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HOA 3
REVIWER
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ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

- Defined as any construction based on the religious principles of islam

- Both religious and secular buildings reflect design principles of Islamic culture.
- These include mosques, funerary monuments, private dwellings, and fortifications.

 Mecca – city in Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Mohammed and spiritual center of Islam
 Ka-aba – small cubicle stone building in the courtyard of the great mosque at mecca containing a sacred black
stone and regarded by Muslims as the house of God, the objective of their pilgrimages and the point toward
which they turn in praying.

Influences:

 Religious
- Main religious centers were mecca, the prophet’s birthplace and medina, to which he fled from the enemies in
622.
- Islam is the last of the three great religions of the middle east. Its essence is contained in a simple sentence,
which is both the profession of faith and the credo of its adherent; “there is only on god and mohammed is his
prophet.”
- Islamic precepts apply equally to all behaviour and all buildings.
- Moslem thought is codified in three works:
- Koran is regarded as revelation through the medium of the prophet mohammed.
- Hadith is a collection of his sayings or injunctions.
- Law is extracted from the prophet’s instructions, from tradition and example.

Geological:

- There was a long tradition of ceramic production, use of gypsum plasters, glass manufacture and
the various forms of metalwork needed for buildings.
- Timber was of limited type and quality
- The prevalence of earthquakes in the near and middle-eastern countries resulted in the employment
of some long-established, specialized structural techniques.
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Climatic:

- The greater part of the moslem world lies within a g rip of some form of ‘continental’ climate, with
extremes of temperature and modest rainfall.
- Execessive sunshine has produced a tendency towards wide eaves and sheltering arcades.
- Window openings are minimized
- Cooling effect of structures with very heavy walls and high rooms has been widely exploited.

Social:

- Public life was reserved for men. They perform significant public duties and controlled all public
affairs.
- Women played a secondary role. A woman’s place was in the private part of the household-the
harem.

What are the different types of muslims?

-90% of muslims are sunnis, shhiites/shia are the second-largest group.

-significant populations of shia muslims can be found in iran and Iraq, and large minority communities in
yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Lebanon.

-both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. The
difference between these two main sub-groups within Islam initially stemmed not from spiritual
differences, but political ones.

Political
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-An imam is an Islamic leadership position. Imams may lead Islamic worship services, serve as
community leaders, and provide religious guidance by sunni muslims only.

-Caliph is the head of the state of Islamic community. A successor to the prophet as military, judicial and
spiritual leader of islam.

Islamic architecture (other names):

 arabic (arab or arabian)

 arabesque – means of decoration influenced by arabian style
 muhammedan- (Mohammadan or mohammetan) – used by followers of muhhammad or mohammet
who founded the islam religion
 moslem or muslim :the followers are called moslem or muslim islamic
 islamic – because of the islam religion
 Saracenic – name of Greek origin applied by the romans and afterwards to the crusaders to the nomad
tribes or the desert of Egypt and western asia.
 Moorish – named after the moors of south Africa
 Seljur/ seljuh – name used in turkey in its earliest stage and in the later stage was called ottoman after
Turkish dynasty.
 Mugaha or mogul – after a line of emperors in india.

Common interpretations of Islamic architecture

 The concept of allah’s infinite power is evoked by designs with repetative themes.
 Human and animal forms are rarely depicted in decorative art as allah’s work is matchless.
 Calligraphy is used to enhance the interior of a building by providing quotations from the qur’an.
 Islamic architecture focuses on the beauty of the interior rather than exterior spaces.
 Use of impressive forms such as large domes, towering minarets, and large courtyards are intended
to convey power.

 Moorish architecture – the Islamic architecture of the north Africa and esp. of the regions of spain under
Moorish domination, characterized by the building of large mosques and elaborate fortress-palaces.
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 Moor – a member of the muslim people of the northwest Africa who invaded spain in the 8 th and occupied it
until 1942.

