Reading Mosques: Meaning and Architecture in Islam

Abstract

The expression 'reading architecture' should not seem too odd, as one of the best known examples of architecture, the church, has often been likened to a book, and in entering, for example, the little Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, one feels as if one were leafing through the pages of a miniature novel that narrates a story one should not forget. This article applies the notion of reading architecture to mosques by offering a reading of this type of architecture that pays particular attention to the symbols and metaphors embodied in most mosques. Although users of mosques may not be conscious of these architectural symbols, I believe that the buildings they experience have significance and unique aesthetic value for them largely because of these elements. The mosque is one of the most common types of building, and its presence in the diversity of cultures that participated in the complex historical developments of the Islamic world makes it difficult to produce a general account. Nevertheless, this article will try to analyze certain symbolic features that have beenand still continue to becommon in most