Al Musalla Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Al Musalla is an important element in the new Al Hosn park and forms part of the comprehensive master plan for revitalising the heritage site surrounding the Qasr Al Hosn fort. This “downsized" mosque consists of a series of small, interconnected buildings that form a cluster of geometrical “rocks” growing out of the surrounding landscape.
As an important element of the cultural Al Hosn park, Al Musalla is located at the north-eastern corner of the site as a series of small interconnected buildings that form a cave-like structure pushed halfway into a large water feature. The Musalla stands in water to create a subtle privacy barrier without using walls, which provides calm and secluded spaces for prayer without visual disturbances. At the same time, the water is used as a symbol of spiritual purification, flowing around and in between the interior functions. Inside the Musalla, the individual spaces are connected by glass tubes bridging over water, which symbolically purifies the mind when moving through the light-filled passages from one area to the next.
Each volume contains its own function so that the plan layout creates two mirrored flows where female and male worshippers respectively progress along a sequence of spaces that create an immersive spiritual experience, following the ritual of prayer. Walking from the open landscape of the park along the narrow passages between the “rocks”, the noise and bustling life of the city slowly fades away and visitors enter the cave-like entrance halls, where you can rest and talk before prayers. An experience and atmosphere that refer to the Cave of Hira, where Prophet Muhammed received his first revelation. From here, one proceeds to the ablution spaces for washing and mentally preparing for prayer and finally reaches the large prayer halls. The prayer halls are oriented toward the qibla, while a concrete relief with inscriptions appears on one of the rock volumes, visible through a window concealed from the outside.
The geometric shapes of the landscape and buildings are mirrored in the interior as a suspended landscape of the same mud-crack pattern, functioning as skylights with small circular openings that punctuate the ceilings of the otherwise closed volumes. The circular holes let in daylight and are combined with suspended pendants. Together, they appear as abstract star formations that evoke associations with faith as well as with the Bedouins’ traditional star-gazing for navigation. Whereas the entrance halls and ablution spaces contain concrete skylights, the interiors of the prayer halls are clad with copper, which creates endless reflections of light symbolising the cosmos and linking the ceiling detail back into the overall scheme of the project like a fractal. And it illustrates how man has always looked up at the skies, wondering and reflecting on one’s own existence.
A historical setting
In the centre of the modern metropolis Abu Dhabi lies the city’s oldest and most important building, the Qasr Al Hosn Fort. This important culture-historical gem was originally built in the 18th century to protect Abu Dhabi’s only freshwater well and later served as a royal residence and government building. Before the urbanisation of Abu Dhabi island, the Fort was the first thing travellers would see arriving on the coast from the desert – a landmark rising from the sands as a magnificent sculpture, literally constituting the birthplace of the city of Abu Dhabi.
The transformation of the Qasr Al Hosn site consists of a 140,000 m² cultural park surrounding the fort and the Cultural Foundation, a listed cultural centre from the 1980’s. Together, these two buildings occupy the site, representing both historic and modern heritage of Abu Dhabi.
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