A new “eco-mosque” that seeks LEED silver certification has recently opened in Dubai. Designed to set an example for other mosques and local residents, the Port Saeed mosque can accommodate 3,500 worshippers.
Let’s face it – aside from a few great initiatives here and there, Dubai consistently makes moves that are anything but green. Which makes it hard for residents to act upon their Earth-loving convictions much less nurture them.
That is why bringing Islamic environmental stewardship into the mosque is such a brilliant idea.
Tayeb Al Rais, secrtary-general of the AMAF, expressed his hope that this mosque will encourage future developers to embrace a similar approach.
“It is Dubai Municipality’s and the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities responsibility to guide donors who want to build mosques to follow green and eco-friendly standards, and this mosque could set an example of why it is a good move,” he told Gulf News.
Related: 5 Spectacular eco mosques of the world
“We hope the mosque will continue to remind worshippers of their duties towards the environment, of which we are the custodians,” he added.
In addition to solar-powered water and solar-powered exterior lighting, the facility is equipped with a lot of low energy LED lights attached to a smart system that detects the presence of worshippers. The air-conditioning system is similarly rigged to know when there are a lot of people inside.
Exterior lights are equipped with small solar panels as well, reducing the mosque’s overall dependence on the grid.
Perhaps most important, though, is the water recycling system. Water is a precious commodity in Dubai. It’s all desalinated water that uses a substantial amount of energy and involves unsavory consequences for marine life when brine is pumped back into the Gulf.
After one year, a team of representatives will determine whether the mosque meets the requirements of a silver rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Funding for the massive mosque – with nearly 14,000 square feet of built up area – was provided by an anonymous donor provided to the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF), which inaugurated the new house of worship last week.
Shaikh Salih Al Maghmasi, an imam from the Al Quba Mosque in Madinah, delivered the first sermon at the mosque last Friday.
:: Gulf News
Image via Gulf News
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
