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ARCHITECTURE IN THE ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION

Article in Journal of Islamic Architecture · December 2012

DOI: 10.18860/jia.v2i2.2202

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ARCHITECTURE IN THE ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION: MUSLIM BUILDING
OR ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

Ayat Ali Yassin Architecture Department, Faculty of Engineering & Built

Environment
UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia (The National University
of Malaysia)
UKM-Bangi, 43600, Selangor

Dr. NangkulaUtaberta Architecture Department, Faculty of Engineering & Built

Environment
UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia (The National University
of Malaysia)
UKM-Bangi, 43600, Selangor

Abstract
The main problem of the theory in the arena of islamic architecture is affected by some of its Western
thoughts, and stereotyping the islamic architecture according to Western thoughts; this leads to the breakdown
of the foundations in the islamic architecture. It is a myth that islamic architecture is subjected to the
influence from foreign architectures. This paper will highlight the dialectical concept of islamic architecture or
muslim buildings and the areas of recognition in islamic architecture. It will also widen the knowledge in the
characteristics of each point in time according to the stages of islamic architecture from the prophetic age
moving through the architecture outside the city of Medina, the Caliphs, the Umayyad, Abbasid, and
architectural models by spatial and time periods, taking Iraq as the example to explain how the Islam influents
on architecture and vice versa.

Keywords: Islamic Architecture

Abstrak
Masalah utama pada teori arsitektur islam dipengaruhi oleh beberapa pemikiran barat, dan stereotype
arsitektur islam yang mengacu kepada pemikiran barat; Hal ini mengantarkan kepada pecahnya pondasi
arsitektur islam. Pernyataan bahwa arsitektur islam bersubyek pada pengaruh arsitektur luar merupakan mitos
belaka. Makalah ini akan memaparkan konsep dialek dari arsitektur islam atau bangunan muslim dan daerah
yang terkenal dengan arsitektur islam. Selain itu juga memaparkan masa perpindahan kenabian melalui
arsitektur di luar Kota Madinah, Khalifah, Umayah, dan Abbasiyah, serta model arsitektural dengan periode
ruang dan waktu, mengambil Irak sebagai contoh untuk menjelaskan pengaruh islam pada arsitektur dan
sebaliknya.

Kata kunci: Arsitektur Islam

Introduction traditions and the environment in which they live

The islamic architecture is not determined, it in. These are perfect solutions to their needs.
is not standards and forms, not limited to patterns However, they are characterized by Islamic
applied in countries conquered by the Muslims. The architecture and Islamic art in general, therefore
more we understand about its architecture, it is with any common unit collected ,we can identify
recognized that the islamic content is created to any piece produced under the Islamic civilization in
establish the building character with a distinct any country from the Muslim world. Perhaps this is
identity. The relation of time and place differs the secret of the superiority of Islamic civilization
within the architectures created in various Muslim and artistic ability to paint art products in all
countries. Despite the diversity of solutions, the countries- there will always be one distinct
original feature and the similarity of the character of each country.
surrounding environment weather, construction There are different definitions on the term
materials and designer thought are maintained. Islamic architecture or Muslim architecture, but in
What distinguishes them is that they bear features general the concept of Islamic architecture refers
consistent with the requirements of rights and to the characteristic of building used by Muslims to
serve as their identity1. The creation of this

52 | Journal of Islamic Architecture Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2012

