8U9EuzBgyS0vMeUTH21Pf2Tg0rvKoqfN16JZb/s320/800px-RSAF_Typhoon_at_Malta_-_Gordon_Zammit22.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9865. &lt;br /&gt;
  9866. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9867. Spending on defense and security has increased significantly
  9868. since the mid-&#39;90s and was about US$25.4 billion in 2005. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9869. ranks among the top 10 in the world in government spending for its military,
  9870. representing about 7% of gross domestic product in 2005. Its modern high-technology
  9871. arsenal makes Saudi Arabia among the world&#39;s most densely armed nations, with
  9872. its military equipment being supplied primarily by the US, France and Britain.
  9873. The United States sold more than $80 billion in military hardware between 1951
  9874. and 2006 to the Saudi military. On 20 October 2010, the U.S. State Department
  9875. notified Congress of its intention to make the biggest arms sale in American
  9876. history – an estimated $60.5 billion purchase by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  9877. The package represents a considerable improvement in the offensive capability
  9878. of the Saudi armed forces. The &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;UK&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9879. has also been a major supplier of military equipment to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9880. since 1965. Since 1985, the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;UK&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9881. has supplied military aircraft – notably the Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon
  9882. combat aircraft – and other equipment as part of the long-term Al-Yamamah arms
  9883. deal estimated to have been worth £43 billion by 2006 and thought to be worth a
  9884. further £40 billion.&lt;/div&gt;
  9885. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9886. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9887. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9888. In May 2012, British defence giant BAE signed a £1.9bn
  9889. ($3bn) deal to supply Hawk trainer jets to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  9890. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  9891. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9892. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2xMUk_tVDh0V2u4alPsqjFSYVHbJvFK-dr8eo0EReJCuzQ_E5XoRwf02BUP04MyU6GjCx0_JKiYDqEMLxjcK1k7EHI3xet7rRsbimk83fzqcoHvTQDME9d4Dmk3Q2HJjOAXhTg8q73-_/s1600/800px-Frigate_Al_Makkah55.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;156&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2xMUk_tVDh0V2u4alPsqjFSYVHbJvFK-dr8eo0EReJCuzQ_E5XoRwf02BUP04MyU6GjCx0_JKiYDqEMLxjcK1k7EHI3xet7rRsbimk83fzqcoHvTQDME9d4Dmk3Q2HJjOAXhTg8q73-_/s320/800px-Frigate_Al_Makkah55.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9893. &lt;br /&gt;
  9894. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9895. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Geography&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  9896. &lt;/div&gt;
  9897. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9898. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9899. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9900. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  9901. occupies about 80% of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  9902. lying between latitudes 16° and 33° N, and longitudes 34° and 56° E. Because
  9903. the country&#39;s southern borders with the United Arab Emirates and Oman are not
  9904. precisely defined or marked, the exact size of the country remains unknown.The
  9905. CIA World Factbook&#39;s estimate is 2,250,000 km2 (868,730 sq mi) and lists Saudi
  9906. Arabia as the world&#39;s 13th largest state.&lt;/div&gt;
  9907. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9908. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9909. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9910. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s
  9911. geography is dominated by the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Desert&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  9912. and associated semi-desert and shrubland (see satellite image to right). It is,
  9913. in fact, a number of linked deserts and includes the 647,500 km2 (250,001 sq
  9914. mi) Rub&#39; al Khali (&quot;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Empty Quarter&lt;/st1:place&gt;&quot;)
  9915. in the southern part of the country, the world&#39;s largest contiguous sand
  9916. desert. There are virtually no rivers or lakes in the country, but wadis are
  9917. numerous. The few fertile areas are to be found in the alluvial deposits in
  9918. wadis, basins, and oases. The main topographical feature is the central plateau
  9919. which rises abruptly from the Red Sea and gradually descends into the Nejd and
  9920. toward the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;. On the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Red Sea&lt;/st1:place&gt; coast, there is a narrow coastal plain, known as
  9921. the Tihamah parallel to which runs an imposing escarpment. The southwest &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;province&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Asir&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  9922. is mountainous, and contains the 3,133 m (10,279 ft) &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mount&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Sawda&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;,
  9923. which is the highest point in the country.&lt;/div&gt;
  9924. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  9925. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9926. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Twoz7tvIY69wX-Vg_QZyeZkSu0uw-6fFfFFKmvLNKlOaxrThflFTLbK9VeX6ok22ctBqSG1bboOo6g-vsviwudbkjVY8NTtyhkpazYUmAADGexMdwHebtGqa-xs1MxYWn4TbVTFLrO6i/s1600/Arabian_Desert42.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;273&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Twoz7tvIY69wX-Vg_QZyeZkSu0uw-6fFfFFKmvLNKlOaxrThflFTLbK9VeX6ok22ctBqSG1bboOo6g-vsviwudbkjVY8NTtyhkpazYUmAADGexMdwHebtGqa-xs1MxYWn4TbVTFLrO6i/s320/Arabian_Desert42.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9927. &lt;br /&gt;
  9928. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9929. Except for the southwestern &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;province&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  9930. of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Asir&lt;/st1:placename&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; has a desert climate
  9931. with extremely high day-time temperatures and a sharp temperature drop at
  9932. night. Average summer temperatures are around 113 °F (45 °C), but can be as
  9933. high as 129 °F (54 °C). In the winter the temperature rarely drops below 32 °F
  9934. (0 °C). In the spring and autumn the heat is temperate, temperatures average
  9935. around 84 °F (29 °C). Annual rainfall is extremely low. The Asir region differs
  9936. in that it is influenced by the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Indian Ocean&lt;/st1:place&gt;
  9937. monsoons, usually occurring between October and March. An average of 300 mm (12
  9938. in) of rainfall occurs during this period, that is about 60% of the annual
  9939. precipitation.&lt;/div&gt;
  9940. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9941. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9942. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9943. Animal life includes wolves, hyenas, mongooses, baboons,
  9944. hares, sand rats, and jerboas. Larger animals such as gazelles, oryx, and
  9945. leopards were relatively numerous until the 1950s, when hunting from motor
  9946. vehicles reduced these animals almost to extinction. Birds include falcons
  9947. (which are caught and trained for hunting), eagles, hawks, vultures, sand
  9948. grouse and bulbuls. There are several species of snakes, many of which are
  9949. venomous, and numerous types of lizards. There is a wide variety of marine life
  9950. in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Persian Gulf&lt;/st1:place&gt;. Domesticated animals
  9951. include camels, sheep, goats, donkeys, and chickens. Reflecting the country&#39;s
  9952. desert conditions, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9953.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s plant life mostly consists of small
  9954. herbs and shrubs requiring little water. There are a few small areas of grass
  9955. and trees in southern Asir. The date palm (&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Phoenix&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; dactylifera) is widespread.&lt;/div&gt;
  9956. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  9957. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  9958. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jAbNVk7Gk6kNtIyOeYxVdLbAzo4H8GfnJURQsHE5OTWpr8wvc8u6mwSQZypXrRvPHkogaRi6fLOz60hI-XAAqSlekm2Fo18BVioDoOk_iKGFtDu9hYlUy-myRd7x7Toyb20BfMlUHB8u/s1600/800px-Tuwaiq_Escarpment-14h38m25s-k21.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jAbNVk7Gk6kNtIyOeYxVdLbAzo4H8GfnJURQsHE5OTWpr8wvc8u6mwSQZypXrRvPHkogaRi6fLOz60hI-XAAqSlekm2Fo18BVioDoOk_iKGFtDu9hYlUy-myRd7x7Toyb20BfMlUHB8u/s320/800px-Tuwaiq_Escarpment-14h38m25s-k21.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9959. &lt;br /&gt;
  9960. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9961. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: navy; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Administrative
  9962. divisions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9963. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9964. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9965. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9966. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  9967.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is divided into 13 provinces (manatiq
  9968. idāriyya, – singular mintaqah idariyya). The provinces are further divided into
  9969. 118 governorates (Arabic: manatiq idāriyya, &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;منطقةإدارية&lt;/span&gt;, ). This number includes the 13 provincial
  9970. capitals, which have a different status as municipalities (amanah) headed by
  9971. mayors (amin). The governorates are further sudivided into sub-governorates
  9972. (marakiz, sing. markaz).&lt;/div&gt;
  9973. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9974. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9975. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9976. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9977. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9978. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18.0pt;&quot;&gt;No.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Province&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Capital &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9979. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9980. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9981. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9982. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;1&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: red;&quot;&gt;Al Jawf (or Jouf)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  9983. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Sakaka
  9984. city &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9985. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9986. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9987. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9988. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;2&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Northern
  9989. Borders&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  9990. &lt;/span&gt;Arar&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9991. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9992. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9993. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9994. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;3&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Tabuk&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  9995. &lt;/span&gt;Tabuk city &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9996. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9997. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  9998. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  9999. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;4&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Ha&#39;il&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  10000. &lt;/span&gt;Ha&#39;il city &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10001. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10002. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10003. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10004. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;5&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Al Madinah&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  10005. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10006. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10007. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10008. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10009. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;6&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Al Qasim&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Buraidah&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10010. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10011. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10012. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10013. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;7&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Makkah&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  10014. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10015. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10016. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10017. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10018. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;8&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Al Riyadh&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Riyadh
  10019. city &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10020. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10021. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10022. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10023. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;9&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Eastern Province&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Dammam &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10024. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10025. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10026. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10027. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;10&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Al Bahah (or Baha)&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Al Bahah
  10028. city &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10029. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10030. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10031. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10032. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;11&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Asir&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  10033. &lt;/span&gt;Abha&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10034. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10035. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10036. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10037. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-size: 14.0pt;&quot;&gt;12&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Jizan&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Jizan
  10038. city &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10039. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10040. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10041. &lt;span style=&quot;color: red; font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;&quot;&gt;13&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  10042. &lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Najran&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
  10043. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  10044. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  10045. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  10046. &lt;br /&gt;
  10047. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  10048. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  10049. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10050. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9JVFdK_VLzU8dwJw_ZsBnIwr-reYDER_gbozGa_isiASLJaGBiRURJMj9Icw7lyDvjiy-J_M9HZtsDz4oKUoY2-gQFsCFEoFhyVKqAKn8Es2qXEKAcwag1lOzu6tw1cLxUIyKmndDyqM/s1600/720px-Saudi_Arabia,_administrative_divisions_-_Nmbrs_-_colored.svg12.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9JVFdK_VLzU8dwJw_ZsBnIwr-reYDER_gbozGa_isiASLJaGBiRURJMj9Icw7lyDvjiy-J_M9HZtsDz4oKUoY2-gQFsCFEoFhyVKqAKn8Es2qXEKAcwag1lOzu6tw1cLxUIyKmndDyqM/s320/720px-Saudi_Arabia,_administrative_divisions_-_Nmbrs_-_colored.svg12.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10051. &lt;br /&gt;
  10052. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10053. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Economy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  10054. &lt;/div&gt;
  10055. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10056. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10057. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10058. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10059.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s command economy is petroleum-based;
  10060. roughly 75% of budget revenues and 90% of export earnings come from the oil
  10061. industry. The oil industry comprises about 45% of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s nominal gross
  10062. domestic product, compared with 40% from the private sector (see below). &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  10063. officially has about 260 billion barrels (4.1×1010 m3) of oil reserves,
  10064. comprising about one-fifth of the world&#39;s proven total petroleum reserves.&lt;/div&gt;
  10065. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10066. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10067. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10068. The government is attempting to promote growth in the
  10069. private sector by privatizing industries such as power and telecommunications. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  10070. announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies in 1999, which
  10071. followed the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. Shortages
  10072. of water and rapid population growth may constrain government efforts to
  10073. increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products.&lt;/div&gt;
  10074. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10075. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10076. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10077. In the 1990s, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; experienced a
  10078. significant contraction of oil revenues combined with a high rate of population
  10079. growth. Per capita income fell from a high of $11,700 at the height of the oil
  10080. boom in 1981 to $6,300 in 1998. Increases in oil prices since 2000 have helped
  10081. boost per capita GDP to $17,000 in 2007 dollars, or about $7,400 adjusted for
  10082. inflation. Taking into account the impact of the real oil price changes on the
  10083. Kingdom&#39;s real gross domestic income, the real command-basis GDP was computed
  10084. to be 330.381 billion 1999 USD in 2010.&lt;/div&gt;
  10085. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  10086. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10087. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOUVIECivCR4JnaVafxJBDSh6kkYT-bYAvNBLoiU40AJJEHExbKVqw5hIa3bYvgUQNkTm-X_AfQCtxGEqA8c9Lh3ArKl4ZwcClb5jTg7wA6dIw_WfbxYFKUcbX-XW5XoGnLBJs5rvxFXP/s1600/Kingdom_Tower_at_night1333333.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOUVIECivCR4JnaVafxJBDSh6kkYT-bYAvNBLoiU40AJJEHExbKVqw5hIa3bYvgUQNkTm-X_AfQCtxGEqA8c9Lh3ArKl4ZwcClb5jTg7wA6dIw_WfbxYFKUcbX-XW5XoGnLBJs5rvxFXP/s320/Kingdom_Tower_at_night1333333.JPG&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10088. &lt;br /&gt;
  10089. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10090. Oil price increases of 2008–2009 have triggered a second oil
  10091. boom, pushing &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s
  10092. budget surplus to $28 billion (110SR billion) in 2005. Tadawul (the Saudi stock
  10093. market index) finished 2004 with a massive 76.23% to close at 4437.58 points.
  10094. Market capitalization was up 110.14% from a year earlier to stand at $157.3
  10095. billion (589.93SR billion), which makes it the biggest stock market in the
  10096. Middle East.&lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‏&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10097. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10098. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10099. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10100. OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
  10101. limits its members&#39; oil production based on their &quot;proven reserves.&quot;
  10102. The higher their reserves, the more OPEC allows them to produce. Saudi Arabia&#39;s
  10103. published reserves have shown little change since 1980, with the main exception
  10104. being an increase of about 100 billion barrels (1.6×1010 m3) between 1987 and
  10105. 1988. Matthew Simmons has suggested that &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is greatly
  10106. exaggerating its reserves and may soon show production declines (see peak oil).&lt;/div&gt;
  10107. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10108. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10109. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10110. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10111.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is one of only a few fast-growing
  10112. countries in the world with a relatively high per capita income of $24,200
  10113. (2010). &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; will be
  10114. launching six &quot;economic cities&quot; (e.g. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdullah&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  10115. &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Economic&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;City&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;)
  10116. which are planned to be completed by 2020. These six new industrialized cities
  10117. are intended to diversify the economy of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, and are expected to
  10118. increase the per capita income. The King of Saudi Arabia has announced that the
  10119. per capita income is forecast to rise from $15,000 in 2006 to $33,500 in 2020.
  10120. The cities will be spread around &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; to promote
  10121. diversification for each region and their economy, and the cities are projected
  10122. to contribute $150 billion to the GDP.&lt;/div&gt;
  10123. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10124. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10125. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10126. However the urban areas of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; and Jeddah are expected to contribute
  10127. $287 billion by the year 2020.&lt;/div&gt;
  10128. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10129. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10130. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10131. Gold mining is carried out in the Mahd adh Dhahab region
  10132. (also known as the &quot;Cradle of Gold&quot;). Saudi Arabian stores suffered a
  10133. significant decrease in Gold sales in 2012.&lt;/div&gt;
  10134. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10135. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10136. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10137. Reporting of poverty remains a state taboo. In December
  10138. 2011, days after the Arab Spring uprisings, the Saudi interior ministry
  10139. detained reporter Feros Boqna and two colleagues and held them for almost two
  10140. weeks for questioning after they uploaded a video on the topic to YouTube.
  10141. Statistics on the issue are not available through the UN resources because the
  10142. Saudi government does not issue poverty figures. Observers researching the
  10143. issue prefer to stay anonymous because of the risk of being arrested. Three
  10144. journalists: Feras Boqna, Hussam al-Drewesh and Khaled al-Rasheed were detained
  10145. after posting 10-minute film &#39;Mal3ob 3alena&#39;, or &#39;We are being cheated&#39; on
  10146. Saudis living in poverty to YouTube. Authors of the video claim that 22% of
  10147. Saudis are considered to be poor (2009) and 70% of Saudis do not own their
  10148. houses.&lt;/div&gt;
  10149. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  10150. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10151. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopipSvsDkxdvVCHKWtIU6k4YJmgOJmIpP08p_fkXstxlZOQPMRPKNK2aQTXIkI90CXx17q1XxCabGJbxZexA_BQqwnHQzzA69GtXW1XrsBcjnP-mkxpd4egAyVuWG6KfHHXN9MduiMknu/s1600/Saudi_Arabia,_Trends_in_the_Human_Development_Index_1970-2010.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;181&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopipSvsDkxdvVCHKWtIU6k4YJmgOJmIpP08p_fkXstxlZOQPMRPKNK2aQTXIkI90CXx17q1XxCabGJbxZexA_BQqwnHQzzA69GtXW1XrsBcjnP-mkxpd4egAyVuWG6KfHHXN9MduiMknu/s320/Saudi_Arabia,_Trends_in_the_Human_Development_Index_1970-2010.png&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10152. &lt;br /&gt;
  10153. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10154. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Demographics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10155. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10156. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10157. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10158. The population of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  10159. as of July 2013 is estimated to be 26,939,583 including 5,576,076
  10160. non-nationals.In 1950, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10161.  Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; had a population of 3 million. The
  10162. ethnic composition of Saudi nationals is 90% Arab and Bedouin Arab, and 10%
  10163. Afro Asian and Afro-Arab. Until the 1960s, a majority of the population was
  10164. nomadic; but presently more than 95% of the population is settled, due to rapid
  10165. economic and urban growth. As recently as the early 1960s, the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s
  10166. slave population was estimated at 300,000.Slavery was officially abolished in
  10167. 1962.&lt;/div&gt;
  10168. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10169. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10170. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10171. The CIA Factbook estimated that as of 2013 foreign nationals
  10172. living in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  10173. made up about 21% of the population. Other sources report differing estimates.
  10174. Indian: 1.3 million, Pakistani: 900,000, Egyptian: 900,000, Yemeni: 800,000,
  10175. Bangladeshi: 500,000, Filipino: 500,000, Jordanian/Palestinian: 260,000,
  10176. Indonesian: 250,000, Sri Lankan: 350,000, Sudanese: 250,000, Syrian: 100,000
  10177. and Turkish: 100,000. There are around 100,000 Westerners in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  10178. most of whom live in compounds or gated communities.&lt;/div&gt;
  10179. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10180. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10181. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10182. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10183.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; expelled 800,000 Yemenis in 1990 and
  10184. 1991. An estimated 240,000 Palestinians are living in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  10185. They are not allowed to hold or even apply for Saudi citizenship, because of
  10186. Arab League instructions barring the Arab states from granting them
  10187. citizenship. Palestinians are the sole foreign group that cannot benefit from a
  10188. 2004 law passed by &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10189.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s Council of Ministers, which
  10190. entitles expatriates of all nationalities who have resided in the kingdom for
  10191. ten years to apply for citizenship with priority being given to holders of
  10192. degrees in various scientific fields. The Articles 12.4 and 14.1 of the
  10193. Executive Regulation of Saudi Citizenship System can be interpreted as
  10194. requiring applicants to be Muslim.&lt;/div&gt;
  10195. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10196. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10197. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10198. In a 2011 news story, Arab News reported, &quot;Nearly three
  10199. million expatriate workers will have to leave the Kingdom in the next few years
  10200. as the Labor Ministry has put a 20% ceiling on the country&#39;s guest
  10201. workers.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  10202. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10203. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10204. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10205. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Languages&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10206. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10207. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10208. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10209. The official language of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; is Arabic. The three
  10210. main regional variants spoken by Saudis are Hejazi Arabic (about 6 million
  10211. speakers), Nejdi Arabic (about 8 million speakers) and Gulf Arabic (about 0.2
  10212. million speakers). The large expatriate communities also speak their own
  10213. languages, the most numerous being Tagalog (700,000), Rohingya (400,000), Urdu
  10214. (380,000), and Egyptian Arabic (300,000).&lt;/div&gt;
  10215. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10216. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10217. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10218. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #339966; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Religion&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10219. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10220. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10221. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10222. There are about 25 million people who are Muslim, or 97% of
  10223. the total population.Data for &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10224.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; comes primarily from general
  10225. population surveys, which are less reliable than censuses or large-scale
  10226. demographic and health surveys for estimating minority-majority ratios. About
  10227. 85–90% of Saudis are Sunni, while Shias represent around 10–15% of the Muslim
  10228. population. The official and dominant form of Sunni Islam in Saudi Arabia is
  10229. commonly known as Wahhabism (a name which some of its proponents consider
  10230. derogatory, preferring the term Salafism), founded in the Arabian Peninsula by
  10231. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the eighteenth century, is often described as
  10232. &#39;puritanical&#39;, &#39;intolerant&#39; or &#39;ultra-conservative&#39;. However, proponents
  10233. consider that its teachings seek to purify the practice of Islam of any
  10234. innovations or practices that deviate from the seventh-century teachings of the
  10235. Islamic Prophet Muhammad and his companions. Shias face persecution in
  10236. employment and religious ceremonies.&lt;/div&gt;
  10237. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10238. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10239. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10240. In 2010, the U.S. State Department stated that in Saudi
  10241. Arabia &quot;freedom of religion is neither recognized nor protected under the
  10242. law and is severely restricted in practice&quot; and that &quot;government
  10243. policies continued to place severe restrictions on religious freedom&quot;.No
  10244. faith other than Islam is permitted to be practiced, although there are nearly
  10245. a million Christians – nearly all foreign workers – in Saudi Arabia. There are
  10246. no churches or other non-Muslim houses of worship permitted in the country.Even
  10247. private prayer services are forbidden in practice and the Saudi religious
  10248. police reportedly regularly search the homes of Christians. Foreign workers
  10249. have to observe Ramadan but are not allowed to celebrate Christmas or Easter.&lt;/div&gt;
  10250. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10251. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10252. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10253. Conversion by Muslims to another religion (apostasy) carries
  10254. the death penalty, although there have been no confirmed reports of executions
  10255. for apostasy in recent years. Proselytizing by non-Muslims is illegal, and the
  10256. last Christian priest was expelled from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; in 1985. There are
  10257. some Hindus and Buddhists in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10258.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. Compensation in court cases
  10259. discriminates against non-Muslims: once fault is determined, a Muslim receives
  10260. all of the amount of compensation determined, a Jew or Christian half, and all
  10261. others a sixteenth.&lt;/div&gt;
  10262. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10263. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10264. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10265. According to Human Rights Watch, the Shia minority face
  10266. systematic discrimination from the Saudi government in education, the justice
  10267. system and especially religious freedom. Restrictions are imposed on the public
  10268. celebration of Shia festivals such as Ashura and on the Shia taking part in
  10269. communal public worship. According to a 2012 poll, 5% of Saudis are atheists.&lt;/div&gt;
  10270. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10271. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10272. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10273. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnEX14GOTtqGCOf3FRDFpATjY5POEKZNPRRa0nEnzyX775XhsCnfPZ_Ny16QPHSGjlaKFnx7-PzJ71NfJ7sTa_6t5nJAvsOQozC1MAoqyRbI1PBn_KrjIHAmFb2wTdFc17XPvGU1YoiaY/s1600/800px-Supplicating_Pilgrim_at_Masjid_Al_Haram._Mecca,_Saudi_Arabia.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnEX14GOTtqGCOf3FRDFpATjY5POEKZNPRRa0nEnzyX775XhsCnfPZ_Ny16QPHSGjlaKFnx7-PzJ71NfJ7sTa_6t5nJAvsOQozC1MAoqyRbI1PBn_KrjIHAmFb2wTdFc17XPvGU1YoiaY/s320/800px-Supplicating_Pilgrim_at_Masjid_Al_Haram._Mecca,_Saudi_Arabia.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10274. &lt;br /&gt;
  10275.  
  10276.  
  10277.  
  10278. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10279. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: maroon; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Culture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10280. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10281. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10282. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10283. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10284.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; has centuries-old attitudes and
  10285. traditions, often derived from Arab tribal civilization. This culture has been
  10286. bolstered by the austerely puritanical Wahhabi form of Islam, which arose in
  10287. the eighteenth century and now predominates in the country. The many limitations
  10288. on behaviour and dress are strictly enforced both legally and socially.
  10289. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited, for example, and there is no theatre or
  10290. public exhibition of films. Nevertheless, as reported by the UK Mail, within
  10291. the Saudi royal family homosexuality is permitted so long as it is not the
  10292. subject of public attention (Daily Mail: &quot;A gay Saudi prince has been
  10293. jailed for beating and strangling his servant.&quot;).However, the Daily Mail
  10294. and Wikileaks indicate that the Saudi Royal family applies a different moral
  10295. code to itself (&quot;WikiLeaks cables: Saudi princes throw parties boasting
  10296. drink, drugs and sex. Royals flout puritanical laws to throw parties for young
  10297. elite while religious police are forced to turn a blind eye.&quot;) Public
  10298. expression of opinion about domestic political or social matters is
  10299. discouraged. There are no organizations such as political parties or labour
  10300. unions to provide public forums.&lt;/div&gt;
  10301. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10302. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10303. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10304. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10305. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10306. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNIjwAz03fHjuhxQKmCrg6tRL516lA-fsT8Z3u13bXozfNWY2g78l4Ulpv8j4dVC68gKnEa-E36O6p1ZGtURWhUkzJiMAcqzjwQTnKHGUUdeDOdpvstTtzfDLk13XQOp35q5EEfomAklw/s1600/800px-While_pilgrims_are_performing_these_rites,_Muslims_who_are_not_at_Hajj_are_celebrating_the_Eid_al-Adha_holiday._-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;212&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNIjwAz03fHjuhxQKmCrg6tRL516lA-fsT8Z3u13bXozfNWY2g78l4Ulpv8j4dVC68gKnEa-E36O6p1ZGtURWhUkzJiMAcqzjwQTnKHGUUdeDOdpvstTtzfDLk13XQOp35q5EEfomAklw/s320/800px-While_pilgrims_are_performing_these_rites,_Muslims_who_are_not_at_Hajj_are_celebrating_the_Eid_al-Adha_holiday._-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10307. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10308. Daily life is dominated by Islamic observance. Five times
  10309. each day, Muslims are called to prayer from the minarets of mosques scattered
  10310. throughout the country. Because Friday is the holiest day for Muslims, the
  10311. weekend was Thursday and Friday. Starting on June 29, 2013 the weekend has been
  10312. shifted to Friday-Saturday to better serve the Saudi economy and its
  10313. international commitments.In accordance with Wahhabi doctrine, only two
  10314. religious holidays are publicly recognized, ʿĪd al-Fiṭr and ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā.
  10315. Celebration of other Islamic holidays, such as the Prophet&#39;s birthday and
  10316. ʿĀshūrāʾ (an important holiday for Shīʿites), are tolerated only when
  10317. celebrated locally and on a small scale. Public observance of non-Islamic
  10318. religious holidays is prohibited, with the exception of 23 September, which
  10319. commemorates the unification of the kingdom.&lt;/div&gt;
  10320. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10321. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10322. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10323.  
  10324.  
  10325. &lt;/div&gt;
  10326. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10327. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #003366; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Islamic
  10328. heritage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  10329. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10330. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10331. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10332. Saudi Arabia, and specifically the Hejaz, as the cradle of
  10333. Islam, has many of the most significant historic Muslim sites including the two
  10334. holiest sites of Mecca and Medina.One of the King&#39;s titles is Custodian of the
  10335. Two Holy Mosques, the two mosques being Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, which
  10336. contains Islam&#39;s most sacred place, the Kaaba, and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in
  10337. Medina which contains Muhammad&#39;s tomb.&lt;/div&gt;
  10338. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10339. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10340. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10341. However, Saudi Wahhabism is hostile to any reverence given
  10342. to historical or religious places of significance for fear that it may give
  10343. rise to &#39;shirk&#39; (that is, idolatry). As a consequence, under Saudi rule, the
  10344. Hejaz cities have suffered from considerable destruction of their physical
  10345. heritage and, for example, it has been estimated that about 95% of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&#39;s historic
  10346. buildings, most over a thousand years old, have been demolished. These include
  10347. the mosque originally built by Muhammad&#39;s daughter Fatima, and other mosques
  10348. founded by Abu Bakr (Muhammad&#39;s father-in-law and the first Caliph), Umar (the
  10349. second Caliph), Ali (Muhammad&#39;s son-in-law and the fourth Caliph), and Salman
  10350. al-Farsi (another of Muhammad&#39;s companions). Other historic buildings that have
  10351. been destroyed include the house of Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet, the
  10352. house of Abu Bakr, now the site of the local Hilton hotel; the house of
  10353. Ali-Oraid, the grandson of the Prophet, and the Mosque of abu-Qubais, now the
  10354. location of the King&#39;s palace in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;
  10355. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10356. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10357. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10358. Critics have described this as &quot;Saudi vandalism&quot;
  10359. and claim that over the last 50 years 300 historic sites linked to Muhammad,
  10360. his family or companions have been lost. It has been reported that there now
  10361. are fewer than 20 structures remaining in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mecca&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;
  10362. that date back to the time of Muhammad.&lt;/div&gt;
  10363. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  10364. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10365. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1Z_yMsHDoCH_pLoJmwGBrVlxxywYJb0A0BJQmE6ohperKSRXUomHfMTU7ts5J7XqVv9Q0mRsS169-R9T1QahImL8w8lGKW1csU36ek_jOI1I-ikQF6AC5KB0OTgZLh3_MWuOpfvdqhW7/s1600/800px-(S.A.W)_grave123.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1Z_yMsHDoCH_pLoJmwGBrVlxxywYJb0A0BJQmE6ohperKSRXUomHfMTU7ts5J7XqVv9Q0mRsS169-R9T1QahImL8w8lGKW1csU36ek_jOI1I-ikQF6AC5KB0OTgZLh3_MWuOpfvdqhW7/s320/800px-(S.A.W)_grave123.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10366. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10367. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333399; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Dress&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10368. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10369. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10370. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10371. Saudi Arabian dress strictly follows the principles of hijab
  10372. (the Islamic principle of modesty, especially in dress). The predominantly
  10373. loose and flowing, but covering, garments are suited to &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&#39;s
  10374. desert climate. Traditionally, men usually wear an ankle length garment woven
  10375. from wool or cotton (known as a thawb), with a keffiyeh (a large checkered
  10376. square of cotton held in place by an agal) or a ghutra (a plain white square made
  10377. of finer cotton, also held in place by an agal) worn on the head. For rare
  10378. chilly days, Saudi men wear a camel-hair cloak (bisht) over the top. Women&#39;s
  10379. clothes are decorated with tribal motifs, coins, sequins, metallic thread, and
  10380. appliques. Women are required to wear an abaya or modest clothing when in
  10381. public.&lt;/div&gt;
  10382. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10383. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10384. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10385. 1 Ghutrah (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;غتره&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is a traditional
  10386. headdress typically worn by Arab men. It is made of a square of cloth
  10387. (&quot;scarf&quot;), usually cotton, folded and wrapped in various styles
  10388. around the head. It is commonly worn in areas with an arid climate, to provide
  10389. protection from direct sun exposure, and also protection of the mouth and eyes
  10390. from blown dust and sand.&lt;/div&gt;
  10391. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10392. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10393. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10394. 2&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Agal (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;عقال&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is an item of Arab headgear constructed of cord which
  10395. is fastened around the Ghutrah to hold it in place. The agal is usually black
  10396. in colour.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10397. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10398. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10399. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10400. 3 Thawb (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;ثوب&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is the standard
  10401. Arabic word for garment. It is ankle length, usually with long sleeves similar
  10402. to a robe&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10403. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10404. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10405. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10406. 4&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Bisht (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;بشت&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is a traditional Arabic men&#39;s cloak usually only worn
  10407. for prestige on special occasions such as weddings. &lt;/div&gt;
  10408. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10409. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10410. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10411. 5 Abaya (Arabic: &lt;span dir=&quot;RTL&quot; lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;عباية&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;AR-SA&quot;&gt;‎&lt;/span&gt;) is a women&#39;s
  10412. garment. It is a black cloak which loosely covers the entire body except the
  10413. head. Some women choose to cover their faces with a niqāb and some do not. &lt;/div&gt;
  10414. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10415. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10416. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10417. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Entertainment,
  10418. the arts, sport and cuisine&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10419. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10420. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10421. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10422. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10423. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10424. During the 1970s, cinemas were numerous in the Kingdom
  10425. although they were seen as contrary to tribal norms. During the Islamic revival
  10426. movement in the 1980s, and as a political response to an increase in Islamist
  10427. activism including the 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the
  10428. government closed all cinemas and theaters. However, with King Abdullah&#39;s
  10429. reforms from 2005, some cinemas have re-opened.&lt;/div&gt;
  10430. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10431. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10432. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10433. From the 18th century onward, Wahhabi fundamentalism
  10434. discouraged artistic development inconsistent with its teaching. In addition,
  10435. Sunni Islamic prohibition of creating representations of people have limited
  10436. the visual arts, which tend to be dominated by geometric, floral, and abstract
  10437. designs and by calligraphy. With the advent of oil-wealth in the 20th century
  10438. came exposure to outside influences, such as Western housing styles,
  10439. furnishings, and clothes. Music and dance have always been part of Saudi life.
