Islamic Architecture

This article examines the history of the establishment and work of the Arab Development Society (ADS) in Palestine from 1945–55. While this study contextualizes the project within the broader history of global rural development projects in the post-Second-World-War era, it mainly frames the ADS’s activities within the regional context of Palestine, Jordan, and Israel and the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The discussion traces the alteration of the ADS’s mission after 1948 from a rural development project into a project that utilized its village modernization ethos to deal with the pressing problem of Palestinian refugee housing in the Jordan Valley. Drawing on archival research, the article scrutinizes ADS’s encounters with states, international bodies, and the refugee population. It shows that though the ADS was able to challenge the rule of experts on the specific case of the possibility of resettlement in the Jordan Valley, it generally consolidated the patronizing logic of expertise an...

This research is based on the phenomenon of community participation in the development of domed mosques in Indonesia. Community participation was identified based on capability and the nature of the community. This paper compares the involvement of people in coastal areas of Demak to the participation of people in Demak city center in Central Java, Indonesia. Data was collected through interviews with the community and stakeholders in the construction of the mosques. The results of the study indicate there are differences in the communities’ capabilities, especially concerning financing and knowledge. Different characteristics also in the total floor area of the mosque building that was built by the community. These differences have an impact on the length of time needed to construct the mosque.

Thousands of years after the establishment of mosque as a place of worship, issues and problems regarding its continuous development, especially those stemming from complexity of modern living have created the need for urban planners and architects to reconsider its planning and design in regard with limited land availability, shortage of resources, accessibility and appropriate architectural expression. Thus the aim of this research is to find a proper definition for urban mosques in compact cities and point out the key considerations for the design of urban mosques. This research is conducted qualitatively through reporting on available design guidelines related to the current topic followed by a discussion on three mosques within the Malay Archipelago as the secondary data source. Consequently, three mosques within Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were studied as a primary data source. The outcome of this research establishes a framework for possible design approach of urban mosque develop...

According to the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh, there is about 423 listed archaeological sites in the country. But, there are many more yet to be unrevealed. Their true value remains unseen to the world if not taken proper action and acknowledgement. Khan Jahan Ali, on his famous journey from Champanagar (currently in Barobazar, greater Jhenaidah district) to Khalifatabad (present day Bagerhat district); he crossed quite a few remote areas and set up human settlements. On his way he built roads, dug large water bodies for fresh supply of water, established mosques and houses for the inhabitants. His unique construction style is quite evident on the structures along the 112.7 km long road distinguished by an old earthen embankment, traversing through (i) Barobazar, (ii) Murali-Qasba, (iii) Poyogram-Qasba and (iv) Khalifatabad (Bagerhat) The road is still known as Khanjali Road. The first segment of this road, known as Hakimpur - Barobazar road contains nine sultanate mosques ...

God created human as caliph on this earth. Caliph means leader, care-taker and guardian. Therefore humans have an obligation to maintain, preserve and conserve this natural for future generations. Today we see a lot of damage that occurs in the earth caused by human behavior. Islam saw the whole of nature as a place of prayer that must be maintained its cleanliness and purity. Therefore as Muslims we need to preserve nature as we keep our place of prayer. The main objective of this paper is to re-questioning and re-interpreting the idea of sustainability in Islamic Architecture through a critical analysis of first project of 2nd year architecture student of UKM which is the “Temporary Praying Platform”. The discussion itself will be divided into three (3) main parts. The first part will be discussing contemporary issues in Islamic Architecture especially in the design of Mosques while the second part will expand the framework of sustainability in Islamic Architecture. The last part ...

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque is one of the most beautiful and salient examples of Iranian architecture of the Safavid era, in Isfahan. Despite the scientific studies on the architecture of this mosque, its sacred and semantic concepts have been overlooked behind its hidden values. Therefore, the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque has been studied as a human-made place using the phenomenological approach to architecture, in order to understand the importance of inducing the concept of genius loci; and by examining each of the elements and comparing them to the ideas and components of place. The authors try to answer the question that what environmental qualities of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque build its genius loci? The research method used in this paper was phenomenology and information were gathered by library studies. The result of the research indicates that this Mosque has significant values, including semantic load, and there is a relationship between its elements and their material and semanti...

