Part 3: ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

It can be defined as a building tradition of Muslim populations of the Middle East and any countries where Islam has been dominant from the 7th century on.

Islamic architecture

Types of Islamic Architecture: place for worship

Mosque

Types of Islamic Architecture: public school

Madrassa

Types of Islamic Architecture: structural design for a hot bathhouse

Hammam

Types of Islamic Architecture: a roadside inn for travelers

Caravanserai

Types of Islamic Architecture: a fortress

Casbah/Citadel

Types of Islamic Architecture: a tomb or a monument

Mausoleum

It is the most important Islamic building and the sacred building used by Muslims for prayer.

mosque

Arabic word for the mosque for “a place of prostration” or bowing down to Allah.

Masjid

Besides being a place of prayer, the mosque was also used as a __________ for a combination of reasons: a school, for political and social meetings, a place for judging cases, and other functions in the Islamic community.

“community center”

While _____ (prayer) can be performed anywhere, it is considered most pleasing to God when performed with other members of the Muslim community in the Mosque.

salah

The ______ or sermon, khutbah, is supposed to be compulsory for all male Muslims.

Friday prayer

It means “someone who stands in front”

imam

It leads the prayers and preaches the Friday sermon, in which he explains a passage from the Qur’an or a story about the prophet Muhammed.

imam

It calls Muslims to prayer from the minaret. He recites the adhan, or call to prayer, at set times.

muezzin

a tall slender tower, typically part of a mosque, with a balcony from which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer.

Minaret

Arriving at the Mosque:

When Muslims enter the mosque they go in with their ________, while pronouncing blessings upon Muhammed and his family.

right foot first

Arriving at the Mosque:

Before they pray, they go to a special _____ and they take off their shoes. All the time, they are trying to show their respect for God.

washroom

Arriving at the Mosque:

They also like to wear _______. It shows modesty, and it makes it easier to pray too.

loose clothes

Muslims wash in a special sequence called?

wudu

The mosque contains a _______ where they pray in rows. Males and Females are in a separate areas. Being separated helps us to concentrate better on our prayers.

prayer room

This person chants the prayers call 5 times a day.

Muezzin

From the top of this tower the prayer call is sounded

Minaret

Each mosque has an area with water accessibility where obligatory ritual washing takes place before prayers

Wudu area

Muslims line up in a rows where they bow toward Mecca in prayer

Congregational Prayers

Women are separated from the men in the mosque. Often they and the children overlook from a gallery above.

Women’s Area

Head of the mosque who leads congregational prayer.

Imam

Pulpit from which an imam or political leader issues a sermon each Friday.

Minbar

It is the wall in a mosque that faces Mecca.

Qibla

It is a niche in the qibla wall indicating the direction of Mecca;

Mihrab

Wherever they may be, Muslims face towards the holy city of _____ when they pray.

Mecca

It is ritual prayer practiced five times a day as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Salah

Salah for the _____ times is made up of different numbers of rak’ah.

five prayer

It is a special sequence of movements and verses from the Qur’an, and involves standing, bowing and kneeling with your forehead touching the floor, while reciting the appropriate verse for each position.

rak’ah

It is always have an arch design on them, which is pointed in the direction of Mecca.

Prayer mats

It is used to find the qibla--the direction of Mecca--so that Muslims can pray to face the right way.

compass

It is usually worn by men as a sign of modesty and humility.

prayer cap

These are used to help Muslims recite all the names of Allah.

prayer beads

the sacred language of Islam

Arabic

The Qur'an is written in what language?

Arabic

Verses from the Quran written in _______, a style of Islamic calligraphy and a style of Arabic calligraphy decorate the Musawi Grand Mosque in Iraq’s southern city of Basra.

Thuluth script

Mosque Typology: Bi-axial four (4) Iwan type

IRAN AND CENTRAL ASIA

Mosque Typology: Usage of massive central dome

ANATOLIA

Mosque Typology: Triple domes and an extensive courtyard

INDIAN SUB-CONTINENTAL

Mosque Typology: Detached pavilions within a walled garden enclosure

CHINA

Mosque Typology: Hypostyle hall and open courtyard

SPAIN AND NORTH AFRICA:

Mosque Typology: Central Pyramidal Roof Construction

SOUTH-EAST ASIA:A rectangular hall or pace, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open.

A rectangular hall or pace, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open.

Iwan

Persian term for a portal projecting from the façade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and geometric designs.

Pishtaq

3 Common Layout of Mosque:

1. Hypostyle Mosque

2. Four - Iwan Mosque

3. Centrally-planned Mosque

It is a type of projecting oriel window enclosed with carved wood latticework located on the secondary story of a building or higher lined with stained glass.

Mashrabiya

Courtyard for prayers, they are usually big in area to accommodate people, combined with ablution.

Sahn

Part of a mosque, referring to a niche in the wall which points the worshipers toward Mecca.

Mihrab

Enclosure in a mosque,situated near the mihrab and minbar, defined by a metal or timber screen, used by a ruler for the purpose of protection and status.

MAQSURA

Is a term in Muslim architecture for a tribune raised upon columns from which the Qur’an is recited and prayers are intoned by the imam of a mosque.

Dikka

Part of a mosque, referring to a “pulpit”, or a place from which a religious leader (an “imam”) speaks to the people. It looks something like a staircase.

Minbar

The focal point and covering the main prayer hall.

Dome

What is the Arabic term for dome?

qubba

A Persian architectural ornament refers to a honey-combed, stalactite vaulting in the semi-circular niche.

Muqarnas

Main area top perform the congregational pray

Prayer Area/ Hall

Is an arcade or portico open on at least one side. It often serves as the transition space between interior and outdoor spaces.

Riwaq

Is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious, whether for elementary instruction or higher learning, that is often part of a mosque.

Madrassa

A _____, or mosque school, every evening. It was here that Muslim men learned large sections of the Qur’an inArabic.

Madrassa

Islamic Decorative Elements:

1. Calligraphy

2. Geometric

3. Arabesque

These patterns exemplify the islamic interest in repetition, balance, symmetry and continuous generation of pattern.

Geometric Pattern

Designs of biomorphic, floral patterns representing the underlying order and unity of nature with a great deal of accuracy.

Arabesque

Like other Islamic decoration, it is closely linked to geometry.

Calligraphy

It can add a dynamic quality to architecture, extending patterns, forms and designs into the dimension of time.

Light

It can not only reflect architecture and multiply the decorative themes, but it can also serve as a means of emphasizing the visual axes.

Water