Everything you need to know about Abrahamic Family House, now open

Written by:
Miles Buckeridge
1st March 2023

The Abrahamic Family House, Saadiyat Island is now welcoming worshippers…

What is and where is the Abrahamic Family House?

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, announced the inauguration of the Abrahamic Family House — a mega project holding places of worship for the three Abrahamic religions — via Twitter last month. And now this very special beacon of love, tolerance and peace, located in the Cultural District of Saadiyat Island, is open to the worshipping and visiting public.

Is there security in place?

We were invited to a special preview of the venues and were genuinely humbled by the purity of message and the art in the architecture. Security is tight, for understandable reasons — which is both necessary and sad. Sad because this is a space deliberately conceived to be beyond politics, and representative of transcendent concepts that are so unfathomably contrary to the sorts of reasons that require the security to be there.

Is it free to enter Abrahamic Family House?

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Exterior view of the church. Courtesy of Abrahamic Family House

Inaugural Friday prayer at the mosque. Courtesy of Abrahamic Family House

Exterior view of the synagogue. Courtesy of Abrahamic Family House

First service at the church. Courtesy of Abrahamic Family House

First service at the synagogue. Courtesy of Abrahamic Family House

Entrance is free and we highly recommend booking in advance to secure yourself one of the facility’s expert ‘storytellers’. They’ll help you get the most out of your Abrahamic Family House Experience.

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What can I see at the Abrahamic Family House?

In addition to the three individual sites of worship, there are communal areas such as the serene and reflective peace garden. In the main entrance hall you’ll also be able to see the Document on Human Fraternity, signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb. As mentioned above, we highly recommend booking one of the free tours to make sure you don’t miss out on any parts of the story.

Where did the idea come from to build the Abrahamic Family House?

Inspired by UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s vision of tolerance and the Document on Human Fraternity, supervised by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, and ‘followed closely by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam’ — the Abrahamic Family House comprises a mosque, a church, and a synagogue within the same space.

The UAE has a proud history of people from diverse communities working together to create new possibilities. As the @AbrahamicFH in Abu Dhabi is inaugurated, we remain committed to harnessing the power of mutual respect, understanding and diversity to achieve shared progress.

— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) February 16, 2023

Who designed Abrahamic Family House?

The Saadiyat Island construction was designed by architect Sir David Adjaye, and conceived to capture ‘the values shared between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam’.

The endeavour was first announced back in 2019, by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, but this latest update has given us the names of the worship centres.

Within Abrahamic Family House you will find Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque, St. Francis Church, and Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue. The aim is that this project will symbolise and inspire tolerance, togetherness, fraternity, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

Speaking about the project H.E Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture Abu Dhabi said: “The Abrahamic Family House … personifies Abu Dhabi’s vision for human fraternity and embeds coexistence into the already diverse cultural fabric of the UAE.”

“The naming of the three houses of worship recognises the work of His Eminence Grand Imam Al Tayeb, His Holiness Pope Francis, and Moses Ben Maimon, and harnesses their teachings to forge a message of goodwill for future generations around the world”.