  10440. Traditional music is generally associated with poetry and is sung collectively.
  10441. Instruments include the rabābah, an instrument not unlike a three-string
  10442. fiddle, and various types of percussion instruments, such as the ṭabl (drum)
  10443. and the ṭār (tambourine). Of the native dances, the most popular is a martial
  10444. line dance known as the ʿarḍah, which includes lines of men, frequently armed
  10445. with swords or rifles, dancing to the beat of drums and tambourines. Bedouin
  10446. poetry, known as nabaṭī, is still very popular.&lt;/div&gt;
  10447. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10448. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10449. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10450. Censorship has limited the development of Saudi literature,
  10451. although several Saudi novelists and poets have achieved critical and popular
  10452. acclaim in the Arab world – albeit generating official hostility in their home
  10453. country. These include Ghazi Algosaibi, Abdelrahman Munif, Turki al-Hamad and
  10454. Rajaa al-Sanea.&lt;/div&gt;
  10455. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10456. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10457. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10458. Football (soccer) is the national sport in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  10459. Scuba diving, windsurfing, sailing and basketball are also popular, played by
  10460. both men and women, with the Saudi Arabian national basketball team winning
  10461. bronze at the 1999 Asian Championship. More traditional sports such as camel
  10462. racing became more popular in the 1970s. A stadium in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; holds races in the winter. The annual
  10463. King&#39;s Camel Race, begun in 1974, is one of the sport&#39;s most important contests
  10464. and attracts animals and riders from throughout the region. Falconry, another
  10465. traditional pursuit, is still practiced.&lt;/div&gt;
  10466. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10467. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10468. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10469. Saudi Arabian cuisine is similar to that of the surrounding
  10470. countries in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;, and has
  10471. been heavily influenced by Turkish, Persian, and African food. Islamic dietary
  10472. laws are enforced: pork is not consumed and other animals are slaughtered in
  10473. accordance with halal. A dish consisting of a stuffed lamb, known as khūzī, is
  10474. the traditional national dish. Kebabs are popular, as is shāwarmā (shawarma), a
  10475. marinated grilled meat dish of lamb, mutton, or chicken. As in other Arab
  10476. countries of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Arabian Peninsula&lt;/st1:place&gt;, machbūs
  10477. (kabsa), a rice dish with fish or shrimp, is popular. Flat, unleavened bread is
  10478. a staple of virtually every meal, as are dates and fresh fruit. Coffee, served
  10479. in the Turkish style, is the traditional beverage.&lt;/div&gt;
  10480. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10481. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10482. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10483. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Society&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  10484. &lt;/div&gt;
  10485. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10486. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10487. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10488. Saudi society has a number of issues and tensions. A rare
  10489. independent opinion poll published in 2010 indicated that Saudis&#39; main social
  10490. concerns were unemployment (at 10% in 2010), corruption and religious
  10491. extremism. Crime is not a significant problem. However, the government of Saudi
  10492. Arabia&#39;s objective of being a religious Islamic country, coupled with economic
  10493. difficulties, has created deep social tensions in Saudi society. Many Saudis
  10494. want a reformed, more secular government and to have more influence in the
  10495. political process. On the other hand, juvenile delinquency, drug-use and
  10496. excessive use of alcohol are getting worse. High unemployment and a generation
  10497. of young males filled with contempt toward the Royal Family is a significant
  10498. threat to Saudi social stability. Some Saudis feel they are entitled to
  10499. well-paid government jobs, and the failure of the government to satisfy this
  10500. sense of entitlement has led to considerable dissatisfaction. The Shiite
  10501. minority, located primarily in the Eastern Province, are subjected to
  10502. institutionalized government discrimination, inequality and repression.
  10503. Terrorist attacks in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  10504. have made it clear that &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10505.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; does harbor indigenous terrorists.&lt;/div&gt;
  10506. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10507. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10508. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10509. According to a 2009 U.S. State Department communication by
  10510. Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State, (disclosed as part of the
  10511. Wikileaks U.S. &#39;cables leaks&#39; controversy in 2010) &quot;donors in Saudi Arabia
  10512. constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups
  10513. worldwide&quot;.Part of this funding arises through the zakat (an act of
  10514. charity dictated by Islam) paid by all Saudis to charities, and amounting to at
  10515. least 2.5% of their income. Although many charities are genuine, others, it is
  10516. alleged, serve as fronts for money laundering and terrorist financing
  10517. operations. While many Saudis contribute to those charities in good faith
  10518. believing their money goes toward good causes, it has been alleged that others
  10519. know full well the terrorist purposes to which their money will be applied.&lt;/div&gt;
  10520. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10521. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10522. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10523. According to a study conducted by Dr. Nura Al-Suwaiyan,
  10524. director of the family safety program at the National Guard Hospital, one in
  10525. four children are abused in Saudi Arabia. The National Society for Human Rights
  10526. reports that almost 45% of the country&#39;s children are facing some sort of abuse
  10527. and domestic violence. It has also been claimed that trafficking of women is a
  10528. particular problem in Saudi Arabia as the country&#39;s large number of female
  10529. foreign domestic workers, and loopholes in the system cause many to fall victim
  10530. to abuse and torture.&lt;/div&gt;
  10531. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10532. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10533. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10534. Widespread inbreeding in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, resulting from the
  10535. traditional practice of encouraging marriage between close relatives, has
  10536. produced high levels of several genetic disorders including thalassemia, sickle
  10537. cell anemia, spinal muscular atrophy, deafness and muteness.&lt;/div&gt;
  10538. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10539. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10540. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10541. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: maroon; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Women&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  10542. &lt;/div&gt;
  10543. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10544. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10545. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10546. The U.S. State department considers Saudi government&#39;s
  10547. &quot;discrimination against women a significant problem&quot; in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;
  10548. and that women have few political rights due to the government&#39;s discriminatory
  10549. policies. The UN special reporter on domestic abuse noted the absence of laws
  10550. criminalizing violence against women in 2008.The World Economic Forum 2010
  10551. Global Gender Gap Report ranked &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10552.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; 129th out of 134 countries for gender
  10553. parity.&lt;/div&gt;
  10554. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10555. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10556. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10557. Under Saudi law, every adult female has to have a male relative
  10558. as her &quot;guardian&quot;.As a result, Human Rights Watch has described the
  10559. legal position of Saudi women as like that of a minor, with little legal
  10560. authority over their own lives, such as government authorities forcing women to
  10561. obtain the legal permission of a male guardian in order to travel, study and
  10562. work. The guardian is legally entitled to make a number of critical decisions
  10563. on a woman&#39;s behalf.&lt;/div&gt;
  10564. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10565. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10566. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10567. Women are also said to have faced discrimination in the
  10568. courts, where the testimony of one man equals that of two women, and in family
  10569. and inheritance law. Polygamy is permitted for men, and men have a unilateral
  10570. right to divorce their wives (talaq) without needing any legal justification.A
  10571. woman can only obtain a divorce with the consent of her husband or judicially
  10572. if her husband has harmed her. In practice, it is very difficult for a Saudi
  10573. woman to obtain a judicial divorce.With regard to the law of inheritance, the
  10574. Quran specifies that fixed portions of the deceased&#39;s estate must be left to
  10575. the Qu&#39;ranic heirs. Generally, female heirs receive half the portion of male
  10576. heirs.A Sunni Muslim can bequeath a maximum of a third of his property to
  10577. non-Qu&#39;ranic heirs. The residue is divided between agnatic heirs.&lt;/div&gt;
  10578. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10579. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10580. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10581. The average age at first marriage among Saudi females is 25
  10582. years in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;.
  10583. Child marriage exists in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10584.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, however it is not common. 60% of all
  10585. university graduates in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi
  10586.  Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; are Saudi women. In 2005–2006, women
  10587. had a 60% dropout rate in college. Female literacy is estimated to be 81%
  10588. whereas male literacy is estimated to be higher.&lt;/div&gt;
  10589. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10590. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10591. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10592. The religious police, known as the mutawa impose many
  10593. restrictions on women in public in Saudi Arabia.The restrictions include
  10594. forcing women to sit in separate specially designated family sections in
  10595. restaurants, to wear an abaya and to cover their hair.There is also effectively
  10596. a ban on women driving.&lt;/div&gt;
  10597. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10598. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10599. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10600. Leading Saudi feminist and journalist, Wajeha al-Huwaider,
  10601. has said &quot;Saudi women are weak, no matter how high their status, even the
  10602. &#39;pampered&#39; ones among them, because they have no law to protect them from
  10603. attack by anyone. The oppression of women and the effacement of their selfhood
  10604. is a flaw affecting most homes in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  10605. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10606. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10607. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10608. Although many Saudi women want much more freedom in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;,
  10609. there is evidence that some women do not want radical change, but this could in
  10610. part be because Saudi men do not know how to behave around women. Some
  10611. advocates of reform reject foreign critics, for &quot;failing to understand the
  10612. uniqueness of Saudi society.&quot; A number of Saudi women have risen to the
  10613. top of some professions or otherwise achieved prominence, for example Dr. Ghada
  10614. Al-Mutairi, heads a medical research center in &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;California&lt;/st1:state&gt;
  10615. and Dr. Salwa Al-Hazzaa, head of the ophthalmology department at &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Faisal&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Specialist&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Hospital&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;
  10616. in &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Riyadh&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; and
  10617. was the late King Fahad&#39;s personal ophthalmologist. On 25 September 2011, King
  10618. Abdullah announced that Saudi women would gain the right to vote (and to be
  10619. candidates) in municipal elections, following the next round of these
  10620. elections. However, a male guardian&#39;s permission is required in order to vote.&lt;/div&gt;
  10621. &lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10622. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKNTsitfaLYW5RD45MoHg4LmbL8zhCayZpbfx7W_ygDi5G35y5po-Q6m1nzaFxXvQRmPdUQPDdlp_mJfccB-m9lktt1uflTgdsQbFQliMtOVFzyIYljVBBHmcBAyD7YuPTUnnE32MjwNA/s1600/400px-Young_Saudi_Arabian_woman_in_Abha234.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKNTsitfaLYW5RD45MoHg4LmbL8zhCayZpbfx7W_ygDi5G35y5po-Q6m1nzaFxXvQRmPdUQPDdlp_mJfccB-m9lktt1uflTgdsQbFQliMtOVFzyIYljVBBHmcBAyD7YuPTUnnE32MjwNA/s320/400px-Young_Saudi_Arabian_woman_in_Abha234.jpg&quot; width=&quot;213&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10623. &lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10624.  
  10625.  
  10626.  
  10627. &lt;br /&gt;
  10628.  
  10629.  
  10630.  
  10631. &lt;br /&gt;
  10632. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10633. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #993366; font-size: 24.0pt;&quot;&gt;Education&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10634. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10635. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10636. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10637. Education is free at all levels. The school system is
  10638. composed of elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools. A large part of
  10639. the curriculum at all levels is devoted to Islam, and, at the secondary level,
  10640. students are able to follow either a religious or a technical track. As few
  10641. girls attend school, this disproportion is reflected in the rate of literacy,
  10642. which exceeds 85% among males and is about 70% among females. Classes are
  10643. segregated by gender. Higher education has expanded rapidly, with large numbers
  10644. of Universities and colleges being founded particularly since 2000.
  10645. Institutions of higher education include the country&#39;s first University, &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saud&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; founded in 1957, the Islamic University at
  10646. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Medina&lt;/st1:city&gt; founded in 1961, and the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;King&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Abdulaziz&lt;/st1:placename&gt;
  10647. &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;University&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; in Jeddah
  10648. founded in 1967. Other colleges and universities emphasize curricula in
  10649. sciences and technology, military studies, religion, and medicine. Institutes
  10650. devoted to Islamic studies, in particular, abound. Women typically receive
  10651. college instruction in segregated institutions.&lt;/div&gt;
  10652. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10653. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10654. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10655. The study of Islam dominates the Saudi educational system.
  10656. In particular, the memorization by rote of large parts of the Qu&#39;ran, its
  10657. interpretation and understanding (Tafsir) and the application of Islamic
  10658. tradition to everyday life is at the core of the curriculum. Religion taught in
  10659. this manner is also a compulsory subject for all University students. As a
  10660. consequence, Saudi youth &quot;generally lacks the education and technical
  10661. skills the private sector needs&quot; according to the CIA. Similarly, The
  10662. Chronicle of Higher Education wrote in 2010 that &quot;the country needs
  10663. educated young Saudis with marketable skills and a capacity for innovation and
  10664. entrepreneurship. That&#39;s not generally what &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&#39;s educational system
  10665. delivers, steeped as it is in rote learning and religious instruction.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  10666. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10667. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10668. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10669. A further criticism of the religious focus of the Saudi
  10670. education system is the nature of the Wahhabi-controlled curriculum. The
  10671. Islamic aspect of the Saudi national curriculum was examined in a 2006 report
  10672. by Freedom House which concluded that &quot;the Saudi public school religious
  10673. curriculum continues to propagate an ideology of hate toward the &#39;unbeliever&#39;,
  10674. that is, Christians, Jews, Shiites, Sufis, Sunni Muslims who do not follow
  10675. Wahhabi doctrine, Hindus, atheists and others&quot;. The Saudi religious studies
  10676. curriculum is taught outside the Kingdom in madrasah throughout the world.
  10677. Critics have described the education system as &quot;medieval&quot; and that
  10678. its primary goal &quot;is to maintain the rule of absolute monarchy by casting
  10679. it as the ordained protector of the faith, and that Islam is at war with other
  10680. faiths and cultures&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;
  10681. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10682. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10683. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
  10684. The approach taken in the Saudi education system has been
  10685. accused of encouraging Islamic terrorism, leading to reform efforts. To tackle
  10686. the twin problems of encouraging extremism and the inadequacy of the country&#39;s
  10687. university education for a modern economy, the government is aiming to slowly
  10688. modernise the education system through the &quot;Tatweer&quot; reform program.
