Mosque Architecture Research Articles

An Ancient Mosque In Ningbo, China “Historical And Architectural Study”

<p>With the rise of Tang dynasty (618–907), Ningbo was an important commercial city on the Chinese eastern coast. Arab merchants had an important role in trade relations between China and the West. Ningbo mosque was initially built in 1003 during Northern Song period by Muslims traders who had migrated from Arab lands to settle in China. Through ongoing research of representative Muslim architecture, such as Chinese Mosques, this paper seeks to shed light on the artistic features of this mosque. Many of the key characteristics of this distinctive ethnic heritage are based on commonly held religious beliefs and on the relationship between culture and religion. This paper aims to study the characteristics of Chinese mosques architecture, through studying one of the most important planning patterns of the traditional courtyards plan Known as <em>Siheyuan</em>, and it will also make a practical study on Ningbo Yuehu Mosque. The result of this study shows that the Ningbo Yuehu mosque is like Chinese mosques which follows essentially the norms of Chinese planning, layout design, and wooden structures.</p>

RISE OF ECLECTICISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY MALAYSIAN MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE

A stylistic survey of Malaysian mosque architecture shows four distinct trends: 1) Traditional style, which covers most of the mosques that were built before the country’s independence in 1957; 2) Colonial style that was influenced by Indian Mughal architecture, was followed partly after independence, and continued for a while after that; 3) Modern trend began with the National Mosque completed in 1965, and scattered mosques that were built after the National Mosque until the end of the 20th century; and 4) Mosques that were erected in the 21st century, which can be generally explained by the term ‘eclectic’ design. Eclecticism gained rapid momentum in the field of Malaysian mosque architecture since the dawn of the current century. Significant eclectic mosques that have transformed the scene and skylines of major Malaysian cities have often been heavily financed by the government – an indication of conscious choice of direction. This paper aims at providing a categorisation of the process of evolution of contemporary mosque architecture in Malaysia, not based on independent stylistic tendencies, but under three major historical/thematic phases: 1) Independence and Departure from Tradition; 2) Middle Eastern Inspirations; and 3) Rise of eclecticism, with an emphasis on the last phase, i.e. rise of eclecticism in the 21st century. Masjid Wilayah, completed in August 2000, was chosen as a case study because it is the first major eclectic mosque born in the 21st century, incorporating some six established styles, and also the most comprehensive example.

RISE OF ECLECTICISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY MALAYSIAN MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE

A stylistic survey of Malaysian mosque architecture shows four distinct trends: 1) Traditional style, which covers most of the mosques that were built before the country’s independence in 1957; 2) Colonial style that was influenced by Indian Mughal architecture, was followed partly after independence, and continued for a while after that; 3) Modern trend began with the National Mosque completed in 1965, and scattered mosques that were built after the National Mosque until the end of the 20th century; and 4) Mosques that were erected in the 21st century, which can be generally explained by the term ‘eclectic’ design. Eclecticism gained rapid momentum in the field of Malaysian mosque architecture since the dawn of the current century. Significant eclectic mosques that have transformed the scene and skylines of major Malaysian cities have often been heavily financed by the government – an indication of conscious choice of direction. This paper aims at providing a categorisation of the process of evolution of contemporary mosque architecture in Malaysia, not based on independent stylistic tendencies, but under three major historical/thematic phases: 1) Independence and Departure from Tradition; 2) Middle Eastern Inspirations; and 3) Rise of eclecticism, with an emphasis on the last phase, i.e. rise of eclecticism in the 21st century. Masjid Wilayah, completed in August 2000, was chosen as a case study because it is the first major eclectic mosque born in the 21st century, incorporating some six established styles, and also the most comprehensive example.

Acoustical Properties of Contemporary Mosques

AbstractReligious buildings are important for many communities because of their representation of different beliefs. In such structures, the sense of individuality or unity & togetherness are created according to variable worship activities; these different uses have also different acoustical requirements. In order to create the desired feeling in the space at the required time, rooms should be evaluated in terms of acoustical conditions.In the study, it is aimed to investigate the objective parameters of sound of the main prayer hall of the Bedirye Tiryaki Mencik Mosque, which was built recently in Manisa (Turkey). It is one of the modern examples of mosque architecture in Turkey. The structure differs from other contemporary examples with the design approach and construction technology. The mosque was built by using prefabrication technology for the entire structure. The acoustical evaluation of this recent example by comparing the recommended values of objective parameters shows that the building has balance between architectural and acoustical design.

