ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS
Originally from nomadic Sahara desert tribes.
Earliest dwellings were temporary.
Called Saracenic by greeks and romans.
Later on came under a common faith- the muslim religion adopted muslim style
or islamic style or mohammedan style.
Architecture according to availability of building materials in different countries.
Dome constructed in bricks and covered with plaster in Persia
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
 Hot climate in most countries
 Sheltering arcades.
 Small windows fitted with intricate geometric designs,lattices etc.
 Mosques with wide spreading eaves to ensure coolness.
Flat roofs for dwelling houses
SOCIAL CONDITION
 Arab invaders adopted social habits of near eastern countries
 Five Pillars of Islam
 Hadith- Words and deeds of Prophet Muhammed
 Salat- attending prayer 5 times a day
 Roza- taking fast during day in the month of
Ramzan(Sawn)
 Zakat- donating 1/40th of one’s wealth as charity
 Haj- going to mecca- every muslim’s dream.
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
 Persian Architecture
 Moorish Architecture
 Timurid architecture
 Ottoman Architecture
 Fatimid Architecture
 Seljuk Architecture
 Mamluk Architecture
 Indo-Islamic Architecture
 ELEMENTS OF ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
Minarets or towers
 Originally used as torch-lit watch towers
 Azaan given by Muezzin or Maula to call for prayer.
 A four-iwan plan, with three subordinate halls and one principal one that faces
toward Mecca
 Mihrab or prayer niche on an inside wall indicating the direction to Mecca.
 Cupolas-small dome-like structure, on top of a building.
 Domes -Dome symbolises the arch of heaven.
 Built in brick and stone and external surface plastered
 Squinch- series of arches placed at an angle to convert the square base to
octagonal.
 The dome does not rest on octagonal phase.
 In the next phase of transition a 16 sided base is obtained with help of
pendentives
 In later stage,super-imposed no of cell-niches called mukharnas or stalactites.
 Pointed Arch- architectural symbol of hands joined in prayer
pointing towards Mecca - all things meet in Allah
 Arabesque( Tauriq)-
 The use of geometric shapes and repetitive art (arabesque).
 Representation of human or national form prohibited
 Sahn- an enclosed courtyard.
Almost every mosque and traditionally all houses and buildings in areas of the Arab
World contain a courtyard
 Islamic calligraphy _use of decorative Islamic calligraphy was haram (forbidden)
in mosque architecture.

Pointed arch
 Mosques
 The Most notable type of building is the mosque.
 Originally this was only a large open area where the faithful would gather.
 The original mosque was probably the courtyard of Mohammad’s house in
Medina.
 The courtyard – descendant of the basilica’s atrium and the Egyptian temple
court, remains a feature of most mosques today
SYRIA AND EGYPT
DOME OF THE ROCK, JERUSALEM
 Earliest surviving architectural masterpiece
 Construction started in 688-689 AD and completed 691-692 AD by Caliph Abd-al-
Malik
 Stands in the haram as a great rectangular enclosure
 Once occupied as a jewish temple
 The diameter of the dome of the shrine is 20m 20 cm and its height 20m 48 cm
 The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but a Muslim shrine.
 Like the Ka'ba inMecca, it is built over a sacred stone.
 This stone is believed to be the place from which the Prophet Muhammad
ascended into heaven during his Night Journey to heaven.
 The Dome of the Rock is the oldest Islamic monument that stands today and
certainly one of the most beautiful.
 It also boasts the oldest surviving mihrab in the world.
 The Dome of the Rock was built by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik from 688 to
691 AD.
 The facades of the octagon facing the four cardinal points have doors with
porches.
 The largest, facing south has a porch supported by 8 paired columns in 2 rows on
either side of the entrance.
 Dominating the sacred rock & supported on a drum is the dome.
 The ring like spaces are bounded by concentric porticoes.
 The outer most is octagonal, & runs parallel to the walls of the building.
 The diameter of the dome of the shrine is 20.20m and its height 20.48m.
 It is mounted on an elevated drum consisting of a circle of 16 piers and columns.
  The carved ceilings on either side of the inner octagon were not part of the
original design; they first appeared in the 14th century and have been restored
since then.
 The small, flat mihrab belongs to the original building, and is the oldest mihrab
preserved in the Islamic world
 The sacred rock that is the central focus of the shrine is a large, ancient rock that
may have once stood in the center of Solomon's Temple
 The decoration was in the tradition of Byzantine imperial art.