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, followed by a large number of mosques scattered in various places and these mosques sometimes have a problem regarding the efficiency in managing the resources of a mosque. This paper is designed to introduce the concept of mosque design based on the principles of smart building with the literature study methods and analysis, and comparison to the values in the philosophy of the Qur'an to determine the suitability of the application of smart building technology in the design of a mosque. With the support of some religious activities program, the expected result is "smart mosque", that would also suit with the site and user.

This paper elucidates the emergence and evolution of arabesque with specific reference to the case of arabesque in Turkish art and architecture. It is argued here that arabesque is a fusion of styles rather than a pure and homogenous style. Furthermore, the paper aims to show that although the arabesque style appears to be a fanciful and freely organized manner of artistic treatment it is based on a very complex mathematical logic which is expressed through abstractionism. In this context, the grammar of geometry is elaborately used in the implementation of abstraction. Here, general characteristics as well as different modes or types of arabesque are discussed. Starting with the etymological roots of the term, the history of its use in the literature is explored through the paper. After the inquiry of its material and pragmatic aspects, the development of the arabesque style is evaluated with regard to its transformations that took place along with its injection to Anatolia and mix...

The Lake Urmia region in northwest Iran is one often overlooked not
only in terms of Syriac studies, but also when it comes to Eastern Christianity
and especially art and architecture – not the least because many western
scholars have found the area to be inaccessible. Prior to the First World War
this region was an Assyrian Christian cultural centre and, especially from the
1830s onwards, it witnessed an unprecedented renaissance in terms of original
cultural and literary output. Indeed, the Urmia region stands out as one
where the Assyrians were sufficiently numerous and well off enough to develop
excellent skills as stonecutters, copyists, and builders – especially from the sixteenth century onwards.

Bayt al-mal is one of the important architectural innovations that characterized the Islamic civilization. It represents the treasury of the Islamic State, which preserves the various financial resources of the State. The Bayt al-mal appeared in the era of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), and its layout was simple reflects the simplicity of Islam. Its location was inside the mosque or adjacent to it. Bayt al-mal developed with the expansion of the Islamic State and the Islamic conquests, and it has a special called Diwan Bayt al-mal. Domes were built in mosques as one of the branches and sections of the Bayt al-mal. These domes were dedicated to preserving the different funds of the endowments and places. The location of these domes was in the great mosques' courtyard. They rise from the courtyard's surface and based on eight columns. These domes appeared especially in Umayyad mosques in Syria and Palestine. Then they spread in most countries in the east and west of...

This essay considers the prevalence of the binary constructs of continuity and rupture in the study of Islamic architecture, which warrants a more sustained critique at this particular historical juncture. This is so because, on the one hand, the field of Islamic architecture is steadily moving toward developing its own disciplinary methodologies and epistemological contours. On the other, the world, or at least the western part of it – which is where the field is still primarily located – is steadily moving toward a more suspicious and dismiss- ive stance vis-à-vis anything related to Islam.1 The situation is clearly para- doxical, for although residues of old biases and archaic analytical structures still mar the development of the study of Islamic architecture – as they do in all post-orientalist fields of inquiry – new approaches, greater crossdisciplinar- ity, and an increasingly sophisticated engagement with theory and criticism are repositioning Islamic architecture in a more reflective place despite the political and inherently ideological setbacks caused by factors that are totally outside of its control, and even outside academe.

Islamic architectural history encompasses a substantial amount of information that needs to be categorized and digitally modeled so it can be utilized proficiently in the design phases of any project that seeks Islamic construction character. This paper centers on developing BIM-driven three-dimensional object library for Hejazi Islamic Architecture (HIAC) styles, construction methods, structural elements, and architectural components. The Ottoman style architecture has had profound effects on the Hijazi region for more than three hundred years. This influence remains largely uncategorized and digitally undocumented. Building Information Modelling (BIM) approach is used to develop parametric three-dimensional models of HIACs that are used in the structure and construction of Hijazi buildings. The HIACs are aggregated and classified according to their type and origin with respect to the chronological timeline of Islamic Architecture (IA). The creation of this BIM-Driven Components Li...

