Friday, Jul 05, 2013
Abu Dhabi: Finding a mosque within walking distance has never been much of a concern in the capital, with a variety of them dotting the city’s landscape. When driving to a mosque however, residents report that it is often difficult to find a parking spot, especially for prayers during which a large number of worshippers frequent mosques.
“On normal days, I tend to pray at the neighbourhood mosque or use a prayer room at my workplace. But on Fridays, I drive to a mosque on Hazza Bin Zayed Street. Finding a parking spot then is not always easy,” Adil Abdul Wahid, a 33-year-old Emirati, told Gulf News.
“Because I go in early, I usually manage to park my car. But just a while later, the surrounding streets get very crowded, and people tend to park on the main road, leading to a lot of congestion,” he added.
Similar complaints were voiced by other residents, who said they had to arrive at mosques early for the Friday prayers.
F. Mohammad, a 47-year-old taxi driver from Pakistan, said he tries to reach early and stay late at the mosque where he performs Friday prayers.
“I practice this in order to extend my prayers, but it also helps me avoid the rush of cars on the main roads outside the mosque. I have noticed that the lack of spaces means that many drivers double park their cars, which can be very inconvenient,” he said.
Mohammad said he however does not face this problem on other days of the week.
“I visit any nearby mosque that has an available parking spot,” he explained.
“Perhaps the problem arises because a number of smaller neighbourhood mosques don’t organise Friday afternoon prayers. So many people tend to drive down to other mosques, creating a greater demand for parking spaces near them,” Abdul Wahid suggested.
At a press conference last month, officials at the Urban Planning Council (UPC) said 11,000 households had been surveyed 2011 to determine mosque usage. It found that nearly 35 per cent of the Abu Dhabi emirate’s population frequents mosques on a regular basis.
According to a senior official at the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (AWQAF), the emirate of Abu Dhabi currently has more than 2,700 mosques, with 641 of them located in the capital city.
“While all mosques are allowed to conduct daily prayers and Ramadan night time prayers, smaller ones do not organise the Friday prayers as they are not equipped to provide enough parking spaces,” he added.
Worshippers do however benefit from free parking in the capital on Fridays. And the Department of Transport (DoT) announced last month that during the upcoming month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on July 10, paid parking timings will be observed from 10.30pm to 2.30 am, and from 9am to 4pm. This means that residents can park free of cost during the hours of iftar, and the longer night prayers (Tarawih prayers) that usually start after 9pm.
Despite this, certain business owners with stores located nearby mosques complained that the lack of spaces in the vicinity dampens their sales.
“My shop is located right next to a popular mosque, and during the Ramadan night prayers, motorists park their cars in ways that block the street. And even though there is generally a greater demand for fabrics and clothes during Ramadan, my sales tend to fall by 20 per cent during the hours of the night prayer,” said K.D., the owner of a textiles store near Hamdan Street.
“If there were more places to park, business would be greater in Ramadan. But I don’t see any space for the authorities to construct a parking structure,” he added.
-With additional inputs from Cherry Warburton, intern at Gulf News
By Samihah Zaman ?and Nada Al Taher Staff Reporters
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
