First Synagogue in UAE to Be Officially Completed by 2022

The construction of the first synagogue in the UAE  will kick off officially next year, according to local media reports.

The synagogue in the UAE will be part of the multi-faith “Abrahamic Family House” complex in Abu Dhabi, which will also feature a mosque and church, Abu Dhabi newspaper the National reported on Sunday.

The full construction will be completed in 2022.

The mosque will be orientated toward the Kaaba in Makkah, the church's altar will point east towards the sun, and the synagogue's podium and Torah will face Jerusalem.

While the places of worship are the same height, the designs and interiors will be significantly different.

Each building will have a separate street entrance but with the ground rising gently into a podium in the middle of the site, visitors to the garden will be able to peer into all three buildings.

Following a visit by Pope Francis to the UAE in February, the complex was announced.

Pope Francis’s visit to the UAE was the first by a pontiff to the Arabian Peninsula.

The UAE promotes itself as a center of tolerance and says it supports religious freedom and cultural persity.

As the Jewish community in the UAE is not small, the Jewish expats currently use a house in Dubai for private worship.

Other official non-Muslim places of worship in the country include Christian churches, a Hindu temple and a Sikh Gurdwara.

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The majority of those in living in the UAE are foreign workers, the largest group of which are Indians.

About 2.6 million Indians live in the UAE, or about 30% of the population, according to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Although, the UAE does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, Israeli politicians have visited the country to attend international events.