First stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East rises in the UAE ahead of Modi’s latest visit
Associated PressABU MUREIKHA, United Arab Emirates — Pink sandstone spires decorated with deities and the pious soar above what was once a barren patch of desert between Abu Dhabi and Dubai — now the site of the first stone-constructed Hindu temple in the Middle East. “The fact that he is willing to go to the UAE shows how important this relationship is for India.” The Hindu Mandir stands out in the emptiness of Abu Mureikha, otherwise known for being where the UAE’s sheikhdoms agreed in 1976 to have a unified military. Modi’s visit highlights the nations’ long-standing economic and historic ties, from spice selling and gold smuggling in the UAE’s formative years to tens of billions of dollars worth of annual bilateral trade today. A visit Monday by AP journalists saw volunteers preparing for Modi’s visit to the temple, with monks in seamless saffron robes shifting around bouquets of flowers.