 Mogul architecture – the indo-islamic architecture of the mogul dynasty, 1526-1857, typified by
monumental palaces and mosques with highly detailed decorative work.

Prominent structures:

Mosque, jami, or masjid (Persia, India) – principal place of worship serves many functions other than
prayer, such as school, transactions and storage for treasures.

Parts of a Friday mosque:

 Minaret – tower
 Muesin/muezzin – callers
 Sahn (atrium) – central courtyard of a mosque
 Meda – fountain or ablution (mid of sahn)
 Liwanat or colonnades – a large vaulted portal opening onto the central courtyard of a mosque.
 Mihrab (niche) – sanctuary or decorative panel where founder of the mosque is estombed.
 Minbar – pulpit
 Dikka – reading desk
 Magsura (screen) – similar to the reredos of early Christian churches found between the mihrab,
mimbar and dikka
 Quibla – the wall in a mosque in which the mihrab is set, oriented to mecca – axis oriented towards
mecca.
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Building components:

 Mihrab – recessed in a wall to contain sculpture

o Niche oriented towards mecca, where the leader of the congregation makes his payers.
o No altar only pulpit
 Minbar -raised platform for ceremonial announcements
o Dais – roman
o Bema – early Christian
 Iwan – open-fronted vault facing on to the court
 Bab – gateway
 Chattri (india) – umbrella-shaped cupola
 Kiosk – small pavilion usually open built in gardens and parks.
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3 types of mosques

1. Friday mosque or congregational mosque (famimasjid) a mosque used for public or congregational
worship.
2. Madrasah – college for Islamic instruction
3. Tomb mosque – shrine built on the site associated with a muslim saint or religious figure, usually
his or her tomb. It is a funeral construction. Commonly shaped and topped with a dome.

Development of dome

 Wigwam
 Assyrian domed structures
 Roman and byzantine domes
 Italian renaissance domes
 Arabic and western European domes
 Early modern period domes
 Modern period domes

Ornaments

Arabesque: surface decoration, light and fanciful in character.

-a style of decoration characterized by intertwining plants and abstract curvilinear motifs.

-religious leaders forbade the depiction of animals & people.

Geometric designs: intricate patterns emphasizing symmetry and repeated rythms.

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Calligraphy – the art of producing such writing

3 types of surface ornaments:

 Mnemonic inscription or text

-extracts from the koran either in the stiff characters known as Kufic or in a more flowing nashky
alphabet.
 Super-imposed ornaments
-made up of conventional design in different planes in which one scheme of design form the
background to the one over it.
 Stalactite ornaments (mogarnas) or honey-comb work
-is in original systematic design involving combination of 3-dimensional shape corbelling and so
forth.

The mosque

A mosque is the most important Islamic building. It is a sacred building used by muslims for prayer. The
word “mosque” is Arabic for “ a place of prostration” or bowing down to allah. Besides being a place of
prayer, the mosque was also used as a “community center” for a combination reason: a school for political
and social meetings, a place for judging cases, and other functions in the Islamic community.

Why are mosques important to muslims?

“if you build a mosque for Allah’s sake, he will build for you a house in paradise”
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The first three mosques

1. Ka’aba – first ever mosque in mecca. An Open space. (later became the largest mosque name
“Masjid-Al-Haram”)
2. Quba MosQue – the first/oldest mosque built by Muhammed in medina.
3. Al-masjid an-nabawi – “Prophets” masjid in medina, muhammed’s first Friday prayer. He
introduced different practices

Ka’aba (house of allah)

The ka’aba or kabah also referred as Kaaba

Muazzama, is a building as the center of islam’s most sacred mosque, al-masjid-alharam, in mecca, al-
hejaz, Saudi arabia. It is the most sacred muslim site in the world.

Address: mecca Saudi arabia

Height: 13m

Piedra Negra – black stone

Quba mosque, medina (masjid e quba)

The quba mosque, in the outlying environs of medina Saudi arabia, is one of the oldest mosques in the
world.

