Coveted award-winning photographer Gerry O’Leary recently revealed images of the ‘Mosque of Light’ in Al Quoz, Dubai, which has been designed by Sumaya Dabbagh, a Saudi creative who is the founder of Dabbagh Architects.

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Peruse the images and you’ll experience the mosque’s unique aesthetic vocabulary that offers a contemporary take on traditional elements of Arab vernacular architecture. Its design takes a cue from light fabric structures such as the Bedouin tent, and the souq markets that fleck Dubai. 

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A symbol of unity and brotherhood, the building comprises a mechanism that regulates nature light and creates a filtered effect inside, which is a climate-focused technique common to Islamic architecture. Earlier this year, Sumaya was selected as a finalist in the ‘CEO of the Year’ category, the ‘Mosque of Light’ was shortlisted as the ‘Commercial Project of the Year’ at the prestigious Architecture Leaders Awards 2021.

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Recently, an image of a mosque designed by the first Emirati female architect was shared on the official Instagram account of Emirates Books. Built by Magda Abdul Latif Al Muhaidib in the 1970s, the mosque is believed to be still standing in Sharjah.

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“From the memory of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (currently the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure) in the seventies a mosque designed by the first Emirati architect, engineer Magda Abdul Latif Al Muhaidib,” the caption read. Discover these gems now.

Images via @Gerryolearyphotography on Instagram.