ISLAM – Abrahamic monotheistic
religion
Allah -God
Muhammad- messenger
- 2nd largest religion
Muslims-practiced islam
“Muslim” means “submitter”(to God)
Indonesia- Muslim majority
SUNNI- largest denomination of Islam
(87-90%)
SHIA-2nd largest (10-15%)
5 pillars of Islam
1st – Shahadah (profession of faith)
2nd – Salat (prayer)
3rd- Zakat (almsgiving)
4th – Sawm – (fasting)
5th – Hajj (pilgrimage)
QURAN (“the recitation”)-religious
text – recited only in Arabic during
prayers
Holiest cities in Islam:
A. Mecca
B. Medina
KAABA in Mecca- most sacred site in
Islam at the center of;
A. Great Mosque of Mecca ( Al-
Haram Mosque) – site for
Hajj(pilgrimage), most
important mosque
(Al-Masjid al- Haram, ‘The Sacred
Mosque’)
B. Al- Masjid an- Nabawi in
Medina,Saudi Arabia
(Prophet’s mosque)- built by
Muhammad
-2nd Holiest site in Islam
C. Al- Aqsa Mosque ( Farthest
Mosque) Jerusalem
- 3rd holiest site in Islam
- Qibly Masjid
Qibly Masjid- lead colored dome
Dome of the Rock and Qibly Masjid –
located within the Noble sanctuary, al
Haram ash- Sharif, also known as al-
Aqsa
Dome of the Rock – oldest Islamic
monument, Muslim shrine with gold
dome on the Temple mount in
Jerusalem
– erected by Muslim ruler Abd el-
Malik
- Jerusalem’s most recognizable
landmark
D. Umayyad Mosque ( Great
Mosque of Damascus)- 4th
Holiest site in Islam
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
-radian colors, rich patterns, and
symmetrical silhouettes - 7th century
Elements:
a. Minaret – tower adjacent to
mosques, - used for Muslim
call to prayer (adhan)
Mu’azzin / Muezzin – person
who lead and recite the call
to prayer
Suleymaniye Mosque in Turkey
- Has minarets reaching 70
meters
*More than 1 minaret indicates that it
had been founded by a Sultan
b. Domes - the Dome of the
rock is the 1st Isalamis
building to feature this
Pendentives- where domes
sit,(triangular segements of a
sphere)
c. Muqarnas - ornamented
vaulting, archetypal form of
Islamic Architecture
d. Arches
1. Pointed Arch
2. Ogee Arch
3. Horseshoe Arch
4. Multifoil Arch
e. Iwan – rectangular hall or
space
Pishtaq- formal gateway to
the iwan
Haram- no human and animal forms
MOSQUE (masjid or jami) – house or
open area of prayer in Islam
Islam started during the lifetime of
Muhammad in 7th Century CE
Mosque of the Companions and Quba
Mosque – first structure built by
Muhammad, first Mosque in Islam
(either the two)
Masjid as- Sahabah (Mosque of the
companions) – First Mosque in African
Continent
Masjid Quba ( Quba Mosque)- it may
be the 1st mosque in the World, first
stone was positioned by Muhammad
Ka’bah (Cube)- some scholars say it
was built by Abraham, and the
Sanctuary, Al Masjid Al-Haram (the
sacred Mosque), which is seen as the
1st mosque that existed
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the prophet’s
Mosque)– established by Muhammad
in Medina, originally an open air
building ; FINAL RESTING PLACE of
Muhammad and the 1st two Rashidun
Caliphs ABU BAKR & UMAR
Introduced:
Niche (Mihrab)
tiered Pulpit ( Minbar)
Courtyard
TWO holidays (Eids)
A. Id al-Fitr
B. Id al-Adha
Eidgah – open air enclosure usually
outside the city ( or outskirts)
reserverd for Eid prayers
Mosque also hosts:
IFTAR (Fatoor) dinners- Break of fast,
evening meal with which Muslims end
their daily Ramadan fast at sunset
3 kinds of Mosque
1. Fami masjid (Friday
Mosque)public worship
- Jama Masjid, Congreagtional
mosque, Jumu’ah-Friday
noon prayers
- Jami Masjid- also host Eid
prayers if there’s no Musalla
or Eidgah available
2. Madrase (Collegiate Mosque)
- Madrasa- Arabic word for
educational institution
3. Tomb Mosque
Part 2
Musalla – prayer hall, place for
conducting salah(canonical prayer)
Hypostyle form – the roof held up by
a multitude of columns
Qiblah wall – visually emphasized area
inside prayer hall, usually opporite the
entrance to the prayer hall
Mihrab (Qibla wall) – semicircular
niche in wall that indicates the qibla
Qibla – direction of Kaaba to Mecca
Makhphil or maqfil – located above
the main prayer hall for women
Minbar – pulpit
where the
Imam(prayer
leader) stands to
deliver sermons
(right side)
Kursu- left to the Mihrab, small
elevated plateau used for formal
preaching
Dikka- term in Muslim Arch. For a
tribune raised upon columns from
which Quran is recited and prayers
are intoned by Imam. A reading desk.
Maqsurah- is an enclosure near the
Mihrab of center of the qibla wall(VIP)
Wudu -ablution
Wudu (“partial ablution”)
Ghusl (“Full ablution”)
Tayammum (“dry ablution”)-repalcing
water with sandor dust
Taharah- purification of body and
clothes
Sahn – courtyard
Riwaq – arcade or portico open on at
least one side
Howz – pool for ablution in a sahn
Common types
A. Hypostyle Mosque
B. 4- Iwan mosque
C. Centrally planned Mosque
Umayyad and Abassid
Khalifahs (“representatives”) or
caliphs – succeeded Muhammad
Major Caliphates during Medieval
Period:
A. Rashidun Caliphate
B. Umayyad Caliphate – largest
(Capital in Damascus, Syria)
C. Abbasid Caliphate – (Capital
at Baghdad, Iraq)
D. Ottoman Caliphate
UMAYYAD ARCHITECTURE
Qubbat al- Sakhrah – oldest surviving
Islamic building, sanctuary ( Dome of
the Rock, the Dome was inspired by
Byzantine Basilica)
- marks the spot of the prophet’s
miraj, or mystic journey
Umayyad Architecure:
- Byzantine Architecture
- Sasanian Architecture
(Persian)
Great Mosque of Banu Umayyad
(Umayyad Mosque)- built on the site
of a Christian Basilica edicated to
John the Baptist (Yahya)
Horseshoe arch – appears first in
Umayyad Architecture
Haram can mean “forbidden” or
“sacred”
ABBASID CALIPHATE
First center government in Kufa, Iraq
but they founded the city of
Baghadad, Iraq
Baghdad- “the city of peace”
Damascus- Byzantine world
Baghdad – Persia and central Asia
“Arabesque” style – vegetal forms
decorations
ISLAM in AFRICA
Africa – 1st continent into which Islam
spread from Southwest Asia 48% of
population in Africa was mUslim
Masjid as Sahabah (Mosque of the
Companions) – first mosque in African
continent
Sahara- divides African Continent
Islamic North Africa – Its architecture
has a defensive nature
Kasbah – walled city
Kasbah of the Udayas Rabat, Morroco
– UNESCO 2012
Sankore, Madrasah
Great mosque of Kairouan /Mosque
of Uqba – Mosque in Tunisia, one of
the most impressive and largest Djinguereber Mosque
Islamic monuments in North Africa
Sidi Yahya
Subsaharan Africa – mud brick
Byzantine Architecture
Great Mosque of Djenne – world’s