Türkiye'de Türk sanatı ve mimarisi üzerine yapılan çalışmaların büyük bir bölümü, var olan eserlerin biçimsel özelliklerini tanımlamak ve eğer üzerinde tarih verebilecek kitabeleri yoksa karşılaştırmalar yaparak belirli bir döneme yerleştirmek ekseninde yoğunlaşmaktadır. Eserlerin hangi şartlarda üretilmiş olduğu, üretim aşamasında patron ve sanatçı arasında ne gibi diyalogların yaşandığı, eserin dönemi içinde toplum tarafından nasıl algılandığı çok irdelenmiş konu başlıklarından değildir. Bu makalede, 15-16. yüzyılda Osmanlı sultanları tarafından inşa ettirilmiş camilerin yapılış amaçları, parasal kaynakları ve dinî nitelikli hayır kurumlarından ziyade, Osmanlı saltanat ideolojisini kamuoyuna anlatan birer anıt olup olmadıkları ve dönemi içinde nasıl algılandıkları sorgulanacaktır.

The Islamic art have played a significant role in the development of Muslim Chinese community in China, it was developed through time in response to cultural needs of the minority Muslim groups in China. The Islamic calligraphy was widely used in architecture, especially in interior and exterior decoration of mosques and other religious buildings. The aim of this study is to interpret the Islamic art and architecture in China through application of Sino-Arabic script on mosques and crafts produced by Muslim minority in China in relation to the Islamic civilization and Chinese civilization, in order to suggest some guidelines for the preservation of this forgotten Islamic heritage. To achieve the aim of this paper the Sino-Arabic inscriptions will be examined in order to determine their characteristics and the nature of the effects to which they have been subjected. A broad range of information was collected from various sources and through a field survey that was carried out in Xi’a...

Andrew Petersen, professor of Islamic archaeology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, has conducted extensive research on the topic of Islamic architecture in Palestine and the larger eastern Mediterranean region. In this current study, he explores the place of Muslim shrines in Palestine’s history and landscape. He largely concentrates on providing an architectural survey of shrines with brief forays into understanding their relevance to contemporary political issues. Petersen, though, is most skilled at exploring how shrines originated and tracking their architectural development over the centuries. Based largely on the author’s previous works and existing scholarship, Bones of Contention is a concise and useful introduction to a topic that stretches from the pre-Islamic period to the present and catalogs a diverse range of religious structures. As the author explains, even though the major Islamic shrines in Jerusalem and Hebron receive a great deal of attention, many...

The 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris is known for the substantial scope and content of its Islamic art displays ‐ the most extensive offered to an international audience by that date. A renewed analysis of this influential event demonstrates that it featured a network of distinct ‐ though often interlinked ‐ installations that come under the label of 'Islamic art', situated across a complex site. These included national initiatives, such as L'Égypte des Khalifes, sponsored by the ruling Khedive of Egypt, and the purpose-built Pavillon de la Perse, constructed by master-builders dispatched from Qajar Tehran. Commercial undertakings included a display of Vincent Robinson's Iranian carpets in the British India section. At the Galerie orientale curated by Albert Goupil in the Palais du Trocadéro, other objects loaned from private collections were presented. Common across these various displays was persuasively staged architecture. This article argues for the centrali...

In the early 1960s, the Saudi Ministry of Defense and Aviation began planning for an air terminal that was urgently required to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of Hajj pilgrims that arrived yearly. Approximately five hundred thousand pilgrims were expected to arrive in 1975, and that number was certain to increase exponentially over the years. The creation of a suitable facility was thus an absolute necessity. This article investigates how designers successfully addressed the issue of creating such a mammoth terminal without adopting the International Style of architecture, then virtually ubiquitous. It begins by outlining the development of the International Style and mentions the concerns of its critics. It then examines how the developers of the Hajj Terminal addressed these concerns by adopting a neo-Vernacular approach to create a stunningly beautiful edifice which, while reflecting traditional vernacular precedents in its tent-shaped design, was also to become the world's most immense fabric structure enclosing the world's largest covered space. Today, the Hajj Terminal encompasses an area greater than the international airports of New York, Chicago and Paris combined. Approximately two million pilgrims pass through the terminal every year, making it the center of the biggest airlift in the world during the pilgrimage season.

