Abu Dhabi, 3 March 2010 (WAM) - The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City confirmed that the installation of exterior lighting system, currently underway at Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Metropolitan Abu Dhabi, will be of a unique and unprecedented model worldwide, as it emulates the stages and phases of the moon, in a colorful interaction of an electronic control system that reacts to the intensity, colour and grade of the moonlight and the surrounding sky colour.
This innovative system reflects the spiritual and religious implications, and the unique architectural features upon which this prominent Islamic edifice was erected. Engineer Khawla Sulimai; Director of Shaikh Zayed Mosque Project; said that the external lighting works have been designed by the specialist consultant Spear and Major; and the design is the first of its kind worldwide. When the moon is full, the mosque looks gleaming in white colour, but the moons moves and converts into a crescent, lighting will be gradually dimmed resembling a dark blue colour such that it will be in total harmony with the ambient surrounding. "Part of the lighting system components is based on the moonlights intensity and reflection on the facades of the mosque, with a view to establishing a harmony between the moonlight and the light directed through the system so that it creates an aesthetic setting that adds to the mosques distinctive splendor, glamour and a unique spiritual value, and illustrates the ability of the new system to reflect optical geometric shapes resembling white nebular clouds emanating from the direction of Qiblah (Holy Mecca) towards the mosque, inciting a unique spiritual atmosphere, ' she added. The design has won two world-class awards; namely: AIALD Award of Merits, and IES Award of Excellence in addition to two other awards at the Middle Eastern level (MELDA) and Best Lighting System of a Public Building; as it adds uniqueness to the overall distinctive components which are difficult to emulate. It is worth mentioning that Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque is one of the largest mosques in the world featuring the latest models of contemporary Islamic architectural styles. It is also one of the most discrete, luxurious and ravishing mosque ever built, and has a capacity to accommodate up to 40 thousand worshipers at a time.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
