The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday inaugurated the “Abrahamic Family House,” an interfaith complex housing a mosque, a church, and the Gulf Arab state’s first ever purpose-built synagogue.
Designed by renowned Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye, the project incorporates several architectural styles traditionally found in mosques, churches and synagogues around the world.
A member of the media visits the interior of the Imam al-Tayeb Mosque during a tour at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi on February 21. Credit: Ryan Lim/AFP/Getty Images
“What you’re going to see in all the projects is that it’s always about a filtering of light, a splitting of light,” Adjaye told CNN’s Becky Anderson.
“In the Mosque… the light surrounds you until you get to the silence and the stoicness of facing Mecca,” he said.
In the church, “you hear the sound of rushing water,” said Adjaye. “For me, water is so important with Christianity. The church is an ark in the world.”
The interior of the St. Francis of Assisi Church is pictured during a media tour at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi on February 21. Credit: Ryan Lim/AFP/Getty Images
The synagogue is the UAE’s first purpose-built Jewish place of worship and, like most synagogues around the world, is oriented towards Jerusalem. It is inspired by the Jewish festival of the Sukkot, which is celebrated by building temporary shelters. An oculus in the ceiling of the space lets direct light come inside. “The light of the mid-day kisses the rabbi in the center very directly,” Adjaye said.
Members of the media visit the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue during a tour at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi on February 21. Credit: Ryan Lim/AFP/Getty Images
The Jewish community in the UAE had previously used makeshift synagogues.
While entirely unique, each individual building is a 30-meter (98 feet) by 30-meter cube. The unifying design is meant to provide a common base from which tolerance and understanding can be promoted, Adjaye said.