largest mud brickstructure - Architecture of Eastern of the
Roman Empire and Early Christian
Antecedent
- Characterized by masonry
construction, round arches, shallow
domes on pendentives, frescoes,
colored glass mosaics & marble
revetments
University of Timbuktu – a collective
term for 3 mosques in the city of
Timbuktu in what is now Mali:
a. Sankore
b. Djunguereber
c. Sidi Yahya
MOORISH ARCHITECTURE - Islamic
Architecture of North Africa & Spain
and Portugal
Iberian Peninsula – Spain & Portugal
711 – Islamic Arabs and Moors of
berber descent in North Africa
crossed Strait of Gibraltar onto the
Iberian Peninsula and conquered
Visigothic Christian Hispania
a. Hispania – Roman Iberia
b. Al – andalus – Muslim Iberia
“Moro People” – an exonym
introduced by Spanish colonizers due
to their Muslim faith.
Some of the world’s most beautiful
monuments were built in Andalusia
Mosque – Cathedral of Cordoba
It also known as:
- The Great Mosque of Cordoba
- The Mezquita
- Cathedral of Our Lady of the
Assumption
The Great Mosque of Damascus used
as model in the design.
Alhambra – palace and fortress
complex located in Granada,
Andalusia, Spain.
- One of Spain’s major attractions,
exhibiting the country’s most
significant and well known Islamic
Architecture
-UNESCO World Heritage Site
Giralda – bell tower of Seville
Cathedral in Seville, Spain
-Built as minaret for the Great
Mosque of Seville in Al Andalus.(name
before)
Seville Cathedral , Spain - 3rd Largest
church in the world
Characteristics Elements of Moorish
Architecture:
- Muqarnas
- Horseshoe arches
- Voussoirs
- Domes
- Crenellated arches
- Lancet arches
- Ogee arches
- Courtyard
- Zellij - Decorative tile work
(zellij in Arabic or azuelo in Spanish
and Portuguese.
Zellij - mosaic tile work from
individually chiseled geometric tiles
set into a plaster base.
Moor – member of the Muslim people
of Northwest Africa
Mudejar – Muslim permitted to
remain in Spain after the Christian
reconquest
Mudejar Architecture - fusion of
Romanesque and Gothic with Islam
elements
– style of Spanish architecture
produced from 13th to 16th centuries
by Mudejars and Christians
Ottoman Architecture
-Turkish empire
–Byzantine influenced architecture
synthesized with architectural
traditions of Central Asia and the
Middle East.
Suleiman the Magnificent – during his
reign, the Ottoman Empire
encompassed much of Southeast
Europe, West Asia and North Africa
and become a world power.
- vaults, domes, semi domes
and columns.
Republic of Turkey
Istanbul - largest city
Ankara – capital
Suleymaniye Mosque , Istanbul Middle East - referred to Iran,the d. Bahrain
Turkey Caucasus,Afghanistan, Central Asia, e. Kuwait
Turkestan f. Saudi Arabia
g. UAE
Far East - east Asia
MOST POPULOUS COUNTRIES ON
Arabs - constitute the majority ethnic
ARABIAN PENINSULA
groups in the region
-RIYADH
”Arab” - refers to a large number
people whose native region from the -ABU DHABI
- Ottoman imperial mosque Arab world due to the spread of Arabs
-DUBAI
- 2nd largest mosque in and Arabic language
Istanbul -JEDDAH
Persia – Iran
-DOHA
Mesopotamia – Iraq .
Sultan Ahmed Mosque -KUWAIT CITY
Koppen Climate classification –
vegetation based -SANA'A

