By 2003, construction of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque had advanced enough to show it to visiting dignitaries.
One of those was the Austrian ambassador to the UAE, Dr Gerald Kriechbaum, and his daughter Genoveva, who had just acquired an early digital camera.
The scale and beauty of the mosque made an immediate impact on the young student, and over the next four years she made visit after visit to the construction site, recording its completion in more than 4,000 images.
"It was literally desert then," she recalls. "There was no Shangri-La, no Fairmont, not even really any trees."
While her trips were strictly speaking unauthorised, no one really seemed to mind. "Somehow I always seemed to find my way in," Kriechbaum says.
This photograph shows the concrete interior of the main prayer hall before the marble cladding was put up. She disputes that the colour is grey. "Sometimes it was pink or yellow or blue. It depended on the light."
The only time she paused her shutter was when workers gathered for the first Ramadan prayers in 2007: "I put my camera away. It didn't feel right."
Weeks later, the mosque was officially opened and, as a steady stream of visitors made it the most photographed attraction in Abu Dhabi, it was time to put her camera away for good.
A selection of the images she took can now be seen in a new exhibition at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, which faces the mosque from the other side of The Grand Mosque - Spirit in the Making is open every day and continues until March 12. Admission is free.
Time Frame is a series that opens a window into the nation's past. Readers are invited to make contributions to yourpics@thenational.ae
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
The Penguin
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Creator: Lauren LeFranc
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WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
The specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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