Latest news with #Obaidli
Al Etihad
06-05-2025
- Al Etihad
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre delivers two lectures in Moscow
6 May 2025 22:47 MOSCOW (WAM) As part of an official visit to Moscow, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre (SZGMC) organised two lectures titled 'Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – A Place for All, Creativity in a Specialised Field' at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and Moscow State by the Director-General of SZGMC, Yousif Al Obaidli, the lectures formed part of a broader cultural visit involving meetings with senior officials from prominent Russian academic and cultural by around 100 students, including Emiratis, the sessions outlined the Centre's strategic role in conveying the mosque's civilisational message of tolerance and intercultural dialogue. Al Obaidli emphasised the mosque's unique position as a global place of worship, drawing more than six million annual visitors—81 percent of whom are international tourists—and regularly ranking among the world's top cultural noted that these achievements reflect the legacy of the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who envisioned the mosque as a cultural bridge. Architectural features such as the lunar illumination system symbolise the Islamic calendar's connection to lunar cycles and represent a shared heritage across Obaidli presented several of the Centre's youth-focused initiatives under the Al Shabab Al Banie programme, including Ibn Al-Dar, Junior Cultural Guide, Future Guide, and youth discussions, alongside immersive visitor experiences such as Diya – A Universe of Light, the El-Delleel multimedia guide, and the Bari Al Jami' Centre also offers over 5,400 multilingual guided tours annually and has extended its programming to include night highlighted the Spaces of Light photography award, valued at Dh850,000, which has drawn more than 9,400 photographers from 70 countries. The award celebrates the role of visual art in fostering cross-cultural understanding and elevating the mosque's universal Obaidli also discussed Ramadan at the Mosque, which hosts over 1.8 million visitors annually and distributes more than 2.15 million Iftar meals, alongside lectures and traditional reviewed SZGMC's global outreach through international travel exhibitions and its participation in events such as Asia Travel Market, World Travel Market, ITB Berlin, and the China International Fair for Investment and Trade. Mosque models have been exhibited in over 20 embassies and institutions a rise in average visitor stay from one to six hours, Al Obaidli credited this to exceptional service quality. The Centre employs 515 professionals and records more than 1.17 million annual work hours to manage comprehensive infrastructure, including tunnels, elevators, lighting systems, and visitor the visit, SZGMC met with leaders from MGIMO, the Russian State Library, and the Fund for Support of Islamic Culture, Science and Education to explore cooperation in cultural dialogue and museological exchange, including through the Light & Peace delegation also visited leading institutions such as the Kremlin Museums, the State Museum of Oriental Art, and the Russian State Library to observe best practices in museum visit featured the unveiling of a Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque model, the Light & Peace mobile library, and the Spaces of Light exhibition at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque. These events were held under the Jusoor Programme's Minarets of the Two Capitals initiative, which has launched over 21 mosque models globally since 2012 in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Gulf Today
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
UAE national sailing team win gold at third Gulf Beach Games in Muscat
The UAE have raised their medal tally to two gold medals at the third edition of the Gulf Beach Games being underway in Oman with the participation of 330 male and female athletes. The national sailing team claimed the gold medal in the optimist team event, extending the country's success on the second day of the competition, following the opening-day gold secured by Abdullah Nasser Al Hammadi in paragliding. Oman won silver after finishing second, while Kuwait took bronze. Representing the UAE in this event were Khalifa Al Rumaithi, Zayed Omar Al Hosani, Thiyab Al Muhairi, Hamad Al Muhairi, and Madiyah Khalid Al Niyadi. Mohammed Abdullah Al Obaidli, Secretary-General of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation, congratulated Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE National Olympic Committee, and Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation, on the impressive start delivered by the UAE's young sailing representatives in the Optimist team event at the Gulf Beach Games. Obaidli, who is accompanying the UAE delegation in Muscat, extended his congratulations to the team's athletes for this achievement, which reflects the dedicated efforts of the federation, in collaboration with sports clubs, to foster the development of promising young talents in marine sports. He added that the team, crowned with gold in the Optimist team event, includes Arab champion Rumaithi—winner of gold at the 2023 Arab Games in Algeria, double gold medallist at the 2024 Arab Championship in Kuwait, and a gold and silver winner at the 2024 GCC Youth Games held in the UAE. Hosani, who won silver in the youth team event at the GCC Youth Games, along with Thiyab and Hamad—the youngest athletes in the team—as well as emerging talent Madiyah, who previously secured two bronze medals at the 2023 Arab Games and both a gold and silver at the GCC Youth Games 2024. Obaidli expressed optimism for further success from the athletes, many of who topped the Arab Team and Arab Girls Championships last year. He highlighted strong potential in the upcoming sailing categories: ILCA 7, ILCA 6, ILCA 4, and Optimist, noting the wealth of experience and accomplishments within the squad. The team includes Adel Khalid, Sultan Khalid Mohammed Al Owais, Othman Abdul Karim Al Hammadi, Mohammed Abdul Karim Al Hammadi, Mohammed Khalid Al Owais, and Mohammed Marwan Al Marzouqi, as well as female sailors Dhohaa Al Beshr, Kamilia Al Qubaisi, Marwa Al Hammadi, and Alyazia Al Hammadi. He extended his sincere thanks to the Ministry of Sports and the UAE National Olympic Committee for their continued support of the national teams, which made this participation possible through well-organised preparations and training via international camps and competitions held this year in Hong Kong, Qatar, and Malaysia in the lead-up to the 3rd Gulf Beach Games. Mohammed Bin Nakhira Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to Oman, received the official UAE sports delegation participating in the games. The delegation included Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary-General of the UAE National Olympic Committee; Ghanem Mubarak Rashid Al Hajri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports; Sheikh Suhail Bin Butti Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at the Ministry of Sports; Nasser Al Niyadi, President of the Emirates Aerosports Federation; Mohammed bin Darwish, Executive Director of the UAE NOC; and Mohammed Al Obaidli, Secretary-General of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation. The athletics and tent pegging teams have arrived in Muscat to compete in the games. The athletics team will compete in the long jump, triple jump, high jump, 1,600m race, and the 4×60m relay. They will begin their campaign on Tuesday with the long jump and high jump events. Team members include Muadh Fawzi, Naseeb Salmeen, Mohammed Hassan Al Noubi, Salem Ali Abdullah, Salem Hassan Al Baloushi, Saud Jumaa Al Zaabi, Mohammed Al Hammadi, Fatima Al Baloushi, Mahra Angelya, Alia Al Hammadi, Abeer Al Baloushi, Fatima Al Shamsi, Ruqayya Al Marzouqi, Fatima Khalil, and Jawaher Fareed.
