Aesthetic foundations in ceramic design in mosque architecture And its

relationship with the civilizational component

Dr. / Sanaa Abdelgawad Eissa
Associate Professor, Department of Ceramics, Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan Universit
Abstract:
The research is concerned with studying ceramics in mosque architecture, as despite the great
diversity in the style of dealing with ceramics in Islamic architecture throughout the Islamic
ages, specialized studies that dealt with the role of ceramics in mosque architecture in particular
are rare and limited, especially in the Arabic language. Therefore, the study aimed to present an
analytical study specialized in mosque ceramics and its architectural and aesthetic capabilities.
And presenting a comparative study between the patterns of employing ceramics in mosque
architecture, the research derives its importance from the value that the mosque carries in the
Muslim community, as it is the focus and destination of Muslims every day and it is the
kindergarten and comfort of hearts. The importance also extends to the area of specialization, as
it opens the light on one of the most rich areas of ceramic product employment that remains as
long as the mosque remains.
The research methodology relied on the analytical approach through three main axes, namely the
mosque building standards and its relationship to functional performance and environmental
standards, as well as the architectural styles and the basic and complementary architectural
elements of the mosque. And finally, analyzing ceramics in mosques: (Hassan II) in Casablanca,
(Sheikh Lotfullah) mosque in Isfahan and (Sultan Ahmed) mosque in Istanbul. The research in
the first and second axis focused on basic functional and environmental considerations in
mosque architecture design, and environmental influences such as: visual, audio and sensory
effects and their relationship to achieving the functional purpose of the mosque. It dealt with the
architectural elements of mosque architecture, and the effect of changing the style on the design
and shape of the various architectural elements of the mosque. Then, in the third axis, he moved
to an analytical study of three styles of mosques, which were characterized by the use of
ceramics in a variety of styles that reflected the impact of the cultural heritage of each style. The
study concluded to emphasize the importance of the design being holistic, i.e. designing the
context to achieve functional and symbolic considerations, consistency and interconnectedness
between the mosque elements. As well as employing plastic values for ceramics in the third
dimension in addition to chromatic shaping.

Research problem :
The lack of specialized studies dealing with aesthetic values in mosque ceramics.
research aims :
1- Presenting an analytical study specialized in mosque ceramics and its architectural and aesthetic
capabilities.
2- Presenting a comparative study between the patterns of employing ceramics in mosque
architecture.

Research axes:
The first axis: the criteria for building the mosque and its relationship to functions performance
and environmental standards
The second axis: the architectural styles and the basic and complementary architectural elements
of the mosque.
The third axis: analysis of ceramics in mosques - Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco, Sheikh
Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan, and Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul.
key words : Mosque architecture, ceramic tiles, Iznik ceramics, ceramic tiles, Isfahan ceramics,
Hassan II Mosque, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Sheikh Lotfullah Mosque.

1- the criteria for building the mosque and its relationship to functions
performance and environmental standards
1-1 Mosque architecture and its relationship to environmental considerations:

Sound effects
•Lighting. •Thermal comfort.
•Color and decoration.
•The general shape •the noise. •Humidity rate.
complements the •Auditory communication •Ventilation.
internal space of the between the worshiper
mosque. and the imam or between •The nature of the
the worshipers in various ores
activities.
Visual effects .• Sensory Effects

1-2 Architectural elements in mosques and their relationship to the cultural

context:

The continuation of the historical The historical form was Melting the historical form
form (Al-Noor Mosque) in transformed and hybridized with completely
Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia other forms (Basuna Mosque) in (Mosque of Education City) in
Sohag Governorate, Egypt Qatar
The mosque architecture and its relationship to the cultural context have evolved into
three directions

2- the architectural styles and the basic and complementary architectural elements of
the mosque.
 Seljuk
style The
Fatimid Iranian-
style Mughal
style

Abbasid Mamluk
style style
Mosque
models
Konnell's
classificatio
n Moroccan
Umayyad
Andalusia
style: :
n style
The
emergenc
Iranian
e of
Safavid
mosque
Iranian style
architectu
Safavid
re
style

Architectural elements of mosque

architecture

Architectural
Columns and Qibla and
Minaret Domes arches and
crowns mihrab
openings
Qibla and mihrab

The mihrab of the Mihrab, use of ceramic tiles, and Mihrab of Yazid Mosque The mihrab of the Sakirin Mosque
Sultan Hassan Mosque two techniques of drawing on tiles in IranHe used muqarnas in Istanbul, the use of metal,
in Cairo is made of and cutting colored tiles - the and ceramic tiles - the freedom from stereotypes, and the
Mamluk marble Safavid style Safavid style protrusion of the mihrab from the
qibla wall
 Columns and crowns •

