Early Islamic Architecture Research Articles

Interpretation and Assessment of Islamic Antiquities within the hydraulic Heritage System at Al-Muwaqqar

This research focusses on the Islamic antiquities and the related hydraulic system of the Al-Muwaqqar region. The problem of the study is to answer the following questions (1) Which antiquities survive today in Muwaqqar? How can they be described? (2) What kind of conclusions about their original appearance and their functions can be drawn from the existing remnants in combination with earlier reports? (3) What was the system of water collection and transportation? (4) Which is the interrelation between the water system and the dwellings and their environment? The study follows different methodological approaches to the study of early Islamic architecture. The detailed investigation of the ruins, which the author conducted in Al-Muwaqqar in 2019 and 2020, is followed by their translation into written and drawn documents. On the basis of previous reports and a systematic survey of these surviving original remnants, the present research will give by applied quantitative as well qualitative methods an outline on the architectural structures with reconstruction proposals. It will discuss also how these monuments were related to each other functionally and how the Umayyad architects and engineers solved the problem of the limited water resources in this transitional area with low rainfalls. This creates an overall picture that gives the reader of the study and the future visitor of the place an idea about the place in its actual condition. The study will create awareness by interpretation, which is a precondition for raising the value of these monuments in the awareness of the local community and for visitors. The research recommended that the architectural monuments of Al-Muwaqar be placed within the cultural heritage at great risk of the Kingdom of Jordan.

The Abbasid Mosaic Tradition and the Great Mosque of Damascus

Abstract Glass wall mosaic is a major feature of early Islamic architecture, surviving above all in the Umayyad monuments of the Dome of the Rock and the Great Mosque of Damascus. These grand mosaics inspired periodic revivals from the eleventh century onwards. The centuries between the Umayyad commissions and the first of the documented revivals, however, have been seen as a period of decline for the craft; the Abbasid dynasty that defeated the Umayyads in 750 has not traditionally been associated with the medium. This article reexamines the question, looking at textual and material evidence for Abbasid mosaic production. It argues that, in fact, there was a continuous mosaic tradition well into the ninth century, under the patronage of both caliphs and lower-ranking officials. The first part of the article considers written evidence for mosaics in Mecca and Medina. The second part looks in detail at a surviving example that, it will be argued, dates to the Abbasid period, on the Bayt al-Mal (Treasury) of the Great Mosque of Damascus. The concluding section discusses factors behind the general decline in mosaic production in the tenth century and the possibility of pockets of continuity.

The consolidation strategy of the Noh Gonbad mosque vestiges in Balkh (Afghanistan)

The Noh Gonbad mosque is an almost unknown masterpiece created in 794 a.D. (178 a.H.) near the town of Balkh, North Afghanistan. The mosque, one of the oldest monuments of the early Islamic architecture in Central Asia, derives its name from the nine domes, all collapsed. This monument in a state of ruin, partly hidden by debris generated by collapsed roofs, represents an important witness of the transition from Sassanid culture and the first Islamic caliphates, described in the splendid decoration, carried out by carved gypsum that covered all the internal surface of the architecture. Such archaeological site shows a building made by different materials, as rammed earth (walls), adobes (walls, niches and abutment of the arcades) and, in some important parts (domes, arches and columns), baked bricks (with the use of earthen mortar and, only for the columns, gypsum mortar). So weak but important monument needed consolidation actions for the still standing arch system, close to collapse. In the present phase, the thick debris layer is being removed in order to return the architecture to its original configuration. The critical state of the perimeter walls requires a consolidation of the materials and a structural reinforcement due to the increased risk of overturning jointed with the removal of the debris, until now acting as a restraint. The paper faces with the need to find compatible strategies to operate a strengthening of the perimeter wall. A great experimental campaign was carried out and targeted devices were created in order extend the life of this masterpiece. Institutions involved in such enterprise: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, French Archeologist Delegation, University of Florence, Associazione Giovanni Secco Suardo, WMF.