GREAT MOSQUE AT DAMASCUS, SYRIA[AD 706-715 ]

located in the old city of Damascus, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the
world. It is considered by some Muslims to be the fourth-holiest place in Islam
built on a site considered sacred since pr-historic times. Romans built a temple in
1stcent. AD dedicated to Jupiter. In AD 391 temple was converted into the Cathedral of
Saint John by the Christian emperor Theodosius
The sixth Umayyad caliph, al-Walid I (r. 705–715), commissioned the construction of a
mosque on the site of the Byzantine cathedral in 706.
In plan & form –influenced By Byzantine churches & Classical Roman Architecture.
Built based on the model of Mosque at Medina in Monumental scale.
Walled rectangular court 318’x 512’ ,outline defined by Roman temple, entrance
gateway on eastern side.

Prayer hall on south is divided into three long aisles by rows of columns and arches. A
transept with a central octagonal dome, originally wooden, cuts across at their midpoint

transept with a central octagonal dome,

Courtyard is surrounded on three sides by a double arcade. The upper arches are double
and much smaller than the lower ones. –semicircular arches .
Double arcades around courtyard.
Treasury-built by the Caliph Al-Mahdi in 778,state treasury of the Islamic Caliphate.
Fountain-covered with a wooden roof that is supported on arches.
polygonal shape, decorated with beautiful mosaics ,supported on Corinthian pillars.
There are 20 Corinthian columns on each side of the nave, supporting a wooden roof-
formerly part of Roman temple & church.
Towards the south is the Quibla wall with a central mihrab & minbar- 1 st appearance .
In the center of the room there is a small green glass pavilion, which contains an urn
where the remains of St. John the Baptist are said to be kept.
The Minaret of the Bride was the first minaret built on N wall. Not part of original
scheme, added in 9th cent. under Abbassid rule
Square plan with a lead roof used by the muezzin for the call to prayer , there is a spiral
staircase of 160 stone steps to top.
The Minaret of Qaitbay was constructed in 1488 on the western wall under orders of
Mamluk sultan Qaitbay
. The mosque used to have the largest gold mosaic in the world, covering about 4000
square meters, but unfortunately it was damaged after a fire in 1893.
• Structure & elements of a congregationl mosque was established –served as a
model for all later mosques.
• On site which was originally a Roman temple for Janus, and later
a Visigoth church, the Basilica of Saint Vicent in AD 572
• Arches show polychromy-alternate bands of white & red stone, supported by
Roman columns with Corinthian Capitals salvaged from classical buildings
The mihrab is framed by an exquisitely decorated arch behind which is an unusually
large space, the size of a small room.
Dome: innnovative design, built of crisscrossing ribs that create pointed arches covered
with gold mosaic in a radial pattern.
The horseshoe-style arch was common in the architecture of the Visigoths-later became
the typical element in westrn Islamic architecture.
PERSIA
MASJID-I-SHAH,ISFAHAN
In the areas around the Mediterranean Sea, most mosques followed a so-called "open
plan," with a courtyard in the centre, roofed arcades, and the first minarets - towers
that extend vertically from the mosque.
The building largely follows Seljuk tradition, conforming to the four-iwan plan, each
leading to a domed hall and flanked by double-storey arcades with pointed niches of the
Seljuk type.
The largest iwan is on the Qibla side and has in fact a massive panel and dome itself set
on a large drum.
Minarets are paired at both the entry portal and the south iwan.
The southern dome, a bulbous form supported on a tall drum, is the largest and the only
one decorated.
The courtyard within the four- iwans has a large central pool.
The mihrab is important not only for its artistic merits but also for its precise dating.
Tile mosaic and glazed-tile decoration is brought to a peak of perfection both in the
iwans and in the great dome.
Two main types of tile work were developed
Tile work was used to emphasize certain motif, such as the ascending and descending
patterns and to emphasize intermediary points in the design either by providing a
patterned panel or border, or by incorporating calligraphy.
There are estimates that 18 million bricks are in the building and are said to contain
472,500 tiles.
SPAIN
THE GREAT MOSQUE AT CORDOBA
 Cordoba was the capital of the Spanish Muslim dynasty of the Ummayads (756-
1031).
 The Great Mosque of Córdoba (La Mezquita) was founded 785 CE.
 It was added to and expanded over the next two hundred years to make it the
third largest structure in the Islamic world.
 The prayer hall (23,400 square meters) is filled with almost 500 slender columns
and superimposed striped arches; a forest sprouting from the marble floor.
 Previously the site had been occupied by a Christian church dedicated to Saint
Vincent built by Visigoths.
STAGES OF EXTENSIONS
 Original construction under Abd al-Rahman
 79mX42m bldg
 Consisted of an oblong hall preceded by a courtyard, wider than long
 Hypostyle hall had 11 naves with arcades perpendicular to Qibla, dividing
the space into 12 bays resting on 110 recycled columns
 The façade of the courtyard, supported by massive pillars was largely open
to the bays, allowing light into the prayer hall which was covered with
timber roof
 First extension under Abd al-Rahman II
 Number of columns in the hypostyle hall increased to 200
 The area doubled, the number of naves remaining the same
 The Qibla moved south west
 Second extension under Abd al-Rahman III
 Enlarged the hall towards the south east
 Placed a square minaret, 34m high, at the edge of the courtyard
 Third extension under al-Hakam II
 Prayer hall was transformed from an oblong area into one running
lengthwise, still 79m wide but was 115m long, with 320 columns
 Enriched the mihrab
 Last extension under al-Mansur
 Prayer hall further enlarged by adding 8more bays - total 606 supports
 The interior area measured 130m width & 115m in depth
FEATURES
 There are three main decorated gates dating back to Moorish construction.
 Has a forest of columns of jasper onyx, marble and granite taken from Roman
buildings
 Notable for its giant arches
 Horseshoe-topped arches
 The Torre del Alminar, the minaret once used to summon the faithful to prayer, is
93m high
 DECORATIONS
 The maqsura is bounded over an area equivalent to 3 naves by
intersecting multifoil arches of an exceptional richness
 Play of arcades crossing each other creates the effect of a claustrum or
pierced screen which enhances the sacred place
 The sumptuous decoration of the prayer hall emphasizes the mihrab
 The niche takes the form of a small octagonal room instead of a simple
recess of qibla, covered with a small cupola in the form of a shell
supported by six multifoil arches held up by small columns

