A glimpse of the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi

The three 30-cubic-metre buildings might be austere in shape and colour, but are profound in purpose, rich in context and path-breaking in design. Welcome to the newly-opened Abrahamic Family House, a multi-faith complex in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island that not only houses a church, a mosque and a synagogue, but a sprawling area for inter-faith dialogue and related events.

President His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the construction of the Abrahamic Family House to commemorate the historic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi in 2019, which culminated in the signing of the Abu Dhabi Declaration.

Abrahamic Family House1 — One of the two gold menorahs that are placed on either side of a wooden ark inside Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue at the Abrahamic Family House Image Credit: AFP

The complex, inspired by the principles in the Document on Human Fraternity signed by the pontiff and the Grand Imam, was designed by Sir David Adjaye, OBE, an award-winning Ghanaian-British architect and his organisation Adjaye Associates.

The Abrahamic Family House was inaugurated on February 16 this year by Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence.

Abrahamic Family House2 — Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque. The geometric pattern allows natural light to filter through the latticework in patterns on the floor. The ceiling domes amplify sound as it travels around the room Image Credit: AFP

Abrahamic Family House3 — The multilayered facade of the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue is inspired by the Jewish Sukkot festival, when palm trees are harvested and communities build tents in their gardens as designated areas for gathering and eating Image Credit: AFP

Abrahamic Family House4 — The mosque has two external ablution rooms – one each for male and female worshippers Image Credit: AFP

Additional Information

The Abrahamic Family House consists of a one-storey plinth with a central welcoming forum and three houses of worship – Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque, His Holiness Francis Church and Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue. All three structures are of equal size but unique in architectural design. Each structure has a courtyard with a water feature and additional spaces. The houses are connected by an elevated garden. Sunlight is the main design feature of the complex, entering each building at different times of the day.

Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque

The mosque features seven elongated arches on each side, reflecting the significance of the number seven in Islam. The walls are covered with more than 470 panels of filigree latticework, representing the mashrabiya – one of the most admired features of Islamic architecture.

His Holiness Francis Church

The church faces east, towards the rising sun, as light is considered a symbol of divinity. The crucifix is minimalist in design to emphasize that the church is open to all and will be used by multiple denominations. As the sun moves during the day, it creates a stunning light and shadow effect in the space.

Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue

The synagogue is oriented towards Jerusalem. The daylight refracted in the colonnade and suspended bronze netting creates the effect of subdued, filtered light inside the synagogue. The skylight provides a view of the stars at night and references the chuppah, a temporary structure used at Jewish weddings.

The facade of the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue. Three layers of V-shaped columns on each side of the building have seven tips touching the floor and eight tips touching the ceiling – with seven being a representative symbol of man and eight representing God in heaven Image Credit: AFP

The Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque is defined by seven arches, a number that is of particular significance to the faith. The mosque has a capacity for 300 people Image Credit: AFP

His Holiness Francis Church. A forest of towering columns symbolizes the vertical rays of light. The columns are oriented east-west so that daylight floods the sanctuary in the morning and keeps out the midday sun Image Credit: AFP

The design of the Church, the architect says, is based on the idea of an ‘ecstatic redemptive shower’. The ‘shower’ consists of a series of linear wooden slats that rise in the center and fall away at the periphery Image Credit: AP