Dubai in UAE is known for its environment friendly initiatives, keeping its heritage intact. This balance is paramount as you tend to loose on the legacy part when the country is taking giant strides in the modern world. Dubai is a perfect mix of modern architecture built with keeping the rich culture & ancient customs intact.

Currently the month of fasting for Muslims over the world is ongoing. This was the perfect time for opening of the first environmentally friendly mosque in the Islamic world in Dubai. It is near to the Deira City center & has been built to meet guidelines set out by the US Green Building Council Standards and Specifications. The mosque also meets recent legislation in Dubai that requires new buildings to include green standards in the design, construction and operation of buildings.

This Khalifa Al Tajer Mosque is the biggest in Dubai with a capacity for 3,500 persons. The building covers 4,180 square metres and has 5,575 square metres dedicated to landscaping.

A range of new technologies were used in building the mosque:

1.     Daylight sensors in the mosque?s extension and a climate-control system regulates the air-conditioning units

2.     Energy-saving LED lights are installed and a control system will automatically switch on lights at prayer times or in the presence of an individual in the hall

3.     Solar energy is used to power the exterior lighting, a battery storage system and for heating water

4.     Used water from the ablution areas will be recycled and utilised in washrooms and for plant irrigation.

There is a plan to convert more mosques in Dubai into eco-friendly facilities that use green building materials, thermal-insulation systems for lowering energy consumption and air conditioners that emit reduced greenhouse gases.

I am sure that this move will go a long way to reduce carbon footprint of Dubai & will be another excellent initiative in order to take care of the environment.

Source: Gulf News.