A Closer Look: Inside Abu Dhabi's Abrahamic Family House

Table Of Content

• Inside Walt Disney’s Storybook Mansion, newly restored and (occasionally) open to the public
• 'Years of hard work ruined': UAE business owners grapple with losses, try to rebuild after floods
• Project location
• The synagogue
• 亚伯拉罕诸教之家 / Adjaye Associates
• UAE: Mould growing in homes after floods? Experts offer tips to tackle fungi spread

The mosque is facing the holy city of Makkah and can accommodate up to 322 worshippers standing shoulder to shoulder. Outside the church is a baptistry, a shallow pool shaped in the form of a perfect triangle, which is another Christian symbol of divinity. Also noteworthy are the two uneven columns at the entrance of the church which express descent (incarnation) and ascent (resurrection) that are central to the Christian faith. Throughout the venue, there are small calming pools of water, a symbolic element of purity, designed in the shape of a triangle, denoting the three religions on site.

Inside Walt Disney’s Storybook Mansion, newly restored and (occasionally) open to the public

The multilayered facade recalls the Jewish Sukkot festival, when palm trees are harvested and communities build tents in their gardens as designated areas for gathering and eating. A marble floor covers a central garden area, where visitors can sit and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. News from Dezeen Events Guide, a listings guide covering the leading design-related events taking place around the world.

'Years of hard work ruined': UAE business owners grapple with losses, try to rebuild after floods

The carpets have lines to guide worshippers to face the Kaaba in Makkah, the holiest place of worship for Muslims. The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities in the GCC countries said there was something special about a synagogue being built in a Muslim country, which sends a strong message to other countries. Saadiyat Island is home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a Jean Nouvel-designed art gallery that opened in 2017. "I believe architecture should work to enshrine the kind of world we want to live in, a world of acceptance, openness, and constant advancement," said Adjaye.

Project location

This landmark will be a place for learning, dialogue, and worship – open to all and a true reflection of the UAE’s belief in tolerance and hospitality. Within each of the houses of worship, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about religious services, listen to holy scripture, and experience sacred rituals. A fourth space—not affiliated with any specific religion—will be an educational center where all people can come together as a single community devoted to mutual understanding and peace. The Abrahamic Family House will host a variety of programming and events—from daily religious services to international summits. Currently under construction, the project’s anticipated completion date is in 2023 and will be one of several undertakings the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity will advise upon. The complex aims to become a center for learning and dialogue, inviting visitors to participate in religious services, guided tours, celebrations, and opportunities to explore faith.

Made of regionally sourced limestone, the buildings reveal facades that are lined with pillars. Each exterior design has its own meaning, depending on its corresponding faith. The Catholic church, called His Holiness Francis Church, can seat up to 300 people. Inside, a large cross looms over the podium and a sea of wooden beams fall from its ceiling. The thoughtfully executed complex features three modernistic and cube-like houses of worship, sharing the same scale of 30 meters high, wide and deep.

The synagogue's layout was designed to be "as flexible as possible" to allow for changing seating formations, depending on the congregation, and includes a traditional mikveh – a bath used for ritual immersion. Other design elements within the church include geometric pews formed from traditional hard-wearing oak and a purposefully minimal central crucifix that aims to welcome worshippers from all denominations. These were designed to evoke the notion of "a shower of ecstatic redemption", according to the architecture studio. The mikveh is located adjacent to the entrance and is composed of limestone walls. A skylight punctures through a textured, monolithic ceiling, allowing light from above to enter the intimate space of the mikveh. Along two corners of the courtyard are spaces for ablution, screened by bronze gates that formally echo the seven arches that break up each façade of the exterior form.

Separate, external ablution spaces for men and women are constructed in concrete and shaped like an inverted pyramid and inverted sphere respectively. A suspended bronze mesh tent descends from a central skylight inside, echoing the tent-like structure of sukkahs already referenced on the exterior, as well as the original tabernacle. Sir David Adjaye OBE is an award-winning Ghanaian-British architect, whose ingenious use of materials, bespoke designs, and visionary sensibilities have set him apart as one of the leading architects of his generation. Here’s our quick guide to the Abrahamic Family House timings and visiting hours for each place of worship.

ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

After parking in the underground car park and having my bag scanned, I am ushered towards The Welcome Centre. It is a large rectangular space full of warm lighting, and it has an elegant yet minimal reception booth. Dotted on the walls are the historical milestones that led to the creation of The Abrahamic Family House. Named after a 12th-century medical doctor and Jewish philosopher, the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue is built in the form of chuppah or Jewish tent, with a criss-cross design, to symbolise the traditional shelter for prayer. The mosque's namesake is the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and its design is inspired by mashrabiya, a traditional architecture in the Islamic world. “The Abrahamic Family House welcomes visitors and offers a range of experiences, from tours to immersive journeys of understanding,” the venue's website states.

Abrahamic Family House: Explore The Unique Interfaith Complex in Abu Dhabi - Wego Travel Blog

Abrahamic Family House: Explore The Unique Interfaith Complex in Abu Dhabi.

Posted: Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:24:31 GMT [source]

NEWS AND EVENTS

A unique complex that is home to a mosque, church and synagogue offers visitors and worshippers a fascinating insight into the practices and traditions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith complex designed by architect David Adjaye that contains a church, a synagogue and a mosque, has opened in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi's Abrahamic Family House is already welcoming worshippers to its mosque, church and synagogue, and from March 1 visitors can also tour the premises. The iconic geometric architecture of three cubes, representing the separate places of worship, evokes the unified commonality and mutual coexistence between the three religions. At the same time, the design reflects traditional architecture while retaining the individual traits of each of the three faiths. At its centre are the 10 Commandments of God given to Moses and the people written in Hebrew; while a couple of nine-branched menorahs or candelabrum are placed on the left and right side.

The  Committee, which is also supervising the project , said it is inspired by the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity. Constructed on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the project is closely followed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb of al-Azhar, who endorsed the design, the HCHF said. Regular prayer services are already under way, including the pre-dawn fajr prayer at the mosque. The synagogue is after the 12th-century Jewish scholar and astronomer who worked in Morocco and Egypt. It has a mikveh — a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion — outside the prayer hall. The different architectural features of each house of faith are small yet clear.

Later, Disney had an even larger home built on Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles, where Lillian had more room to enjoy her passion for gardening. Regan said he’s grateful that the home was never extensively remodeled, as many older houses have been. While none of the original furnishings are still in the house, “everything looks original,” Regan said, adding that costly renovations have brought the home back to its original 30s-40s look. Despite their increasing wealth and fame, the Disneys were not your typical Hollywood couple.

A metallic bronze structure, emanating natural light and shaped like a curtain, hovers up by the roof. Our guide says the zigzag shapes of the structure are similar to tents and represent Jewish communities of old congregating to practise their religion. Designed by Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, the Abrahamic Family House is welcoming worshippers before it officially opens to the public next Wednesday. Lillian Disney’s original gardens haven’t survived on Woking Way to this day, but retired Disney Imagineer Tania Norris is designing new rose gardens for the property, including Snow White roses for the Snow White play cottage. Unfortunately, Lillian Disney miscarried the couple’s first pregnancy, but the family soon grew with the addition of daughters Diane in 1933 and Sharon in 1936. The Disney family would live at Woking Way until 1950 when they had a larger house built in Holmby Hills, which had a large garden to indulge Lillian’s passion for gardening.