Construction of a new church to replace one of the oldest in the UAE will be completed in Abu Dhabi early next year.
The St George Orthodox Cathedral building in Mushrif was demolished in September last year. A foundation stone was laid for the new one and construction started in December.
Church authorities said nearly 40 per cent of the building work is complete. Meanwhile, regular services are being held in a purpose-built hall next to the construction site.
Rev Father Eldho Paul, the vicar at St George's, told The National that worshippers will be able to pray in the new cathedral by May next year.
With an estimated cost of Dh25 million, the project is being fully funded by the church members.
It recently received a Dh1 million donation from prominent Indian businessman Yusuff Ali, chairman of the retail giant LuLu Group.
“I have no words to thank our community members who are fully behind this project,” Fr Paul said.
“But my biggest gratitude is for the leadership of this country that has set an example for tolerance and religious coexistence for the rest of the world.”
The UAE, which has a diverse population of more than 200 nationalities from different religious and ethnic backgrounds, offers freedom to practise different faiths.
There are approximately 40 churches of various denominations in the UAE, including three Hindu temples, a Sikh temple and a Buddhist temple.
First phase complete
The first phase of construction, which cost approximately Dh9 million and includes a parsonage block, vicar's accommodation, VIP rooms, offices, meeting rooms, storage and infrastructure for water and electricity supply and a boundary wall, is complete.
The second phase, the main cathedral building, will cost Dh16 million.
Fr Paul said a larger building was needed to cater for the increase in worshippers.
Currently, the church serves about 1,600 to 1,800 families, with more than 6,000 worshippers attending weekly services. The new cathedral will have capacity for more than 2,000 people.
St George Orthodox Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in the UAE.
“In fact, it is older than the UAE as our first parish was formed in 1968,” said Fr Paul.
In 1970, the first church was established in the Khalidiya area after UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, laid the foundation stone.
It was moved to its current location in Mushrif in 1983 and elevated to a cathedral in 2004.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
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Centre Court - from 4pm UAE time
Johanna Konta (6) v Donna Vekic
Andy Murray (1) v Dustin Brown
Rafael Nadal (4) v Donald Young
Court 1 - from 4pm UAE time
Kei Nishikori (9) v Sergiy Stakhovsky
Qiang Wang v Venus Williams (10)
Beatriz Haddad Maia v Simona Halep (2)
Court 2 - from 2.30pm
Heather Watson v Anastasija Sevastova (18)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) v Simone Bolelli
Florian Mayer v Marin Cilic (7)
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
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