In a moment of unabashed self-aggrandizement, Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi commissioned beach graffiti visible from space.
We have nothing against Sheikhs per se. A member of Ajman’s royal family, HRH Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Al Nuami, also known as the Green Sheikh (who knows how to treat a lady), has an incredibly modest lifestyle and travels the world educating people about the benefits of environmental stewardship.
He invites people into his home, teaches them about the high-minded side of Islam, and also pens a monthly column for Green Prophet. And undoubtedly there are several Sheikhs who are similarly grounded in the realities of our world. But another Sheikh from the United Arab Emirates, HRH Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi, is making a name for himself in other, less flattering ways with beach graffiti visible from space.
HAMAD: For the universe to see
Sheikh Hamad had workers etch his first name into the sands of Al Futaisi Island. The letters HAMAD combined are 3,280 feet tall and one mile long and can be seen from space.
To ensure that the Gulf waters don’t sweep his name away, the man infamously known as the “Rainbow Sheikh” for the seven Mercedes 500 SEL’s he acquired and outfitted in rainbow colors during the 1980s, carved tunnels into the sand that will hold the water.
Unabashed self-aggrandizement
Gifted to him by his now deceased father Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the island has an area of 50 square kilometres.
Sheikh Hamad is known for his gluttonous vehicle collection which includes 200 cars and trucks that are displayed at the Emirates National Auto Museum outside of Abu Dhabi. (For images of Sheikh Hamad’s vehicle collection, visit this Picasa Page).
Take away their desalination plants, and Abu Dhabi is one of the most water scarce countries on earth. Surely it should be this man’s responsibility to spend his money more wisely than on self-aggrandizement?
Unfortunately, madness like this gives good Sheikhs a bad name.
:: Daily Mail
More on Absurd, Spendy Projects in the UAE:
Abu Dhabi Bejeweled Christmas Tree is a World Record for Extravagance
Global Warming Message Goes Awry at UAE Water Park
Abu Dhabi’s Solid Gold “Biofuel” Mercedes Another Dubious Green Development
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Hhhhh I have no comment on this, and you are right madness like this gives good Sheikhs like Sheikh Abdul-Aziz a bad name. I have a saying which I always tell people; “Ignorance is mankind’s worst enemy”.
Its probably not being seen from space that he is interested in – its on the flight path from Heathrow
I only can recommend to each reader to have a look at the peninsula of SINAI by GOOGLE EARTH out of a height of about 300 km. Much more than the HAMAD action it is amazing, that there come into sight structures of rivers. It depends of knowledge and of faith to take those structures as a proof, either has there been a lot of rain in ancient times, or it will be raining there a lot in the future, or both is true.
My investigation on this came to the result, that from the borders of the Suez Canal (and from the Great Bitter Lake and from the Red Sea)saltwater can be splashed onto the dry and hot desert sands by means of pump and spray equipment. Nearly all water will evaporate. The rest is used to flush back the salt. Done with the quantity of about 800.000 tons per square kilometer, it will cost less then 1 Euro Cent per ton. The so moisted air will pour out rain at exactly the same amount, somewhere inside country ‘gone with the wind’ — at no cost at all.
This action could be seen as very arrogant in the eyes of Allah. But I guess, that doesn’t matter if you’re wealthy
Hamad has some gumption
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5622/hamad2224807.jpg
Lol this is actually too funny… lol seriously this is the stuff that “the Onion” makes up, not stuff that happens in reality.
It’s sad to see that he did it in English instead of Arabic… kinda makes me feel like English (which is probably a stupidly unintuitive language) is taking over the world. 🙁
Great! now all the aliens will think our planets name is HAMAD……