Sancaklar Mosque: Displacing the Familiar

Abstract Studying contemporary mosque architecture necessitates dealing concurrently with both the past and the present. Burdens of the past cause a crisis at a point when architects attempt to design prayer spaces that avoid historicist references while attending to the religion’s liturgical requirements. This crisis indicates the moment at which architects are forced to become critical of what is preceding, and thus creates a challenging situation in the evolution of mosque architecture. This article takes the Sancaklar Mosque, designed by Emre Arolat Architecture (EAA), as its main object of research in order to assess this challenge. The Sancaklar Mosque presents a significant attempt to free mosque design from the prevailing formal practices observed in the majority of current mosques, by rejecting any clear reference to the historical mosque type and the use of any conventional mosque elements. However, I argue that while Sancaklar Mosque displays a clear break with the past, it is not ahistorical. The mosque suggests both a suspension of discussions on mosque architecture reduced to formal significations and historical prototypes, but also a different way of dealing with the past, which is, in this article, conceptualized as ‘defamiliarization’. The Sancaklar Mosque provides a significant example for a project in which familiar codified formal elements are displaced as a particular response to the challenge that architects face when designing religious buildings.

The Salman Mosque: Achmad Noe’man’s Critique of Indonesian Conventional Mosque Architecture

The Salman Mosque, designed by Achmad Noe’man, was a striking Islamic architectural design in the 1960s when it was built. Unlike the conventional mosques, particularly in Indonesia, it has no dome. Instead, the roof was made of prestressed concrete and resembles a canoe. Using data drawn from field observations, this paper explores the architectural characteristics of the Salman Mosque as a product of Modern architecture. It argues that the domeless mosque, the simple minaret, the wooden wall panels and floor, the women’s balcony, and the roof demonstrate architectural modernism, as opposed to the conventional mosque typology that flourished in Indonesia at the time. This paper further argues that the Salman Mosque is Noe’man’s critique of the Indonesian conventional mosque architecture. It concludes that the architectural features of the Salman Mosque reflects Noe’man’s modern vision of Islam and Islamic architecture.

Islamic Modernism and Architectural Modernism of Muhammadiyah’s Lio Mosque

The Muhammadiyah’s Lio Mosque is one of the masterpieces of Achmad Noe’man, the great Indonesian mosque architect. The mosque was built as a community mosque at the center of Muhammadiyah’s quarter in Garut, West Java, in conjuction with the construction of the district’s Muhammadiyah branch. Having a shape out of the existing grip, the mosque has neither a dome nor a tajug tumpang tiga (three-tiered pyramidal roof) like other mosques nearby, but instead uses a gable roof and minarets towering. This article aims to analyze the architecture of the Lio Mosque and to learn Achmad Noe’man’s interpretation of modernism, both Islamic modernism and architectural modernism, reflected in the mosque design. Employing a qualitative approach, this study used observation and interviews with the mosque’s stakeholders. This article argues that the ideology of modernism, believed by Achmad Noe’man and the Muhammadiyah organization, was embodied in the Lio Mosque architecture.

Mosques of the gulf of edremit

The main settlements at the Gulf of Edremit, Turkey, host a group of historical mosques that were built between the 14th and the 20th centuries. These monuments are in a triangle-shaped geographical area, located within the cities of Edremit, Burhaniye and Ayvalik. Mosques of the Gulf of Edremit coherently represent the early period, the most common simple typology and the last period of the Ottoman mosque architecture. Having clear differences in terms of their period, plan layout and architectural style, local materials and construction techniques are their common points. It is also possible to set connections and link some of these buildings with each other, and also with the surrounding ones.

Исламская архитектура и современная политика: мечети в Константине (Алжир) и Касабланке (Марокко)

This article deals with a topical theme — the architecture of the contemporary mosque. There are only a few monographs on the subject, and even fewer case studies which analyze the architecture of individual buildings in their political context. This article is dedicated to the mosques of Abd al-Qadir in Constantine,Algeria (1972–1994, Ismail Hussein Mohammed) and Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco (1987–1993, Michel Pinseau) and presents the results of onsite research in 2014–2016. The first of the above-mentioned mosques has not been studied before, and therefore much more attention is paid to it. The author argues that both mosques combine traditional decoration with contemporary spatial solutions, for example the bold diagonal setting of the Casablanca’s minaret. The decoration of this mosque is focused solely on national heritage, but at the same time it is supplemented with modern details and materials. All this should emphasize both the traditionalism and the modernity of Hasan II’s monarchy, as well as include Casablancain the orbit of the traditional Islam controlled by the king. The creators of the mosque in Constantine оpenly abandoned modernization attempts and emphasized the exact reproduction of the iconic forms of the architecture of Maghreb and al-Andalus. These forms should underline the status of the first Islamic university in socialist Algeria of the 1970s as the new cultural center of the entire Western Islamic world.