  10689. The Tatweer program is reported to have a budget of approximately US$2 billion
  10690. and focuses on moving teaching away from the traditional Saudi methods of
  10691. memorization and rote learning towards encouraging students to analyze and
  10692. problem-solve. It also aims to create an education system which will provide a
  10693. more secular and vocationally based training.&lt;/div&gt;
  10694. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  10695. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10696. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTO_V-ohE38PH46zqLYWqPDGLQaz8IRfe9PXygHt_F_FEvi1Y_xdpfFr6qPZmPjrR9dQph9hd1Vc8C1tV-lrnX2O2GgHNxa-rQlmz5xheSNr5wn9da0SOF5bRdXGFChVzEiVDSRIIbtD6/s1600/800px-KAUST_laboratory_buildings_and_town_mosque5555.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTO_V-ohE38PH46zqLYWqPDGLQaz8IRfe9PXygHt_F_FEvi1Y_xdpfFr6qPZmPjrR9dQph9hd1Vc8C1tV-lrnX2O2GgHNxa-rQlmz5xheSNr5wn9da0SOF5bRdXGFChVzEiVDSRIIbtD6/s320/800px-KAUST_laboratory_buildings_and_town_mosque5555.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10697. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10698. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10699. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  10700. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10701. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  10702. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/1087096207452084115/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/saudi-arabia.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/1087096207452084115'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/1087096207452084115'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2013/10/saudi-arabia.html' title='Saudi Arabia'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJPAuiTu3Q3N2NvtqHrjyN13fxis2-Qcah3YL2EyqE5v_TJb1eW1k2h06XMdKb684xUScm7HrGMkIACgZIWOhzmYYGXLULnq_EQvgHTKPctx2nwpA-9H1xIjtnUFbnwktdUBIzeivql8J/s72-c/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-551107112282669519</id><published>2012-01-04T07:38:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2012-01-04T07:51:35.287-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Copán</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdmoigSTdXxarZas3sYwMf-x-kB9b6NWyBxRTl-Mh0bY2SKXdpozMYQVaeaWc7UIxOp2GLloHaW0eTKH-Yt5_HkdSKjG9iRHpfD7iosSckdItazTA14t782yWuZvoROXpKG5bOAHkIg_K/s1600/800px-Copan_sculpture.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdmoigSTdXxarZas3sYwMf-x-kB9b6NWyBxRTl-Mh0bY2SKXdpozMYQVaeaWc7UIxOp2GLloHaW0eTKH-Yt5_HkdSKjG9iRHpfD7iosSckdItazTA14t782yWuZvoROXpKG5bOAHkIg_K/s400/800px-Copan_sculpture.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10703. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;    &lt;br /&gt;
  10704. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the Copán Department of western &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Honduras&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, not far from the border with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. The city was located in the extreme southeast of the Mesoamerican cultural region, on the frontier with the Isthmo-Colombian cultural region, and was almost surrounded by non-Maya peoples. In this fertile valley now lies a city of about 3000, a small airport, and a winding road.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10705. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán was occupied for more than two thousand years, from the Early Preclassic period right through to the Postclassic. The city developed a distinctive sculptural style within the tradition of the lowland Maya, perhaps to emphasize the Maya ethnicity of the city&#39;s rulers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10706. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The city has a historical record that spans the greater part of the Classic period and has been reconstructed in detail by archaeologists and epigraphers. Copán, probably called Oxwitik by the Maya, was a powerful city ruling a vast kingdom within the southern Maya area. The city suffered a major political disaster in AD 738 when Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil, one of the greatest kings in Copán&#39;s dynastic history, was captured and executed by his former vassal, the king of Quiriguá. This unexpected defeat resulted in a 17-year hiatus at the city, during which time Copán may have been subject to Quiriguá in a reversal of fortunes.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10707. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;A significant portion of the eastern side of the acropolis has been eroded away by the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;River&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, although the river has since been diverted in order to protect the site from further damage.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: silver; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Location&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10708. &lt;br /&gt;
  10709. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán is located in western &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Honduras&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; close to the border with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. Copán lies within the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;municipality&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán Ruinas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; in the department of Copán. It is situated in a fertile valley among foothills at 700 meters (2,300 ft) above mean sea level. The ruins of the site core of the city are located 1.6 kilometers (1 mi) from the modern &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;village&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán Ruinas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, which is itself built on the site of a major complex dating to the Classic period.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10710. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;In the Preclassic period the floor of the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Valley&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was undulating, swampy and prone to seasonal flooding. In the Early Classic, the inhabitants flattened the valley floor and undertook construction projects to protect the architecture of the city from the effects of flooding.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10711. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán had a major influence on regional centres across western and central &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Honduras&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, stimulating the introduction of Mesoamerican characteristics to local elites.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10712. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjGmqdGprHc5h6DOJI44yUoIH6qL9rkcOaTZJsc_7Do2UtHs-GgOBHZvj8UWJJokAN6L9igepy-jcF8ne8k8DOs1pzkFjX5SV8ADZIYqsTOLhiPUgZ5w2zvQjUDUTdYes8NBreYK4SSJa/s1600/800px-Larger_Southern_Maya_area_v3.svg.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;270&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjGmqdGprHc5h6DOJI44yUoIH6qL9rkcOaTZJsc_7Do2UtHs-GgOBHZvj8UWJJokAN6L9igepy-jcF8ne8k8DOs1pzkFjX5SV8ADZIYqsTOLhiPUgZ5w2zvQjUDUTdYes8NBreYK4SSJa/s400/800px-Larger_Southern_Maya_area_v3.svg.png&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10713. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Population&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;At the peak of its power in the Late Classic the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;  of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; had a population of at least 20,000 and covered an area of over 250 square kilometers (100 sq mi). The greater Copán area consisting of the populated areas of the valley covered about a quarter of the size of the city of Tikal. It is estimated that the peak population in central Copán was between 6000 to 9000 in an area of 0.6 square kilometers (0.23 sq mi), with a further 9000 to 12000 inhabitants occupying the periphery—an area of 23.4 square kilometers (9.0 sq mi). Additionally, there was an estimated rural population of 3000 to 4000 in a 476 square kilometers (184 sq mi) area of the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Valley&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, giving an estimated total population of 18,000 to 25,000 people in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/st1:placename&gt;  &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Valley&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; during the Late Classic period.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10714. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10715. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Little is known of the rulers of Copán before the founding of a new dynasty with its origins at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; in the early 5th century AD, although the city&#39;s origins can be traced back to the Preclassic period. After this, Copán became one of the more powerful Maya city states and was a regional power in the southern Maya region, although it suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of its former vassal state Quirigua in 738, when the long-ruling king Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil was captured and beheaded by Quirigua&#39;s ruler K&#39;ak&#39; Tiliw Chan Yopaat (Cauac Sky). Although this was a major setback, Copán&#39;s rulers began to build monumental structures again within a few decades.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10716. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The area of Copán continued to be occupied after the last major ceremonial structures and royal monuments were erected, but the population declined in the 8th and 9th centuries from perhaps over 20,000 in the city to less than 5,000. The ceremonial center was long abandoned and the surrounding valley home to only a few farming hamlets at the time of the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10717. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: grey; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Predynastic history&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10718. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10719. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The fertile &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;River&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; valley was long a site of agriculture before the first known stone architecture was built in the region about the 9th century BC. The city was important before its refounding by a foreign elite; mentions of the predynastic history of Copán are found in later texts but none of these predates the refounding of the city in AD 426. There is an inscription that refers to the year 321 BC but no text explains the significance of this date. An event at Copán is linked to another event that happened 208 days before in AD 159 at an unknown location that is also mentioned on a stela from &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/st1:city&gt;, suggesting that it is a location somewhere in the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Petén&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Basin&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, possibly the great Preclassic Maya city of &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;El Mirador&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. This AD 159 date is mentioned in several texts and is linked to a figure known as &quot;Foliated Ajaw&quot;. This same person is mentioned on the carved skull of a peccary rec&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: black;&quot;&gt;overed from Tomb 1, where he is said to perform an action with a stela in AD 376.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10720. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #66ccff; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; and K&#39;inich Popol Hol&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10721. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The city was refounded by K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;, establishing it as the capital of a new Maya kingdom. This coup was apparently organized and launched from Tikal. Texts record the arrival of a warrior named K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; Ajaw who was installed upon the throne of the city in AD 426 and given a new royal name, K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; and the ochk&#39;in kaloomte &quot;Lord of the West&quot; title used a generation earlier by Siyaj K&#39;ak&#39;, a general from the great metropolis of Teotihuacan who had decisively intervened in the politics of the central Petén. K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; was probably from Tikal and was likely to have been sponsored by Siyaj Chan K&#39;awill II, the 16th ruler in the dynastic succession of Tikal. K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; may have legitimized his claim to rulership by marrying into the old Copán royal family, evidenced from the remains of his presumed widow. Bone analysis of her remains indicates that she was local to Copán. After the establishment of the new kingdom of Copán, the city remained closely allied with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. The hieroglyphic text on Copán Altar Q describes the lord being elevated to kingship with the receipt of his royal scepter. The ceremonies involved in the founding of the Copán dynasty also included the installation of a subordinate king at Quiriguá.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10722. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;A text from &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; mentions K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; and has been dated to AD 406, 20 years before K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; Ajaw founded the new dynasty at Copán. Both names are likely to refer to the same individual originally from &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. Although none of the hieroglyphic texts that mention the founding of the new Copán dynasty describe how K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; arrived at the city, indirect evidence suggests that he conquered the city by military means. On Altar Q he is depicted as a Teotihuacano warrior with goggle eyes and a war serpent shield. When he arrived at Copán he initiated the construction of various structures, including one temple in the talud-tablero style typical of Teotihuacan and another with inset corners and apron moldings that are characteristic of Tikal. These strong links with both the Maya and Central Mexican cultures suggest that he was at least a Mexicanized Maya or possibly even from &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Teotihuacan&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. The dynasty founded by king K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; ruled the city for four centuries and included sixteen kings plus a probable pretender who would have been seventeenth in line. Several monuments have survived that were dedicated by K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; and by his heir.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10723. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; died between AD 435 and AD 437. In 1995 a tomb underneath the talud-tablero Hunal temple was discovered by a team of archaeologists led by Robert Sharer and David Sedat. The tomb contained the skeleton of an elderly man with rich offerings and evidence of battle wounds. The remains have been identified as those of K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; due to their location underneath a sequence of seven buildings erected in his honor. Bone analysis has identified the remains as being those of someone foreign to Copán itself.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10724. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;inich Popol Hol inherited the throne of Copán from K&#39;inich ax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;, who was his father. He undertook major construction projects with the redesign of the core of Copán. Popol Hol is not the original name of this king but rather a nickname based on the appearance of his Teotihuacan-linked name glyph. K&#39;inich Popol Hol oversaw the construction of the first version of the Mesoamerican ballcourt at the city, which was decorated with images of the Scarlet Macaw, a bird that features prominently in Maya mythology. His greatest construction activity was in the area of his father&#39;s palace, now underlying Structure 10L-16, which he demolished after entombing his father there. He then built three successive buildings on top of the tomb in rapid succession.&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10725. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokFBTKaWQgrJ2KN23qSf3Q4wksZU96JUV_5Ago8g1jAxWE7i3iXm0jX8uKe-8pkc0LXtPmNm7B6EuTXQ27K1bpfNvFXINlrtHpBRWLTNTVh3KkQLmCacy0ZDNWPe2t4X6zFPFzzEY06O6/s1600/450px-Yax_Kuk_Mo.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokFBTKaWQgrJ2KN23qSf3Q4wksZU96JUV_5Ago8g1jAxWE7i3iXm0jX8uKe-8pkc0LXtPmNm7B6EuTXQ27K1bpfNvFXINlrtHpBRWLTNTVh3KkQLmCacy0ZDNWPe2t4X6zFPFzzEY06O6/s400/450px-Yax_Kuk_Mo.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10726. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666699; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Other early dynastic rulers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10727. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Very little is known about Rulers 3 to 6 in the dynastic succession, although it is known from a fragment of a broken monument reused as construction fill in a later building that one of them was a son of Popol Hol. Ruler 3 is depicted on the 8th century Altar Q but his name glyph has broken away. Ku Ix was the 4th ruler in the succession. He rebuilt temple 10L-26 in the Acropolis, erecting a stela there and a hieroglyphic step at its base. Although this king is also mentioned on a few other fragments of sculpture, no dates accompany his name. The next two kings in the dynastic sequence are only known from their sculptures on Altar Q.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10728. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;B&#39;alam Nehn (often referred to as Waterlily Jaguar) was the first king to actually record his position in the dynastic succession, declaring that he was seventh in line from K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;. Stela 15 records that he was already ruling Copán by AD 504. B&#39;alam Nehn is the only king of Copán to be mentioned in a hieroglyphic text from outside of the southeastern Maya region. His name appears in a text on Stela 16 from Caracol, a site in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Belize&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. The stela dates to AD 534 but the text itself is not well understood. B&#39;alam Nehn undertook major construction projects in the Acropolis, building over an early palace with a number of important structures.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10729. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Wil Ohl K&#39;inich, the eighth ruler, is another king known only by his appearance on Altar Q. He was succeeded by Ruler 9 in AD 551, his accession being described on the Hieroglyphic Stairway. He is also depicted on Altar Q but ruled for a very short period of less than two years.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10730. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The 10th ruler is nicknamed Moon Jaguar by Mayanists. He was a son of B&#39;alam Nehn, the 7th ruler. He was enthroned in May 553. His surviving monuments were found in the modern &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;village&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán Ruinas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, which was a major complex during the Classic period. The most famous construction dating to his reign is the elaborate Rosalila phase of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 16, discovered entombed intact under later phases of the temple during archaeological tunneling work.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10731. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTlEticMkq8KTzIv5bXC3vjWyI-KLL7kLsjo0U0rtOGSjg3aiuTdLTq4__3J2cFXOvWma3kZxjI591yOOwiO8OgGwq4m5kn8XfvzxxUzBUjK1OX5p7HnnzXkDsRTXDoEIqWAhul5eLzhT/s1600/399px-Cop%25C3%25A1n_Stela_63.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTlEticMkq8KTzIv5bXC3vjWyI-KLL7kLsjo0U0rtOGSjg3aiuTdLTq4__3J2cFXOvWma3kZxjI591yOOwiO8OgGwq4m5kn8XfvzxxUzBUjK1OX5p7HnnzXkDsRTXDoEIqWAhul5eLzhT/s400/399px-Cop%25C3%25A1n_Stela_63.jpg&quot; width=&quot;265&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp;   &lt;br /&gt;
  10732. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;K&#39;ak&#39; Chan Yopaat and Smoke Imix&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10733. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;ak&#39; Chan Yopaat was the eleventh dynastic ruler at Copán. He was crowned as king in AD 578, 24 days after the death of Moon Jaguar. At the time of his rule Copán was undergoing an unprecedented rise in population, with residential land use spreading to all available land in the entire &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Valley&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. The two surviving stelae of K&#39;ak&#39; Chan Yopaat contain long hard-to-decipher hieroglyphic texts and are the oldest monuments at the site to survive without being either broken or buried. He had a long reign, ruling at Copán for 49 years, and he died on 5 February 628. His name is recorded on four stelae erected by his successors, one of which describes a rite performed with relics from his tomb in AD 730, almost a hundred years after his death.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10734. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Smoke Imix was crowned 16 days after the death of K&#39;ak&#39; Chan Yopaat. He is thought to have been the longest reigning king of Copán, ruling from 628 to 695. He is believed to have been born in AD 612 to have become king at the age of 15. Archaeologists have recovered little evidence of activity for the first 26 years of his reign but in AD 652 there was a sudden explosion of monument production, with two stelae being erected in the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Great&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; and a further four in important locations across the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Valley&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. These monuments all celebrated a katun-ending. He also erected a stela at the Santa Rita site 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) away and is mentioned on Altar L at Quiriguá in relation to the same event in 652. It is thought that he was trying to stamp his authority throughout the whole valley after the end of some earlier restriction to his freedom to rule as he wished.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10735. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;After this sudden spate of activity, Smoke Imix continued to rule until almost the end of the 7th century, he dedicated another 9 known monuments and made important changes to the architecture of Copán, including the construction of Structure 2 which closes the northern side of the Great Plaza and a new version of Temple 26, nicknamed Chorcha. Smoke Imix ruled Copán for 67 years and died on 15 June 695 at the age of 79, an age that was so distinguished that it is used to identify him in place of his name on Altar Q. His tomb had already been prepared in the Chorcha phase of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 26 and he was buried just 2 days after his death.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: purple; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10736. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10737. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil was crowned as the 13th king in the Copán dynasty in July 695. He oversaw both the apogee of Copán&#39;s achievements and also one of the city&#39;s most catastrophic political disasters. During his reign, the sculptural style of the city evolved into the full in-the-round sculpture characteristic of Copán. In AD 718, Copán attacked and defeated the unidentified site of Xkuy, recording its burning on an unusual stone cylinder. In AD 724 Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil installed K&#39;ak&#39; Tiliw Chan Yopaat as a vassal on the throne of Quiriguá. Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil was confident enough in his power to rank his city among the four most powerful states in the Maya region, together with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, Calakmul and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Palenque&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, as recorded on Stela A. In contrast to his predecessor, Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil concentrated his monuments in the site core of the Copán; his first was Stela J, dated to AD 702 and erected at the eastern entrance to the city.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10738. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;He continued to erect a further seven high-quality stelae until AD 736, monuments that are considered masterpieces of Classic Maya sculpture with such mastery of detail that they represent the highest pinnacle of Maya artistic achievement. The stelae depict king Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil ritually posed and bearing the attributes of a variety of deities, including B&#39;olon K&#39;awiil, K&#39;uy Nik Ajaw and Mo&#39; Witz Ajaw. The king also carried out major construction works, including a new version of Temple 26 that now bore the first version of the Hieroglyphic Stairway, plus two temples that have now been lost to the erosion of the Copán River. He also encased the Rosalila phase of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 16 within a new phase of construction. He remodelled the ballcourt, then demolished it and built a new one in its place.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10739. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil had only recently dedicated the new ballcourt in AD 738 when a completely unexpected disaster befell the city. Twelve years earlier he had installed K&#39;ak&#39; Tiliw Chan Yopaat on the throne of Quiriguá as his vassal. By 734 the king of Quiriguá had shown he was no longer an obedient subordinate when he began to refer to himself as k&#39;ul ajaw, &quot;holy lord&quot;, rather than simply as a subordinate lord ajaw. K&#39;ak&#39; Tiliw Chan Yopaat appears to have taken advantage of wider political rivalries and allied himself with Calakmul, the sworn enemy of Tikal. Copán itself was firmly allied with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; and Calakmul used its alliance with Quiriguá to undermine &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&#39;s key ally in the south.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10740. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Although the exact details are unknown, in April 738 K&#39;ak&#39; Tiliw Chan Yopaat captured Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil and burned two of Copán&#39;s patron deities. Six days later Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil was decapitated in Quiriguá. This coup does not seem to have physically affected either Copán or Quiriguá; there is no evidence that either city was attacked at this time and the victor seems not to have received any detectable tribute. All of this seems to imply that K&#39;ak&#39; Tiliw Chan Yopaat managed to somehow ambush Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil, rather than to have defeated him in outright battle. It has been suggested that Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil was attempting to attack another site to secure captives for sacrifice in order to dedicate the new ballcourt when he was ambushed by K&#39;ak&#39; Tiliw Chan Yopaat and his Quiriguá warriors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10741. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;In the Late Classic, alliance with Calakmul was frequently associated with the promise of military support. The fact that Copán, a much more powerful city than Quiriguá, failed to retaliate against its former vassal implies that it feared the military intervention of Calakmul. Calakmul itself was far enough away from Quiriguá that K&#39;ak&#39; Tiliw Chan Yopaat was not afraid of falling directly under its power as a full vassal state, even though it is likely that Calakmul sent warriors to help in the defeat of Copán. The alliance instead seems to have been one of mutual advantage: Calakmul managed to weaken a powerful ally of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; while Quiriguá gained its independence. The disaster for Copán had long-lasting consequences; major construction ceased and no new monuments were raised for the next 17 years.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10742. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalEnxRbri_U2hM5tAyDkkvMjOUfsL7uaUqq_Quo9-bqQ5x7TafdCnEkNbZeKZNRz2-5ultX9qNjiRpi_AETdpSwalhvfZX7cuXCMm6w6lpo5RHd-p38ndbLC2iDJiVtM8RNDf27HlQUS4/s1600/CopanHFace.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalEnxRbri_U2hM5tAyDkkvMjOUfsL7uaUqq_Quo9-bqQ5x7TafdCnEkNbZeKZNRz2-5ultX9qNjiRpi_AETdpSwalhvfZX7cuXCMm6w6lpo5RHd-p38ndbLC2iDJiVtM8RNDf27HlQUS4/s400/CopanHFace.jpg&quot; width=&quot;323&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10743. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: olive; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Later rulers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10744. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;ak&#39; Joplaj Chan K&#39;awiil was installed as the 14th dynastic ruler of Copán on 7 June 738, 39 days after the execution of Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil. Little is known of his reign due to the lack of monuments raised after Quiriguá&#39;s surprise victory. Copán&#39;s defeat had wider implications due to the fracturing of the city&#39;s domain and the loss of the key &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Motagua&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;River&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; trade route to Quiriguá. The fall in Copán&#39;s income and corresponding increase at Quiriguá is evident from the massive commissioning of new monuments and architecture at the latter city and Copán may even have been subject to its former vassal. K&#39;ak&#39; Joplaj Chan K&#39;awiil died in January 749.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10745. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The next ruler was K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil, a son of K&#39;ak&#39; Joplaj Chan K&#39;awiil. The early period of his rulership fell within Copán&#39;s hiatus but later on he began a programme of renewal in an effort to recover from the city&#39;s earlier disaster. He built a new version of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 26, with the Hieroglyphic Stairway being reinstalled on the new stairway and doubled in length. Five life-size statues of seated rulers were installed seated upon the stairway. K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil died in the early 760s and is likely to have been interred in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 11, although the tomb has not yet been excavated.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10746. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat was the next ruler, 16th in the dynasty founded by K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;, although he appears not to have been a direct descendent of his predecessor. He took the throne in June 763 and may have been only 9 years old. He produced no monumental stelae and instead dedicated hieroglyphic texts incorporated into the city&#39;s architecture and smaller altars. Texts make an obscure reference to his father but his mother was a noblewoman from distant &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Palenque&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Mexico&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. He built the platform of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 11 over the tomb of the previous king in AD 769 and added a two-storey superstructure that was finished in AD 773. Around AD 776, he completed the final version of Temple 16 over the tomb of the founder. At the base of the temple, he placed the famous Altar Q, which shows each of the 16 rulers of the city from K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; through to Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat himself, with a hieroglyphic text on top describing the founding of the dynasty. By the latter 8th century, the nobility had become more powerful, raising palaces with hieroglyphic benches that were as richly constructed as those of the king himself. At the same time, local satellites were displaying their own local power, as demonstrated by the ruler of Los Higos erecting his own stela in AD 781. Towards the end of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat&#39;s reign, the city of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was struggling with overpopulation and a lack of local resources, with a distinct fall in living standards among the populace. Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat was able to celebrate his second K&#39;atun in AD 802 with his own monument, but the king&#39;s participation in the K&#39;atun ending ceremony of AD 810 was marked at Quiriguá, not at Copán itself. By this time the city&#39;s population was over 20,000 and it had long needed to import basic necessities from outside.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10747. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The troubled times enveloping Copán at this time are evident from the funerary tomb of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat, which bears sculptures of the king performing war dances with spear and shield in hand. The sculpted column from the temple shrine has a hieroglyphic text reading &quot;toppling of the Foundation House&quot; that may refer to the fall of the Copán dynasty. Shortage and disease afflicted the massively overpopulated valley of Copán when its last known king, Ukit Took&#39;, came to the throne on 6 February 822. He commissioned Altar L in the style of Altar Q but the monument was never finished — one face shows the enthronement of the king and a second face was started but two others were completely blank. The long line of kings at the once great city had come to an end. Before the end, even the nobility had been struck by disease, perhaps because epidemics among the malnourished masses spread to the elite. With the end of political authority at the city the population collapsed to a fraction of what it had been at its height. In the Postclassic period the valley was occupied by villagers who robbed the stone from the monumental architecture of the city in order to build their simple house platforms.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10748. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBR1_bLuXnPvuVH_BwqUk8R8HjdR5hKw_um2oCtGHPjg_xCopjIt-63GozU2n9HwIpqT0KsULpjXSrnTS-lg20Lxv5jtJMoLg25UeBeY2pMMGV9bizNrWoP6hOU4M_xyYiT5gUFCmvePW/s1600/450px-Cop%25C3%25A1n_Stela_N.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBR1_bLuXnPvuVH_BwqUk8R8HjdR5hKw_um2oCtGHPjg_xCopjIt-63GozU2n9HwIpqT0KsULpjXSrnTS-lg20Lxv5jtJMoLg25UeBeY2pMMGV9bizNrWoP6hOU4M_xyYiT5gUFCmvePW/s400/450px-Cop%25C3%25A1n_Stela_N.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10749. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Modern history&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10750. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The first mention of Copán was in an early colonial period letter dated 8 March 1576. The letter was written by Diego García de Palacio, a member of the Royal Audience of Guatemala, to king Philip II of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Spain&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. French explorer Jean-Frédéric Waldeck visited the site in the early 19th century and spent a month there drawing the ruins. Colonel Juan Galindo lead an expedition to the ruins in 1834 on behalf of the government of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; and wrote articles about the site for English, French and North American publications. John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood visited Copán and included a description, map and detailed drawings in Stephens&#39; Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatán, published in 1841. The site was later visited by British archaeologist Alfred Maudslay. Several expeditions sponsored by the Peabody Museum of Harvard University worked at Copán during the 20th century.The Carnegie Institution also sponsored work at the site, in conjunction with the government of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Honduras&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10751. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The Copán buildings suffered significantly from forces of nature in the centuries between the site&#39;s abandonment and the rediscovery of the ruins. After the abandonment of the city the Copán River gradually changed course, with a meander destroying the eastern portion of the acropolis (revealing in the process its archaeological stratigraphy in a large vertical cut) and apparently washing away various subsidiary architectural groups, including at least one courtyard and 10 buildings from Group 10L–2. The cut is an important archaeological feature at the site, with the natural erosion having created an enormous cross-section of the acropolis. This erosion cut away a large portion of the eastern part of the acropolis and revealed a vertical cross-section that measures 37 meters (121 ft) high at its tallest point and 300 meters (980 ft) long. The Carnegie Institution redirected the river to save the archaeological site, although several buildings recorded in the 19th century had already been destroyed, plus an unknown amount of the acropolis that was eroded before it could be recorded. In order to avoid further destruction of the acropolis, the Carnegie Institution diverted the river southwards in the 1930s; the dry former riverbed was finally filled in at the same time as consolidation of the cut in 1990s. Structures 10L–19, 20, 20A and 21 were all destroyed by the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;River&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; as it eroded the site away, but had been recorded by investigators in the 19th century.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10752. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, and UNESCO approved funding of US$95,825 between 1982 and 1999 for various works at the site. Looting remains a serious threat to Copán. A tomb was looted in 1998 as it was being excavated by archaeologists.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10753. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #3366ff; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Site description&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10754. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The Copán site is known for a series of portrait stelae, most of which were placed along processional ways in the central plaza of the city and the adjoining acropolis, a large complex of overlapping step-pyramids, plazas, and palaces. The site has a large court for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame. In two parallel buildings framing a carefully dimensioned rectangle lies the court.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10755. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The site is divided into various groups, with the Main Group and the Cemetery Group in the site core linked by a sacbe to the Sepulturas Group to the northeast. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Central  Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; had a density of 1449 structures per square kilometer (3,750 /sq mi), in the area of greater Copán as a whole this density fell to 143 per square kilometre (370 /sq mi) over a surveyed area of 24.6 square kilometers (9.5 sq mi).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10756. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhid9SGxQXspJH7Pn0_KmkCZ5uq97_F8ylVana2_aaezQG6Jn8jsKqxgzZbAGP-wq9dmT8Rurhy72_X-ZbGsSP9ng3kvYb2jeMIPkL9ujnzw9XLDrhFxNw9lD6NZipkoiTYdGDYhAApf3qn/s1600/800px-CPN_STR_22_01.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhid9SGxQXspJH7Pn0_KmkCZ5uq97_F8ylVana2_aaezQG6Jn8jsKqxgzZbAGP-wq9dmT8Rurhy72_X-ZbGsSP9ng3kvYb2jeMIPkL9ujnzw9XLDrhFxNw9lD6NZipkoiTYdGDYhAApf3qn/s400/800px-CPN_STR_22_01.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  10757. &amp;nbsp;   &lt;br /&gt;
  10758. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #33cccc; font-size: 16pt;&quot;&gt;Main Group&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10759. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The Main Group represents the core of the ancient city and covers an area of 600 by 300 meters (2,000 × 980 ft). The main features are the Acropolis, which is a raised royal complex on the south side, and a group of smaller structures and linked plazas to the north, including the Hieroglyphic Stairway and the ballcourt. The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Monument&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; contains the greatest concentration of sculpted monuments at the site.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10760. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Acropolis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was the royal complex at the heart of Copán. It consists of two plazas which have been named the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;West Court&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; and the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;East Court&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. They are both enclosed by elevated structures. Archaeologists have excavated extensive tunnels under the Acropolis, revealing how the royal complex at the heart of Copán developed over the centuries and uncovering several hieroglyphic texts that date back to the Early Classic and verify details of the early dynastic rulers of the city who were recorded on Altar Q hundreds of years later. The deepest of these tunnels have revealed that the first monumental structures underlying the Acropolis date archaeologically to the early 5th century AD, when K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; established the royal dynasty. These early buildings were built of stone and adobe and were themselves built upon earlier earth and cobble structures dating to the predynastic period. The two styles of building overlap somewhat, with some of the earthen structures being expanded during the first hundred years or so of the dynastic history of the city. The early dynastic masonry buildings of the Acropolis included several with the Early Classic apron-molding style of Tikal and one built in the talud-tablero style associated with Teotihuacan, although at the time the talud- tablero form was in use at both Tikal and Kaminaljuyu as well as in Central Mexico.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbVGsErNqz7IuBsfGa4YjBr6i64-Nd5_DxOeSRlBME5oSbmgwb-ULcCjkTg3ys49xpoFloo4hyphenhyphene_9FU9yIPHg7cwEdo3xGnASdT1X0LdVEy6ctcEPvdptJVJfP-mFDA4h9UB95ZjJc8sH/s1600/450px-IMG_2314.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbVGsErNqz7IuBsfGa4YjBr6i64-Nd5_DxOeSRlBME5oSbmgwb-ULcCjkTg3ys49xpoFloo4hyphenhyphene_9FU9yIPHg7cwEdo3xGnASdT1X0LdVEy6ctcEPvdptJVJfP-mFDA4h9UB95ZjJc8sH/s400/450px-IMG_2314.JPG&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: black; font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Structure 10L-4&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is a platform with four stairways situated by the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Monument&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10761. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Structure 10L-11&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is on west side of the Acropolis. It encloses the south side of the Court of the Hieroglyphic Stairway and is accessed from it by a wide monumental stairway. This structure appears to have been the royal &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;palace&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Yax Pasaj Chan   Yopaat&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, the 16th ruler in the dynastic succession and the last known king of Copán. Structure 10L-11 was built on top of several earlier structures, one of which probably contains the tomb of his predecessor K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil. A small tunnel descends into the interior of the structure, possibly to the tomb, but it has not yet been excavated by archaeologists.Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat built a new temple platform over his predecessor&#39;s tomb in AD 769. On top of this he placed a two-storey superstructure with a sculpted roof depicting the mythological cosmos. At each of its northern corners was a large sculpted Pawatun (a group of deities that supported the heavens). This superstructure had four doorways with panels of hieroglyphs sculpted directly onto the walls of the building. A step inside the structure once depicted the king&#39;s accession to the throne, overseen by deities and ancestors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10762. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10763. &lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Structure 10L-16&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 16) is a temple pyramid that is the highest part of the Acropolis, it is located between the East and West Courts at the heart of the ancient city. The temple faces onto the West Court within the Acropolis and is dedicated to K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;, the dynastic founder. The temple was placed on top of the original palace and tomb of the king. It is the final version of a number of temples built one on top of the other, as was common practice in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Mesoamerica&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. The earliest version of this temple is nicknamed Hunal, it was built in the talud-tablero style of architecture that was typical of Teotihuacan, with traces of brightly colored murals on the surviving traces of the interior walls. The king was buried in a vaulted crypt that was cut into the floor of the Hunal phase of the building, accompanied by rich offerings of jade. K&#39;inich Popol Hol, son of the founder, demolished the palace of his father and built a platform on top of his tomb, named Yehnal by archaeologists. It was built in a distinctively Petén Maya style and bore large masks of K&#39;inich Tajal Wayib&#39;, the sun god, which were painted red. This platform was encased within another much larger platform within a decade of its construction. This larger platform has been named Margarita and had stucco panels flanking its access stairway that bore entwined images of quaetzals and macaws, which both form a part of K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;s name. The Margarita phase contained a tomb with the richly accompanied burial of an elderly woman nicknamed the &quot;Lady in Red&quot;. It is likely that she was the widow of K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; and the mother of K&#39;inich Popol Hol. The upper chamber of the Margarita phase temple was converted to receive offerings and the unusual Xukpi stone, a dedicatory monument used in one of the earlier phases, was reused in this later phase.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10764. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10765. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;One of the best preserved phases of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 16 is the Rosalila, built over the remains of five previous versions of the temple. Archaeologist Ricardo Agurcia discovered the almost intact shrine while tunneling underneath the final version of the temple. Rosalila is notable for its excellent state of preservation, including the entire building from the base platform up to the roof comb, including its highly elaborate painted stucco decoration. Rosalila features K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; placed at the centre of a mythological tableau, combining the founder of the dynasty with the sky deity Itzamna in avian form. The mythological imagery also includes anthropomorphic mountains, skeletons and crocodiles. Vents in the exterior were designed so smoke from incense being burned inside the shrine would interact with the stucco sculpture of the exterior. The temple had a hieroglyphic stone step with a dedicatory inscription. The stone step is less well preserved than the rest of the building, but a date in AD 571 has been deciphered. Due to the deforestation of the Copán valley, the Rosalila building was the last structure at the site to use such elaborate stucco decoration — vast quantities of firewood could no longer be spared to reduce limestone to plaster. A life-size copy of the Rosalila building has been built at the Copán site museum.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10766. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil encased the Rosalila phase under a new version of the building in the early 8th century AD. An offering was made as part of the rites to terminate the old phase and included a collection of eccentric flints worked into the profiles of humans and gods, which were wrapped in blue-dyed textiles.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10767. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10768. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10769. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10770. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Phases of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 16 (Structure 10L-16)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10771. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10772. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10773. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10774. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10775. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;      &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 325px;&quot; x:str=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  10776. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt; width: 53pt;&quot; width=&quot;71&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;font5&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Phase&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 120pt;&quot; width=&quot;160&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;font5&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;King&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;xl22&quot; style=&quot;width: 71pt;&quot; width=&quot;94&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Date&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10777. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Hunal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;early 5th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10778. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Yehnal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;inich Popol Hol&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;mid 5th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10779. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Margarita&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;inich Popol Hol&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;mid 5th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10780. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Rosalila&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Moon Jaguar&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;mid 6th c.AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10781. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Purpura&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;early 7th c.AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;/tr&gt;
