2013-12-09
【Aiden in English】
Today, we will tour Sharjah, the Pearl of the Gulf. It used to be "the cultural capital of the Arab world," designated by UNESCO 15 years ago. Sharjah was one of the seven emirates, right next to Dubai, and was full of many different mosques, museums, and markets. The Cultural Square was ginormous, including the Ruler's Office, Quran Monument, Ahmad Bin Hanbal Mosque, and Public Library. Since the Culture and Information Center used to be a palace, all the decorations were stylized in medieval fashion. Its entrance looked like a doorway for a giant. Unfortunately, this heritage area was extremely fussy and wouldn't allow anyone but the locals to go inside, which left us to stay in the lobby. The situation was bizarre. Wasn't tourism a big part of the economy? Was it why Sharjah was removed from the list of cultural capitals of the Arab world by UNESCO? I was still thinking about this until our next stop, the Blue Souq or gold market. It was a long hallway with shops on either side selling everything from golden dresses to gold watches. There was furniture crafted out of gold, fruits carved out of gold (not edible), and much more. Some stores even sold statues made of pure gold. The whole market could be worth billions or even trillions of dollars in America. I couldn't believe there was so much gold in one place. Everywhere you looked, something would reflect the light into your eyes. The only things that became irrelevant to gold would be restaurants and ice cream stands. Mom and I went shop by shop, seeing all the displays that gold could turn into. I was fascinated by how many ways gold could be made and wondered why people loved gold so much. Was it because of its shininess, value, beauty, or to show off? Was gold the great magician of the earth that realized our dreams? I wanted to see everything here, but everything that had a beginning would have an end. And this end came sooner than I expected. I have learned that even some tiny places like Sharjah have unique features. 【红霞译】
今天我们游览沙迦“旭日”城，号称阿拉伯“海湾明珠”，15年前，沙迦曾一度被世界科教文组织列为“阿拉伯王国文化名都”。
沙迦毗邻迪拜，是阿联酋七个酋长国之一，多种多样的清真寺、博物馆、贸易集市随处可见。文化广场巨大，涵括酋长官邸、古兰经纪念碑、主爱总督清真寺、文化咨询中心、公立图书馆；文化咨询中心实为皇宫，因此所有装饰都具有独特的中世纪风格，尤其它的正门高大无比，好像专门为巨人所建，非常气派。遗憾的是文化广场上的建筑物对游客而言基本上都被当作摆设，除本地人可以有条件进出之外，酋长办公室谢绝参观，清真寺不允许非穆斯林者入内，图书馆闲人免进，唯有文化咨询中心门厅对外开放，真搞不清什么名堂，难道旅游业已非沙迦经济的重要组成？或许沙迦不再是世界文化之城？
我疑惑不解，直到走进沙迦黄金市场才得以释然。沙迦黄金市场九曲十八弯，从纯金礼服到纯金手表，各种首饰招摇过市；镀金家具、含金水果以及其它东西，中看不中吃；有的店铺甚至出售纯金塑像，整个黄金市场恐怕价值十亿或万亿美元。天哪，一个地方怎么会有这么多金子！除了餐厅和冰激凌摊位而外，放眼望去，到处金光闪闪。
我和妈妈挨门逐户欣赏黄金制品，心中不免好奇地揣摩黄金用途，为什么人们对黄金如痴如狂？难道因为它的光泽、价值、漂亮，还是纯属炫耀？钱财真的能实现梦想吗？ 由于时间所限我无法参观其它地方，正如世上任何事情有开头必有结束，只不过此次游程比我想像的还要短，值得回味的是天底下无论地方大小，我都会发觉像沙迦一样各有执念。  Cultural Square Symbolizing Sharjah's Spiritual Essence
(文化广场·象征沙迦的精神真髓) 
Quran Monument w/ Heritage Sights Possessing Islamic Roots @ Quran Roundabout (环岛处《古兰经》纪念碑·蕴含伊斯兰根源的文化遗产)  Culture and Information Center or the Sharjah Department of Culture
(文化与信息中心·沙迦文化部 12-09-2013) 
Public Library, Dating back to the Year 1925 (公共图书馆·其历史可追溯到1925年 12-09-2013)  Ruler's Office, Cultural Capital of the Arab World & Capital of Islamic Culture
(酋长府·阿拉伯世界和伊斯兰本土文化之都)  Port Khalid Authority Customs Bldg, the Sharjah Ports' Flagship Deepwater Port & Handles All of the Emirate's Container Traffic
(哈立德“不朽”港务局海关大楼·沙迦港的旗舰深水港，通往沙迦的门户，负责处理沙迦酋长国的所有集装箱运输) 
Ahmad Bin Hanbal Mosque w/ a Mausoleum Dedicated to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the Founder of the Hanbali School of Islamic Thought (原始真主清真寺——内有纪念伊斯兰教汉百里学派创始人艾哈迈德·伊本·汉百里的陵墓 12-09-2013)
 Al Maghfirah Mosque, the Main Mosque for the Hajj & Umrah Pilgrimages
(马格菲拉“真主宽恕”清真寺·伊斯兰教中朝觐和副朝的主要清真寺) 
Façade of Al Maghfirah Mosque Blending Modern Elements w/ Traditional Islamic Design (马格菲拉清真寺正面观·融合了现代元素与传统伊斯兰设计 12-09-2013)  Al Maghfirah Mosque, the Largest Mosque in the Emirate of Sharjah
(马格菲拉清真寺·沙迦酋长国最大的清真寺 12-09-2013)
 Al Noor Mosque, the Most Famous Mosque of Sharjah, Completed in 2005, w/ Classical Turkish Ottoman Influence
(诺尔“光明”清真寺·2005年竣工、沙迦最著名的清真寺，深受古典土耳其奥斯曼“强大”风格的影响)  King Faisal Mosque in a Blend of Traditional Islamic & Modern Styles
(费萨尔“果敢”国王清真寺·融合了传统伊斯兰风格和现代建筑风格)  Univ of Sharjah, the Largest in the Emirate
(沙迦大学·阿拉伯联合酋长国最大的高校)  Al Ittihad Monument, a Symbol of Unity in Sharjah
(伊蒂哈德“联盟”纪念碑·沙迦团结的象征) 
Souk Al Arsah, Sharjah's Oldest Marketplace (阿尔萨“露天”市场·沙迦最古老的贸易场所 12-09-2013) 
Souq Al Jubail, the UAE's Largest Fresh Produce Market (朱拜勒农贸市场·阿联酋最大的新鲜农产品市场 12-09-2013)  Fish Market @ Souq Al Jubail
(沙迦农贸市场·鱼市 12-09-2013)
Fish Market @ Souq Al Jubail (农贸市场·鱼市)
 Souq al-Markazi, the Blue Souk or Central Market
(马尔卡齐“蓝色/黄金/中央”市场·主要购物场所)  Entrance of Blue Souk (蓝色商城·入口处)
Gold Market @ Blue Souk (蓝色商城·黄金市场) Crosslinks(相关博文): United Arab Emirates(出游阿联酋)
Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋) 5th Grade(小学五年级)
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