Over the years, Dubai has become a country of expats and with people from different parts of the world coming in to settle in the Emirates, you see people following a number of religions Although the Emiratis mostly exhibit the deeply rooted Islamic traditions, you would also find other places of worship like gurudwaras, churches, temples, that are worth visiting on your city tour.

Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar – Sikh Tample

This Gurudwara is located in Jebel Ali and was opened in early 2012. It draws in people from all across the globe, and people are stunned to see an ultra-modernly designed Sikh temple located in an Islamic country. Around 1,500 people visit the temple every day, while Fridays have been observed to go beyond 12,000 visitors. Festival times have drawn in around 70,000 people or more.

The Gurudwara is a popular destination for Sikh weddings, and it has united around 150 couples so far. They also provide meals for 1,000 people every day, and for 10,000 people on Fridays. During Baisakhi 2017, almost 65,000 people were served langar. It is known to have served over 4 million within the last five years.

Address: Jebel ali, Al Muntazah – Dubai

Phone: 04 882 7550

St Philip the Apostle Orthodox Church

H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi had presented the land to the Sharjah’s Russian Orthodox community to build this church. This is the largest church in UAE and has space to accommodate 20,000 worshipers at once.

Address: Sharjah

Phone: 055 685 0331

Saint Mary’s Catholic Church

Sheikh Rashid had donated this land to the Roman Catholic mission in 1966 to build a church, and he had also laid the foundation stone. There are over 80,000 Catholics living in the city, and 7,000 believers attend the Friday masses. The church is located in Oud Metha and lets you choose services in your preferred language.

Their sermons are in English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Tagalog, Malayalam and Polish. Most churchgoers are either from Philippines or India, but all visitors are welcome.

Address: Oud Metha Street Opp. Indian High School Bur Dubai، Umm Hurair 2 – Dubai

Phone: 04 337 0087

Shiva and Krishna Mandir – Bur Dubai

A significant part of Bur opens you up to Hindu figurine shops, textile souqs, and marigold garland shops. This is where you’d find the Hindu temple in Dubai. There are two temples for Lord Shiva and Krishna, and there are thousands of visitors that assemble within the small space.

The land was given to the Hindu community in Dubai by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum in 1958. The place was chosen because the Creek area started having a lot of Indian inhabitants. Note that about 5% of the population in UAE is Hindu.

A Muslim businessman gifted five acres of land to be turned into a huge Swaminarayan temple, and that is now in progress. There is also a big worship place being built in Abu Dhabi for Hindus, Jain and Buddhists.

King Faisal Mosque – Sharjah

If you visit Sharjah, you would see two great worship places – the first one being the Orthodox Church and then the Faisal Mosque. This is the biggest mosque for the Sunni Muslims in Sharjah. The worship place was built three decades ago and has three floors – two for men and one for women to worship. If you pray 5 times day, then here you can get the latest Dubai prayer timing

Address: S116 – Sharjah

Phone: 06 505 5888

Which place of worship do you visit to worship?