Friday prayers in UAE are a phenomenon. I don’t know about Dubai, but in Sharjah, the roads empty out and mosques fill up. So much so that men have to pray outside in the parking lot. While most mosques provide covering outside, the one near my house doesn’t. People still flock to it and pray outside in the severe heat under the merciless sun.

Friday prayers is also the only time you won’t get fined for wrong parking. Cars park on side walks, on the side of the roads and yet so many people still don’t find parking space.

This picture was taken on a Friday afternoon during the prayer. I’d gone out in the balcony and saw the view in the window from the building opposite ours. It’s a reflection of the mosque. You can see the people praying outside and the insane parking.

Having been in Ras al Khaimah city that evening, I can tell you that the cold was unbelieveable! It was windy and it kept on drizzling continously. The drizzle turned to heavy rains as we made our way back to Sharjah at 9 30 pm. The rain turned to a drizzle only to pick again as we entered Sharjah.

Even though, snow in the desert is a novelty, RAK is no stranger to snow. It snowed four years ago too in 2004 and was a big attraction for everyone – locals, expats and tourists alike. Helicopters were flown to give people an aerial view and let them see the snow up close.

For more pictures, check out the slideshow at Gulf News.

The view from my house in Sharjah. Mosques here are beautiful and even more beautifully lit. This is one of the countless mosques in Sharjah. The picture was taken at sunset.