Islamic Sacred Space and Place: Mosque Design

Islamic Sacred Space and Place: Mosque Design

Historical periods of Islamic cultures Early period (622-900) Centralized empire Middle period (900-1500) Regional centers and local powers Late period (1500-1800) Supra-regional powers

I. The tenets of Islam and its need for occasional and congregational architecture A. What was the origin of Islam – the third monotheistic religion to emerge from the lineage of Abraham? Prophet Muhammed (c. 570-632) revelations (Arabic ‘koran’) about the one God (Arabic, allah) Islam (Arabic, ‘submission to God) became 'Muslim' (i.e. one who submitted him/herself to God) Muhammed Appointed by Archangel Gabriel (16th cen., Turkish)

I. B. What is Islam’s most important – and for some Muslim’s the only – shrine of occasional architecture? The Kaabain Mecca, Saudi Arabia (axis mundi)

I. C. Why is congregational architecture necessary in Islam and how does the orientation of mosques emphasize the monotheistic unity of the faith? The Five Pillars of Islam – the “edifice” of faith 1. Testify (the shahada): “There is no god but God” 2. Pray five times a day facing in the direction of Mecca; on Friday, go to congregational prayer. 3. Fast sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. 4. Give alms to the poor. 5. The Hajj: make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.

I. C. Orientation of the world’s mosques to the Kaaba in Mecca Traditional mosque typologies worldwide

I. C. Great Mosque of Damascus, 706 mosque at Kufah, 670 Dome of the Rock, 685 House of the Prophet (possibly the first mosque)

II. The hypostyle mosque and Muslim prayer ritual Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain, 8th-10th centuries

II. The hypostyle mosque and Muslim prayer ritual Great Mosque at Kairawan, Tunisia, 9th century (820-39)

II. Roman spolia in hypostyle mosques Great Mosque at Kairawan, Tunisia Great Mosque at Cordoba

II. A. Transition to sacred space 1. minaret Muhammed gives the call to prayer from the Kaaba a muzzein in a minaret Great Mosque at Cordoba

II. B. 1. call to prayer : “Allahu Akbar” (“God is most great”) Minaret of the Great Mosque at Kairawan Repetition of “Allahu Akbar” Orients worshiper toward God as, center of reality. Drawn-out and sustained sound: human sadness at separation from God.

II. B. Exterior: characteristics as related to religious purpose Massive unpiercedtemenos walls *architecture experienced from within Great Mosque at Kairawan Great Mosque at Cordoba

II. C. The Courtyard: How is ritual purity achieved before entering the prayer hall? 1. removal of shoes 2. cleanse in the ablution fountain Great Mosque at Kairawan ablution fountain

II. D. The prayer hall – design principles and effects 1. Design for a non-processional religious gathering Islamic non-processional design Early Christian and Byzantine designs non-axial entrances Santa Sabina Great Mosque at Cordoba Great Mosque at Kairawan Hagia Sophia

II. D. 2. qibla(“direction of prayer”) in a hypostyle mosque a. How is the qibla made visible in the architecture of the mosque? mihrab Great Mosque at Kairawan Great Mosque at Cordoba

II. D. 2. mihrab in the Great Mosque of Kairawan mihrab in the Great Mosque of Cordoba

II. D. 3. Where is the minbar, from which the prayer leader speaks, located? Great Mosque at Kairawan - the minbar next to the mihrab

II. D. 4. Where is there subtle hierarchy in the plan? Great Mosque at Cordoba primacy of the qibla wall primacy of the mihrab niche separation of sexes during services

III. Spatial character of the Islamic hypostyle as sacred space of monotheism Great Mosque of Damascus, 706 mosque at Kufah, 670 Persepolis, Iran, 5th cen. BC Karnak, 15th cen. BC House of the Prophet

III. A. 1. Practicality - expandability of the hypostyle type *Buildings not necessarily designed as a single balanced unit. Great Mosque at Cordoba

III. A. 1. Platonic shape / Pythagorean ratio Great Mosque at Cordoba

III. A. This sacred space as a religious metaphor Architecture suspended from the ceiling Great Mosque at Cordoba Hypostyle hall at Karnak, Egypt

III. A. sense of the immeasurable distance, infinity Great Mosque at Kairawan Great Mosque at Cordoba

III. C. Non-tectonic values *creation of non-tectonic values Great Mosque of Kairawan Great Mosque of Cordoba courtyard

III. C. 1. Why is the mihrab ornamented with non-figural ornament? mihrab in the Great Mosque of Cordoba mihrab in the Great Mosque of Kairawan Non-figural ornament and inscriptions draw worshiper into contemplation Inscriptions make the word of God visible. *creation of non-tectonic values

IV. Exterior expressions of secular power in some mosque architecture Great Mosque of Cordoba Door of the Mininsters maqsura

IV. A. “Door of the Ministers” in the west wall Door exteriorizes the interior architecture *non-tectonic textures Great Mosque of Cordoba

IV. B. a maqsura maqsura – screened area close to the mihrab reserved for the ruler or his representative Great Mosque of Cordoba The maqsura begins where the railing is at the back

IV. B. Cordoba’s maqsura domes center dome west maqsura dome east maqsura dome

Comparison of early medieval monotheism’s modulations on classical architecture

Measuring up to the standard set by the classical past

Islamic Sacred Space and Place: Mosque Design