As one of the prominent public spaces for the community, Mosque is considered one of the high energy consumption buildings. Many modern mosques are designed and built without respecting the contextual environment, resulting in a non-environmental friendly Mosque. In Malaysia, the operating cost of mosques is majorly relying on public funds, and statistically are high specifically for electricity usage. Due to the use of air conditioners in cooling down the huge prayer hall due to the non-environmental design consideration. Hence, it is crucial to justify sustainable design approaches in mosques to develop environmentally friendly mosques. On the other side, the environmentally friendly mosque design is important as one of the monumental Islamic symbols that shall manifest Islam's values and philosophies towards the benefits of 'Alam' (world). The main objective of this study is to analyze the principles of Islamic methods in attaining the attributes of sustainable mosque...

Woodcarving motifs can be influenced by various aspects, including religions and beliefs. Malaysia is known for its cultural diversity and is rich with traditional heritage. Malay is one of the major ethnic groups in Malaysia and is considered as the majority of the country's population, contributing to the significant heritage, including art, decoration, and even architecture. Traditional woodcarving is an intricate Malay heritage and is the symbol of Malay art. A study on Malay woodcarvings is critically needed in order to know the influence that occurs on the selection of the motifs. It is such a waste to see our woodcarving heritage destroyed unappreciated and undocumented, especially on Johor woodcarvings, as many studies in other states have done. More and more traditional Johor Malay houses are being demolished day by day before we know the historical influence on the existence. The objective of this paper was to identify the woodcarving motifs found in Johor Malay houses...

Islamic architecture can be studied from different aspects. This paper introduces a religious place in Bushehr city of Iran, a  Bahrah or Hosseiniye that is used in especial religious ceremony and was built a century ago and after recent renovations is still in use and applicable. The research tries to quantify and analyze its  visual quality as an important quality in the built environment with a tool called isovist in Syntax 2D software. In this study isovist indexes of six different spaces have been evaluated in this. The research shows interesting findings of spatial form and location and its visibility; for example it shows that spaces with circulation role have more visibility also spaces of the higher floor show higher visibility than the ground floor.  <br /> <br />Keywords:  Visibility analysis, Syntax2D, religious space, isovist, Barhah

Water is one of the natural resources that support entire creature’s needs in earth. It was also a key element of sustainable living. The important of water is proved by fact that human body were consists of 80% water which makes daily water needs is definitely important. Same thing was happen on earth which also consists of 71 % water. Unfortunately, nowadays qualities as well as quantities of water is getting poor caused many environmental decline. Those situation is feel quite irony, first is because in one side human are depending on water badly, and in another side, qualities and quantities water have been decreasing because of their own. This environmental issue, especially water was realized by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) by starting to be a first pioneer in Green & Sustainability Campus in Malaysia. Although UKM is located in water-rich country, still UKM try to commit to save environment as well as manage its environment aspect. The usage of water in UKM itself is ...

The most famous Islamic cultural heritages is the use of geometric patterns in Islamic art and architecture. This can be seen from the historical buildings that still exist in Alhambra which is located in Granada city, Andalucia, southern Spain. The way to make a layout plan, fasade, and ornaments that decorate the buildings were arranged in a simple mathematical art. The designing and building technique of Alhambra is based on geometry with the 1:5 ratio method.

