(The image of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayhan welcomes the visitors.)
We were going to Marina Mall when we noticed that something new was cooking at the Cornice. There’s a lot of activities happening in the open area near the beach, but we just really had to drop by because a sand sculpture showcase in Abu Dhabi was a first as I can recall.
(We took this close up shot just to see how deep was the hole of the eyes, only now I noticed that the nose would need a little fixing).
The sand sculpture festival was organized by Emirates Heritage Club. Last weekend, they have started bringing in 300 tonnes of sand which were sourced from the desert outside Al Ain (the so called oasis of Abu Dhabi). It is claimed to be softer and cleaner. Nine sculptors who came from Syria, UAE, Brazil, Holland, Australia, South Africa, Egypt and Latvia participated in the festival. We observed that some of them started touching the sand only when the weeklong festival was about to end. I assume that this is to avoid the running repairs which is expected because of the wind. The use of chemicals (as popularly utilized in the sand sculptures by the beach) was banned. Hence, they had to water the scupltures at least twice a day.
(It took at least three days to complete this replica of Fort of Al Jahili, Al Ain.)
Stalls selling clothes, CDs, toys, perfumes and souvenirs were also made available.
(The camel on castle was well conceptualized.)
(I wonder how the artwork turned out. It was two days before the end of festival when we visited.)
(An image of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. I hope they made the strikes deeper and more prominent.)
(They have dedicated one area for the children to try making sand sculpture.)
(Here’s how a usual UAE structure looks like in the old days. Until now the hospitals, malls, and even public toilets and some establishments still adopt a percentage of this architecture.)
And here goes my two favorites:
The shepherd and his camels. I thought it’s an intricate work and it speaks a lot about the UAE’s history especially during the time of the bedouins.
(This is how it looks at the other side.)
People and the palm tree. I liked this sculpture a lot because I see the image of “bayanihan” (helping each other/teamwork) with the group of sand people as they were ready to plant a palm tree.
(The arabic scripture reads as “If you give me a plant, I will guarantee you a good future.” That was quoted by the founder of the UAE, the late President Sheikh Zayed.)
(A really good job from Ali Moualla, a sculptor from Syria.)
I think that the Emirates Heritage Club should carry on this festival again next year. While there are many activities happening in the UAE, the use of the sand itself in the showcase is very Middle East and it’s one of the activities they can position themselves better when it comes to telling the story of their rich culture and history. They should also strengthen the campaign so that more residents and visitors can benefit from this free exhibit.
0 thoughts on “Emirates International Sand Sculpture Festival”
onyxx
wow. awesome sand sculpture! did they do something to the sand to make the grains adhere to each other long enough to make these pieces?
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witsandnuts
I’m not sure of whatelese was applied other than the occasional spraying of water. I remember that they were not allowed to use chemicals.
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upto6only
im so amazed how they can build sand castles galing nila. simpleng bundok nga pangit pa gawa ko hihihi
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rob
.. fascinating! so you can read arabic? i’ve been here in saudi for almost 5 years, but i never learned the language! 😀
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witsandnuts
Yes, I can. But very little because I’m not able to consistently practice. Over a year ago my employer enrolled me to a basic business arabic course. It was fun.
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Josiet
I love the shepherds and his camels. Sand sculpture never ceases to amaze me. I wish I can do that =)
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Amelia
this is truly a work of art…nice nice!! 🙂
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anabanana
We’ve been in Corniche for 2 consecutive days a week ago just to check if the masterpieces are completed but when we came back yesterday, It’s all gone 😦
Glad to see the pictures in your blog. I witnessed how artistic the Syrian guy was 🙂
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witsandnuts
When we visited we thought that was the last of the festival, but they extended for another two days. The Syrian artist was really amazing and he readily posed for a photo request.
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Sreisaat
Wow – these are amazing and the details are unbelievable! Khmer Iggy and I enjoyed looking at the pictures 🙂
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kg
it’s wonderful that these sand sculptures show so much about the UAE culture. just by looking at those creations will remind one of the middle east.
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Kate
This is so cool! I love the old UAE structure sand castles. I’d love to see real buildings that look that way 🙂 Btw, natawa ako doon sa nose. what happened there? 😀
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witsandnuts
I guess the nose was damaged by the wind. Maybe they fixed it later that day.
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angeli
this is amazing. the sculptures are quite intricate.
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reena
Ang gaganda ng pictures mo! Nakakahiya naman yung sa akin. haha. Pero thanks parin for the recent blog visit. Saan yung town niyo in Laguna? That was just part 1. Abangan mo yung next post baka nadaanan din namin. 🙂
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witsandnuts
Two hometowns, Sinilioan and Pangil. 🙂
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Bev
I too like most the concept of the Shepherd and the Camels. It depicts how a camel is a desert man’s bestfriend. There’s also a sense of “serenity” I feel looking at it.
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witsandnuts
Camel being a desert man’s bestfriend is a better description. 🙂
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Misalyn
Ang galing-galing ng pagkakakuha ng mga photos! Kung alam ko lang ‘to malamang pinunutahan ko rin. THanks to this post, at least nakita ko kahit na sa photos lang.’
Yung fort, parang hindi sya Al Jahili Fort, parang Sultan Fort sya, kasi yung Al Jahili Fort meron syang circular tower sa may kanan, malaki na paliit, na parang 3 layers ng cake ang hitsura, pero kahit ano pa man yan, ang gagaling pa rin ng mga artists.
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witsandnuts
Thanks! I’ve never been to Al Ain and I took the information from the related news about the exhibit. I’d like to see Al Jahili and Sultan Fort(s) in person. 🙂
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