The videos document my pilgrimage from Indonesia to the African continent by land (no airplane!). The route: 1.) Indonesia: Traveling through Sumatran Mountains and Prehistoric Sites 2.) Malaysia: Meeting with the Aborigines of the Malay Peninsula 3.) Thailand: Tracing the Southeast Asian Ancient Empires 4.) Laos: Experiencing the Lao-China Railway 5.) China: Backpacking the Tibetan Plateau to the Edge of the Silk Road 6.) Kazakhstan: First Contact with the Central Asians 7.) Uzbekistan: Pilgrimage in the Land of the Timurids 8.) Tajikistan: Lost in the Fenn Mountains 9.) Afghanistan: Visiting Afghanistan after the Taliban Takeover 10.) Iran: Surrounded by the Ancient Civilization of Persia 11.) UAE: Short Transit in Futuristic Cities 12.) Saudi Arabia: Pilgrimage in the Holy Land of the Muslims 13.) Jordan: Catching a Glimpse of Jerusalem 14.) Egypt: Ending in the Land of Pharaohs
Curated by: Bang Jago (174 videos)
On the 180th day I explored Abu Dhabi and learned about Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates whose name is immortalized in the name of the Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque. I started the morning in Al Reem area, where I stayed. I took the public bus and stopped briefly at the Saudi Arabian and the Indonesian embassies which are located nearby to ask about Saudi Arabia's tourist visa. It turned out it's not easy because the Saudi Embassy only focuses on serving citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates. From the embassy complex, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is already close by. I arrived from the west side, which is quieter and good for taking photos before circling towards the tourist entrance on the south side. At the entrance there were many foreign tourists who visited the grandest mosque of the early 21st century. It was completed in 2007 and already a mini replica of it had been built in Surakarta, Indonesia. I entered the mosque from the east gate. Here, every hour there were free tours from the mosque management which I highly recommend. Tour participants passed through a special route, thus avoiding the crowds. The guide explained about the architecture of the mosque. For example, she told us that the floral motifs on the pillars were made by descendants of artists who created similar motifs on the Taj Mahal. We also had special access to the prayer room which had a giant chandelier. The largest weighs up to 16 tons and hangs above the world's largest hand-knotted carpet, hand-woven by Persian artists. The main structure of the mosque also combines various architectural arts, such as Mughal and Moroccan art styles. After enjoying the beauty of the mosque, I continued my journey to the Marina because it was close to the Founder's Memorial. Here, a free tour told us about the founder of the United Arab Emirates who succeeded in uniting seven emirates and modernised this country. After the sun set over the Emirate's palaces, the Founder's Memorial would show Sheikh Zayed's face lit up like a constellation in the night sky. Tomorrow I planned to cross into Saudi Arabia. ___ Stage 1 Route - Sumatra (DONE!): Jakarta - Bandar Lampung - Baturaja - Lahat - Pagar Alam - Bengkulu - Lebong Tandai - Kerinci - Jambi - Kuala Tungkal - Batam - Johor Bahru Stage 2 Route - ASEAN Mainland (DONE!): Johor Bahru - Kuala Tahan - Kota Bharu - Su-Ngai Kolok - Nakhon Si Thammarat - Chaiya - Nakhon Pathom - Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima - Phimai - Nong Khai - Vientiane - Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang - Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai - Pai - Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai - Boten - Kunming, China Stage 3 Route - China (DONE!): Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Shangri-La - Shambala - Litang - Chengdu - Leshan - Chengdu - Xi'an - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang - Turpan - Urumqi - Almaty, Kazakhstan Stage 4 Route - Central Asia (DONE!): Almaty - Shymkent - Tashkent - Nukus - Muynak - Turtkul - Khiva - Bukhara - Samarkand - Tashkent - Khujand - Fann Mountains - Dushanbe - Kunduz, Afghanistan Stage 5 Route - Afghanistan (DONE!): Kunduz - Samangan - Mazar-i-Sharif - Balkh - Kabul - Bamiyan - Band-e Amir - Yakawlang - Lal - Chagcharan - Herat - Mashhad, Iran Stage 6 Route - Iran (DONE): Mashhad - Tehran - Isfahan - Persepolis - Shiraz - Ahvaz - Shalamcheh Border - Shushtar - Shush - Bandar Abbas - Sharjah, UAE Stage 7 Route - Arabian Peninsula: Sharjah - Dubai - Abu Dhabi - Riyadh - Jeddah - Madinah - AlUla - Hegra - Tabuk - Haql - Aqaba, Jordan *Follow my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/obeysianipar/) for direct messages **Message me for sponsorship --- Music Credits: And Awaken - Stings by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.