Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer
Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design
International Islamic University Malaysia
Email: spahico@yahoo.com

Islamic Architecture

Islamic architecture, as both a concept and sensory reality, is an architecture whose function and, to a lesser extent, form, are inspired primarily by Islam. Islamic architecture is a framework for the implementation of Islam. It facilitates, fosters and stimulates Muslims’ ‘ibadah (worship) activities, which, in turn, account for every moment of their earthly lives. Central to Islamic architecture is function with all of its dimensions: corporeal, cerebral and spiritual. The form divorced from function is inconsequential. This, however, by no means implies that the form plays no role in Islamic architecture. It does, but in terms of value and substance the form always comes second to function and its wide scope.

Islamic architecture promotes unity in diversity, that is, the unity of message and purpose, and the diversity of styles, methods and solutions. Certainly, this renders Islamic architecture so relevant and dynamic, and so consistent and adaptable. It is such a fascinating subject to study, for doing so is not about sheer art and architecture. It is more than that: it is about beholding the Islamic ideology and creed at work. It is about witnessing a microcosm of Islamic society, civilization and culture. Islamic architecture is about Islam taking up a manifest form. The identity and vocabulary of Islamic architecture evolved as a means for the fulfillment of the concerns of Muslim societies. Islamic architecture was never an end in itself. It was the container of Islamic culture and civilization reflecting the cultural identity and the level of the creative and aesthetic consciousness of Muslims. Architecture, in general, should always be in service to people. It is never to be the other way round, that is to say that architecture should evolve into a hobby or an adventure in the process imposing itself on society while forsaking, or taking lightly, people’s identities, cultures and the demands of their daily struggles. Architecture, first and foremost, should remain associated with functionality. It should not deviate from its authentic character and stray into the world of excessive invention and abstraction.

Continue reading Islamic versus Muslim Architecture: Some Observations →

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

E-mail: spahico@yahoo.com

The skyline of the city of Lahore, Pakistan

Introduction: The significance of the conceptual framework for Islamic architecture

The issues that form the cornerstones of the conceptual framework for Islamic architecture, by and large, are: tawhid (the idea of God’s Oneness), man as the vicegerent (khalifah) on earth and his relationship with environment, comprehensive excellence (ihsan or itqan), and Islam as the final and universal revelation to mankind. This conceptual framework renders Islamic architecture such a unique subject and vastly different from other architectural expressions and schools.

Studying the conceptual framework for Islamic architecture, which due to its anchoring on some of the most important Islamic tenets constitutes a foremost segment of the Islamic worldview, is vital. This is so for two chief reasons.

Firstly, by knowing and absorbing the conceptual framework for Islamic architecture, Muslim architects, and practitioners in built environment in general, will possess a solid base on which restoring and advancing the phenomenon of Islamic architecture will be easily and confidently established. If the tenets on which the conceptual framework for Islamic architecture rests, permeate an architect’s or an engineer’s thinking and behaving paradigms, the total behavior that originates from such a mentality is bound to be in agreement with Islamic values and belief system. An architecture that stems from such a mentality is bound to be genuinely Islamic too. And when it comes into existence, it does so spontaneously, unassumingly and sincerely, fitting perfectly into the matrix of Muslim life activities. It does so without any ado during the process of its conceiving and execution, without any ambiguities or confusion in its substance and function, and without any superficialities, peculiarities and showiness in its style and appearance.

Continue reading Man and Environment in Islam: Implications for Islamic Architecture →

SOME LESSONS FROM PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW) IN ARCHITECTURE: THE PROPHET’S MOSQUE IN MADĪNAH

Abstract

This paper discusses some lessons in architecture that can be gleaned using the Prophet’s Mosque in Madīnah as a case study. The paper deals with the following main themes: the meaning and significance of Islamic architecture; function–form relationship; respect for the environment; cleanliness; comprehensive excellence; promoting just social interactions; safety; and the relationship between the indigenous and foreign influences in the spheres of Islamic architecture. Every theme discussed signifies a permanent feature of Islamic architecture which derives its strength and merit from the Prophet’s experiences. Hence, a close analogy is always drawn in the paper between those architectural features and the Prophet.

Keywords: Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Madīnah, the Prophet’s mosque, Islamic architecture

Continue reading Some Lessons From Prophet Muhammad (SAW) In Architecture: The Prophet’s Mosque In Madinah →

The Architecture of the Muslim Caliphate in Spain and North Africa (756-1500).

Dr Rabah Saud

University of Ajman

Architecture of Muslim Caliphate in North Africa.

The advent of Islam to North Africa at the hands of Uqba Ibn Nafi (d.683) annexed this region to the Caliphate in the east, becoming firstly part of  the Ummayad and later a province of the Abbasids.  This ex-Vandals ravaged region was steered to civilisation and prosperity quickly restoring its important position in the Mediterranean region and later gaining strategic significance in the Muslim world.  North Africa was, and still, the main propagator of Islam in Europe, and through it Islam reached Spain in 726 at the hand of Tarek ibn Ziyad, Sicily in 827, Malta in 868, and Syracuse in 876 at the hands of the Aghlabids[i].  The strategic geo-political location at the crossroads between Muslim East and Europe made it a prosperous trade centre and due to this the region was transformed into a construction field resulting in the elaboration and dissemination (to Europe) of building techniques and architectural forms as well as the rise of a considerable number of monuments.

