Plastic bottles might not work in the Emirate Palace Hotel – but opulent jewelry decor isn’t fitting either. Image via AFP
“Deck the halls with boughs of diamonds tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la”. Over extravagant Abu Dhabi has done it again! This time it’s with an opulent bejeweled Christmas tree that is now “decking” the main entrance hall of the Emirate’s posh Emirates Palace Hotel .
This outlandish display of oil begotten wealth was inaugurated at the hotel to “accommodate” non-Muslim guests to the hotel, which in itself is a bit strange for a country whose permanent resident population (not including guest workers) is no less than 99.5% Muslim.
The 13 meter (40 ft) tall evergreen was decorated with necklaces made with diamonds, emeralds, pearls, sapphires, rubies and other precious stones, as well as with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments, and small white lights.
“The bare tree itself is worth $10,000. And the jewelry has a value of $11 million – I think 11.5 to be exact,” says Hans Olbertz, the hotel general manager. The jewelry was donated by Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery, one the Sheikdom’s popular jewelry establishments.
Another sign of opulence -White Gold Mercedes
This is not the first time that expensive and unusual items have been noted in Abu Dhabi, which is now being touted as a “playground for the rich,” especially those from neighboring oil rich Arab countries.
People are still talking about the white gold Mercedes Benze sports coupe that often turns heads when it pulls up to establishments frequented by wealthy people in Abu Dhabi.
What makes the whole scenario seem a bit out of place is that Abu Dhabi is trying to be a leader in promoting projects that are friendly to the environment, especially the carbon neutral Masdar City project, which when completed “somewhere between 2015 and 2020” will be billed as a showcase for sustainable residential and business communities.
Carie Bradshaw & friends take on Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi’s opulence was recently displayed to world movie audiences when a large part of the latest Sex and the City 2 movie sequel was supposed to take place in Abu Dhabi, but was actually filmed in Morocco, due to objections by the Sheikdoms rulers.
With all this in mind, it may cause many people wonder why Abu Dhabi was recently voted as the “Best City in the Middle East – Mediterranean Region (MENA)” by study conducted by the Middle East’s job site Bayt.com and research specialists YouGovSiraj.
Haifa’s Bottle Tree
Abu Dhabi needs to be more considerate of environmental aspects, and not just expensive showcases. And this bejeweled Christmas tree is a sterling example of extravagance carried a bit too far.
The Emirate Hotel might better consider the environmental example of Haifa’s Christian, Muslim and Jewish community, who have erected a Christmas tree made entirely from empty plastic bottles – a move to illustrate the need to recycle plastic containers.
The Haifa tree is made from 5,480 recycled plastic bottles, which is obviously more environmentally friendly than the precious stones, and gold and silver used for the Emirates Palace Hotel tree with all that was involved in mining those ornaments.
Maybe Abu Dhabi will one day get this message. At the present time, it doesn’t seem to.
Read more on Abu Dhabi environmental issues:
Is Abu Dhabi deserving of Best City in the Middle East – Med RegionWhite Gold
Mercedes Benze Runs on Bio Fuel
Abu Dhabi Calls on Residents to Stop Polluting Environment – With Abandoned Luxury Cars
Author: Maurice Picow
Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to move to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology - particularly electric cars.
Typical UAE bull$shit. Learning from Dubai and they show off hollow cultureless attitude
Thanks,
I fully agree regarding the hotel management.
Maurice…I was not referring to you nor the Green Prophet…in fact I am one of your avid supporters…
When I wrote SHAME ON YOU… I was referring to the HOTEL owner…
I would like to give my sincere apology should you be offended by my words but please read again my comment and you will realize that it has nothing to do with you nor your organization…
But to the hotel owner, I say agian SHAME ON YOU!
Thank you…
Hi Sui Sen,
Green Prophet is an environmental and clean technology website. The purpose of this piece was to point out the absurdity of this issue, as in the case of the white gold Mercedes -as well as show how recycling (as the case of the Haifa plastic bottle tree) can be very beneficial.
In light of this, we at Green Prophet have nothing to be ashamed of!
Such a disgusting display of wealth when more than 2/3 of the people in the Muslim world are dying of hunger…
And what is more dispecable is that such display is for a religious celebration that most Christians are finding now too commercialized.
It is an insult to the Muslims who do not celebrate Christmas and an insult to the Christians who want to reclaim the true spiritual significance of the season.
If what they spent for the christmas tree was donated to the UNRWA, such money would have given thousands of families food on their tables or even tents to shelter them from the cold winter…
Shame to the hotel owner! Shame on you…
OK, Why not? Carrie and the gang wouldn’t mine it either.
THANK TO UAE GOVERNMENT FOR SUPPORTING THIS ACTIVITIES. THE CHRISTMAS TREE SPEAKS TO THE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD FOR WELCOMING VISITORS ESPECIALLY FOR NON-MUSLIMS. IS SHOWS THAT THEY ARE OPEN-MINDED PEOPLE WHO DO NOT GIVE MALICIOUS MEANING FOR CREATING THIS EXPENSIVE CHRISTMAS TREE.
I LIKE THIS.
I’ll walk a mile for a Camel, and ever further for a white gold Mercedes!
UAE MUSLIMS ARE OPEN MINDED.