Shangri La, Hawaii: Unforgettable in Doris Duke's Hawaian estate

Out of the very many gorgeous and priceless items Miss Duke purchased,  one stood literally head and shoulders above the rest:  the Mihrab -- the prayer corner from a tomb in the 12th century. A rarity and a much sought after piece.  The tiles shimmered,  the details were exquisite. What a stunner in blue! Must be seen IRL to be fully appreciated.

FYI:  Our docent of the estate tour told us of her recent experience with another tour group: She had been giving her  usual spiel about the Mihrab; that most, if not all, face EAST in the direction of Mecca. A Muslim in the group piped-up and said that they actually face in that direction to pay homage to the source of truth --- the EAST (which includes Mecca). Oh, really?! I knew better. As a committed follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, here are the facts:  Men of renown (and armed to the hilt) actually went on a very long, very dangerous journey --- away from the East.  These wise men left their country/region/the East, and traveled in the opposite direction for many many miles and for many many months to seek King Jesus/ a Jew/ the Messiah, who says that He is the way, the TRUTH, and the life.  

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 

(The Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-2, emphasis mine)

Mihrab (prayer niche) from the tomb of Imamzada Yahya Ilkhanid period, dated Sha’ban 663 A.H. (1265 AD) Iran (Kashan)

Art Institute of Chicago's "Islamic Art"

Looking back at the Islamic Art exhibit during our visit to the Art Institute of Chicago:  

12-pointed star.  12th century. Timurid Dynasty (1370-1507).  Iran or Central Asia. Glazed fritware (Fritware, also known as Islamic stone-paste, is a type of pottery in which frit is added to clay to reduce its fusion temperature. As a result, the mixture can be fired at a lower temperature than clay alone.), cut and assembled as a mosaic.

Table by Carlo Bugatti.  

Plate/Charger, Bookbinder, and Vase

Sinan the Jew and Haireddin Barbarossa, c. 1535

Shangri La, Hawaii: Doris Duke's Mughal Garden

Continued from  here... 

More views of the Mughal Garden at Doris Duke's estate in Honolulu. Note the presence of the elements that would make up a Mughal-style garden (though her garden is a lot smaller): water, illuminated niches, walls, a central waterway, lotus shaped fountains, geometrically-shaped planters; and of course, overall beauty and peacefulness.  My visit to the estate was on a very warm day, and the sight of the water had me grabbing my water bottle for a long sip. 

looking through the open door  from inside of the Mughal Garden to the estate's courtyard & banyan tree

The courtyard below is where tourists are dropped-off by the Hawaiian MOA shuttle bus. Tours to Shangri La are conducted Wednesday to Saturday;  at 9am, 10:30am and 1:30pm.  Cost is $25 general admission to the tour, and includes entry to Honolulu MOA. Note:  ONLINE BOOKING way in advance highly recommended. 

Main outside courtyard with Banyan tree and door to Mughal Garden

... continued HERE  

Shangri La, Hawaii: Home of the Richest woman in the world

Our Biltmore Estate visit this Summer whet my appetite for a closer look at the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  I delayed getting tickets for  SHANGRI LA ,  home of Doris Duke, the richest woman in the world in 1993,  till it was too late, but I prayed and asked the Lord God for me to be able to see it anyway.  There's is always a couple of people who won't show up, right? 

 The tour originates from the  HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART .  So after brunch,  we hitched a ride to the museum, got on the tour's waiting list, and sat down with my Hawaii-appropriate blue BV @ their Palm Courtyard to wait. Tick. Tock.  Tick. Tock.  Were there any available spots for us in their 10:30 AM tour??

The answer was YES! Yes, yes!  Yipppeeee!!!! ... but only 1 ticket was available  ... oh no!  That meant my photographer-son could not come along. I was left with only my cell phone's not-so-great camera for pictures.  Oh, well. Que sera, sera.  Off *I* went on the 30-minute shuttle bus ride to begin my guided tour of  Shangri La; and off son went -- on foot--  to who knows where with only his smartphone as his guide. 

The home had heaps of treasures for tourists' eyes to feast upon. Oh, what pretty things Ms Duke's money could buy! She literally created her version of paradise on earth through her home.   Ms Duke may have had an empty life (lost her dad at 12, sued her mom, divorced twice, no living children, her butler was her most trusted companion), but her money was invested wisely in Shangri La with us tourists as beneficiaries.  We are the recipients of one woman's  intense focus on collecting beautiful, rare, intricate, and mostly one of a kind Islamic Art and priceless treasures, with Syria, India, and China thrown in.  That was what I found to be the biggest difference between Biltmore and Shangri La. The Vanderbilts' collection was more vast, more valuable, but it was to me a  hodge podge collection ... anything and everything that caught Mr Vanderbilt's eye. I enjoyed Biltmore immensely. I enjoyed Shangri La even more because it was one quick intense lesson on a more or less single subject I knew almost nothing about, and I came away feeling that I had actually learned something. 

DOOR NUMBER ONE:    There were two entry ways as the shuttle bus lets you off at the courtyard.   Here is the entry-way to the main building.   These are 18th century Chinese smiling Camels Ms Duke bought from Gumps, HI to guard her front door.  They were installed in March 1939.

via: onegirlsstyle.blogspot

Below: The lady in pink was our docent. The lady on the right is tourist Sarah, a lawyer from NY, who helped translate/pronounce some of the Islamic writings. 

DOOR NUMBER TWO:  The other entrance leads to the side garden --  the Mughal Garden --- which was the door most of Doris Duke's guests entered to get into the house. 

via: onegirlsstyle.blogspot

... the view behind the garden door

 continued  --->>  HERE  






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