Address: 3493 al hijrah rd, al khatim, medina Saudi arabia.

Opened: 622 ad

Architectural type: mosque

Architects: Muhammad, abdel, wahed el-wakil

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Al-masjid an-nabawi

Al-masjid an Nabawi is a mosque established and originally built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad
situated in the city of medina in Saudi arabia.

Address: medina Saudi arabia

Opened:622 ad

Province: medina

Architectural type: mosque

Architect: Muhammad

Burials: abu bakr, umar, abdul muhsin bin abdulaziz al saud, more

Architectural styles: classical architecture, ottoman architecture, contemporary architecture, Islamic

architecture.

What is the main purpose of a mosque?

- At the mosque, muslims pray together.

- They believe that offering salah (prayer) with other people has much more value than praying
alone.
- Salah can be performed anywhere, it is considered most pleasing to god when performed with
other members of the muslim community in the mosque.
- The sunna states that salah in the mosque is 27 times more valuable than when offered in the
home.

What is an imam?
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- someone who stands in front

- leads the prayers and preaches the Friday sermon, in which he explains a passahe from the qur’an
or a story about the prophet Muhammed.
- Not a priest
- An educated person
- Knows a lot about islam
- No priest in islam

What is a muezzin?

The muezzin calls muslims to prayer from the minaret. He recites the adhan, or call to prayer, at set times.

Arriving at the mosque

-When we enter the mosque we go in with our right foot first, while pronouncing blessings upon
Muhammed and his family. Once inside the mosque we have to speak softly so as not to disturb the people
praying. Prayer is a duty for all of us.

-before we pray we go to a special washroom and we take off our shoes. All the time we are trying to
show our respect for god. We also like to wear loose clothes. Mum says this shows modesty, and it makes
it easier to pray too.

Wudu

Muslims was in a special sequence called wudu. They believe this makes them physically and spiritually
clean before allah. Men and women was separately.

 Wash hands
 Rinse mouth and nostrils
 Wash arms up to elbows.
 Wipe forehead, ears and neck.
 Wash legs up to ankles.

Repetition emphasizes the need for cleanliness and being in the right frame of mind for prayer.
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The prayer room

- Where muslim’s pray in rows.

- Women and men are separated for concentration.
- Mosque are simply decorated to avoid distraction.

Finding the direction of mecca

Wherever they may be, muslims face towards the holy city of mecca when they pray.

Qiblah – a special compass is used to find the qiblah.

Aids to prayer

Do you know what these things are used for?

The compass – is used to find the qiblah (the direction of mecca)

-to pray facing the right way.

Prayer Cap – my dad wears one when he prays, as a sign of modesty and humility.

Prayer beads- are used to help us recite all the names of allah.

o Made up of three sets of thirty-three beads and one large to make a hundred.
o Made up of wood or plastic, sometimes olive pits, ivory, amber or pearls.
o Have Arabic letter printed on each bead.
o Ninety-nine small beads are used to say the ninety-nine names for allah during prayer.

Salah and rak’ah

o Salah is a ritual prayer practiced five times a day as one of the five pillars of islam. Every adult
muslim should perform salah, either ar home or in a mosque.
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o Rak’ah is a special sequence of movements and verse from the qur’an, involves standing, bowing
and kneeling with your forehead touching the floor, while reciting the appropriate verse for each
position.

Early morning

Rak’ah x2

Early afternoon

Rak’ah x4

Late afternoon

Rak’ah x4

After sunset

Rak’ah x3

Night

Rak’ah x4

Arabic, the sacred language of islam

The qur’an is written in Arabic, which is also the language of the prayers. There are copies of the qur ’an
kept in the mosque, and words from the qur’an are used for decoration.

Aids to prayer

Prayer mats – used during the five daily times of prayer.

