Conceived as a white pearl in the middle of the sand dunes, the Jame’Unmas cultural and religious complex is the product of a deeply spiritual architecture and a striking natural environment.

The Jame’Unmas Mosque is located in a changing landscape, in one of the largest public parks in the city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Dammam, Al-Khobar and Dhahran form a modern urban complex at the interface of the Arabian Desert and the turquoise waters of the Gulf. During their rapid growth in the twentieth century, these cities developed an extensive road system, allocating most of their public spaces to vehicles, some of which need to be returned to the pedestrians.

The park in which the cultural complex and the mosque are located is an island of greenery, bordered by a motorway and large housing estates. The project seeks to become an expression of the region’s development in the service of the local communities through an environmentally-friendly and highly spiritual expression. It houses a mosque, offices, a 100-bed day care center and exclusive shops.

From the highway, the dome of the mosque rises above the palm canopy like a white pearl. Together with the minaret, it identifies the building and defines the orientation of the surrounding public space. The mosque’s design outlines a perfect geometric circle. The dome overlooking the prayer space is supported by an arch structure, becoming flatter as it extends over a large central square. The mosque is designed to function either independently or in synergy with the events and celebrations taking place in the complex. The mosque can accommodate 3,500 worshipers indoors and another 4,000 during large-scale celebrations on the esplanade under the canopy. The dome consists of ribbons pointing to the Qibla and forming both the structure and the enclosure. Inside, these ribbons display a decorative ceiling conceived to provide ideal acoustic and lighting conditions for the prayers.

  • Customer:Jawami ‘AlKhair Association
  • Team:architecturestudio (mandataire), Edge ARCH
  • Program:Complexe religieux comprenant une mosquée et un centre culturel
  • Year:2016
  • Surface:6 075 m²
  • Status:2018

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