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)

Shangri La, Hawaii: A Beautiful Day in Doris Duke's Neighborhood

Continued from  here

Doris Duke & hubby bought the land for Shangri La near Diamond Head in Honolulu, HI in 1935. If I had been Miss Duke, I would have also bought much of the surrounding property to ensure the ultimate in privacy.  After all, what she paid back then must have felt like chump change for a billionaire like herself.  It cost her $125,000 for almost 5 acres -- the equivalent of $11,400,000 in  relative average income  that one would need in 2013  to buy a comparable piece of land. Aaaah, the many benefits of being ultra rich and making a good investment. For example, how would you like to be looking at the view below as you dined from your lanai? 

View of the harbor and Diamond Head from the house's dining area/lanai

 view of the house and lanai  from her boat harbor

Note:  Because of injuries/lawsuits in the past that the Doris Duke Foundation has had to pay, there was a fence installed in April 2014 that closes off the harbor from divers.

Aerial Views

It has become a crowded neighborhood!

another view of the beautiful property

Shangri La in October, 1957

   continued HERE

Shangri La, Hawaii: Through the entry door of Doris Duke's house

Continued from here ...

Shangi La's façade fools you into thinking, if you do not know any better, that this is just another ordinary house. However, between the smiling camels is a single door (inscribed with sayings that greet those who enter with good things) which leads to a colorful, wonderfully furnished and designed home that showcases all things beautiful in Islamic art. 

The front door as it looks today

The foyer as it was being built on November 3, 1937

Look at the picture of the entry foyer below!  What a feast to the eyes.  The coffered painted ceiling was specially made in Morocco. Six hundred Iznik (name of town) Turkish tiles cover the walls.  The 84 Spanish-style colored glass windows repeat their pattern every 4th time. The docent said they were especially beautiful when the sunlight hits them just right. There are wood chests from India, Central Asia, Iran and Syria.

The view on the other side of the front door

Close-up of pierced  metal hanging lamp, and ceiling in foyer

At this early point of the tour, we were encouraged to put our purse or backpack or whatever into  the house's "secure" area (read big-bin-with-lock located in the guard's office).  We were also given a much-needed hand fan resembling the hand fans below which resulted in  both of my hands being burdened.  The dilemna pretty much made my decision to leave my expensive Bottega Veneta bag with the guard that much easier. The Lord answered my silent prayer for the BV's safety.  Too bad I didn't pray for my free fan as it got lost after the tour while I browsed the Honolulu MOA. 

ETA: The staff's insistence on us tourists letting go of our bags is very likely security related, and not just for the purpose of our comfort as we continue the tour. It would make it that much more difficult to steal  anything (and hide it) from the estate if one were so inclined.  As a Christian, that thought never even crossed my mind.

I will do a couple more posts on Shangri La. There are too many things still worth noting about this beautiful house.   Continued    HERE...

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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