The Al-Fateh Grand Mosque and My Short Trip to Bahrain

This is the Al-Fateh Grand Mosque in Manama, Bahrain. It's one of the largest mosques in the world with the capacity for 7,000 worshipers at one time. The mosque was built in 1987 and now also houses the National Library of Bahrain. The dome is made entirely of fiberglass, making it the largest fiberglass dome in the world! The materials used for the mosque are very international, including Italian marble for the floors, Indian teak for the doors, and a chandelier from Austria.

One of the great things about my work in television production is being able to travel around the world. But it's a double edged sword when I travel for work. Basically, I had a total of 16 hours total in Bahrain (most at night) so sadly I didn't get to see much of it. But when I woke in my hotel room, this is the view I saw:

I knew I only had about an hour until I had to be ready to meet my colleagues and depart to the airport. So basically all I had time for was to walk to the mosque, take some photos and hope I could walk inside.

Even at 8am, it was incredibly hot as I walked the short distance from my hotel to the mosque. But I knew this was my only opportunity to visit. As I approached the mosque I loved the incredibly well manicured trees and plants that surrounded it.

Just between the walk and deciding how to take photos of this grand, imposing structure, I knew I was running out of time. But I was enamored with the spires of the mosque peeking out of the trees.

After this, I walked to the parking area and guard gate to see that the mosque doesn't open until 9am. The only free time I had was from 8:00 - 8:45am so I knew I wouldn't be able to go inside. Of course, I was disappointed, but at least I can say I got the chance to see the outside of this beautiful building in person.

!steemitworldmap 26.2285 lat 50.5860 long Manama Bahrain d3scr