architecture dates back to Islam and in areas where and the term Muslim building gives a deeper
it arrived as the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, the understanding because it connects architecture and
Levant, Arab Maghreb, Turkey, Iran, and others; environmental psychotropic economic rules. Some
those under prolonged Islamic rule such as Andalus theorists who believe that the term islamic
(Spain now) and India. The Islamic architecture and architecture or islamic building are linked to
characteristic singled mainly from the Islamic region islamic rulings fixed in Islamic law, and the term
and scientific renaissance that followed. They vary urbanization of Muslims shall be outside the
from region to region according to climate, framework of Islamic law. This means that the
architectural, and cultural heritage in the former architecture with the values of ‘use’ where each
region, where the spread of open courtyard in the building used by the Muslims is taken as their
Levant, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula2 architecture. It is clear that what is produced by a
disappeared while the architecture in Turkey is a civilization dominated by Islamic culture, which was
result of weather condition, in Yemen is due to the formed through the interaction of elements of this
architectural heritage3. culture (religion, art, literature and society) and
the building used by Muslims (for example the
members of the Muslim community using houses in
Related Work European cities) must we call it "the Muslims
Many researchers have focused mainly on the Building"? It does not take into account to any
islamic architecture and the different terms that Islamic element. This confusion between what is
were used in the building of Islamic civilization. functional (shared by various human cultures)and
These differences have raised several questions, what is cultural and stems from the privacy of its
which we will attempt to answer them4: Do the techniques and composition of the spatial and
islamic civilization develop their own architecture aesthetics originated from this culture, thus
or is it the result of the regional building models rejected the term "architecture Muslims" only when
evolution which extends its roots to the heritage of referred to the architecture of everyday life that
those cultures? We find that Lame–Pooles5 used the are formed as a result of the culture of Muslim daily
term architecture in his Alsarasinah book (Hanbook with its own specificity, without doubt, but this
of Sarascenic Art) and the origins of this term from architecture cannot be relied upon to record the
the ancient Greek was also used by Ptolemy. Martin Islamic cultural.
S. Briggs6 used the term Mohammedan architecture
in his book (Mohammed an architecture in Egypt
and Palestine), Arabic architecture (Arabs), Arab Architecture in the Islamic Civilization
architecture: because of the overlap between Islam
The reduction of architecture that evolved in
and the Arabs. Gostaph Lepon7, who wrote the book
the Islamic civilization in one term is the
Civilization of the Arabs included all their
underestimation of civilization and cultural
productions and the architectural but was criticized
achievement produced by the islamic civilization.
by Lan Poulis, Spears, Ferguson, and Rifuera for
The only decoration and adornment configuration is
determining the Arabism just by including people
a complete deviation from the cultural depth
who live in the Arab and Peninsula, from Morocco to
provided by the islamic civilization. The use of the
Iraq. The abolition of the Persians architecture,
term “architecture in the Islamic civilization” as a
Indians, Chinese and others (Moorish architecture)
general framework, while likely to use the term
which was used by the Spaniards8 on the Moroccans,
special care of the maintenance of each historical
then to Muslims specifically, and expanded to call
period on the unit such as “Architecture of Islam”
for all the Muslims from the Philippines and the
or “Architecture Umayyad Early” of “Architecture
Pacific Islands. Architect Raaft Chadderchi9 defined
Abbasid” as well as we can in this regard, looking
the term islamic architecture as the cultural
deeply and in detail in the buildings’ differing
formulas more than it is religious, a term that is
features that arose over the islamic civilization:
inappropriate and contradictory, and there was no
geographical and temporal differences between
unity in design between different environments.
them are models of architecture in different regions
However, Turkish (Spirochristov)10, denied the
of the Islamic call to reach a comprehensive and
existence of architecture associated with Islam and
logical point to islamic architecture.
considered the product of an architect is in pace
with the product of the countries that came after
solutions of Islam in all parts of the world .Architect
Hassan Fathy stated11 (the movement of the hands
Islamic styles and reflection on architecture
of the designer does not come from the mind only, in Iraq
but about feeling, spirit and creativity of the
designer fingers, it is the creativity of the sprit), Iraq had a great role in the prosperity of the
so the term Islamic architecture is the most widely Arab Islamic civilization that has placed it among
accepted because it is comprehensive of all this the countries of the world. Arab-islamic civilization
creativity which is spiritual, not physical tangible. grew in Iraq in the Abbasid era, and quickly evolved
Architect Abdel Baki Ibrahim12 believed that the and expanded its facilities. Various researchers tend
term launched by islamic architecture and the to believe that the reason behind the fact is
Orientalists linked the religious aspect of this term that Iraq has the background of an advanced

Journal of Islamic Architecture Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2012 | 53

civilization. This is reflected in the mosques that
were centers of radiation science that have
renewed and expanded famous cities Baghdad,
Basra, Kufa, Mosul, and other Iraq cities. They have
also flourished the life and many religious and
civic buildings and reflected the buildings and
islamic arts in the Islamic nation; in Iraq in
particular. Intellectuality and creativity are to be
adopted by the designer in the Muslim architectural
planning and decoration, commensurate with the
greatness of the heavenly message.
The real development of islamic civilization
Figure 2. Quba Mosque
did not start only after the people of ancient
civilizations such as the Iraqis, Egyptian, Persians,
In Iraq, we can see very little changes in
and others converted to Islam. Religion becomes a
the Prophet buildings. The changes are confined to
source of excellence, and integrated into the craft
the Mecca and Medina basic principles of the Islamic
and creative architecture with Islamic values to
development and city planning as not all the people
reflect the Islamic architecture.
of Iraq are Muslims. Islam was limited to some
There is no doubt that islamic architecture has
people. It was a change at the level of housing to
inherited many experiences from ancient
isolate the individual, public and private spaces.
civilizations preceding them, like that of other
All forms of art, graphics and motifs on the
stages of development prior to starting a new
facades of houses were removing.
phase. They have their own methods and types of
buildings, new and distinctive, as well as their
methods of construction that distinguish them, as
well as decorative elements and aesthetic, and thus
the birth of the distinctive Iraqi islamic style.