Historiography of Mosque Architecture in Malaysia: Analysis of Texts by 5 Authors

Malaysian mosques exhibit remarkable variations, ranging from humble traditional timber structures to massive modern complexes. This evolution has been studied by numerous historians, architects, and academicians resulting in a steadily expanding historiography of mosque architecture. However, this body of work on the history and development of local mosques has never been formally studied in detail as a whole. Therefore, this paper focuses on 2 major aspects: first, identifying general research approaches present in the historiography of mosque architecture in Malaysia, and second, classifying the formal elements and characteristics used to describe the architecture of local mosques. Based on selected texts from 5 Malaysian authors, it was identified that these works are descriptive studies that are primarily structured on a combination of chronological, stylistic, cultural, geographical and typological approaches. Additionally, descriptions of mosque architecture by the authors were based on a set of formal elements and characteristics which falls into 5 distinct categories: i) typological element, ii) spatial organisation, iii) roof form, iv) building technology, and v) design articulation. These results reflect the complexity of mosque development in Malaysia and the multiple angles that are possible to holistically examine them. This paper also discusses 3 significant aspects embedded within the study of mosque architecture in Malaysia, covering unique elements and characteristics of local mosques, followed by issues related to language, conceptual, and factual ambiguity, and finally on the complexity of mosque classifications.

Bridging The Gap Between The Past And The Present: A Reconsideration Of Mosque Architectural Elements

<p>Mosques are among the most important building types for any community, where Muslims gather for their prayers and social activities. Mosque architecture has developed over history and faced several dramatic changes. This raises a question regarding the reality of mosque architecture and how it should look like today. This paper discusses this issue through a historical overview and some critical observations. Firstly, the paper discusses the historical functional role of mosque basic elements. Validity of these elements within the context of modern architecture has been argued considering the contemporary inputs that have a significant impact on mosque architecture. Several cases are presented and discussed in this regard. The study concluded that there is a great symbolic and spiritual value of these elements that should be maintained. The analysis carried out of several contemporary cases revealed that there is a wide margin to revive and reintroduce these elements in the light of the modern architectural trends. In addition to their functional roles, mosque architectural elements could be used as identity elements of the Islamic city, microclimatic modifiers, and linking tools between the past and the present.</p>

VIABILITAS RAGAM HIAS SULUR-GELUNG

Motive of ukel, lung or plant tendrils (forming like question mark) spiraling inside andoutside is named sulur gelung ornament. These ornaments are often found in Hinduism andBudhist temples even in the mosque with particular style. Sulur gelung ornament has to befondness for people when we look at the craft as visual art. Many artefacs of heritage oftenvisualized form of lung or ukel. In javanese fashion ukel as trendil of hair fastened by ukel konde.Ukel konde is used for make up on the face also for forming of puppet’s hair and isen-isen, evenfor forming of punokawan’s hair (Semar, Gareng, Petruk, and Bagong). Form like ukel is alsofound in the architecture of mosque especially on the mihrab or altar, we can also be found inthe architecture of javanese traditional house. The temples of Hinduism and Budhist in Javahave ornament of sulur gelung, for example Candi Gondosuli, Candi Gedongsongo, CandiKalasan, candi Prambanan, Candi Sewu, Candi Lumbung, and many of temples in East Java.Is this ornament comes from India through the Hinduism or Hinduism-Budhist diffusionto Java? Or possibly this is an original local archetype of java or is this the result of aculturationof Hinduism-Budhist, Java, and Islam ? This reaserch will review the sulur gelung ornamentprovenience which is commonly using as fix pattern and the spirit or viability of javanese style.The sulur gelung ornament has evoluted since Hinduism-Budhist until Islamic diffusion asreception religion in the culture. Key wors : aculturation, ornament, sulur-gelung

The Early Mosque Revisited: Introduction of the Minbar and Maqṣūra

As the mosque evolved in response to the contested authority of Islam’s early rulers, the dependency of this authority upon the public audience in the mosque gave rise to a series of changes that occurred within the qibla of the mosque. By considering the congregational mosques at Kufa, Basra, Damascus, Wasit, and Madina between 630 and 715, and revisiting the development of their qibla spaces, three changes are presented as embodiments of this shift. This includes the development of the minbar as a platform for the khuṭba (Friday sermon) and of the enclosure screen (maqṣūra) in front of the qibla for the caliph, as well as the provision of direct access to the dār al-imāra via the qibla wall. By situating these developments within the context of contested religious and political authority in early Islam, this study challenges paradigms of formal influence in the interpretation of mosque architecture.