-MECCA

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS OF THE

MIDDLE EAST

– the blue mosque

Sedefkar Mehmed Agha - architect Ancient City of ALEPPO,Syria

Dolmabahce Palace

Middle east – Hot, arid climate

Sharifi-ha
House , Iran–
– Served as the main administrative feature rooms
center of the ottoman empire that can be - "military architecture"
- Largest palace in Turkey rotated 90
degree - was a biggest city before, now the
biggest is Damascus
MIDDLE EAST

- a transcontinental region which Old City of SANA'A, Yemen

includes western Asia ; Caucasus, Most populous in the region:
Turkey (including European part),
- Egypt, Iran, Turkey
Egypt (North Africa)
Largest in area – Saudi Arabia
Origins of several religion including:
(Countries in Persian Gulf have a vast
- Judaism
reserve of crude oil)
- Christianity
Arabian Peninsula / Arabia -
-Islam largest peninsula in the World - ancient skyscraper, highest capital
Near East - English (England) a. Yemen cities in the world
b. Oman
c. Qatar
SHIBAM, Yemen SAUDI ARABIA JEDDAH
TOWER,
-In Western Asia constituting the bulk
Saudi
of the Arabian Peninsula
Arabia
- Riyadh (capital)
- Adrian
Smith

Kingdom Centre / - skyscraper

Kingdom Tower on hold on
-"Manhattan of the Desert" north side of Jeddah
- world's 3rd
- oldest and best examples of vertical tallest building - planned to be the world's first 1km
planning urbanism with a hole high building

-500 tower house, 5-11 storey and - 5th tallest

made up on mud bricks building in Saudi
KING ABDULLAH PETROLEUM
Arabia
STUDIES AND RESEARCH CENTER
(KAPSARC)
PETRA, Jordan
PUBLIC
Petra “ Rose City” INVESTMENT
- symbol of jordan as well as FUND TOWER (PIF
Jordan' s most visited tourist TOWER)
attraction - Capital Market
- rock cut architecture Authority Tower - Saudi Arabia
Al- Khazneh (other name)
- Zaha Hadid
- tallest building in
-Its gray, cellular outer shell emerges
Riyadh
as a crystalline form in the middle of
- 2nd tallest in Saudi Arabia the desert

ABRAJ AL BAIT KAPSARC MOSQUE, Saudi Arabia

TOWERS
(Mecca Royal
Hotel Clock
Tower)
- complex of 7
-one of the most elaborate temples in
skyscraper
Petra
hotels in
-fomous for its rock cut architecture Mecca, Saudi
Arabia - prayer hall within a reflecting pool
and water conduit system
- central hotel tower

- world's largest clock face

- 3rd tallest building in the world

- 5th tallest freestanding structure in

the world
KUWAIT Burj Khalifa, Gevora Hotel, Dubai
Dubai
- tallest hotel building
- Adrian Smith according to Guinness
Al Hamra
(SOM) world record
Tower / Burj Al
Hamra - tallest
building and
- tallest
man-made
building in
structure in JW Marriott Marquis , Dubai
Kuwait
the world
- 2nd tallest hotel in
- tallest carved
- contains highest mosque (158th the world
concrete
floor)
skyscraper in - twin tower
the world - highest swimming pool (76th floor) skyscraper complex
- highest viewing platform (124th
floor)

- spider lily flower (shape)

BAHRAIN

- island country in persian gulf

Cayan Tower,
- 3rd smallest nation in Asia Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai
Dubai
Bahrain World Trade Center
- world's 2nd
tallest high rise
building with a 90
degree rotation

- WS Atkins

The Opus, Dubai

Burj Al Arab, Dubai

- firsy skyscraper in the world to - Tom Wright

integrate wind turbine
- 5th tallest hotel in
the world

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) - world's most

- first and only foray of Zaha Hadid in
luxurious hotel
- Abu Dhabi (capital) Dubai
- shape of dhow's sail (arabic
- Dubai (largest and most populous) traditional ship)
The Dubai Frame
- its helipad, world's highest tennis
7 Emirates of UAE: court - Fernando
Donis
Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai (most
populous city), Fujairah, Ras Al - biggest
Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain picture
frame on
the planet
Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi

- first edifice in
Middle East to
use diagrid
system

- world's farthest
man-made
leaning tower

- 18 degree
twisting tilt

Diagrid (diagonal grid)

- framework composed of
beams that intersect in a
diagonal pattern, eliminates
the necessity of columns
- Vladimir Shukhov (Russian
Matematician and Engineer)

Aldar Headquarters Building, Abu

Dhabi

- world's first circular skyscraper

- coin building (nickname)

Louvre Abu Dhabi, UAE

- Jean Nouvel

- largest art museum in the Arabian

Peninsula