FUJAIRAH // The first stage of a Dh190 million mosque that will serve 28,000 worshippers is almost complete, the Ministry of Public Works has announced.
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque, a Ministry of Public Works project, will be the second largest mosque in the country when completed in July 2012; its final size is yet to be determined. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, which encompasses 22,412 square metres, is the largest.
"We finished about 80 per cent of the foundation, and the foundation may be finished after two months," said Haleema al Shahi, the ministry engineer responsible for the project. "It will be a landmark. As a mosque it brings people together in prayer, and relationships will become stronger. It must be open for everyone in the city and they will come, especially in Ramadan."
Set amid fountains and palm-dotted gardens on a large property in the heart of Fujairah city, the mosque will be roughly the size of three football pitches and hold 13,500 people in its prayer hall.
Worshippers will be called to prayer from six minarets rising 100 metres above 65 cascading domes.
They will enter a 5,124 square metre marble courtyard framed by 35 domes, a courtyard that can hold 12,000 people. Two large wooden doors open onto the main prayer hall, which will be capped by a dome 20 metres in height and 44 metres in diameter.
The mosque's exterior will be constructed of stone, while the building will boast an interior of marble and granite.
"The decorations are not yet decided upon. As the project develops we will choose which materials will be used," said Ms al Shahi.
The mosque will house a religious school, a basement prayer area for 2,500 women and 205 stations for ablution. Visitors will be welcome.
The mosque will likely have its own imam and mullah, rather than using a satellite broadcast call to prayer, as many mosques in the emirate do.
The towering minarets of the mosque are "a testimony to urbanisation", said Dr Ronald Hawker, an associate professor of art and design at Zayed University.
Mullahs in the region would traditionally perform the call to prayer while standing on a platform in the forecourt of the mosque, instead of at the top of a minaret.
"It's not like somewhere like Damascus or Cairo, where you have this very, very dense urban fabric and you have to cry out over the surrounding city," said Dr Hawker.
"Here it's a very quiet surrounding, so you don't need that minaret."
Mosques were traditionally built by a senior member of the lineage group around tribal quarters in the community.
"They tended to be really small," said Dr Hawker. "One of the things about that is they're not really astonishing buildings. They tend to emphasise modesty before God."
It is no surprise that the story of UAE mosque architecture parallels the country's economic standing. Minarets appeared in the UAE in the early 1900s, when the pearl industry brought wealth and trade. Minarets became less common following the collapse of the pearling industry in the 1930s.
"In the 1940s you get a reconstruction of mosques, and that's part of this urbanisation that ultimately leads to things like the Sheikh Zayed Mosque," said Dr Hawker.
"The sheikhs were starting to find oil concessions, so the first thing they did was fund new mosques."
Fujairah's new mosque will be a contrast to the small neighbourhood mosques that characterise the northern emirates. It is likely to change community relations, said Dr Hawker.
"I can't see how it wouldn't affect people, but to what degree and what extent I'm not sure," said Dr Hawker.
Of course, said Ms al Shahi, it is the purpose of the mosque that is most important.
"The mosque is not measured by its size," she said. "The religion is between Allah and Muslims, it is the same anywhere. A Muslim can pray anywhere, he doesn't need a mosque to pray. Sometimes if you pray in the open air, even at the side of the road, it can be more spiritual."
azacharias@thenational.ae
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
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8.50pm: Calandogan
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The specs
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Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
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BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Friday's schedule in Madrid
Men's quarter-finals
Novak Djokivic (1) v Marin Cilic (9) from 2pm UAE time
Roger Federer (4) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 7pm
Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Alexander Zverev (3) from 9.30pm
Stan Wawrinka v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11.30pm
Women's semi-finals
Belinda Bencic v Simona Halep (3) from 4.30pm
Sloane Stephens (8) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 10pm
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What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