North Africa Influential Monuments.

Perhaps the most important of these, and the oldest, is Kairawan Mosque (670-675)[ii] in Tunis.  Saladin (1899) found the significance of the mosque in its irregular form as none of the angles being of right angle. Jairazbhoy, (1972) also gave similar importance to the plan, which consisted of a large court surrounded by columns and horseshoe arches while the sanctuary (prayer hall) consists of 17 parallel aisles separated with arcades on rows of columns (believed to have been brought from Baghdad).  These run to the end of the wall but stop before reaching the last bay.  The central aisle is wider and at the Mihrab is covered by a dome, and here meets a transverse aisle running the entire width of the sanctuary, forming the T shape.  This is believed to be the second instance of this peculiar layout, after the al-Aqsa Mosque plan outlined by Al-Mahdi in 780.  This feature was later copied in the Great Mosque of Cordova (see below) and Abu-Dulaf Mosque in Samara.

Figure 1. Kairawan Mosque showing the rear side of the minaret.

Continue reading The Architecture of the Muslim Caliphate in Spain and North Africa (756-1500). →

3. Building activities over graves

Continue reading Prophet Muhammad’s Attitude Towards Architecture (2) →

Continue reading Prophet Muhammad’s Attitude Towards Architecture (1) →

A new monumental architecture of Mosques

Being the first mosque to be built after the independence of Jaunpur from the Islamic caliphate in India, the Atala Mosque was given royal treatment setting up a new monumentality to the traditional jami’.  The majestic pylons of the portal of its main prayer room, the three unequal domes above its roof and the large court with its two storey porticoes, all expressed a new grandeur never seen before, adding more mystery to the skill and imagination of the medieval Muslim architect.

Continue reading Atala Mosque, Jaunpur 1408 →

Introduction

The first key word in this study is ‘sustainable elements’. In this study, sustainable elements mean integration of design elements which reflect to the regional climatic context influenced by religious, social and technological factors as noted in the Brundtland report, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (MacDonald, 1998). This research study is to test an argument from the research assumption that warm temperature, relatively high humidity, heavy rainfall, prevailing winds (Atmaca, Kaynakli & Yigit 2007) and tropical day lighting become the indicators which influence to the obedience symbol of sustainable elements constructed in the traditional Malay mosque design. These values have indirectly formed concept of prostration in the mosque design which portrays the Islamic and regional identity.

Continue reading Concept Of Prostration In The Traditional Malay Mosque Design →

The Umayyads established the first Islamic dynasty in Damascus, which is renown for a number of important accomplishments.  Under their leadership, Islam reached most parts of today’s Muslim World and by mid eight century Muslim Caliphate ruled from Damascus to Tashkent in the East and to the Pyrenee mountains in the West. The second major achievement was the organisation of administration and trade and the introduction of coinage. These events engendered greater architectural movements, reflecting the Umayyad grandeur as portrayed in their master pieces; the Dome of the Rock and the Great Mosque of Damascus. The present article examines the main flagship construction projects of that period and explores its innovative architectural and artistic elements.

Continue reading Muslim Architecture Under The Umayyad Patronage →

Deconstructivism is a new movement in which the dream of pure forms and order  are disturbed. Deconstructivism challenges  the values of harmony, unity and stability. It considers imperfections as intrinsic to the structures. Euclidean geometry through the intense recourse to   computer is used to produce impure geometric compositions, unstable and restless masses. Deconstructivism in  architecture was initially influenced by the ideas of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida whose work was mostly related to the fields of literature and  linguistics. For him,  the classical relationships between  words and meanings, that is known as  logocentrism, should be broken up through parasitology or virology. Texts should be liberated  from the unique sense that comes up from the first reading. An archeology should be applied to the text in order to uncover its hidden meanings and unearth the sediments of its formation process.  By introducing disorder into communication, Derrida is at odds  with the entire semiotic structure of post-modernism.

Deconstructivism was harshly criticized for being purely formalist approach. It has never achieved the status of movement beyond the narrow academic sphere of its admirers. It has no  social background or cultural roots and thus entirely alien to the society.

In architectural education, many students as well as educators are attracted to this movement for its fascinating approach to design  and its highly creative output. Others consider it as a mere  game of fantasy that ignores the real issues in architecture and thus a destruction movement.

Can deconstructivism  approach  to design as uncovering layers and sedimentation be of any service to architects? Could it be matured enough to overpass its formalism and unrealistic vision? Should it otherwise be simply ignored and left to its own destiny? What would be the attitude of the educators who supervise students who have a great  empathy  to this movement, or vice versa?

Medinanet opens a debate on the movement of deconstructivism in architectural education and urge the students community and educators to express their opinions.