The
Jumeirah Mosque is built in the medieval Fatimid tradition
combined with modern building materials. Considered to be
one of the most attractive mosques in Dubai, the Sheikh Mohammed
Centre for Cultural Understanding organizes visits to the
Jumeirah Mosque for non-Muslims, aimed at promoting cultural
understanding and first-hand experience as an insight to the
Islamic religion.
Visiting Time of Jumeirah Mosque:- Jumeirah
Mosque Tours is conduct on every Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday
and Thursday at 10am, children must be 5yrs+ in the morning
for the tourists and residents, they gather outside the ornate
Jumeirah Mosque for a conducted tour of the Mosque and a better
understanding of Islam. Fee is 10Dhs per person. Organized
by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding,
a non-profit organization, the purpose of the tour and the
Centre itself, is to bring down the barriers between different
cultural groups residing in the UAE.
Rules of Jumeirah Mosque:- No prior booking is needed.
You will have to assemble at the rear of the mosque (Jumeirah
Mosque) at 10.00am on Thursday (every week). Ladies need to
be covered - long skirts/trousers, long sleeves, hat/scarf
for the head. Gentlemen need to wear trousers - Tshirt or
shirt and not a vest. You need to take off your shoes before
entering the mosque. Information about Islam is put up at
the rear of the mosque. From mid-september onwards, the tour
is conducted twice a week on Sunday and Thursday. The tour
lasts approx. for an hour and a half and the good news is
photography is allowed!
Holy Jumeirah Mosque:- The Arabic word for mosque
is `masjid', i.e. place of prostration. The holy day of the
Islamic week is Friday, `yaum al jum'a', on which day all
adult Muslim men are commanded to go to the Jumeirah Mosque
for prayer (women can perform their prayers at home). The
Jumeirah Mosque where Muslims gather especially for the Friday
prayer is the `masjid jum'a', the Grand Mosque.
Inside Architecture of Jumeirah Mosque:- Qibla wall of Jumeirah
Mosque, the wall, which faces Mecca, as this is the direction
(Qibla), which a Muslim has to face while he is praying.
Mihrab, prayer niche in the center of the Qibla wall indicating
the exact praying direction. It is also the `holiest' place
in the Jumeirah Mosque.
Minbar in Jumeirah Mosque , a platform to the right of the
Mihrab from where the `imam', the one who leads the prayer,
delivers the `khutba', the Friday sermon, which can deal with
religious, social and political subjects.
Lord in Jumeirah Mosque:- In the Jumeirah
Mosque Islam is forbid to create any pictures of living beings
except plants, which could be worshipped. Accordingly, it
is very rare to find pictures in Mosques at all. Instead,
the interior is usually decorated with rich ornamental patterns
and Arabic calligraphy. Before entering the Jumeirah Mosque
for Prayer, the ritual cleansing (wudu') has to be performed.
It starts with washing the right and left hand (3x), then
the mouth (3x), the nose (3x), the face (3x), the right and
left arm (3x), the head, the ears, and finally the right and
left foot (3x).
Jumeirah is a coastal residential area in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates mainly comprising low rise private dwellings. It
has both expensive and large detached properties as well as
more modest town houses built in a variety of architectural
styles. The area is popular with expatriates working in the
emirate and is familiar to many tourists visiting Dubai.
The beachfront area was previously called Chicago Beach, as
the site of the former Chicago Beach Hotel. The locale's peculiar
name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company
which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tankers
on the site.
The old name persisted for a time after the old Hotel was
demolished in 1997 since Dubai Chicago Beach Hotel was the
Public Project Name for the construction phase of the Burj
Al Arab Hotel until Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
announced the new name.
Historically, Arabs living in the Jumeirah were fishermen,
pearl divers and traders. In modern times (1960 onwards) Jumeirah
was the principal area for western expatriate residences,
but the huge expansion of the emirate since 1995 has seen
a growth in housing developments across Dubai. Jumeirah is
generally agreed to be one of the most exclusive parts of
Dubai and this has led to the use of the Jumeirah name as
a brand which signifies exclusivity (e.g. the Jumeirah Beach
Hotel and the Jumeirah Beach Club). The ruling family of Dubai
have called their upmarket hotel chain "Jumeirah"
(formerly "Jumeirah International").
There has been a great deal of hotel and leisure construction
along Jumeirah Beach including the world famous Burj Al Arab
hotel.
Jumeirah has a mosque, the Jumeirah Mosque, which is open
to non-Muslims for special tours to give insights into Islam.
Recently, a complex named Madinat Jumeirah, or "Jumeirah
City," opened. It consists of an architecturally interesting
shopping mall, three luxurious five-star hotels (Mina A'Salam,
Al Qasr and Dar Al Masyaf), and a few residential areas. It
is advertised to be the "epitome of Arabian hospitality
in Dubai".
Although there is competition from many new areas, and although
many of Jumeirah's well-to-do have already moved to some of
those areas, such as Dubai Marina, the new Palm Islands, The
Lakes, The Springs and The Meadows, Jumeirah is still one
of the more expensive and exclusive areas in Dubai. The 2009
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup was held on the beaches in Jumeirah. |