A Historiography of the Mosque: Reconciling a Renaissance of Spirituality in the Material Forms of Islamic Architecture

The simplicity and austerity of the first Masjid or Mosque in Islam contrasted with the wide array, diversity and occasional grandeur of Mosque forms. A review of the historiography of the mosque often generates a stereotype view of the ‘archetypical’ form of domes and arches. What is missing is a discourse as to what constitutes a more spiritually-linked framework linking Islam to the formative ideas and eventual compositions of mosques in the modern world. The present diversity of the Islamic world including cultures in the Far East and the Western world necessitates a rethinking of what fundamentally constitutes the spiritual basis of space in Masjid. A historical and critical view of the mosque as a global type-form should be reviewed rather than the persistent hold of its Arab-Islamic origins in driving the notion of archetypes in Mosque design. The history of mosque was contrived from the Oriental perspectives and historical writings of the Islamic civilisation on architecture. As part and parcel of the reconciliation of the fundamentals of Islam in the field of architecture, this discourse aims to uncover common principles that can embrace the increasing diversity and dialectic of the ummah. The discourse attempts a re-look into how the spiritual ethos of Islam can be brought into a formal discourse of mosque architecture. It is hoped that if such forms can be read as the physical materialisation of inherent values of Islam, then it can account for the historical and formal evolution of mosque architecture throughout the world. In this sense, more fundamental principles can embrace its diversity and tolerance that has been its hallmark of Islam since its expansion outside the Arabian Peninsula. The study reviewed selected mosques of the globe including the mosques from the Malay Archipelago region or the Nusantara. The study hopes to reflect certain intentions and predisposition that linked ultimately to spirituality, identity and a certain monumentality needed in reading the multiple variations of the universal type-form Mosque, as the house of Allah.

"Mosque Architecture” Or Architecture of Mosque: A New Notions of Bengal During the Muslim Rule

<em></em>The mosque constitutes one of the most highly developed forms of religious architecture. With the rapid expansion of the Muslim community through conquests as well as missionary activities, it became necessary to set aside an enclosed area in cities or large towns for the purpose of established communal worship. Mosque architecture in the Muslim period exposes clearly its sacred identity, even it is continuously remarked, but in secular architecture, the ideas are not spiritually motivated in a cosmic sense. Definitely a structural idea and use of materials as well as its functional and aesthetic use play a role in determining what is expressed by it. The development of understanding of functional and aesthetic use of materials and technique with effective manner is depending on assimilated technologies. Integrated process of standard materials, skilled labor, innovative idea and socioeconomic as well as geographical factors may regard to constructing any magnificent architecture. The present study is an attempt to analyse and develop the structure, structural decoration and use of materials and design of the mosques during the Muslim period in Bengal.

Ibn Tulun: his lost city and great mosque

Ahmad ibn Tulun (835-84), the son of a Turkic slave in the Abbasid court of Baghdad, became the founder of the first independent state in Egypt since antiquity, and builder of Egypt's short-lived third capital of the Islamic era, al-Qata'i' and its great congregational mosque. After recounting the story of Ibn Tulun and his successors, architectural historian Tarek Swelim presents a topographic survey of al-Qata'i', a city lost since its complete destruction in 905. He then provides a detailed architectural analysis of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, which was spared the destruction and is now the oldest surviving mosque in Egypt and Africa, from the time of its completion until today. Rare archival illustrations and early photographs document the changing appearance and uses of the mosque in modern times, while extraordinary 3D computer renderings take us back in time to recreate its architectural development through its early centuries. Plans, drawings, and maps complement the history, while striking modern color photographs showcase the elegant simplicity of the building's architecture and decoration.This definitive and generously illustrated book will appeal to scholars and students of Islamic art history, as well as to anyone interested in or inspired by the beauty of early mosque architecture.

