All the photos of Abu Dhabi’s Church, Mosque and Synagogue that will be completed by 2022

The UAE has just announced a historic new project that will all be housed at one location. The ambitious new project — the Abrahamic Family House will be located in Abu Dhabi, and will house a mosque, a church, and a synagogue. 

The new project will represent all the Abrahamic faiths — Islam, Judaism and Christianity in a shared space— as the ‘Year of Tolerance’ comes to a close.

Government officials have said that this project is a physical manifestation of the Document on Human Fraternity, which was signed by Pope Francis and Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar during the pontiff’s visit to Abu Dhabi in February 2019.

The three buildings will be connected to each other by a central garden. 

The Abrahamic Family House was designed by globally-renowned architect, Sir David Adjaye, and the first images were released at a meeting with the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, that was formed in Abu Dhabi during Pope Francis’ visit.

The aim of the alliance is to support and create inter-faith harmony all over the world. The church, mosque and synagogue on Saadiyat Island will each get their own building. The exterior and interior of the buildings however will differ to reflect each religion.

The mosque will face the Kabba in Makkah, the church’s altar will face east towards the sun, and the synagogue’s podium and Torah will be built facing Jerusalem.

 The design of the three structures also hopes to draw awareness to the often overlooked similarities between the three faiths.

The interior of the Mosque:

“Our hope is that through these buildings people of all faiths and from across society can learn and engage in a mission of peaceful coexistence for generations to come,” said Adjaye at the event.

The interior of the Synagogue:

He also spoke about the role of architecture in fostering unity and dialogue: “I believe architecture should work to enshrine the kind of world we want to live in, a world of tolerance, openness, and constant advancement. Architecture and landscape design can interpret the fabric and principles of a place, to advance the conversation, reassess current assumptions about the world, and discover more meaningfully what a place can give back.”

The interior of the church: