Hello @Blind-spot, your post hits close to home. Having lived more than 12 years in the UAE, my heart jumps every time I read an article or come across anything about the country. We used to live in apartments situated close to mosques so the daily call to prayer has been a part of our everyday lives and we have grown accustomed to hearing it even as early as 4 am.
The golden calligraphy on top of the Sheikh Masjid dome is gorgeous! Yes, elegance with restraint. Thank you for sharing these beautiful works of Islamic Architecture and illustrating the significance of the design elements and their traditional requirements. Welcome to Architecture + Design Community!
I always wondered if it ever stood as an annoyance to non-muslims. To me it was more than just a call to prayer, it also became a nice clock for me. You must know it, most arabs don't tell the time when talking to each other, instead they mention the prayer and watch out for the call to prayer to know the time. its funny, but cool!
While I was there, I took some more pictures of other beautiful mosques. They aren't very detailed, but I'll see if I can fit them in a post for the community, later.
It took some time getting used to it at first but after a while it became a clock for us as well that it was natural to hear them in different times of the day even during religious occasions. That was one of my regrets, I was too focused on work, I didn't really pay much attention to mosques and other buildings since they were there everyday. Hopefully we get to visit again one day and see UAE how it has evolved since we left.