"Seven Wonders of Muslim Civilization" review by Jnanapravaha

Islamic Aesthetics Past Programmes: Seven Wonders of the Muslim Civilization November 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th, 2018, 6:30 pm H. Masud Taj (Professor at Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, Carleton University) 11 JPM Quarterly Jan-Mar 2019 Perched high on Mount Jabal al-Nour, near Mecca, the grotto of Hira lies relatively undisturbed even today. It was here that, fourteen centuries ago, a trader came seeking solace in meditation, being dissatisfied by social unrest and moral degeneration. While deep in prayer, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and revealed the word of God. “Read!” proclaimed the angel, “And your Lord is the Most Generous. He who has taught by the pen; taught man that which he knew not.” Terrified and perplexed, the trader, Muhammad, returned to civilization and in the ensuing years, began to spread the words of Allah, which would later be compiled into the Quran—‘the recitation’. Using the cave, the space of contemplation, and the pen, which gave shape to the words of God, H. Masud Taj drew an analogy to the genesis of Muslim architecture and calligraphy. Jnanapravaha hosted Taj, an award-winning architect, professor and calligrapher, for the widely attended series of seminars titled ‘Seven Wonders of the Muslim Civilization’ under the segment of ‘Islamic Aesthetics’. With lectures spread over five evenings, he strung together a vast knowledge of Islamic culture into an incredible narrative spanning religion, commerce, language, the written word and the built environment. It is perhaps its geographical position that has accorded Muslim civilization an eventful history. Although its centralised location resulted in increased conflict, it also opened up the potential for exchange with surrounding civilizations, aided by its vast trade network and consequent expansion. This history of confluence goes hand in hand with the evolution of architecture; the primitive form of its edifices went on to adapt to and assimilate with several local styles, resulting in its rich tapestry. While inherently a spatial manifestation of Islam and its doctrines, engagement with several cultures over centuries has lent Muslim architecture a peculiar and prolific body of work, its monuments clustered along several cities across its civilization. The series of seminars featured seven such marvels, spanning the 7th to the 16th centuries, each edifice comprising a different architectural typology. The first, the singular ‘Dome of the Rock’ in Jerusalem, perfectly exemplifies both, a rootedness in the central tenets of Islam and an accommodation of local architectural traditions. Studied next were two architectural instantiations that occur at the beginning and end of the Muslim sojourn in Spain—the seemingly infinite mosque of Cordoba and the sensuous fort complex of Alhambra in Granada. The series then veered towards a compelling mixed-use typology—the incomplete Sultan Hasan Madrasa at Cairo, which comprises four schools of law, a mosque, a tomb, a hospital, and an orphanage, apart from shops and residential areas. Similarly, the labyrinthine Bazaar of Isfahan is interspersed with public spaces, mosques and madrasas. The list of seven was rounded off with the peremptory urban mosque complex of Suleymaniye in Istanbul, and the ethereal mausoleum of Taj Mahal in Agra, illustrating an unprecedented refinement of the architectural ideal at the zenith of the civilization. These enigmatic buildings are laden with inscriptions, given the centrality of the Quran and Islamic calligraphy’s strong ties to it. Almost an entire millennium separates the Dome of the Rock, constructed a mere 60 years after the Prophet’s death, and the Taj Mahal. While the former has the earliest record of Quranic epigraphy, the latter has been adorned with the most number of Quranic verses. Being a major form of artistic expression in Islamic cultures and an integral part of architecture, JPM Quarterly Jan-Mar 2019 12 these inscriptions help decipher and contextualise the monuments’ meaning. While an excursion through the detailed histories of each of these edifices is beyond the brevity of this article, certain strands of thought emerged through the lectures, offering insight into the Muslim worldview and its ties to architecture. Foremost among them was trade as a defining characteristic of Muslim culture; it is inherent to Islamic theology, religion and lifestyle. Early economic innovation and ethically driven commerce facilitated varied building enterprises. While the fortunes bequeathed by law to the state from deceased families made it possible to finance the Sultan Hasan Madrasa, adding shops to its program sustained its upkeep. The open market space of Isfahan was not controlled by the state, resulting in free competition and a distinct architectural identity. One of the central underlying ideas that extend from religion to architecture is the reigning imperative of ‘Tawheed’. Understood as ‘the unity of one’ and that of existence, it links geometry to the order of the cosmos. The complexity of interlaced ornamentation, the most recognisable feature of Muslim architecture, can be reduced to simple shapes, points of origin and underlying principles of organisation. Apart from these infinitely tileable patterns, the system of proportions and fractal self-similarity within elements extends to all built forms, especially apparent at the Taj Mahal and the Alhambra; this allows even the largest of spaces to be nuanced and filled with subtleties. The adherence to Quranic doctrines and orderly geometries is balanced with 13 JPM Quarterly Jan-Mar 2019 a responsiveness to terrain and site-specific contexts, which allow for spontaneity and inventiveness within the application of a universal system. An extension of the holistic approach to architecture and its interrelation to religion is the reverence conferred on the built tradition. The Alhambra, for example, has seen several expansions throughout the reigns of kings, with each addition respecting the previous design. The outcome is such that the building form comprises an ensemble of autonomous but cohesive forms. An intriguing corollary of this phenomenon is how the facades get incorporated and become interior elevations, like those of the mosque of Cordoba. The peerless form of the Taj Mahal is the crowning culmination of a very rich strand of tradition, drawing from a lineage of precedents such as the tombs of Timur, Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir and Itimad-ud-Daulah. Through anecdotes of interactions with his mentor Hassan Fathy, Taj spoke of the relationships between form, the earth that it articulates into levels and the sky that it captures and frames. For example, the madrasas at Suleymaniye sit on stepped platforms over the contours of the land, their domes creating a striking silhouette against the sky. Architecture choreographs movement through these forms, unfolding as a layered sequence of spaces. At both the Alhambra and the Sultan Hasan Madrasa, the circulation meanders through several programmatic elements, courtyards and transitional spaces, almost as if to make the external world immaterial. The presiding form of the Dome of the Rock rests as an octagonal volume, the surrounding floor extending onto its visage till it meets the horizon. Ascending to complement the blue of the sky, it is crowned by a golden dome signifying the heavens. The articulation of interior spaces accentuates its lateral form and circumambulatory movement, only to reveal a womb-like sanctum that stresses on its verticality. The seven wonders, the paragons of Muslim architecture, resolve complex spatial concerns through a synergy between religious precepts, built traditions, structural integrity and inventiveness, all the while creatively responding to geographical and historical contexts. Achieving both visual splendor and sensory ‘affect’, their exquisite forms aspire towards intangibility. This lecture series attempted to understand civilization through the lens of architecture, situating it with concurrent Muslim thought, poetry, mysticism, science and theology. Unpacking the ideas and belief systems that are both projected on and communicated by architecture, Taj emphasised on a built vocabulary that possesses the depth and diversity to receive such layered meanings. - S.B. Prof. H. Masud Taj speaks during ‘Seven Wonders of the Muslim Civilization’ JPM Quarterly Jan-Mar 2019 14 JPM QUARTERLY Jan - Mar ’19