  10782. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10783. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguzi45PWSjYIA1ubtG-g393digAUD1F_2PAWCJDygggLAUYp33XX9rh-i2VBOf05D7ARuqN9y1u0RXejeDDw6U4HSnafyUAAQ0BclwAL8hjqM-6c8QoalSAWq_mMBTW6FxHOdEnH0F86x/s1600/800px-CPN_Rosalila_01.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;245&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguzi45PWSjYIA1ubtG-g393digAUD1F_2PAWCJDygggLAUYp33XX9rh-i2VBOf05D7ARuqN9y1u0RXejeDDw6U4HSnafyUAAQ0BclwAL8hjqM-6c8QoalSAWq_mMBTW6FxHOdEnH0F86x/s400/800px-CPN_Rosalila_01.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10784. &lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Structure 10L-18&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is on the southeastern side of the Acropolis and has been damaged by the erosion caused by the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;River&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, having lost its eastern side. Stairs on the south side of the structure lead down to a vaulted tomb that was looted in ancient times and was probably that of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat. It was apparently plundered soon after the collapse of the Copán kingdom. Unusually for Copán, the summit shrine had four sculpted panels depicting the king performing war dances with spear and shield, emphasizing the rising tensions as the dynasty came to its end.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10785. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10786. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10787. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temples&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 10L-20&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;10L-21&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; were probably both built by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil. They were lost to the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;River&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; in the early 20th century.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10788. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Structure 10L-22&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is a large building on the north side of the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:street w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:address w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;East Court&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:address&gt;&lt;/st1:street&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, in the Acropolis, and faces onto it. It dates to the reign of Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil and is the best preserved of the buildings from his rule. The superstructure of the building has an interior doorway with an elaborate sculpted frame and decorated with masks of the mountain god Witz. The outer doorway is framed by the giant mask of a deity, and has stylistic similarities with the Chenes regional style of distant Yucatán. The temple was built to celebrate the completion of the king&#39;s first K&#39;atun in power, in AD 715, and has a hieroglyphic step with a first-person phrase &quot;I completed my K&#39;atun&quot;. The building symbolically represents the mountain where maize was created.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10789. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Structure 10L-25&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is in the East Court of the Acropolis. It covers a rich royal tomb nicknamed Sub-Jaguar by archaeologists. It is presumed to be the tomb of either Ruler 7 (B&#39;alam Nehn), Ruler 8 or Ruler 9, who all ruled in the first half of the 6th century AD.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10790. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10791. &lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Structure 10L-26 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;is a temple that projects northwards from the Acropolis and is immediately to the north of Structure 10L-22. The structure was built by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil and K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil, the 13th and 15th rulers in the dynastic succession. The 10-meter (33 ft) wide Hieroglyphic Stairway ascends the building on the west side from the courtyard below. The earliest version of the temple, nicknamed Yax, was built during the reign of K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;, the dynastic founder, and has architectural features (such as inset corners) that are characteristic of Tikal and the central Petén region. The next phase of the building was built by Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;s son K&#39;inich Popol Hol and is nicknamed Motmot. This phase of the structure was more elaborate and was decorated with stucco. Set under the building was the Motmot capstone, covering a tomb with the unusual Teotihuacan-style burial of a woman, accompanied by a wide variety of offerings that included animal bones, mercury, jade and quartz, along with three severed human heads, all of which were male. Ku Ix built a new phase of the building over Motmot, nicknamed Papagayo.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10792. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10793. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Smoke Imix demolished the Papagayo phase and ritually interred the broken remains of its sculpted monuments, accompanied by stone macaw heads from an early version of the ballcourt. He then built a pyramid over the earlier phases, nicknamed Mascarón by archaeologists. It in turn was developed into the Chorcha pyramid with the addition of a long superstructure with seven doorways at the front and back. Before a new building was built over the top, the upper sanctuary was demolished and a tomb was inserted into the floor and covered with 11 large stone slabs. The tomb contained the remains of an adult male and a sacrificed child. The adult&#39;s badly decayed skeleton was wrapped in a mat and accompanied by offerings of fine jade, including ear ornaments and a necklace of sculpted figurines. The burial was accompanied by offerings of 44 ceramic vessels, jaguar pelts, spondylus shells, 10 paintpots and one or more hieroglyphic books, now decayed. There were also 12 ceramic incense burners with lids modeled into human figurines, thought to represent Smoke Imix and his 11 dynastic predecessors. The Chorcha building was dedicated to the long-lived 7th century king Smoke Imix and it is therefore likely that the remains interred in the building are his. Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil had sealed the Chorcha phase under a new version of the temple, nicknamed Esmeralda, by AD 710. The new phase bore the first version of the Hieroglyphic Stairway, which contains a lengthy dynastic history. K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil built over the Esmeralda phase in the mid-8th century. He removed the Hieroglyphic Stairway from the earlier building and reinstalled it into his own version, while doubling the length of its text and adding five life-size statues of rulers dressed in the garb of Teotihuacano warriors, each seated on a step of the stairway. At the base of the stairway, he also raised Stela M, with his own image. The summit shrine of the temple bore a hieroglyphic text composed of full-figure hieroglyphs, each placed beside a similar glyph in faux-Mexican style, giving the appearance of a bilingual text.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10794. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Phases of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 26 (Structure 10L-26)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10795. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10796. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10797. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10798. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10799. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10800. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;      &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 336px;&quot; x:str=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  10801. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;xl22&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt; width: 61pt;&quot; width=&quot;81&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Phase&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;xl22&quot; style=&quot;width: 120pt;&quot; width=&quot;160&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;King&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;xl22&quot; style=&quot;width: 71pt;&quot; width=&quot;95&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Date&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10802. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Yax&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;early 5th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10803. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Motmot&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;inich Popol Hol&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;mid 5th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10804. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Papagayo&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Ku Ix&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;mid 5th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10805. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Mascarón&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Smoke Imix&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;7th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10806. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Chorcha&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Smoke Imix&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;7th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10807. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Esmeralda&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;early 8th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10808. &lt;tr height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;td height=&quot;17&quot; style=&quot;height: 12.75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;N/A&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;mid 8th c. AD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  10809. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10810. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10811. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10812. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10813. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Hieroglyphic Stairway&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; climbs the west side of Structure 10L-26. It is 10 meters (33 ft) and has a total of 62 steps. Stela M and its associated altar are at its base and a large sculpted figure is located in the centre of every 12th step. These figures are believed to represent the most important rulers in the dynastic history of the site. The stairway takes its name from the 2200 glyphs that together form the longest known Maya hieroglyphic text. The text itself is still being reconstructed, having been scrambled by the collapse of the glyphic blocks when the façade of the temple collapsed. The staircase measures 21 meters (69 ft) long and was first built by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil in AD 710, being reinstalled and expanded in the following phase of the temple by K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil in AD 755.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10814. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10815. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcLVuC4QEI4dEVszke7ORUerf-nIbHtczRj8CdAlI9sMXK4Rq_272GKYgF-WwaVGrGGYTWGhenB0do5A6LrpwDoDeKxIRZvNzVUWyJH6vjs1APZ9yagCSysSheqj-QG1j0IJGk2QluiT1/s1600/800px-Cop%25C3%25A1n_Ballcourt.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcLVuC4QEI4dEVszke7ORUerf-nIbHtczRj8CdAlI9sMXK4Rq_272GKYgF-WwaVGrGGYTWGhenB0do5A6LrpwDoDeKxIRZvNzVUWyJH6vjs1APZ9yagCSysSheqj-QG1j0IJGk2QluiT1/s400/800px-Cop%25C3%25A1n_Ballcourt.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10816. &lt;br /&gt;
  10817. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Ballcourt&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is immediately north of the Court of the Hieroglyphic Stairway and is to the south of the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Monument&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. It was remodeled by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil, who then demolished it and built a third version ,which was one of the largest from the Classic period. It was dedicated to the great macaw deity and the buildings flanking the playing area carried 16 mosaic sculptures of the birds. The completion date of the ballcourt is inscribed with a hieroglyphic text upon the sloping playing area and is given as 6 January 738.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10818. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Monument&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; or &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Great&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is on the north side of the Main Group.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10819. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Sepulturas Group&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10820. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The Sepulturas Group is linked by a sacbe or causeway that runs southwest to the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Monument&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; in the Main Group. The Sepulturas Group consists of a number of restored structures, mostly elite residences that feature stone benches, some of which have carved decorations, and a number of tombs.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;tab-stops: 107.25pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-tab-count: 1;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The group has a very long occupational history, with one house having been dated as far back as the Early Preclassic. By the Middle Preclassic, large platforms were being built from cobbles and several rich burials were made. By AD 800, the complex consisted of about 50 buildings arranged around 7 major courtyards. At this time, the most important building was the &#39;House of the Bakabs, the palace of a powerful nobleman from the time of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat. The building has a high-quality sculpted exterior and a carved hieroglyphic bench inside. A portion of the group was a subdistrict occupied by non-Maya inhabitants from &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Central Honduras&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; who were involved in the trade network that brought in goods from that region.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10821. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Other Groups&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10822. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;North Group&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is a Late Classic compound. Archaeologists have excavated fallen façades that bear hieroglyphic inscriptions and sculpted decoration.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10823. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Cemetery Group&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is immediately south of the Main Group and includes a number of small structures and plazas.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10824. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Monuments&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10825. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Altar Q&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is the most famous monument at Copán.It was dedicated by king Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat in AD 776 and has each of the first 16 kings of the Copán dynasty carved around its side. Each figure is depicted seated on his name glyph. A hieroglyphic text is inscribed on the upper surface, relating the founding of the dynasty in AD 426–427. On one side, it shows the dynastic founder K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; transferring power to Yax Pasaj. Interestingly, Tatiana Proskouriakoff first discovered the inscription on the West Side of Altar Q that tells us the date of the inauguration of Yax Pasaj. This portrayal of political succession tells us much about Early Classic Maya culture.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10826. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Motmot Capstone&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is an inscribed stone that was placed over a tomb under Structure 10L-26. Its face was finely sculpted with portraits of the first two kings of the Copán dynasty, K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; and K&#39;inich Popol Hol, facing towards each other with a double column of hieroglyphs between them, all contained within a quatrefoil frame. The frame and the hieroglyphic names of mythological locations underneath the feet of the two kings place them in a supernatural realm. The capstone bears two calendrical dates, in AD 435 and AD 441. The second of these is probably the date that the capstone was dedicated.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10827. &lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10828. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10829. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_FcQ96-bW9nrJ7CnFlVNimxYxCTrGH3_zhuEOHXED_Sr3kPnMYYFxVnI52TFwm2uG0OYiYGq5VRFti8lS_7T0aYb9b33vcejSReZOWVnPaLcbKnizj6H2rKt0lVRV8LsrERLGiycVXyb/s1600/800px-Altar_Q_at_Cop%25C3%25A1n%252C_Honduras.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_FcQ96-bW9nrJ7CnFlVNimxYxCTrGH3_zhuEOHXED_Sr3kPnMYYFxVnI52TFwm2uG0OYiYGq5VRFti8lS_7T0aYb9b33vcejSReZOWVnPaLcbKnizj6H2rKt0lVRV8LsrERLGiycVXyb/s400/800px-Altar_Q_at_Cop%25C3%25A1n%252C_Honduras.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10830. &lt;br /&gt;
