Abraham Family House opens in Abu Dhabi | Atalayar

The Abraham Family House, a new center for learning, dialogue and faith practice in the Saadiyat Cultural District of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), was opened on Thursday by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan It will be officially inaugurated by His Highness, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence.TonThe Abraham Family Home welcomed its first believers over the weekend. The inaugural Friday prayers were held at the Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque on February 17, marking the first time the community was welcomed in one of three houses of worship to practice the faith.

On Sunday, February 19th, the Moses ben Maimon Synagogue held its first service, starting with the setting of the doorposts, followed by the Mincha of Vespers. It has a church, a mosque and a synagogue. In addition, a conference on interreligious relations is planned for the near future. Rabbi Lustig pointed out that it will help “Building bridges between religious leaders and communities”.

The Abraham Family House will be a beacon of mutual understanding where people of different religious backgrounds will live in harmony and peace. It consists of a mosque, a church, a synagogue and an educational center on Saadiyat Island Cultural center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Through its design, it captures the shared values ​​between Judaism, Christianity and Islam and serves as a powerful platform to inspire and foster understanding and acceptance among people of good will. The vision of the Abrahamic Family House stems from the document on human fraternity signed in February 2019 by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed Tayyeb, In front of more than 400 religious leaders.

The opening of the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi reflects HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s vision to promote human fraternity. It embodies the UAE’s values ​​of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. pic.twitter.com/wBGRbtt4HL

– Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan (@SaifBZayed) February 17, 2023

The complex will be a place of learning, dialogue and worship, open to all and a true reflection of the Emirati belief in tolerance and hospitality. In each prayer room, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about religious customs, listen to the Bible and perform sacred ceremonies. The fourth space, not associated with any particular religion, will be an educational center where all can come together in a community dedicated to mutual understanding and peace. The Abrahamic Family House will host a variety of programs and events, from daily services to international summits.

Architectural design must strive to anchor the world we want to live in, a world that is inclusive, open and evolving. Architecture and landscape architecture can explain the structure and principles of a place to accelerate conversations, reassess current worldviews and explore more meaningfully what the place has to offer.The project seeks to meaningfully represent and support diverse groups of believers, residents and visitors, embodying a contemporary spirit rooted in tradition but forward-looking, defining and certain of the future Through acceptance, tolerance and peace.

Sir David Adjaye is responsible for the project; an award-winning architect of Ghanaian and British descent whose imaginative use of materials, bespoke design and vision have made him one of the world’s leading architects; The leading architect of that generation. In 2017, Sir Adjaye was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and was named one of the 100 most influential people of the year by Time magazine. His practice, Adjaye Associates, won a competition for the Abrahamic Family House, which was unveiled on September 20, 2019 at the High Commission of the Human Brotherhood Celebration in New York City.

Design is not random. Mosques celebrate collective congregation and important privacy. It consistently offers users the opportunity to observe Islamic prayer practices, again using explicit thresholds to allow viewing to occur separately from joining. The architecture promotes cohesion, layering and a rhythmic journey that begins with viewing, continues with spiritual bathing, and ends with prayer. The church caters to different Christian denominations. General rites and unions take precedence, the water element exists outside the church entrance and manifests as a rite of passage, which is the opposite of the descending order that occurs in mosques and synagogues.

Finally, the visible lines in the synagogue design protected the dignity of the congregation and the ceremony. The first synagogues built in the United Arab Emirates featured a range of architectural styles that eventually served as sacred representations of prayer within the congregation. The synagogue’s multi-level facade recalls the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, when palm trees are harvested and communities gather and eat in tents in their gardens.