Andalusian style column Muqarnas column in Isfahan circular column

(Granada) Ottoman style Safavid style

Sheikh Lotfullah Mosque has rectangular

Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)The
The Hassan II Mosque has quadruple marble
huge circular marble columns and the
columns, the capital is decorated, and stucco
decoration on the top of the column are in
muqarnas
Arabic
columns linked to the wall, and they are
completely cladded with colored ceramic tiles,
and muqarnas was used to move between the
vertical plane (the column) and the horizontal
plane (the dome)
The domes of mosques and tombs
in Old Cairo in the Mamluk style,
showing the interest in the
prominent geometric and plant
decorations on the material of the
stone.
The domes of the mosques of (Isfahan)
in Iran and (Samarkand) in Uzbekistan
include the diversity in the use of
ceramics, which were distinguished by
the blue color and the diversity in
.decoration and formation
The Indian style appears in
the domes of the (Badshahi)
Mosque in Pakistan and the
domes of the Sheikh Zayed
Mosque in Abu Dhab
The Ottoman style appears
in the domes of the (Blue
Mosque) in Turkey and the
(Muhammad Ali) Mosque
in Cairo

The images show the diversity of the minaret's shape in the regions of Central Asia, such as: the mosques of Samarkand and Bukhara
in Uzbekistan, and the mosques of Isfahan in Iran, between the gracefulness of the body or its sheer magnitude and the inlay with
glazed ceramic tiles and the formation of various levels of surfaces, and the geometry inspired by Islamic decorations in the form
of parallel strips, and a single strip was used From the blue-glazed porcelain, and the architectural shape adopted the shape of the
lighthouse, as is the norm in many minarets in Central Asian countries, and the influence of the Seljuk style appeared, such as the
(Kalyan) minaret in Bukhari, Uzbekistan, or the complete cladding with glazed ceramic tiles decorated with geometric and plant
motifs and geometric Arabic calligraphy as in the mosques (Isfahan) )
• Egypt - minaret or lighthouse
The third axis:
Analysis of ceramics in mosques: (Hassan II) in Casablanca, (Sheikh Lotfullah) mosque in Isfahan,
and (Sultan Ahmed) mosque in Istanbul.
Hassan II Mosque - Casablanca -:
The design of the French architect (Michel Benso). Construction began in 1987 AD, and the
design was based on the revival of the Moroccan Andalusian heritage, and was derived from the
design of the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fes 859 AD and the minaret (Hassan) in Rabat 1197
AD. The mosque's design also depended on the revival of traditional industry. Moroccan, as far
as its dependence on reviving the Moroccan Andalusian heritage,

The minaret is in the

Moroccan Andalusian style
The use of a diverse mix of materials in
the cladding of the façade, the courtyard
and the interior of the mosque is linked
The shape of the external dome of the
Movable wooden
mosque shows the influence of the western
ceiling
style, and this is evident from the shape of
The formation interconnectedness and the
complementarity between the mix of raw
materials provided an ideal model for the
employment of raw materials, so we find
the color variation in the zellige and the

General Authority for the Architectural Facade of the Hassan

Some of the most important features of pottery in the Hassan II mosque is

1- The use of Islamic geometric grid
2- Analyzing networks into a pattern that can be replicated and installed, and giving a variety of new grids
3- it was distinguished by the dominance of the green color and its degrees over the decorations, with the
exception of some units in the interior cladding, where the brown was used with its bicycles and the red
4- The zellige technique is used, where tiles are formed from earth clay, then burned, glazed with colored
oxides, burned, and then cut manually according to the required decoration patterns. .
 Analysis of ceramics in the (Sultan Ahmed Mosque - Blue Mosque) Istanbul
The mosque was built between 1609 and 1616, and was designed
and supervised by the engineer Sadafkar Muhammad Agha, a
student and assistant engineer, Mimar Sinan. In it, the
amalgamation of Byzantine architecture and traditional Islamic
architecture appears, and it was characterized by the grandeur in
the general structure and architectural design of the mosque, the
portico and the courtyard.
The Ottomans were interested in construction and building. As a
result, the glazed and decorated ceramic tiles industry developed
and flourished, and most of the Iznik ceramics production shifted
to the production of tiles in exchange for pots.
The interior walls of the mosque are covered with hand-made ceramic tiles in Iznik
The number of tiles covering the walls of the mosque reaches 21043 square tiles with more than
fifty different designs .
Classification of the decorations in Sultan Ahmed Mosque in terms of the
used elements and the style

flower Floral and

Calligraphy )Hatai( Style Roman style
)Lale(model botanical style
 Classification of the decorations in Sultan Ahmed Mosque in terms of formation
and grids