THE MIHRAB
Most interesting feature is Mihrab – a domed shrine of Byzantine mosaics built by Al
Hakam II which once housed the Koran & relics of Mohammed
The shell-shaped ceiling is carved from a single block of marble and the chambers on
either side are decorated with exquisite Byzantine mosaics of gold.
Surrounded by a projecting frame, a large horseshoe arch leads to the niche in the form
of a blind room.
Above is a series of multifoil arches with alternating light & dark arch stones, framed in
mosaics depicting floral motifs in a gold background
In front of Mihrab is Maqsura, an anteroom for caliph and his court with mosaic and
plasterwork making it a masterpiece of Islamic art
THE COURTYARD
Outside the Mezquita is the Courtyard of the Orange Trees (Patio de los Naranjos), a
classic Islamic ablutions courtyard which in springtime is perfumed with orange
blossoms and has a beautiful fountain
THE CATHEDRAL
In the centre of the mosque squats a Renaissance cathedral which dates back to the
early sixteenth century
Many chapels were added afterwards
MOSAIC DECORATION
The mihrab is covered with sumptuous Byzantine mosaics from the arch of the mihrab
to the area beneath the dome.
The arch stones are decorated with foliage on a red and gold background.
MOROCCO
KING HASSAN II MOSQUE, CASABLANCA-
Commissioned by King Hassan II to commemorate his 60th birthday, as a landmark for
Morocco.- one of the largest & most beautiful mosques in the world. Contempororary
expression of Islamic Architecture using modern Materials & technology.

A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the
mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque's outside grounds
designed by Frenvh Architects Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues. The mosque
stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Has strong Moorish influences,similar to Alhambra & Mesquita in Spain-with Horse shoe
arches & intricate carving on walls & columns.
Apart from the mosque, other structures in the area are a madrasa (Islamic school),
hammams (bathhouses), a museum on Moroccan history, conference halls, and a very
large library said to be the "most comprehensive in the Islamic world."
The building blends Islamic architecture and Moroccan elements, and reflects Moorish
influences. Its layout is known as the basilican plan with qibla wall perpendicular to the
naves, which is said to be an unconventional layout.
The prayer hall is built to a rectangular plan of 200 m(660 ft) length and 1,00 m(3,30 ft)
width with three naves, which are perpendicular to the qibla wall.
The central nave of the hall is 40 metres (130 ft) and larger than the side naves which
are 27 metres (89 ft) high
On either side of the hall, there are mezzanine floors with carved dark wood furnishings,
which are reserved for women. The doors are electrically operated.
A particular feature in the mosque is that all structures are made of reinforced cement
concrete and all decorations are of traditional Moroccan design.
The roof is retractable, illuminating the hall with daytime sunlight and allowing
worshippers to pray under the stars on clear nights.
Interiors are exquisitively done with woodcarvings, the zellij work and the stucco
mouldings.
The floor is a vast mosaic and the ceilings are carved with cedar.
The concrete used for the minaret was a special high-grade type, which could perform
well under severe conditions of a combined action of strong wind and seismicity.