Tuesday, September 28, 2010

12km to the end


This 3m diameter tunnel runs for 12km. How does it feel working inside? Historically many brave men have toiled inside long & deep holes/shaft to earn a living and to make other people's lives comfortable. This particular tunnel is for the transfer of water across a mountain to satisfy demand on the other side. Must be hot & eerie in the middle though in this modern times all safety installations are in place to make sure that the untoward would not happen.
At this present time there's an incident in Chile where about 30 miners are trapped thousands of ft underground for weeks already. Rescuers are drilling man-sized hole to reach them and to bring the people up one by one in a module. Hope they succeed soon.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Sultan Mizan Mosque

This very large mosque in Putrajaya has a unique architechture. It's dome is made of stainless steel and the mosque itself is square in shape(optimum use of space) - thus creating an enormous hall. It is said that up to 20,000 people can be in the mosque at any one time. For that many people to squeeze in, I think all the spaces on the mezzanine floor and the corridors to the left, right and rear would need to be occupied.
The curves that are part of the design are necessary to soften the otherwise squarish design and works well - overall very pleasing to the eyes. Definitely a marvel, modern mosque to be admired.