INTRODUCTION TO THE SYMBOL-IDENTIFICATION OF THE PRESENCE OF WATER IN IRAN'S MOSQUES ARCHITECTURE

Water element in Iranian architecture in terms of symbolic meanings and concepts has been manifested in different forms.Water in the body of Iranian mosques due to both the mystical and practical loads had also carried more symbolic messages. The presence of water in Iranian mosques architecture In addition to having image-creations associated with the prayers, ablution, purification and refreshing ritual had also carried reflection of semantic load, transparency, and being-like-mirror.Water in terms of presence in running and still water forms and in terms of symbolism system in the methods of allusion, symbol, sign, indication, secret, mystery, point, appearance, riddle, analogy has found objective appearancein the body of Iranian mosques. The present research has been conducted with descriptive-analytical method.The presence of water is in a variety of ordering elements of kinetic and stillness, and signs of relaxation, peace, reconciliation, stable sign of life, sky reflection, and survival continuation in ideas derived from symbolic concepts. The most important elements related to the presence of water in Iranian mosques architecture are place of ablution, trough, pool, patio, and fountain.This appearance and manifestation of water's form and character in Iranian architecture have had a special position and even sacred. A corner of these appearances can be observed in symbols used in Iranian mosques objectively. Symbol, its types and the manner of advent and display of the symbolic elements of water in Iran's mosque architecture have been investigated in this study. Achievements of this research will lead to the initial symbol-identifier conception of the presence and manifestation and appearance of water in the area of the architectural body of Iranian mosques.

Architectural mimicry and the politics of mosque building: negotiating Islam and Nation in Turkey

This paper discusses the politics of mosque architecture in modern Turkey. The classical Ottoman mosque image has been reproduced in state-sponsored mosques throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Defining this particular design strategy as architectural mimicry, I discuss the emergence of this image through the negotiation between the nation-state and the ‘nationalist conservative’ discourse within the context of Cold War geopolitics. Comparing the Turkish case with the Islamic post-colonial world, I argue that the prevalence of architectural mimicry is related to the nostalgia it generates. Nostalgia is a discursive effect of architectural mimicry which is in tune with the nationalist conservative worldview in its relationship to the state's anti-communism. This particular image was taken up by the Islamist AKP in the 2000s, within the context of the global rise of political Islam. In this instance, the same representation took on a different meaning. It functioned as a simulacrum representing the ‘nation in Islam’ with a claim to authenticity amongst the competing Islamic representations.

ESTETIKA ISLAM DALAM KONTEKS KEHIDUPAN SOSIAL

The aim of this writing is to give commentary on Islamic Aesthetics In the frame of sicial life. The con.sequency of this is that islamic Aesthetics fixes two goals, worldly and heavenly goals. Moslems believe that heavenly goal is important than the worldly one, and to achieve this goal moslems need dzikrullah in any activity including working with arts. Dzikrullah means remembering A118h in an intense Consciousness with persistent intensity (istiqomah).Man needs art to express his feeling of beauty which is inherently born with him, while an expression of art becomes one of the manifestations of dzikruliah itself. Beauty is identified as art Islamic Aesthetics offers a concept of how to work with art in an Islamic way, and how to express beauty which contains truth and goodness. The supreme source of beauty is Allah Himself and He, too, the destination of beauty. The essence of art gets its reality in the brilliant brain of Allah. Consequently, artistic creativity generating from Allah’s beauty gives out spiritual values in broad spectrum.Islamic spirituality as an essence of islamic art has a close relation with the dimension of Islamic inner spirit, the dimension of inferiority of/slam. Al Quran and Al Hadits supply resources which inspire artists to get forms of Islamic inner dimension, the inspiration if which has the quality of supreme individual. Two examples of these forms are the calligraphy which is the art of writing Arabic characters and ten architecture of mosques.Calligraphy and the architecture of mosque are artistic works of supreme individual quality with the beauty reflected by Allah’s inspiration. Calligraphy reflects two kinds of beauties, the aesthetic and the trancendental ones. Islamic artistic objects show the values of beauty in themselves as far kinds of nd the trancendental ones. Islamic alues of beauty in themselves as faras generated from perpetual source of inspiration which will never stop flowing. Islamic spiritual message is the presence of consciousness of The One God through the beauty of artistic expressions formed by the artists.Keywords:Islamic art, dzikrullah, lslamic spirituality

Implications of Stereotype Mosque Architecture on Sustainability

Stereotypical construction of buildings, however convenient, poses its own set of challenges. It affects the sustainable development critically and can give rise to social, economic and environmental problems. In other words, same design of a building if repeated irrationally from one place to another even within an identical climatic region gives rise to some grave problems which can compromise multiple dimensions of sustainability. Mosque architecture has some elements that have gradually become its identity. In this research different elements of repetition i.e. stereotype features in mosque architecture are explored. While using a case study approach this research is used to assess mosque projects in an urban region of Lahore, Pakistan. While considering the case studies the positive and negative effects of stereotype elements on three dimensions of sustainability are investigated.