Architecture of mosques and other buildings in Muslim countries
Shapes
Many forms of Islamic architecture have developed in various regions of the Islamic world. The most important Islamic architectural types include the earliest Abbasid buildings, T-shaped mosques (the intersection of the central nave and along the qibla wall) such as the Great Mosque of Kairouan, and the central-vaulted mosques on the Anatolian Peninsula. The oil abundance of the century in many Islamic countries led to the construction of many mosques using designs by modern architects.
The Arabic plan or hypostile mosques are the earliest type of mosque, begun under the Umayyad Dynasty. These mosques are either square or rectangular in plan and include a courtyard and a covered hall dedicated to prayer. Historically, due to the hot climates that predominate in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the courtyard served to accommodate a large number of worshipers during Friday prayers.
The earliest hypostyle mosques have flat roofs above the prayer halls, necessitating the use of numerous columns and supports. One of the most important hypostyle mosques is the Mezquita de Córdoba in Córdoba "Córdoba (Spain)"), Spain, as a building that is supported by about 850 columns. Hypostyle mosques often have external arcades so that visitors can enjoy a curtain. Mosques with an Arabic plan were built mostly under the dynasties of the Umayyads and the Abbasids; Later, however, the simplicity of the Arabic plan limited opportunities for further development, and as a result, the popularity of these mosques declined.
The Ottomans introduced central-vaulted mosques in the century and are characterized, as their name suggests, by having a large vault centered over the prayer hall. In addition to having a large vault in the center, there are often smaller vaults that exist eccentrically over the prayer hall or in other areas of the mosque, where prayer is not performed. This style was heavily influenced by Byzantine religious architecture with its use of large central vaults.
Iwan
The mihrab is a niche or alcove, generally concave, arranged in the qibla wall (the wall that pointed the direction of prayer to the faithful) of a mosque or other prayer space. It also acquired ritual and ceremonial importance over time, and its shape was even used as a symbol on some coinage.[88][89].
The first mosques did not have mihrabs; The first known concave niche mihrab was the one added to the Prophet's Mosque in Medina by Caliph al-Walid I in 706 or 707.[88][90] In later mosques the mihrab evolved to become the usual focus of architectural decoration in the building. Details of its form and materials varied from region to region.[89] In congregational mosques, the mihrab was usually flanked by a minbar (pulpit), and some historic mosques also included a nearby maqsura (a protected space for the ruler during prayers).
Minarets
The minaret or minaret is a tower that traditionally accompanies the mosque. Its formal function is to provide an elevated point from which the call to prayer, or adhan, is made. This call is issued five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, dusk and at night. In most modern mosques, the adhan is performed directly from the prayer hall and transmitted by microphone to a speaker system in the minaret.[91].
The origin of the minaret and its initial functions are not clearly known and have been the subject of academic debate for a long time.[92][93] The early mosques lacked minarets, and the call to prayer was often given from smaller towers.[94][95][96] The early Muslim community of Medina made the call to prayer from the door or roof of Muhammad's house, which also served as place of prayer.[97] The first confirmed minarets in the form of towers date from the beginning of the century, under Abbasid rule, and did not become a regular feature of mosques until the [98th] century.[99] These first minaret towers were located in the center of the wall opposite the qibla wall.[100] Among them, the minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia, which dates back to From the year 836, it is one of the oldest surviving minarets in the world and the oldest in North Africa.
Minarets have had various shapes (generally round, square, spiral or octagonal) depending on the era and architectural tradition. The number of minarets per mosque is not fixed; Originally, each mosque had one minaret, but some architectural styles may include several.[105].
Grounds
The Quran uses the garden as an analogy for paradise and Islam came to have a significant influence on garden design. The Quran has many references to gardens that are often used as earthly analogies for the life in paradise promised to believers.
"Allah has promised to the believing men and women, under flowing rivers, to dwell in them, and great dwellings in gardens of perpetual abode; and the best of all is the great pleasure of Allah; that is the magnificent achievement." (Quran 9.72).
Islamic gardens have survived over a wide area stretching from Spain and Morocco in the west to India in the east.
Muqarnas
A muqarnas or muqarna is a three-dimensional sculpted motif created by the geometric subdivision of a vaulted structure into miniature pointed arch substructures or niches, also known as "honeycomb vaults" or "stalactite".[107] They can be made of different materials such as stone, brick, wood or stucco.
The first monuments that made use of this feature date back to the century and are found in Iraq, North Africa, Iran, Central Asia and Upper Egypt. This seemingly almost simultaneous development in distant regions of the Islamic world has led to multiple academic theories about their origin and how they spread, with one current theory proposing that they originated in some region at least a century earlier and then spread from there. Arab-Ata") (977-978) in Tim (Uzbekistan), the Gunbad-i Qabus") (1006-1007) in northeastern Iran, and the Duvazdah Imam Mausoleum") (1037 or 1038) in Yazd. horns and pendentives, muqarnas were also used to decorate cornices, portals, mihrabs, windows, arches and entire domes.[107].
Calligraphy
Arabic calligraphy[118] is associated with the Islamic geometric art of the arabesque on the walls and also on the ceilings of mosques as well as in written texts. Many contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage of Arabic calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions and abstractions in their work.
Arabic encompasses in a single term (jatt) the notions of writing and calligraphy, a fact that is explained by the sacred nature of a language that is that of the Holy Quran. Few civilizations have taken the art of calligraphy to such a high level as the Muslims have done.[119].
Instead of expressing something related to reality using spoken words, calligraphy for Muslims is a visible expression of the highest art of all, the art of the spiritual world. Calligraphy has become the most revered form of Islamic art because it constitutes a link between the language of Muslims and their religion. The sacred book of Islam, the Quran, has played a very important role in the development and evolution of the Arabic language, and by extension, in the way of writing the Arabic alphabet, that is, in its calligraphy. Proverbs and extensive passages from the Quran remain the most used sources for Islamic calligraphy.
Light
Light represents God in the Islamic religion. It symbolizes the splendor of faith.
In the Quran the following passage is observed:
In Islam, the word nur means the light of God. According to this religion, Allah considers all men equal. Nothing has to draw attention to anything else.
For this reason, the light has to be distributed evenly throughout the prayer rooms. It is an element that creates the atmosphere of recollection for the encounter of the faithful with their God.
The space should only be illuminated enough to create a feeling of calm that eases and dissolves tensions.
On the other hand, Islam expanded substantially to countries with extremely hot climates. Consequently, Muslims seek to avoid direct access to the sun's rays. They had to find a solution that would allow them to combat the heat and illuminate the interior space, without impeding ventilation, but at the same time guaranteeing privacy. The answer was found in the use of "screens".