MAKSUR DOME TRADITION IN THE DESIGN OF MALATYA GREAT MOSQUE IN TURKISH ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

The maksure section was added to Nebev-i Masjid during the era of the Caliph Osman in early Islamic architecture as a private space to ensure the safety and security of the caliphs. The maksure was positioned in the section in front of the mihrab and covered with a dome, eventually becoming one of the essential elements of Islamic mosque architecture. The “mihrab anterior dome” was at the same time regarded as a symbol of the ruler’s sovereignty and became the fundamental starting point of spatial unity in mosque architecture. One of the most examples of this structure is the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. The same plan layout was also applied to the mosques of Cordoba, Mesjid-i Aksa in Jerusalem, and Kayrevan in Tunisia. The anterior mihrab dome was an essential architectural and liturgical element used in the fabric of Anatolian mosque architecture by the Great Seljuqs outside Anatolia, the early-Anatolian Turkish Principalities, and Anatolian Seljuqs within the confines of Anatolia. After going through another stage of development during the late-Principality era of the 14th century, it was transformed into the central dome in Ottoman Turkish architecture, becoming an essential element in the organization of the entire grammar of Turkish shrine architecture. This paper aims to describe the use of this mihrab anterior dome in the design of the Malatya Great Mosque. Evaluated within the scope of this typology, the Malatya Grand Mosque holds a unique place in the history of Turkish art and architecture, whether for its layout, its dome design, or its embellishment technique and repertoire. In this article, the Malatya Great Mosque, one of the “mihrab anterior dome” mosques in Anatolia, will be evaluated from the aspect of its unique dome plan and rich decorative embellishment program.

A masterpiece of early Islamic architecture: The Noh-Gonbad Mosque in Balkh, Afghanistan

Abstract The Noh-Gonbad Mosque is one of the oldest examples of Islamic architecture, and it is undoubtedly the most ancient mosque of Afghanistan, dated from 794 A.D., few decades after Muhammad's Hegira. With its particular building technologies and magnificent stucco decoration, it represents a masterpiece. In this paper, a part of the multidisciplinary restoration project is reported. In particular, the comprehensive investigation carried out to define mechanical, physical and chemical characteristics of building materials is presented. The key findings available in the literature on the birth of the mosque have been synthesised and linked to technological and constructive evidence collected on site, which suggests the purpose of realising a simple but yet impressive building. Using data gathered on the field together with experimental results it has been possible to identify the static consistency of the arcade system and carry out a preliminary vulnerability assessment.

Revisiting K.A.C. Creswell’s Theory on the First Mosque in Islam

Professor Keppel Archibald Cameron Creswell (1879–1974), better known as K.A.C. Creswell or simply Creswell, was definitely one of the most prominent and prolific scholars in the field of Islamic art and architecture. His gigantic two-volume <em>Early Muslim Architecture</em>, of which Volume I was first published in Oxford in 1932, remains widely acknowledged as the most important reference for early Islamic architecture so far. Nevertheless, Creswell’s hypothesis on the genesis of the mosque type and his perception of the first mosque in Islam betray a considerable amount of dubiety and suffer a myriad of critical deficiencies. As he maintains, the making of the mosque, as defined in the modern sense, was launched not by the Prophet, as commonly believed, but by Ziyād b. Abīh when he reconstructed the mosque of Baṣra in 45/665. Astonishingly, these views of Creswell were adopted and further enhanced by quite a number of notable specialists over eighty-five years. This article will subject such views to scrutiny with the aim of identifying the first mosque in Islam and the religious as well as historical contexts in which it emerged. This discussion becomes more persistent, however, given the dominant misconceptions about the topic in Western as well as Muslim scholarships.

The Historical Significance of the Geometric Designs in the Northeast Dome Chamber of the Friday Mosque at Isfahan

Surviving architectural monuments provide the primary source for understanding the historical development of Islamic geometric design. The early Islamic architecture of Khurasan and eastern Persia establishes the Samanids, Qarakhanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids and Seljuks as principle contributors in the maturation of the geometric ornamental tradition. The collective architectural legacy of these cultures reveals the significance of their contribution to our knowledge of Islamic geometric design. However, no individual monument surpasses the historical importance of the northeast dome chamber of the Friday Mosque at Isfahan. New research indicates that many of the geometric designs employed within this chamber are the earliest examples of their ornamental variety. What is more, these patterns represent a methodological breakthrough in the application of the polygonal technique of pattern generation, thereby facilitating ever-greater stylistic and geometric innovation.