Architecture in Modern Prophetic

In distinguishing the islamic architecture, it
appears to be very simple and strict. Two special
islamic architectures in this era that reflect these
features are the Quba Mosque and the Prophet’s
Mosque. In the Quba mosque, we find examples of
the simple in architecture, and the building of the Figure 3. Mar Elea Monastery Near Mosul
Prophet's Mosque is in the form of a large open
courtyard, covered some parts of the palm leaves
placed on the branches of the palm,
which stretch on the pillars of the palm, very
simple and strict13. Even after having undergone a
facelift, the mosque retained the same simplicity as
compared with the mosques in this period. This is
a result from having served many functions: as a
hospital courtyard and a camp for prisoners, and
the homes of some of the companions and the
Muslims who worship in it.

Figure 4. One of the Houses in Alhira

Building in era of Caliphs and Umayyad

The death of the Prophet (PBUH) and the end

of the succession of companions, ended the era of
simplicity and rigor to begin the Umayyad dynasty
Figure 1. Prophet Mosque ruled from the Levant and its capital, Damascus.
After the era of prophecy, every thought is a
judgment based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah and
its legal provisions. This was also the case in the
architecture except for Syria, Palestine and all

54 | Journal of Islamic Architecture Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2012

Levant, which are Christian Counties and part of the perform prayers and worships and some spaces
Byzantine Empire, the first of the Umayyad for private events.
architecture that was greatly influenced by the
Christian is clearly reflected in the Umayyad
Mosque in Damascus. In rebuilding the Al-Aqsa
Mosque, the Dome was of a Rock in a manner to
indicate Christian influence with the introduction of
some new features of Islamic architecture by adding
writings of the Quran or the hadith in the
decoration of mosques.

Figure 7. Plan for ALmadenaALMoura in the Righteous

Caliphs

Figure 5. Mosque al Umayyad in Damascus

Among The Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque,

the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Mosque
of Kairouan, the Dome of the Rock is least affected
by the Christian (Byzantine)architecture.

Figure 8. Plan for ALKuffa City

In the Umayyad period, Damascus was the

Umayyad dynasty capital, and was known as the
Umayyad style or Shame style, which marked the
Figure 6. the Dome of Rock establishment of palaces and attention to
decoration. It was no longer a mosque-centered city
as in the past. The separation of home principality
Every thought that came after the era of from the mosque because of the differences that
prophecy is a judgement based on the Qur’an and occured in the beginning of the Umayyad rule, the
the Sunnah. During the Prophet’s era, building study focal attention deficiencies occured since the
was specialized due to the presence of the Sunnah beginning of the Umayyad ruling. The appearance of
and conditions of the Qur’an. Even buildings in the the yard in the center of the house and arranged
post-Prophetic era were based on the judgement. In wan, located symmetrically on the left and right
Iraq, it is said that one of Caliphs is to design a city suites, were works of extinction which represented
of Basra (16AH), and the city of Kufa (17AH). The the class known as Hairi. Due to the evolution and
basis of the construction was military. We note spread of confusion in the palaces in Iraq, and the
that the mosque was located at the center of the spread of the Umayyad period in some houses of
city and that the tribes had created for themselves Kufa, Waist and Benny Gided housings, buildings
a land around the mosque with the market situated in Iraq in addition to the above, we also observe the
away from the mosque. The houses significantly emergence of minarets with square columns.
confirmed the juxtaposition of spatial and Domes are based on a square base; abound in
principality. This was the Prophet Muhammad’s the corridors of the landscape mosaic. The
approach; either at the level of housing did not examples are: Palace Om Areyev in Kufa, the palace
change radically, except for some converted built by Osakav Jnied in Diyala, and Shaba Palace in
spaces, which was dedicated for family members to the city of Basra.

