31 August 2014 Sidreh, Abu Ghosh mosque, Nimati's daughter's wedding

We delivered 1500 school kits on Sunday, Aug. 31, to Sidreh Weaving in Lakia.  It was a quick trip down and back.  BYU helped this organization with computers.  These are the women who are using them.



On our way home we stopped in Abu Gosh to see a mosque that we have noticed from the freeway.  It has four mineretts and looks like a castle from Disneyland.  It was built in 2013.

 

The main assembly is very ornate but has no furniture.  The carpet's design is in rows for kneeling in prayer.



This is the front of the mosque.



The area which faces Mecca where they pray.

 



There are medallions around the room with Arabic verses.

This is the podium from which the meeting is conducted. I think the Imman prays from here.



The ceiling is as elaborate as the walls.

 

This is the front of the building.



That evening Namati Ansari invited me to a girls' party for her daughter who was married 2 weeks ago.  We were invited to the wedding but couldn't go because it was in the West Bank.  The event was held on Salah-e-din Street near Damascus Gate in the Palestinian business section.  They had it at the Ladies Garden Club.  They asked me not to take pictures inside because many of the women had their scarfs and long dresses off.  Many of the ladies were in formal dresses that were very secular with a lot of beading and bling. They really dress up for other women. The new bride came out with one of her party dresses and  danced for everyone.  Then she changed into another dress while the women at the party danced.  The bride came out again in another dazzling dress and danced again.  She had atleast 10 of these dresses that had to cost atleast $1,000 each.  I asked Namati, the mom, if she had gotten them all for that night.  She said she had some of them from before.  I talked to Rana, one of the office managers at the JC, and she told me the groom gives the bride a large sum of money to buy these beautiful dresses and beautiful lingerie for the wedding.