  10831. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Xukpi Stone&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is a dedicatory monument from one of the earlier phases of the 10L-16 temple constructed to honor K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39;. It bears the date of AD 437 and the names both K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; and K&#39;inich Popol Hol, together with a possible mention of the Teotihuacan general Siyaj K&#39;ak&#39;. The monument has not been completely deciphered and its style and phrasing are unusual. Originally it was used as a sculpted bench or step and the date on the monument is associated with the dedication of a funerary temple or a tomb, probably the tomb of K&#39;inich&#39; Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; himself, which was discovered underneath the same structure.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10832. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 2&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected in the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Great&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; by Smoke Imix in AD 652.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10833. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 3&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is another stela erected by Smoke Imix in the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Great&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; in AD 652.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10834. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 4 was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil in the early 8th century AD.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10835. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 7&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; dates to the reign of K&#39;ak&#39; Chan Yopaat, and was erected to celebrate the K&#39;atun-ending ceremony of AD 613. It was found in the western complex now underneath the modern &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;village&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; of  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán Ruinas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;. It bears a long hieroglyphic text that has been only partially deciphered.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10836. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 9&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was found in the modern &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;village&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;  of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán Ruinas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, where it had been erected on the site of a major Classic period complex 1.6 kilometers (1 mi) outside of the site core. It was dedicated by Moon Jaguar and dates to AD 564.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10837. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10838. &lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 10&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected outside of the site core by Smoke Imix in AD 652.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10839. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 11&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was originally an interior column from &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 18, the funerary shrine of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat. When it was found, it was broken in two parts at the base of the temple. It portrays the king as the elderly Maya maize god and has imagery that seems to deliberately parallel the tomb lid of the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Palenque&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; king K&#39;inich Janaab&#39; Pakal, probably because of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat&#39;s close family ties to that city. The text of the column formed part of a longer text carved onto the interior walls of the temple and may describe the downfall of the Copán dynasty.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10840. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 12&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected outside of the site core by Smoke Imix in AD 652.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10841. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 13&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected outside the site core by Smoke Imix in AD 652.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10842. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 15&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is dated to AD 524, during the reign of B&#39;alam Nehn. Its sculpture consists entirely of hieroglyphic text, which mentions that king B&#39;alam Nehn was ruling the city by AD 504.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10843. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 17&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; dates to AD 554, during the reign of Moon Jaguar. It originally stood in the nearby &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;village&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Copán Ruinas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, which was a major complex in the Classic period.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10844. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 18&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is a fragment of a monument bearing the name of K&#39;inich Popol Hol. It was erected in the inner chamber of the 10L-26 temple.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10845. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; is a monument erected outside of the site core by Smoke Imix in AD 652.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10846. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela 63&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was dedicated by K&#39;inich Popol Hol. Its sculpture consists purely of finely carved hieroglyphic texts and it is possible that it was originally commissioned by K&#39;inich Yax K&#39;uk&#39; Mo&#39; with additional texts added to the sides of the monument by his son. The text contains the same date in AD 435 that appears on the Motmot Capstone. Stela 63 was deliberately broken, together with its hieroglyphic step, during the ritual demolishing of the Papagayo phase of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 26. The remains of the monuments were then interred in the building before the next phase was built.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10847. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela A&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected in 731 by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil. It places his rulership among the four most powerful kingdoms in the Maya region, alongside &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Palenque&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; and Calakmul.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10848. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela B&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil in the early 8th century AD.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10849. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela C&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil in the early 8th century AD.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10850. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela D&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil in the early 8th century AD.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10851. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela F&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil in the early 8th century AD.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10852. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela H&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil in the early 8th century AD.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10853. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela J&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub&#39;aah K&#39;awiil in AD 702 and was his first monument. It stood at the eastern entrance to the city and is unusual in being topped by a sculpted stone roof, converting the monument into a symbolic house. It bears a hieroglyphic text that is woven into a criss-cross mat design to form a convoluted puzzle that must be read in precisely the right order to be understood.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10854. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela M&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; bears a portrait of K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil. It was raised at the foot of the Hieroglyphic Stairway of Temple 26 in AD 756.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10855. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela N&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was dedicated by K&#39;ak&#39; Yipyaj Chan K&#39;awiil in AD 761 and placed at the foot of the steps to &lt;/span&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; 11, which is believed to contain his burial.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10856. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt;Stela P&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: white;&quot;&gt; was originally erected in an unknown location and was later moved to the West Court of the Acropolis. It bears a long hieroglyphic text that has not yet been fully deciphered. It dates from the reign of king K&#39;ak&#39; Chan Yopaat and was dedicated in AD 623.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_7qABuypvAJ9aCZhuKUTkVCtg6erD-4DAX6zCq39sqrz-0kQGZY9F2PX5B9gjHv2k2JrBqagEq1U-0bYT4tNc-b3pldm1k-dnUpr-w7-MfcKRdSOQfsMpKvy67Hb-mV8OGVRNAGH1Rhs/s1600/450px-Cop%25C3%25A1n_Stela_P.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_7qABuypvAJ9aCZhuKUTkVCtg6erD-4DAX6zCq39sqrz-0kQGZY9F2PX5B9gjHv2k2JrBqagEq1U-0bYT4tNc-b3pldm1k-dnUpr-w7-MfcKRdSOQfsMpKvy67Hb-mV8OGVRNAGH1Rhs/s400/450px-Cop%25C3%25A1n_Stela_P.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: black;&quot;&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjZwOxu5-0phXE9EeuWfSWeUUQmwB34_8C0SA-Ugl8TVCxOsJrtuNXyc9TNJ4riwmOcWz3gBRYtnYa2XJJoSlGNSTxicNN8DTapJ9SjzNTP1t5vxyvShSwg_r8MMHwKnDlyqbtPSIaxCx/s1600/site_0129_0001-140-140-20090918162409.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjZwOxu5-0phXE9EeuWfSWeUUQmwB34_8C0SA-Ugl8TVCxOsJrtuNXyc9TNJ4riwmOcWz3gBRYtnYa2XJJoSlGNSTxicNN8DTapJ9SjzNTP1t5vxyvShSwg_r8MMHwKnDlyqbtPSIaxCx/s400/site_0129_0001-140-140-20090918162409.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/551107112282669519/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2012/01/copan.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/551107112282669519'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/551107112282669519'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2012/01/copan.html' title='Copán'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdmoigSTdXxarZas3sYwMf-x-kB9b6NWyBxRTl-Mh0bY2SKXdpozMYQVaeaWc7UIxOp2GLloHaW0eTKH-Yt5_HkdSKjG9iRHpfD7iosSckdItazTA14t782yWuZvoROXpKG5bOAHkIg_K/s72-c/800px-Copan_sculpture.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-7052811973587368317</id><published>2011-10-13T04:16:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2011-10-13T04:16:57.221-07:00</updated><title type='text'>National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fpl36Bs3OiFQca5dVZAySiiJ5Ts6p9Igj1ojvVOSBLv2BWFw2pBFbHHxzWBGNrqBMfPe1NI_Y0ifIsKMNzZb7R-iO6IZQnwJH-H-rLU-xnjh_Fw5JtQJJ6iyfqCTLAcRq57ca9m-AN-H/s1600/site_0180_0001-398-500-20090918161840.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fpl36Bs3OiFQca5dVZAySiiJ5Ts6p9Igj1ojvVOSBLv2BWFw2pBFbHHxzWBGNrqBMfPe1NI_Y0ifIsKMNzZb7R-iO6IZQnwJH-H-rLU-xnjh_Fw5JtQJJ6iyfqCTLAcRq57ca9m-AN-H/s400/site_0180_0001-398-500-20090918161840.jpg&quot; width=&quot;317&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10857. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;These Haitian monuments date from the beginning of the 19th century, when &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Haiti&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; proclaimed its independence. The Palace of Sans Souci, the buildings at Ramiers and, in particular, the Citadel serve as universal symbols of liberty, being the first monuments to be constructed by black slaves who had gained their freedom.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10858. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;This property is an eminent example of a type of structure illustrating the historical situation of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Haiti&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; at the dawn of its independence. These Haitian monuments date from the beginning of the 19th century, when &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Haiti&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; proclaimed its independence. The Palace of Sans Souci, the buildings at Ramiers, and, in particular, the Citadel serve as universal symbols of liberty, being the first monuments to be constructed by black slaves who had gained their freedom.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10859. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Situated within the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;National&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;History&lt;/st1:placename&gt;  &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Park&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; created by presidential decree in 1978, in a splendid natural setting of mountainous peaks covered with luxuriant vegetation, the Citadelle Henry, the Site des Ramiers, and the Palais San-Souci represent for the Haitians the first monuments of their independence.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10860. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;On 1 January 1804, after 14 years of struggle by the island&#39;s black slaves against the colonists, Jean-Jacques Dessallines, the principal leader of the revolution, proclaimed the independent &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Republic&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Haiti&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;. The Emperor Dessallines immediately entrusted to Henry Christophe, one of his generals, the task of constructing an immense fortress on the Pic Laferrière, or Pic Henry, 28 km south-west of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Cap Haitien&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10861. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;At the death of Dessallines in 1806, the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Haitian&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Republic&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; was divided into two states: the southern part governed by Pétion, and the north, where Christophe proclaimed himself king in 1811. The Citadelle Henry originally conceived as the monument to the defence of liberty was maintained as a fortress by the despot and was inaugurated only in 1813.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10862. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;At the same time, King Christophe (Henry I) undertook the construction of an astonishing palace surrounded by gardens, situated at the foot of the access road to the citadel near the village of Milot. The Palais Sans-Souci, mainly in a state of ruin but currently being restored, owes its bizarre beauty to an exceptional harmony with the mountainous setting, as well as its recourse to diverse and yet reputedly irreconcilable architectural models. The Baroque staircase and the classical terraces, the stepped gardens reminiscent of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Potsdam&lt;/st1:city&gt; and &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Vienna&lt;/st1:city&gt;, the canals and basins freely inspired by &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Versailles&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, impart an indefinable hallucinatory quality to the creation of the megalomaniac king.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10863. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Both military installation and political statement, the Citadelle Henry, constructed at an altitude of 970 m and covering a surface area of about 1 ha, is one of the best examples of the art of military engineering of the early 19th century. The plans are the work of the Haitian Henri Barré, but it is probable that General Christophe played the preponderant role in their formulation: the projecting masses remarkably articulated to allow an integrated use of artillery capabilities; an elaborate system of water supply and cisterns; and colossal defensive walls which render this citadel impregnable. It can shelter a garrison of 2,000 men, or 5,000 if necessary.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/7052811973587368317/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2011/10/national-history-park-citadel-sans.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7052811973587368317'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/7052811973587368317'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2011/10/national-history-park-citadel-sans.html' title='National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fpl36Bs3OiFQca5dVZAySiiJ5Ts6p9Igj1ojvVOSBLv2BWFw2pBFbHHxzWBGNrqBMfPe1NI_Y0ifIsKMNzZb7R-iO6IZQnwJH-H-rLU-xnjh_Fw5JtQJJ6iyfqCTLAcRq57ca9m-AN-H/s72-c/site_0180_0001-398-500-20090918161840.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-194969953538538135</id><published>2011-10-01T01:44:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2011-10-01T01:44:19.411-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6B77h2rw5BxzLEOXZDMT8rJqcWqbvdXxSTXL3c6M4lk2Y1yXYIk0qkxSHShbDRWRXrhkz1jWtXMAwY_XZKitf-6Elx_zRC6A4o6aYcvXO02Oxh-tv1zOxfw1QGIWqKX3TWOaZaUTA8z2I/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6B77h2rw5BxzLEOXZDMT8rJqcWqbvdXxSTXL3c6M4lk2Y1yXYIk0qkxSHShbDRWRXrhkz1jWtXMAwY_XZKitf-6Elx_zRC6A4o6aYcvXO02Oxh-tv1zOxfw1QGIWqKX3TWOaZaUTA8z2I/s320/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10864. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Located on the borders of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guinea&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Liberia&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Côte d’Ivoire&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mount&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nimba&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; rises above the surrounding savannah. Its slopes are covered by dense forest at the foot of grassy mountain pastures. They harbour an especially rich flora and fauna, with endemic species such as the viviparous toad and chimpanzees that use stones as tools.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10865. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Strict nature reserve established by Order No. 4190 SE/F, 1943, in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Cote d&#39;Ivoire&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and by decree in 1944 in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guinea&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Cote d&#39;Ivoire&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; nature reserve is a &#39;forêt classée&#39; under national ownership. Contiguous nature reserve proposed in Liberian section. Guinean sector accepted as a biosphere reserve in 1980. Both reserves form a World Heritage site, gazetted in 1981 (&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guinea&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;) and 1982 (&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Cote d&#39;Ivoire&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;). &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10866. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71h08MPug94-VqEof5gbF5EWTNlesRHTzyRINgy45k-R59xA5JEqGadPtyQ-2na-Z_0SCHiVie7Jq49rVHCv2GHVjvN55IwwEwCnM18UR1agzxmjDKOAu_Y1C-lFwyuI2NrXz0G0SZgt_/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71h08MPug94-VqEof5gbF5EWTNlesRHTzyRINgy45k-R59xA5JEqGadPtyQ-2na-Z_0SCHiVie7Jq49rVHCv2GHVjvN55IwwEwCnM18UR1agzxmjDKOAu_Y1C-lFwyuI2NrXz0G0SZgt_/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10867. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CGIzqyr7zQxITZnVzWRaO4nibIzTwmrkCiQPfIVLDQ3T5twfUQg8TNYQOi4C6bBe9D7cO7a6VjPcFeJdb7w7sYRi9PKvSSfyYXGkkZOpQc8JvoIZ23OhYAz_b-m0RZ1tGyyrratHYj8K/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CGIzqyr7zQxITZnVzWRaO4nibIzTwmrkCiQPfIVLDQ3T5twfUQg8TNYQOi4C6bBe9D7cO7a6VjPcFeJdb7w7sYRi9PKvSSfyYXGkkZOpQc8JvoIZ23OhYAz_b-m0RZ1tGyyrratHYj8K/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  10868. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsFJZY8rYDtVna3Qrw3LNLAScvuRdnYg8g10_HkWvbLxAwBpNPOPcRnxKgcbbj5zDsu28eq342BTfBHXK_hOJkH-x8QLbTvyazkfW4unuzIQ-9oHpWy6uuunaKH-DoMdPRRBpI8k1S8AT/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsFJZY8rYDtVna3Qrw3LNLAScvuRdnYg8g10_HkWvbLxAwBpNPOPcRnxKgcbbj5zDsu28eq342BTfBHXK_hOJkH-x8QLbTvyazkfW4unuzIQ-9oHpWy6uuunaKH-DoMdPRRBpI8k1S8AT/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  10869. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86NHZbipMOiJS3XQvY5vHVyc-SoC8_6i7X4I1mLeNq0pwRqE15E0rvtvzXVdV4cwlkdhI9cfDRfoc9q4R3kpTa8lLUVN_IextEEILUM0dc9TaAzuIl6ZtR3NdNK_KOxLxVIWRiYYGDxF5/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86NHZbipMOiJS3XQvY5vHVyc-SoC8_6i7X4I1mLeNq0pwRqE15E0rvtvzXVdV4cwlkdhI9cfDRfoc9q4R3kpTa8lLUVN_IextEEILUM0dc9TaAzuIl6ZtR3NdNK_KOxLxVIWRiYYGDxF5/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/194969953538538135/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2011/10/mount-nimba-strict-nature-reserve.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/194969953538538135'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/194969953538538135'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2011/10/mount-nimba-strict-nature-reserve.html' title='Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6B77h2rw5BxzLEOXZDMT8rJqcWqbvdXxSTXL3c6M4lk2Y1yXYIk0qkxSHShbDRWRXrhkz1jWtXMAwY_XZKitf-6Elx_zRC6A4o6aYcvXO02Oxh-tv1zOxfw1QGIWqKX3TWOaZaUTA8z2I/s72-c/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-4087832464606986871</id><published>2011-10-01T01:39:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2011-10-01T01:39:38.228-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuq-aYk73lBe0IA_-tU6pgc_glc3qPjy3vQMYn1MYh-CJ7kTIpKku8YuKpdznQlJdJuW2Pt-rewlJIGFa7TMRqbfh1Rlqy02_0fwydJazJTN1dGucwwsk4KL2EPuLmMh_SoIWzKo39mljV/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuq-aYk73lBe0IA_-tU6pgc_glc3qPjy3vQMYn1MYh-CJ7kTIpKku8YuKpdznQlJdJuW2Pt-rewlJIGFa7TMRqbfh1Rlqy02_0fwydJazJTN1dGucwwsk4KL2EPuLmMh_SoIWzKo39mljV/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10870. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Inhabited since the 2nd century A.D., Quirigua had become during the reign of Cauac Sky (723–84) the capital of an autonomous and prosperous state. The ruins of Quirigua contain some outstanding 8th-century monuments and an impressive series of carved stelae and sculpted calendars that constitute an essential source for the study of Mayan civilization.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10871. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The ruins of Quirigua retain an impressive series of stelae and sculpted calendars, partially deciphered, which constitute a remarkable and unique source of the history of the social, political and economic events of the Mayan civilization. The zoomorphic and anthropomorphic sculptures are among the most attractive pre-Columbian works known.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10872. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Quirigua is, together with that of Copán (&lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Honduras&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;), one of the major testimonies to the Mayan civilization. At Quirigua, traces of human occupation are attested to from about AD 200, but the zenith of the city may be placed during the period known as Late Classic, about AD 600-900.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10873. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Inhabited since the 2nd century AD, Quirigua had become during the reign of Cauac Sky (723-84), the first sovereign of the historic period who has been identified with certainty, the capital of an autonomous and prosperous state. The extraction of jade and obsidian in the upper valley of the Rio Motagua, which was tightly controlled, gave rise to a profitable goods trade with the coastal ports of the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Caribbean&lt;/st1:place&gt;. This monopoly remained in existence during the 9th century.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10874. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The ruins of Quirigua contain some outstanding 8th-century monuments and an impressive series of carved stelae and sculpted calendars that constitute an essential source for the study of Mayan civilization. However, Quirigua is a zone of high seismic risk; in addition, several monuments have undergone accelerated erosion owing to the tropical climate.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10875. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;For reasons which are not clear, Quirigua then entered a period of decline. It is known that, at the time of the arrival of the European conquistadores, the control of the jade route had been taken over by Nito, a city closer to the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Caribbean&lt;/st1:place&gt; coast. Although Quirigua has retained ruins and vestiges of dwellings ranging from between AD 200 and AD 900, most of the monuments that ensure Quirigua its world-wide renown date from the 8th century, the period during which the city was entirely remodelled in accordance with its function as royal residence and administrative centre.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10876. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The monumental complexes which are set out around the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Central&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;, the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Ceremonial&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Plaza&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; and the Plaza of the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Temple&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; are remarkable for the complexity of their structure - a highly elaborate system of pyramids, terraces, and staircases which results in a complete remodelling of the natural relief and which creates, as at Copán, a singular dimension.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10877. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The production of monolithic stone monuments, called stelae with their dated texts of hieroglyphs, defines the beginnings and the end of the Classic period of Maya civilization. The stelae remain the principal written chronicles of this lost civilization, as well as the key to their highly advanced calendar system. Like most Mayan monuments, they were erected to commemorate the passage of time, and significant historic events. During its brief time of erecting stelae, Quirigua was one of only two cities to regularly erect monuments marking the end of five-year periods.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10878. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;These huge stone monolithic sculptures were artfully carved without the benefit of metal tools; stone chisels, driven by other stones or wooden mallets, were the only tools available. Most of the monuments face north, allowing the early morning sun to highlight the relief of the carvings. Stele E was dedicated at Quirigua in 771 AD, and is the largest known quarried stone in the Maya world. It stands 35 feet (10.6 m) tall, 5 feet (1.5 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) thick; it weighs in at 130,000 pounds (about 59,000 kg). [I haven&#39;t deleted the imperial measurements here as they are so precise, in case you want to keep them.] This gigantic marker stands as a monument to the Ancient Maya Civilization, and to the Mayan lord of the forgotten city of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Quirigua&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; who is depicted, over three times life size, on its face. Nearby stand 21 other monuments, the finest examples of Classic Mayan stone carving.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10879. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_gojc7HMa5xonSc33L1P-VzHNVXq219jOP6_bKxCrJvOq0Z-U_hnuejxw2wxXwDlFT5z8YpphoV6L6UEhiufgre3axptVJTK2rDsyIWApjE5NTYYxbmMruBuZhhLkb92BrwE1-8GDyhg/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_gojc7HMa5xonSc33L1P-VzHNVXq219jOP6_bKxCrJvOq0Z-U_hnuejxw2wxXwDlFT5z8YpphoV6L6UEhiufgre3axptVJTK2rDsyIWApjE5NTYYxbmMruBuZhhLkb92BrwE1-8GDyhg/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/4087832464606986871/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2011/10/archaeological-park-and-ruins-of.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/4087832464606986871'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/4087832464606986871'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2011/10/archaeological-park-and-ruins-of.html' title='Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuq-aYk73lBe0IA_-tU6pgc_glc3qPjy3vQMYn1MYh-CJ7kTIpKku8YuKpdznQlJdJuW2Pt-rewlJIGFa7TMRqbfh1Rlqy02_0fwydJazJTN1dGucwwsk4KL2EPuLmMh_SoIWzKo39mljV/s72-c/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-3519816568487782799</id><published>2011-10-01T01:35:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2011-10-01T01:35:32.073-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Tikal National Park</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibguAbWDmXLmZ6DmuR-YUsqwmP7IJnrIrcVYzqR9ZN6Vwe0PGrk0rNaxwZH2kCpNrEmMTVj3udXM3Dbnd9kA653GyPEN4SEYFvyHVKu_6B0aAALGPlxyXgS2ErTcHZf9CgH0Cnq2yWeBFL/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibguAbWDmXLmZ6DmuR-YUsqwmP7IJnrIrcVYzqR9ZN6Vwe0PGrk0rNaxwZH2kCpNrEmMTVj3udXM3Dbnd9kA653GyPEN4SEYFvyHVKu_6B0aAALGPlxyXgS2ErTcHZf9CgH0Cnq2yWeBFL/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10880. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;In the heart of the jungle, surrounded by lush vegetation, lies one of the major sites of Mayan civilization, inhabited from the 6th century B.C. to the 10th century A.D. The ceremonial centre contains superb temples and palaces, and public squares accessed by means of ramps. Remains of dwellings are scattered throughout the surrounding countryside.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10881. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Together with Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, Maya is the most important reserve in the country, because of its archaeological and bio/ecological interest. Rivers, lakes, swamps and flooding savannas are important for biodiversity and for migratory birds. The reserve contains the largest area of tropical rainforest in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Central America&lt;/st1:place&gt;, with a wide range of unspoilt natural habitats. A large area of the reserve still comprises dense broadleaved forests with more than 300 species of commercially useful trees, such as cedar, mahogany, ramon (bread-nut tree), Araceae&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10882. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;(osier for furniture), chicle, pepper and others.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10883. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The soils of El Petén-Caribbean form a sedimentary basin with deposits from the Mesozoic and the Tertiary periods. They contain limestone and dolomites showing Cretaceous characteristics of karst formations with a broken relief. Soils are clayey and slightly permeable, with internal drainage, and easily compactable. Two types are found in the reserve: the &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Yucatan&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:state&gt; shelf to the north, formed by small hills, and the Lacandon mountain chain in the centre, consisting of rounded hills of calcareous origin, mountain chains, lagoons and alluvial plains. In the Lacandon area, soils are poor and there are abrupt cliffs. In the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;, Uaxactun and Dos Lagunas areas, the topography is undulating and soils are well drained. Laguna del Tigre and Laguna de Yaxha are the main lagoons found in the wetland area, where there are a large number of &#39;aguadas&#39; or superficial swamps. The rivers in the reserve are part of the drainage basin of the &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Usumacinta&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;River&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; in the &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Gulf of Mexico&lt;/st1:place&gt;. This is one of the most extensive wetland systems in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Central America&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10884. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; protects some 22,100 ha of rainforest. The rich vegetation includes; species of savannah such as nance; high altitude forest with chicle, ramon , West Indian mahogany, cedar, palma de botan (palm) and palma de escobo , &#39;tinto&#39; lowland forest. Other common tree species include cedar and the palm. Over 2,000 plant species were identified in the park area. Local people use forest species such as chicle, pepper, cedar, mahogany and ramon and the use of leaves and flowers from Chamaedorea and Araceae spp. are used for ornamental purposes.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10885. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Fifty-four species of mammal occur, including mantled howler monkey, spider monkey, giant anteater, lesser anteater, dwarf anteater, three-toed sloth, nine-banded armadillo, squirrel, pocket gopher, raccoon, brown coati, kinkajou, tayra, paca, long-tailed weasel, hooded skunk, otter, puma, margay, ocelot, jaguarundi, jaguar, Baird&#39;s tapir which is limited by water availability, collared and white-lipped peccaries, white-tailed deer and red brocket deer. The avifauna comprises 333 species, representing 63 of the 74 families in &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, and includes ocellated turkey, red macaw, jaribu stork and many others, including crested eagle.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10886. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Reptiles and amphibians include Morelet&#39;s crocodile, the Central American river turtle, nine families of amphibian and six genera of turtles, as well as 38 species of non-poisonous and poisonous snakes including coral snake, four species of Bothrops and two subspecies of rattlesnake Crotalus. A rich invertebrate fauna, especially arthropods, also occurs.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10887. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;In the heart of this jungle, surrounded by lush vegetation, lies one of the major sites of the Mayan civilization. The ceremonial centre contains superb temples and palaces, and public squares accessed by means of ramps. Remains of dwellings are scattered throughout the surrounding countryside. The ruined city reflects the cultural evolution of Mayan society from hunter- gathering to farming, with an elaborate religious, artistic and scientific culture which finally collapsed in the late 9th century. At its height, AD 700-800, the city supported a population of 90,000 Mayan Indians. There are over 3,000 separate buildings dating from 600 BC to AD 900, including temples, residences, religious monuments decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and tombs. Excavations have yielded remains of cotton, tobacco, beans, pumpkins, peppers and many fruits of pre-Columbian origin. Large areas are still to be excavated.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10888. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Declared a national park on 26 May 1955, having originally been established as a national monument in 1931. &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Tikal&lt;/st1:placename&gt; &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;National Park&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&amp;nbsp; (accepted as a World Heritage site in 1979) and Laguna del Tigre (a Ramsar site) are located within the biosphere reserve. Declared a biosphere reserve on 30 January 1990 by congressional Decree No. 5-90, based on Article 12 of Congressional Decree No. 4-89 of the Protected Areas Law (Lehnhoff Temme, 1990).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10889. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FFHj8g8usdtY3_lCdjgWVPf5pnJy5rrumKFxw_oHHQ6jJCHYhQ8OCkD1ao95x-WByFUpgVNqT_KEmrZUZR0BcT_PRyKHZsD8AOW2e0nZpvKyjSmDPh8bEcwVezNQMTBsfq4wx3Mb-0Kq/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FFHj8g8usdtY3_lCdjgWVPf5pnJy5rrumKFxw_oHHQ6jJCHYhQ8OCkD1ao95x-WByFUpgVNqT_KEmrZUZR0BcT_PRyKHZsD8AOW2e0nZpvKyjSmDPh8bEcwVezNQMTBsfq4wx3Mb-0Kq/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10890. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVK2Btz2ZtIMAFLpgMQyoenLwLQNjHiqAbkdakkxMk1Wz0iF6Rg0I4cKCP0TGUXTuXWcDP35GC2pAJ3VQF40UHRheA-G-DcYymleVn5rkbTxSxzOCyWMScWsk3Y3K1nLiraY7qT7NTicN/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVK2Btz2ZtIMAFLpgMQyoenLwLQNjHiqAbkdakkxMk1Wz0iF6Rg0I4cKCP0TGUXTuXWcDP35GC2pAJ3VQF40UHRheA-G-DcYymleVn5rkbTxSxzOCyWMScWsk3Y3K1nLiraY7qT7NTicN/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  10891. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89mjYeUEXBg0jA-vJdJJqmm0mfxdF6h5pdam66rRtF-pSueWKrX79L3IcafX1ocT1XvUm_4UPgS6GsXephNx2NPaVaK3qLlOfSAjNZpbbCi_t6qeIpETJGgVXgwAkneqeBibwDxAESDZe/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89mjYeUEXBg0jA-vJdJJqmm0mfxdF6h5pdam66rRtF-pSueWKrX79L3IcafX1ocT1XvUm_4UPgS6GsXephNx2NPaVaK3qLlOfSAjNZpbbCi_t6qeIpETJGgVXgwAkneqeBibwDxAESDZe/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
  10892. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwig5XZB3YPH2pvWhgkwFbFaixYsJRNEtHszlyksBV95nqua6hECuNHYt7jVMnT8LU9rYgLJpsnv7oZzzTGGTe5PH0lm70CdPEVDeziRDEdx-lDlI8GcfHcwkxnjG0BrPcaOVKn_XevJy/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwig5XZB3YPH2pvWhgkwFbFaixYsJRNEtHszlyksBV95nqua6hECuNHYt7jVMnT8LU9rYgLJpsnv7oZzzTGGTe5PH0lm70CdPEVDeziRDEdx-lDlI8GcfHcwkxnjG0BrPcaOVKn_XevJy/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10893. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWOEx-y73_FAWB6gxC2nM9FG65PLmtNX7gCvAPtSAJIDq__fxZtK4VNT8n5noNcgAJgnsIYvIU6OS4VlNStL0meO2yAztKqcPbQXUNlCv-BFIPgzpraJauwsCI-0nR1uiZK8hJwv32g2j/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWOEx-y73_FAWB6gxC2nM9FG65PLmtNX7gCvAPtSAJIDq__fxZtK4VNT8n5noNcgAJgnsIYvIU6OS4VlNStL0meO2yAztKqcPbQXUNlCv-BFIPgzpraJauwsCI-0nR1uiZK8hJwv32g2j/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10894. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9UHgBUpIcKYUc7L0Ye03O7CRRxxpBsgzhpzjwQ0Cxvw2tiMQacE9b_x7IiXc6Eh8uSOha4AwqBORVHsgjuhfizQtkyMcBx1XXWZQS-In-dtKxeyNmJNe6OeD0zx9wDu61P8X7ubQv-ew/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9UHgBUpIcKYUc7L0Ye03O7CRRxxpBsgzhpzjwQ0Cxvw2tiMQacE9b_x7IiXc6Eh8uSOha4AwqBORVHsgjuhfizQtkyMcBx1XXWZQS-In-dtKxeyNmJNe6OeD0zx9wDu61P8X7ubQv-ew/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  10895. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioe8DyZgyjetyxVzXhDjRSIQPJb0QBnXJfiaDKIV-aBBCO93YsgnF1N1s_eEuyokJZqMCGiEnpetsUO_MrgjkXcsT8f3IKFFKDM9EKvt4rGpqSXvXKnhz_8Dm6q_ZLtB4_u3At2bq1KqwU/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioe8DyZgyjetyxVzXhDjRSIQPJb0QBnXJfiaDKIV-aBBCO93YsgnF1N1s_eEuyokJZqMCGiEnpetsUO_MrgjkXcsT8f3IKFFKDM9EKvt4rGpqSXvXKnhz_8Dm6q_ZLtB4_u3At2bq1KqwU/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10896. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HUh062QIF5KybSab7_mzD3jtFOgBdLyoZMRvwDgxmP6CmwkBzCM93aTZXaSdyPeRiShXo5hmCF2Kk8eeT5FPRXwdzJtsn5bbtAYxKdZM_3VX-k-B03inPNETAHhqgV5tWUMDJSQw8_yY/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HUh062QIF5KybSab7_mzD3jtFOgBdLyoZMRvwDgxmP6CmwkBzCM93aTZXaSdyPeRiShXo5hmCF2Kk8eeT5FPRXwdzJtsn5bbtAYxKdZM_3VX-k-B03inPNETAHhqgV5tWUMDJSQw8_yY/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10897. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsWz_bPTmyLdGsRyWKfhsKn-5IX2ZXDm1UvrM74LjSFYcDbIc6F6-J-a7q79Z26qbUb2AonRGWFxgETsrK0wKt9j9kv9yME3WQxupiTr-4mqtwhQQaqALgNk51TAjKWQ-ZfQow7HGr9TU/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsWz_bPTmyLdGsRyWKfhsKn-5IX2ZXDm1UvrM74LjSFYcDbIc6F6-J-a7q79Z26qbUb2AonRGWFxgETsrK0wKt9j9kv9yME3WQxupiTr-4mqtwhQQaqALgNk51TAjKWQ-ZfQow7HGr9TU/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;262&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10898. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8X4niNhmaM3zdiCcFkQEoxZd1rpTRXZpKrkhg_oFvtODF3d9ZHaSYSMZz0Pw7qOcDoYCnCIQcfIwX6k2X0IAMKz-fuF1paB-ATRVfpnQFXbFlje_AcUQKD8eT-INR_LRW2yoMGZbGiYx/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8X4niNhmaM3zdiCcFkQEoxZd1rpTRXZpKrkhg_oFvtODF3d9ZHaSYSMZz0Pw7qOcDoYCnCIQcfIwX6k2X0IAMKz-fuF1paB-ATRVfpnQFXbFlje_AcUQKD8eT-INR_LRW2yoMGZbGiYx/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;263&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10899. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymyVuhjJn-X6BPSPx8cp8fIuK173W58P9DzjbRuJC1JXReinKyqa9C1aOa7wWPVePu23vRv6q4iYYmQVHlJjql78Qly-Znz-40OtfZbO8-PsBZHGPTn4T98dDbGMH5qoKRoZeYBRBraQe/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymyVuhjJn-X6BPSPx8cp8fIuK173W58P9DzjbRuJC1JXReinKyqa9C1aOa7wWPVePu23vRv6q4iYYmQVHlJjql78Qly-Znz-40OtfZbO8-PsBZHGPTn4T98dDbGMH5qoKRoZeYBRBraQe/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/feeds/3519816568487782799/comments/default' title='Postare comentarii'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2011/10/tikal-national-park.html#comment-form' title='0 comentarii'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/3519816568487782799'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2618166626245012191/posts/default/3519816568487782799'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ex-mihaela.blogspot.com/2011/10/tikal-national-park.html' title='Tikal National Park'/><author><name>Adventure</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/11437217260159407968</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-oG7ter4AEZfIrh0qMmc0HrubHT1oDRE-j3AhEXInnaBHi292lg9aXaFFLAYTEohr63P7mRuDZmY216lKU6utSM_Pg2_HAMnHaKKxd4IAdSGloCnnbYGxuXdK_Q8QQ/s220/peisaje+de+primavara+6_.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibguAbWDmXLmZ6DmuR-YUsqwmP7IJnrIrcVYzqR9ZN6Vwe0PGrk0rNaxwZH2kCpNrEmMTVj3udXM3Dbnd9kA653GyPEN4SEYFvyHVKu_6B0aAALGPlxyXgS2ErTcHZf9CgH0Cnq2yWeBFL/s72-c/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2618166626245012191.post-4079695517425746718</id><published>2011-10-01T01:24:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2011-10-01T01:24:36.698-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Antigua Guatemala</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuQ5Ogq_NE3HSRrvCZVBioGj1GjOvuwuME_mqvx4As5gvcozrYJ1d-uPF4Uubg8_u80YTGe1-HFWtLlI7WfLZYn51Il6_tNqcid05p0e4a31AJIGg5NjMxmx-UFLphMKsaIz207s2Y53T/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuQ5Ogq_NE3HSRrvCZVBioGj1GjOvuwuME_mqvx4As5gvcozrYJ1d-uPF4Uubg8_u80YTGe1-HFWtLlI7WfLZYn51Il6_tNqcid05p0e4a31AJIGg5NjMxmx-UFLphMKsaIz207s2Y53T/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10900. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Antigua, the capital of the Captaincy-General of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, was founded in the early 16th century. Built 1,500 m above sea-level, in an earthquake-prone region, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773 but its principal monuments are still preserved as ruins. In the space of under three centuries the city, which was built on a grid pattern inspired by the Italian Renaissance, acquired a number of superb monuments.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10901. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Antigua Guatemala&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; is an outstanding example of preserved colonial architecture and of cultural value. The religious, private and government buildings bear exceptional testimony to the Spanish colonial architecture in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Antigua&lt;/st1:place&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10902. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Built 1,500 m above sea level in an earthquake-prone region, Antigua, the capital of the Captaincy-General of &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, was founded in the early 16th century as Santiago de Guatemala. The conquerors chose this location as the previous capital had flooded in 1541 and the valley provided an adequate source of water and a fertile soil. &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Antigua Guatemala&lt;/st1:city&gt; was the seat of Spanish colonial government for the &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Kingdom&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/st1:placename&gt;, which included &lt;st1:state w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Chiapas&lt;/st1:state&gt; (southern &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mexico&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;), &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guatemala&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Belize&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;El  Salvador&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Honduras&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;, &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Nicaragua&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; and &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Costa Rica&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. It was the cultural, economic, religious, political and educational centre for the entire region until the capital was moved to present-day &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guatemala City&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; after the damaging earthquakes of 1773, but its principal monuments are still preserved as ruins. In the space of under three centuries the city, which was built on a grid pattern inspired by the Italian Renaissance, acquired a number of superb monuments.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10903. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Much of the architecture today dates from the 17th and 18th centuries and provides us with a colonial jewel in the &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Americas&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The construction of the Palace of the Captains-General was begun on the original building in 1549 and completed in 1558, but the building has been repeatedly reconstructed following damaging earthquakes. In 1735 the Casa de la Moneda was inaugurated in this large complex, but most of the structure was destroyed in the 1773 quakes. On the east side of the Plaza de Armas stood the cathedral, inaugurated in 1680, after 11 years of construction. The cathedral was laid out with three aisles and salient transepts in a cruciform plan. Bays off the side aisles contained chapels. The present day church is a reconstruction of a small portion of the front of the cathedral. In the centre of the Plaza stands the Fountain of the Sirens, designed in 1739 by architect Miguel Porras. On the north side of the Plaza stands the Ayuntamiento or City Hall dating from 1743 which was little damaged by the 1773 earthquakes.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10904. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The Universidad de &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;San   Carlos&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; was built around 1763, when the university, founded in 1676, was moved to this site. By the end of the 18th century the building required extensive renovations. The present portal was built in 1832 when the building was turned into a public school, the university having been moved to &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Guatemala City&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; where it remains today.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10905. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Among the masterpiece of religious architecture, one of the most fascinating colonial sites in Antigua is Las Capuchinas (the Capuchin Convent) completed in 1736 under the direction of Diego de Porres, the chief architect of the city. Today the convent is partially intact and partially in ruins. The present &lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;church&lt;/st1:placetype&gt; of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;La Merced&lt;/st1:placename&gt; was finished in 1767; the facade is one of the most beautiful in &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Antigua&lt;/st1:place&gt;, featuring intricate and ornate patterns in white stucco on a yellow background. The church has short squat bell towers different from the churches built in seismically less active &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mexico&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt; during the same epoch. The monastery attached to La Merced was totally destroyed by the &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Santa Marta&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; quakes, and never rebuilt. Another very special ruin is that of the convent of &lt;st1:city w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Santa Clara&lt;/st1:city&gt; founded in 1699 by the arrival of five nuns and one legate from &lt;st1:country-region w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Mexico&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:country-region&gt;. The convent&#39;s first church was completed in 1705, but destroyed in 1717. The remains standing today are those of a new church and convent started in 1723 and finished in 1734. The &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;&lt;st1:placetype w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;church&lt;/st1:placetype&gt;  of &lt;st1:placename w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;El Carmen&lt;/st1:placename&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;, completed in 1728, is the third to occupy this site. The main facade of the church is ornate Baroque, and unique in Antigua with its triple pairs of columns set on podia projecting forward from the main wall in place of the niches and saints usually occurring here on Antigua&#39;s churches.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10906. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Religious and government buildings do not hold a monopoly on Spanish colonial architecture in Antigua, however: colonial architecture and modern construction in colonial style is found throughout &lt;st1:place w:st=&quot;on&quot;&gt;Antigua&lt;/st1:place&gt;&amp;nbsp; in mansions and in humbler homes.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10907. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwrHElaiClnKSHFdPHiCWezznB3huUKRazdp8AqAyt-i_qeK9Z59c-WJmdGz2RYEBAjBfyWXxkIzyh-_MtGAs7kEUHT6PnCQfb-PjWp5J1_hs33QP_KT8iOwfmFZzw-8l4s9ZCNtNn7rj/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwrHElaiClnKSHFdPHiCWezznB3huUKRazdp8AqAyt-i_qeK9Z59c-WJmdGz2RYEBAjBfyWXxkIzyh-_MtGAs7kEUHT6PnCQfb-PjWp5J1_hs33QP_KT8iOwfmFZzw-8l4s9ZCNtNn7rj/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  10908. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3oULtBFsEO5P8i-8xrd5HuMm5nvI2NBGGFgIPm-SPSEmYcmmnhXUkzA3P1c4m8ujZVbNRIjj3AeE6omU5HWGjhz0qgqPIAEAFh-hofowzU0dZSRriUFNAN6Mx6PNuhr7vlpTZv5kx7g_-/s1600/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3oULtBFsEO5P8i-8xrd5HuMm5nvI2NBGGFgIPm-SPSEmYcmmnhXUkzA3P1c4m8ujZVbNRIjj3AeE6omU5HWGjhz0qgqPIAEAFh-hofowzU0dZSRriUFNAN6Mx6PNuhr7vlpTZv5kx7g_-/s400/site_0537_0012-500-375-20110721160853.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
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