-often have pictures of ka’aba or other Islamic holy sites on them to help focus the worshipper’s attention
on holy things.

Holiest places in islam

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A. The ka’aba – in mecca, Saudi arabia - the cubic shrine in mecca, the center of Islamic worship and
the holiest place in islam
B. The dome of the rock – Jerusalem – built by the caliph abd al-malik and completed in 691 a.d. the
building encloses a huge rock located at its center from which the prophet Muhammad ascended
( went up) to heaven at the end of his night journey.
C. Medina – burial place of Muhammad – and the prophet’s mosque in the city to which Muhammad
and the early muslims fled as they escaped the dangers in mecca.

Mosque

 Great mosque of Damascus, Syria (Umayyad)

 Great mosque of samarra, Iraq (mosque of al mutawakkil)
 Mosque of sultan ahmed, turkey (the blue mosque, mosque of sultan Ahmet – with 6 minarets.)
 Mosque of sultan ahmed, turkey – (the blue mosque, mosque of sultan Ahmet – with 6 minarets)
 Suleymaniye mosque, turkey – (ottoman imperial mosque – largest mosque in the instanbul)
 The slimiye, edrine, tukey – Moorish Islamic – palace of Nasrid dynasty
 Mosque of sultan hassan, Egypt (a collegiate mosque, cruciform in plan)
 Ibn tulun mosque, cairo, Egypt – ( the largest mosque in cairo in terms of land area)
 Taj mahal, agra, india – (onion-shaoe domes, flanking towers, built by shah Jahan for his wife
mumatz mahal)
 The Alhambra, spain – (Moorish Islamic – palace of Nasrid dynasty)

Mosques in Britain

- Some mosque are purpose-built, while others are converted houses or existing buildings.

Mosque in Dearborn, Michigan, USA

-the Islamic center of America – newly built mosque

Dome of the rock, ascension of Muhammed, most important mosque. Arabesque, caliphs, successors of
Muhammad.
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Moslem palaces – Saray/Serai – palace

- the claiphs (successors of Muhammad) conquered new territories in the name of islam. The sultans
(emperors or kings) began to administer the vast empire and carried on extensive trade.

Palaces also included:

a. living quarters for the wives of the sultan called harem.

Selamlik – men’s or guest’s quarters
b. bathhouses
c. kitchens and dining areas
d. quarters for the sultan’s family and servants
e. soldiers were housed in a separate part of the palace or outside of it.

sleeping quarters

Harem - for women,

Selamik - for men,

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Palaces - house of the sultan

Umayyad Palaces

with high walls for protection from enemies, capital was damscus

The Citadel - Cairo Egypt (Great fortress, built by 1176 Saladin, the leader who fought against richard the
lion heart, Became the home of sultan - al-kamil inside is museums, mosques and palace anda military
garrisons, a complex structure.

The Alhambra - in grenada, spain.

Citadel within a city

alhambra - al-hamra, which means red palaces in grenada spain,

redesigned so many times by Muhammed.

The Alhambra

gardens, fountains are symbol of paradise or heaven also considered in the quran.

Madinat Al-Zahra in Cordoba, Muslim Spain

ruins. with bathhouse, horse shoes arch

Topkapi Palace in Turkey (Ottoman Empire)

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PAlace in Kilwa, East Africa

Palace for the traders, merchants

Swahili - New Language

ivory, gold products

Forts and Castles

Best builder for mosque, and palaces, and forts and castles

reason:

True conquest of neighboring empire, gained control of different territories from spain to india, to protect
themselves and their kingdom from enemies. Warfare with byzantine and Christians and later with
Christian crusaders, greatest threat came with Mongol.

Built for Defense

-towers for look out

-containes strong gates

-avoid immediate attack

Strategies for Attacking a castles

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-attack with a distance

-catapults and flaming arrows

-battling ram to break down the doors

Citadel - or fortress, Aleppo, Syria

-used as a crusaders castles, built by Arabs.

