Islamic
Architecture - Principles
Toward an Architecture in
the Spirit of Islam
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The revelations in the Koran, set forth
through Prophet Muhammad, make an individual understand the supreme
nature of God. Every individual Muslim must be upright, righteous
and just on his own account, but humble and totally submissive to
the will of God. The Muslim is reminded over and over again that
while he is allowed to enjoy the normal and serene pleasures of
life, excess and grandeur in any form is contrary to the will of
Allah. In the pursuit of one's activities through life, it was
therefore important to search for simplicity and humility and to
avoid waste through the frivolous use of resources. Excessive
expenditure on buildings was a frivolity.
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It is in this
spirit that the first true Islamic architecture took its shape in the first
mosques ever to be built. In Basra in 635 A.D., a mosque was built by simply
defining the boundary of a lot approximately square in shape and enclosing it
with a fence of reeds. In Kufa in 638 A.D., the mosque had only an unenclosed
covered colonnade. Since the purpose of the mosque is to provide a place for
communal prayer, there was indeed no preordained form of architecture at all.
The covered colonnade on the qibla side provided the first hint of any
architectural form in the Mosque at Kufa. As the might of the Islamic rulers
spread out from Arabia, churches as houses of worship had a definite influence
in the first mosque architecture in terms of actual buildings. Frequently,
materials for columns and beams were taken from other edifices of previous
cultures; but the simplicity of the mosque form, generally a square overall plan with covered colonnades along the qibla
wall, has remained the primary mosque-type to the present time. The function of
the mosque is to let Muslims at prayer time stand shoulder to shoulder in rows
facing the Ka'ba to perform the prayers. Columns supporting the roof structure,
in fact, always blended into the mass of people standing shoulder to shoulder at
prayer time. It was really important to create a sense of space evoking
spirituality of the environment, a feeling of peace, harmony and the humbleness
of the individual. Monumentality and embellishment were not predefined
objectives in creating such spaces. It is only in later developments, with the
contribution of creative artisans and builders, that we find a third dimension
of spirituality created through patterns, colors and calligraphic designs based
upon quotations from the Koran. Every pattern and graphic design was directed
to creating a sense of peace and harmony and dedicated in praise to Allah. The
resulting multitude of artistic creations today stands out as the hallmark of
Islamic art in architecture, on the one hand, and the very essence of humility
and submission to God on the other. It is through the understanding of this
evolution of Islamic art and architecture in mosque constructions that one can
begin to see its potential continuity and transformation in contemporary
architecture.
Other
Resources on Islamic Architecture
Preserving
the Living Heritage of Islamic Cities
Excerpts from "Architectural Transformations in the Islamic World"
(Proceedings of Seminar One - Gouvieux, France 04/1978.
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