Everything to Know About The Abrahamic Family House in UAE

The Abrahamic Family House will be a destination for harmonious coexistence between people of faith. First announced back in 2021, the house consists of a mosque, church, synagogue, and educational center located on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi.

The vision for the Abrahamic Family House originated after the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb in February 2019. Visitors will be able to learn about religious services, listen to holy scripture, and experience sacred rituals.

The Abrahamic house was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Ruler of the UAE, on March 16 and will welcome visitors from  March 1, 2023.

Abrahamic Family House Design

Three identically sized cubic volumes sit on the podium, unified by scale and external materiality. They each express themselves differently but share equal external dimensions, with a unifying roof at a shared datum height, ensuring that none of the buildings from the three is more dominant than its counterparts.

Designed by Sir David Adjaye, of Adjaye Associates, to respect the architectural codes and individualism of each faith, each structure is 30 meters deep, 30 meters wide, and 30 meters tall.

In 2017, Sir Adjaye was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people of the year by TIME Magazine.

All three houses of worship are similar architecturally and feature stone, water, wood and metal.

The Mosque

Ahmed El Tayeb Mosque was named after the Grand Imam of Al Azhar is defined by seven arches. Number 7 is significant in Islamic knowledge and practice.

The mosque features separate ablution areas and plenty of cubby holes for shoes and the area holds up to 300 people.

The ceilings are domed to allow reverberation, while carpets are soft auburn-colored with ingrained lines to guide worshippers when standing in prayer.

Beautiful Islamic motifs adorn the walls and fall on the carpet in the shape of pearls. 

The Church

A water element exists outside St Francis Church entrance and manifests as a ritual of crossing over, as opposed to the sequence of descent in the mosque and synagogue.

The altar is slightly elevated and the pews are spacious enough to accommodate up to 300 people. A plain golden crucifix hangs in the middle of the Catholic church, welcoming Christians of all denominations.

The Synagogue

The Moses Ben Maimon Synagogueg is the first purpose-built synagogue in the United Arab Emirates. It has seven pillars on the ground and eight above supporting the roof. T

The synagogue is named after the 12th-century Jewish scholar and astronomer who worked in Morocco and Egypt. It has a mikveh outside the prayer hall. 

The ritual of assembling the Sukkot is celebrated through the rhythmic hierarchy of columns, between which visitors are invited to explore and learn about the Jewish faith. The synagogue features a series of interwoven spaces that serve human-scale interactions.

The Ten Commandments are printed in Hebrew and flank the walls of the prayer hall.