The aesthetical analysis of mural decorative elements in the Great Mosque of Damascus

The Great mosque of Damascus is an iconic masterpiece of Islamic architecture of the Umayyad period. Greek, Byzantine and Persian cultures influenced and promoted the development of early Islamic art and architecture displayed in all aspects of this mosque.This paper will highlight the strong influence of pre-Islamic cultures and societies which distinguish the Great mosque of Damascus from other early Islamic buildings.This paper widens the scope of knowledge of the Great Mosque of Damascus by showing both similarity and the strength of influence of the pre-Islamic era, not limited to the inherited architecture, but mainly in the significant artistic features, showing the creativity of the early Muslim designer in planning and decorating early Islamic buildings.Moreover, the Great mosque of Damascus is considered one of the oldest and most admired mosques in early Islamic architecture. It is also one of the significant buildings that has great mosaic mural panels on the facades and interior walls, sculptures on column capitals and marvelous patterns carved in wood, stucco and marble work, that are distinctive features of this unique mosque. The choice of materials, the technique, colors scheme, and stories that were chosen to be brought vividly to life on its murals, are all witness to its greatness.In this regard, the research delves into the details of the building’s similarities and differences that trace it to its historical roots, which seldom are found or have been repeated in any of the holy Muslim places.

On the Transmission of Designs in Early Islamic Architecture

On the Transmission of Designs in Early Islamic Architecture

Svend Helms, and four others: others: Early Islamic architecture of the desert: a bedouin station in eastern Jordan. xi, 188 pp. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 1990.1990. £25.

Svend Helms, and four others: others: Early Islamic architecture of the desert: a bedouin station in eastern Jordan. xi, 188 pp. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 1990.1990. £25.

Early Islamic Architecture of the Desert. A bedouin station in Eastern Jordan

Prologemenon - geography, communications, bedouin and bedouinisation, arabisation, the badiya concept, prehistory, of diplomacy Qasr Burqu - late antique and early Islamic remains - exploration, the meaning of Burqu, the inscriptions, the structures, archaeology and architecture, relationship with ancient ar-Risha modern ar-Risha - structures and architecture ancient ar-Risha - structures and architecture - the mosque (A), structure B, structure C Khan or quasi-Qasr?, the buyut, architectural parallels, summary ancient ar-Risha - the pottery - the catalogue, conclusions ancient ar-Risha - stone implements - Y shaped pieces, ground stone objects.

Creswell's Use of the Theory of Dating by the Acuteness of the Pointed Arches in Early Muslim Architecture

Historians evolve theories to explain patterns of behavior. Eventually these theories become tools which are used to probe and to expand inquiry and elucidate phenomena. Such a tool well developed by nineteenthcentury historians of the medieval period was the theory that buildings could be dated by the shape of their arching. Creswell's contribution to this theory was to apply it to early Islamic architecture and, by its use, to derive or substantiate dates for buildings. The dates he put upon them, resting in part upon this theory, have become authoritative, and so this paper is concerned with the effectiveness of the theory and the validity of its results. Its general conclusions vindicate this aspect of Professor Creswell's work.

CRESWELL'S USE OF THE THEORY OF DATING BY THE ACUTENESS OF THE POINTED ARCHES IN EARLY MUSLIM ARCHITECTURE

Historians evolve theories to explain patterns of behavior. Eventually these theories become tools which are used to probe and to expand inquiry and elucidate phenomena. Such a tool well developed by nineteenthcentury historians of the medieval period was the theory that buildings could be dated by the shape of their arching. Creswell's contribution to this theory was to apply it to early Islamic architecture and, by its use, to derive or substantiate dates for buildings. The dates he put upon them, resting in part upon this theory, have become authoritative, and so this paper is concerned with the effectiveness of the theory and the validity of its results. Its general conclusions vindicate this aspect of Professor Creswell's work.

The Octagonal Pavilion at Natanz: A Reexamination of Early Islamic Architecture in Iran

The Octagonal Pavilion at Natanz: A Reexamination of Early Islamic Architecture in Iran

Peter S. Garlake: The early Islamic architecture of the East African coast.(Memoirs of the British Institute of History and Archaeology in East Africa, No. 1.) x, 207 pp., 8 plates. Nairobi, London: Oxford University Press for the Institute, 1966. 95s.

Peter S. Garlake: The early Islamic architecture of the East African coast.(Memoirs of the British Institute of History and Archaeology in East Africa, No. 1.) x, 207 pp., 8 plates. Nairobi, London: Oxford University Press for the Institute, 1966. 95<i>s</i>.