Islamic Architecture Terms

Islamic Architecture

• Locus of the Diving Throne is described as passive to the intellect, maternal in gender, and sublime in form.

Mosque Features

• A minaret is a tower attached to a mosque where the Muezzin calls Muslims to prayer.
• A Muezzin is the official who proclaims the call of prayer.
• Alem is a tulip or star and crescent-shaped metal ornament attached to the top of a high construction.
• An Iwan is a large vaulted portal opening onto the central courtyard of a mosque.
• A Minbar is a raised pulpit from which the Imam delivers his sermons.
• Qibla is the wall in the mosque where the Mihrab is set, usually oriented towards Mecca.
• Qibla Iwan is the entrance that is oriented towards Mecca, usually the most ornamented Iwan and built with minarets on the sides.
• A Mihrab is a niche or decorative panel that indicates the direction Muslims must face while praying, towards Mecca where the Ka’ba is located.
• A Sahn is the atrium or open courtyard of a mosque, often featuring a fountain or Fawwara.

Islam

• Islam is a belief in Allah, Muhammad as a prophet and founder, with the object of life being to live in a way pleasing to Allah.
• The year AD 610 marks the beginning of Islam, when Muhammad received a vision from angel Gabriel.
• The declaration of faith, Shahada, professes that there is only one God.
• Salat consists of five daily prayers: Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (noon), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (evening), and Isha (night).
• The Five Pillars of Islam are Shahada, Salat, Zakah (alms-giving), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
• The Arabian peninsula is bordered by the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires, with the Arabs conquering parts of both empires and transforming their architectural styles.

Denominations of Islam

• Sunni Muslims consider the Caliphs as the immediate successors of the Prophet.
• Islamic architecture features calligraphic inscriptions, floral, and geometric patterns to shift human consciousness from the material world to real spirituality.

Muslim Space

• A designer who applies diversity of space, Islamic calligraphy, floral, and geometric patterns can create a space that delivers the viewer to an instinctive perception of convergence where spiritual and material life comes into contact.

Levels of Prayer

• There are four levels of prayer: the individual (masjid), the congregation (jami), the total population of a town (musalla), and the entire Muslim world (idgah).

Types of Mosques

• A Masjid is a general term for a mosque, used for daily prayer by individuals or small groups, with a Mihrab.
• A Jami is a congregational or Friday Mosque, used for the main weekly service, usually larger than a Masjid, and provided with a Mihrab and Minbar.
• A Musalla is a space apart from a mosque, mainly used for prayer in Islam, derived from the verb "to pray".
• An Idgah is a great open praying area with a Mihrab, used for community prayer.

Caliphates of Islam

• The Caliphate of Umayyad is one of the two major caliphates of Islam.
• The Umayyad Dynasty (661-750) marks the earliest Islamic architecture, with the political center of Islam moving from Mecca to Damascus, and the construction of new mosques, palaces, and government buildings.