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Dubai mosques to have one design for all minarets

DUBAI - Minarets of mosques in Dubai will be reconstructed to be contemporary model of the traditional Fatimi architecture that highlights the elements of Arab and Islamic civilisation, According to Sameer Shabana, Engineer at Hijazi Engineering Consultant.

"Dubai Municipality and Duabi Auqaf and Islamic Affairs Department are planning to implement the design of the Jumairah Mosque minaret in all other mosques throughout Dubai," Shabana told Khaleej Times yesterday.

"Our company signed the contract with the municipality to carry out the project since the same company has designed the the Jumairah Mosque's minaret."

He said that this exquisite structure is one the city's most noted and photographed landmarks. "The Jumairah Mosque, located just a few minutes' drive from the beach area in Jumairah, is an example of the traditional Fatimi style and Islamic architecture. Its two towering minarets reach skyward and the mosque's crown looks like a central dome."

"Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter mosques in Dubai; however, you may enter the Jumairah Mosque if you are part of an organised tour operated by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Cultural Understanding Centre," he added.

The Jumairah Mosque is considered the largest and one of the most beautiful mosques in the city. It is particularly attractive at night when subtle lighting throws its artistry into relief.

"Dubai is home to several beautiful mosques, but the design of their minarets reflects diverse civilisations with few features that serve to distinguish them from the symbols of other religions and cultures. Some of the minarets are fairly unusual in the UAE although in the east there are a number of small coastal mosques with squat minarets capped with unusual pointed domes," Eng. Shabana said.

He explained that the earliest mosque was built without a minaret. It was used as a residence that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) built when he moved to Madina. This first mosque was an enclosure marked as a special place of worship.

"As Islam spread outside the Arabian Peninsula, Islamic architecture was influenced by the various architectural styles of the conquered lands, and both simple and monumental mosques of striking beauty were built in cities of the Islamic world," he commented.

Ahmed Khallaf Allah, Engineer of Mosques Section of the Dubai Al Auqaf and Islamic Affairs Department, said that the most important characteristic of a mosque's minaret is its direction, as it has to face Mecca.

He added that the Jumairah Mosque's distinguished minarets, from which the Muezzin (Person who calls for prayers at their specific timings) calls Muslims for payers five times a day, in addition to their functional use, have become real elements of mosque architecture.

Most mosques also have a dome, and the line connecting the centre of the dome to the niche is supposed to point towards Mecca. In Dubai Emirate there are some mosques that are not actually directed towards Mecca, but such misalignment is due to inaccurate methods of determining the direction of Mecca and does not imply a disregard for this requirement.

The minaret of the mosque should be built as a connection with Mecca, the ultimate home of Muslim worship that forms the centre of all mosques.