PHOTOS: Abrahamic Family House, a Beacon of Peace and Tolerance in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, which includes a church, a mosque, and a synagogue is the latest symbol of the United Arab Emirates’ leadership in encouraging peace and tolerance.

Opened earlier this year in the capital city, the complex of spectacular white sacred buildings was designed by the British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, whose work can only be described as an inspirational masterpiece. It exists to foster unity among the members of the three great monotheistic religions, all of which trace their origins to the Biblical figure of Abraham, and all of whom have communities, of various sizes, represented within the UAE.

Each house of worship in the complex is a large rectangular prism, each with its own unique and culturally relevant style of columns: straight for the church, evoking the Cross; angular for the synagogue, suggesting the Star of David; and arched for the mosque, alluding to the majestic archways of mosques throughout the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Each house of worship also has a culturally appropriate interior design with unique features: an altar for the church, a bimah and an ark facing Jerusalem for the synagogue, and a mihrab for the mosque, facing Mecca. The synagogue also has a bronze curtain ringing the sanctuary, meant to mimic the branches on the roof of a sukkah, the temporary dwelling that Jewish families build outside their homes during the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall.

A common theme in each house of worship is the use of water. Each has an adjacent water feature for ritual purchases: a baptismal font for the church, a mikvah for the synagogue, and ablution facilities for the mosque.

One ornamental feature at the church is a three-sided pool, representing the three elements of the Holy Trinity.

There is also a common forum between the religious buildings, as well as a rooftop garden linking the three.

The inspiration for the Abrahamic Family House comes from an interfaith “Document on Human Fraternity” signed in 2019 by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb. All three of the houses of worship are actively in use. Free tickets for guided tours may be booked on the Abrahamic Family House website.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.