The man behind the mosque

HATAM'S DUBAI MOSQUE PROJECT

Correct Context 
Despite significant interest from would-be clients, Hatam hasn’t found the right context in which to build his signature project; the one that has been 20 years in the making. He likens his mosque to some of nature’s other fragile organisms, all of which need time to grow and mature.    

“A mosque is like a flower that’s growing in a field. You want to sit by it, have a picnic next to it and enjoy it…it’s like a small child, it wants to grow to an adult,” he explains. Despite its name, the thought of ultimately building it in Dubai is something about which Hatam still has misgivings. “I’m almost afraid to put it in Dubai. I think there’s a chance that it could become a symbolic thing rather than being respected for what it is.” 

In a departure from the traditional process that often sees architects design projects for the highest profile location and the highest bidder, Hatam prefers to use a different approach with this project.

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“If this [mosque] were in a third world country, I think it would be much more respected and appreciated than if it were built in the middle of Dubai, for example,” he says. “If I had my preference, I’d put it somewhere it would get used, and be appreciated; not abused.”

Hatam insists he designed the mosque to be built somewhere on Earth, but other than that, it’s not a context-specific piece of architecture. He designed the elements in modules, which will allow the eventual client to grow it or shrink it according to site specifications. 

When broaching the subject of timelessness and whether he’d like his mosque to become the Parthenon or Pyramids of this generation, Hatam refers to one of his favourite projects in the world. “Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is an amazing building. When you enter, you’re overwhelmed by it… That is something previous generations left behind for us to experience and appreciate,” says Hatam.

“What are we going to leave behind? Glass boxes?” asks a sceptic Hatam. “Let’s be realistic, they’ll be gone in 100 years. But I believe something like this can last and be remembered in 400-500 years.”