Desert Castles of Jordan

-do not have many defensive structures

-but with high walls

-recreational purpose

-surrounded by artificial oasis

-avoid epidemic

-Maintain links between bedouin nomads

Crak DE Chevaliers, Jordan

Castle of the knights

Bam, Iran

has 28 towers, contains different structures

public bath

prison and barracks for soldiers

The Citadel of Cairo

high area as protection against crusaders

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Alcazava in Malaga spain

HOMES

Homes varied in size and elegance (wealth, style)

according to the wealth of the owner and of course upon the local architectural traditions and local
materials that were available, but some features were common.

Basic DEsign

1. built on standard atter, rectangular with central courtyard, high windowless walls on the outside with a
single low door. interior space was important and not the outside.

corbel that supports second floor and arch. courtyard light and ventilation

2. As family size increase, more rooms were built, expansion took place in vertical direction, when
horizontal is no longer an option

3. part of the house is separated for men and women, selamlik and harem.

Harem, dwelling or private quarters of a house or palace.

Selamlik- men's or guests' quarters

Decorations and Furnishings

decorated with geometric designs, calligraphy

rugs and low couches with cushions and low tables

Dome Structures

Islamic Vernacular Architecture

-it is made up of their own material which is mud.

CARAVANSERAI (Caravan Inns)

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Nomadic, palipat lipat ng lugar

Travelers

Pilgrimage

resting places for travellers

What was inside a caravanserai

Central courtyard

with a pool

always a mosque and bathhouse

Why were bathhouses important?

Cleanliness, originated by romans architecture, thermae

a place to socialize and gossip

Most bathhouse where public

Public Bathhouses

Separating Men and female

What do people wear?

WRap around towel

below the knee pants like underwear for modesty was part of the islamic ideal

What does the bathhouse look like

Hot room

Furnace
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Cool Room

TOMBS AND MEMORIAL

to honour their great leaders and part of muslim pilgirmafe

The Taj Mahal, a tomb, crown of the palace

SAADI's Tomb in Shiraz

A popular Persian poet who lived

Mausoleum in Bukhara

Tomb of a woman in Ishfahan

Bab- Gateway

Gatway, located on the road or citadel

Largest mosque in the world

1. MAsjid Al-Haram, Ka-aba (Sacred mosque)

accomodates 4 million worshipers in mecca

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2. Al-Masjid An-NAbawi - Mosqie of the prophet in medina, second holiest, green dome

3. Imam Reza Shrine - the center of tourism in iran

with golden dome and blue msouqe, mosleium of imam reza

4. Istiqlal Mosque - JAkarta in indonesiia, more than 120,000 people.

modern design of mosque

5. HAssan II Mosque - the largest in Casablanca, Morocco,

designed by french architect michel Pinseau

13,000

6. BAB-e-Pakistan

a fortres, built in honor of thousand families who chose to migrate in the newly created state of pakistan

conceived under the miltary regime.

7. Faisal Mosque - Islamabad is the largest msoque in pakistan and south asia.

8. Situated in Peshwar, ISlamia Ccollege

Madrasa

Nawab Sir Sahabzada, build as an edicational institue that imparts modern education
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Architectural Character

1. Principal Axis, Symmetry, balance

2. Fundamentally centered upon God

3. courtyard is the fundamental feature of the mosque. Courtyards according to their functions were
cloistered.

4. Mist important opening is the pointed arch.

5. Window openings frequently small and traditionally closed with wooded shutters, iron bars and marble
grilles or plaster

6. The construction of doors tended to be complex

7. The relieving arch was frequently used, often in conjunction with a lintel

- Lintel a horizontal structural member such as beam

8. domes, bulbous, guava dome, widely used

9. Ancient Greek and Roman Columns were often re-used by Muslim

10. Moslem architecture characterized.

11. Floral decoration.

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