Islamic heritage contains rich cultural diversity with residential and publicbuildings which belong to the era of the Ottoman Empire and reflect thecharacter of the Islamic tradition. Today, the influence of Islamic heritagebegins to be represented by the predominance of consumerist culture andtechnology. In particular, Ottoman architecture and its traditional elementsbecame objects of consumption, which set the visual aspect at the forefrontof contemporary design practices. The study criticizes the transformation ofthe authenticity of Ottoman-Islamic architecture into a thematic "authenticappearance". Instead, it refers to the fact that Ottoman-Islamic heritage hasbecome a consumer object. In this context, this study looks at variousexamples found in Turkey, such as hotels, shopping centers, and residentialbuildings. Examples are organized through a theoretical and comparativemethodology between traditional and contemporary approaches. As a result,the article emphasizes the importance of cultural heritage for societies andtheir architecture which must not be transformed into objects ofconsumption linked to interests. The conclusion is that the flexible stance ofthe Ottoman-Islamic structural heritage is open to adaptation. It allows thetradition to be interpreted in the current structural and technologicaldevelopments rather than copied.

Anadolu Selçuklu Çağı kentini tüm donatılarıyla tanımlayabileceğimiz bir arkeolojik mirastan söz etmek pek mümkün değildir. Konut, çarşı, alt yapı ve kent meydanı hakkındaki bilgilerimiz henüz oldukça yetersizdir. Kökeni antik Yunan şehirciliğine dayanan merkezi meydan olgusundan farklı olarak İslam kültüründe kendine has bir boyut kazanan meydanın ortaçağ Anadolu Türk kentindeki karşılığı için arkeolojik verilerle birlikte sınırlı da olsa dönemin yazılı kaynaklarından bazı ipuçları elde edilebiliyor. Buna göre Selçuklu kentinde meydan, şehristana dıştan eklemlenen ve herhangi bir fiziki sınırı bulunmayan açık alan düzeninde olup, daha çok işlevsel niteliğiyle kimlik kazanmaktadır. Selçuklu payitahtı Konya'daki Sultan Meydanı da kent suru dışında ve üzerinde Osmanlı çağından kalan bir musallanın/namazgâhın bulunduğu sosyal alandır. Musalla Mezarlığı'nın kuzey ucunda, Sultan Meydanı'na ait olduğunu savladığımız bu kentsel arkeolojik alan, doğu kenarına bitişik Şehitlik il...

The Maldives Heritage Survey was established to document cultural heritage vulnerable to human and environmental threats in the Maldives. An open-access online database is being produced to inform academic studies, support heritage-management plans and create a permanent archive of digital heritage resources.

Spirituality is a concept that has deep meaning in the universe and is independent of time and place yet connected to architecture. It is a broad notion that touches everyone. The sense of Spirituality and its interrelation with architecture is a topic that needs research. Today's architecture requires an explanation for its effects on the spiritual growth of an individual. The term spirituality is not widely observed in today's architecture and is not used in most contemporary architecture. The past architect being aware of the spiritual growth's significance had shaped an architecture that was proportionate to that time's culture and beliefs. By using architectural elements, they had filled the objective body with spiritual beliefs. This paper presents the impact of contemplative spaces and sacred geometry on the spiritual development of a person and also it studies the relationship between spirituality and architecture. This paper also discusses how architecture a...

High noise level in hospitals is harmful for the wellbeing of patients and staff. For patients, it may induce stress, discomfort, restlessness resulting need for more medications than normal, even slowing down healing process and subsequent increase of length of stay. It has become a universal concern since the noise levels in hospitals are on constant rise exceeding the World Health Organization guidelines (WHO). This study aims to presents the results of a comprehensive noise survey of two surgery and one medicine ward in a naturally ventilate teaching hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Through a field survey, quantitative data was collected through continuous noise monitoring over three days from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM in wards, corridors and nurse stations. The study also identified the common noise sources present in the wards and their respective intensity. The daytime levels within these wards ranged from 48-63 dB L Aeq which was higher than the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC). Noise levels were not correlated with ward size, number or gender of patients, but were highly dependent on the ward layout with respect to noise source. Overall noise levels were related to Reverberation Time (RT) and to the numbers of high level noise events. Analysis showed that most of the noise sources are avoidable either partially or totally. Noise levels can be reduced to a great extent by eliminating or reducing noise sources, using hospital friendly high performing acoustic materials, use of quieter equipment, awareness and motivation programmes, proper management, policy enforcement and behaviour modification programmes of staff and patients. It will change the trend of noise levels rising in wards and help to improve the acoustic environment in hospitals effectively.