Iterative grids - quadruple Iterative grids Dual Radial grid and

redundancy repeat - tapes power center

Repeating Repeating
decorative unity tiles

The third axis:

analysis of ceramics in the (Sheikh Lotfullah) mosque of Isfahan
Iranian architecture has prominent features that have
been affected by the cultural and civilizational
context of Persia, and we can call it blue architecture,
as Islamic architecture in Iran and the countries of
Central Asia was characterized by the use of multi-
colored ceramic tiles, but the blue color predominates
on the general appearance of the external facades and
interior cladding.
The Isfahani style, specifically (Sheikh Lotfallah
Mosque) was chosen as a model for comparative
analytical study with the (Hassan II) and (Blue
Mosque) mosques, due to its collection of a number
of the most important features of Iranian ceramics in mosque architecture,
It was commissioned by the Shah (Abbas I), the fifth Safavid king, in the early seventeenth century
(from 1603 to 1619), and it was completed by the architect Muhammad Reza Isfahani.
The entire mosque is covered with ceramic tiles, which were made of earth clay and glazed with a
glossy coating of seven colors until it was called the seven-color tiles. Four techniques were used
 in the implementation of decoration in mosques in the Safavid style:
The mosque is in the Isfahani Safavid style, but it is small in
size and lacks a minaret, courtyard, or portico due to its
establishment as a prayer room for the women of the royal
palace.

Like other Safavid-style mosques in Iran and Central Asia,

the use of glazed ceramic tiles with intricate and
intertwining plant motifs is the most important feature of
the architectural cladding of the external facades and
interior walls.

We can call it the blue architecture, as it was characterized

by the use of multi-colored ceramic tiles, but the blue color
is predominant

Ceramic techniques in the architecture of the mosques of Iran

Painting on Using geometric units in the shape of
tiles. a square with a mosaic pattern and
used in geometric writing and
geometric motifs
The cutting is in the same style
as zellij, but with Islamic floral
motifs, and appeared in the
formation of domes and
muqarnas
Cutting in free shapes that suit
the decoration and surface, as in
writings in Thuluth or Kufi
script

Results :
1- The techniques used in the architectural treatments of ceramic supplements to mosques varied
according to the local techniques between:
Drawing on glazed ceramic tiles or pieces of glazed and colored tiles with decorative patterns for
Islamic geometric and botanicals
This reflects the influence of the craft and skill component present in the context on the selection
of the treatment type and technique, and their focus on chromaticity
2- Diversity in the patterns of employing ceramics in mosque architecture
The first is the grafting on the external facades, the internal cladding, and the consistency and
integration of the mix of materials used ‫؛‬Which achieved plastic richness in architectural
treatments of facades and spaces, and this was evident in the Hassan II mosque,
On the other hand, we notice the extreme bias in the second style, where the use of ceramics in
architectural treatments in the (Sheikh Lotfallah) mosque, so the potter did not leave one square
meter in the floors, walls and ceilings, and inside or outside he did not use glazed ceramic tiles,
multicolored and decorations. As a result, the mosque lost many of its functional standards, the
most important of which is not to exaggerate the decoration, create an atmosphere of tranquility,
and reduce visual distractions.
Then comes the last pattern and we see it in the (Sultan Ahmed) Mosque, where the contradiction
between the architectural character of the mosque block and the external public body and the
control of the stone over the external treatments, which were characterized by sobriety and strength
in exchange for fabrication and the exaggeration in the use of the mixture of materials, decorations
and colors inside and inconsistency
And the integration between that mixture in terms of decoration, colors, areas and proportions;
This caused a degree of visual noise in the interior space ،

Recommendations:
1- The research recommends focusing on three-dimensional plastic values in ceramics, as we find
that three-dimensional formation is concentrated in stone and various industrial materials in
exchange for ignoring the plastic and technical capabilities, flexibility, durability and resistance to
environmental factors of ceramics.
2-The importance of the three-dimensional formation of the decorations instead of the use of color
lies in the fact that it gives a formation of shade, light and shades of a single color, which reduces
visual scattering and falsification in exchange for the scattering resulting from the decoration of
color formation.
3- The research also recommends the importance of achieving consistency in designing
architectural complements and mixing materials in mosque architecture and working with the
concept of contextual design and not designing the pattern in the sense of an integrative design
that means the relationships and the building as a whole and then moves to the parts.
4- The designer in general in the field of architectural complements of mosques has to evoke the
role of the mosque and its importance in society, it is not a place of worship and only, but there is
a social, cultural, educational and educational role, and the loss of this role shows intellectual
deviations right and left, so the safety valve to preserve the identity of the community is to make
the mosque A center of attraction for youth, adolescents and children and reviving various
activities, which is directly related to the design of architectural supplements in courtyards,
sessions and service areas.
And achieve the ultimate in thermal, visual and acoustic comfort.

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