Journal of Islamic Architecture Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2012 | 55

 The evolution of architectural thinking in this
era, has given us the architectural models creator,
and specifically in Iraq, as the Kufa was the center
of the Abbasid and later widening the Islamic
tide to many parts of the territory: north-south-
east-west. Built by Baghdad caliph, Abu Jaafar Al-
Mansour, was a fortress in a form of a circular shape
which gave flexibility in controlling parts of the city
equally with four gates. This gate set up is known
since the ancient Babylon. The order of functional
cities in this era (Baghdad and Samarra) was
according to the thought of the Abbasid caliphs, so
Figure 9. Plan for Palace in Iraq they are a reflection of domestic politics on
the functional organization of the city as well
as buildings complementary to this thought. The
mosque was surrounded by accomodation,
government departments commercial areas at the
gates.

Figure 10. Entrance for Shaba Palace

Building in Al Abbasid Era:

The fall of the Umayyad dynasty in Damascus

made way to the beginning of the reign of the
Abbasid state, which ruled the country from
Baghdad, one of the most affluent cities in Islam
.They affected the prosperity of the Abbasids and
the simple Islam method in Umayyad architecture, Figure 12. Baghdad retained
ancient civilizations of Babylon and Mesopotamia
(Iraq) and Persian. The fact was the Abbasids’
styles were private domes and minarets, which
were developed during the Umayyad Islamic
dynasty. The Abbasid model was also unique in the
shape of the columns, beams and decorations
between pillars in the form of large domes of the
mosques. The best examples of the Abbasid mosque
models are the al Jama mosque in Samarra, and the
Mosque of Abu AlrivhDilv, both in Iraq, and the Ibn
Toulon mosque in Cairo.
Figure 13. Babylon Gate

Figure 11. IbnToulonmosque in Cairo Figure 14. Baghdad Retained Gate

56 | Journal of Islamic Architecture Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2012

 In the city of Samarra, built by the caliph where you select the public spaces and semi-public
(Mutawakkil) was a rectangular city known as the and semi-private and private. This is a reflection of
Tigris River. One aspect of the city, as a defense, the thought of the Abbasid, which we have
the Abu DLF Mosque is located in the outskirts of observed in urban planning. The school gate, which
the city and not in the center as it was is characterized with the interface high as to
known before, next to the Palace of the caliph. We indicate the entrance, built on the optical axis of
can observe the surrounding of the mosque are the chapel to be the first public space. The
housing of the Army Leader, the king's entourage transition from the level of public space, the city's
whereby the public housing is situated on the other public space at the school level Iwan right and Iwan
side of the city. The markets are large and left, then a special requested classroom, a private
distributed, taking into consideration issues of space which are the bedrooms and a breather, and
security to reduce human crowd in a particular a living room for students and teachers were
place. It is also noticable in the city of Samarra, chosen as rectangular to fit with the events and
streets appear as the greatest runs through the city proportionality and the amount of elongation. This
with the width of 200 arm to facilitate the indicates the sensitivity towards ample space and
gathering of army in case of emergency. It is movement for visitors, or to a request to estimate
not limited to buildings that were constructed in the space needed for the prayers and lessons,
this era as Iraq had already reached its prosperity without any interference from the movements.
and excellence of Islamic civilization. However, There were equal quarters allocated to the
the creativity peaked not only in Iraq, but also in all doctrines of the four that were once convergent
the cities that opened at the hands of Muslims. places in Baghdad, and so he wanted Mustansir to
Perhaps the mosque of Samarra, is one of the most provide equal opportunities for students according
unique Muslim architectural creations where the to their affiliation. We believe that form and
outer walls of the mosque are twisted and This is function were the result of thought.
considered by many researchers as a simulation of
the ziggurat temples in the ancient Iraqi civilization
days of Assyrian and Babylonian.

Figure 15. Mosque of Almutawakkil

Figure 17. The gate of Mustansiriya

Figure 16. The Ziggurat

Mustansiriya Madrasah

When we talk about the Abbasid period, we

must stand on the work of art none other than
Mustansiriya in Baghdad that was built in 625 AH. It
was the first school built gathering the four schools,
not only on the teaching of theology and Figure 18. Detail of the Gate
jurisprudence but was also the first university in the
world. It was the nucleus of cultural in the city as a
whole. We could see from the analysis done on
public and private functions that the functional
division with responsive occupants and nature,

Journal of Islamic Architecture Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2012 | 57

 Figure 19. AlMustansiriya
Figure 21. Nouri Mosque and The lighthouse Alhaddaba
Fashioned by region and counties
Then came the ruling of the Seljuk (447
• Marrakech and the Andalusia-style (which dates AH / 1055 AD), famous for building a regular
back to the people of North Africa and school, including regular Baghdad was built in
Andalusia). the reign buildings, a wide variety of mosques,
• Fatimid-style relative to the Fatimids in Egypt. schools, walls, baths, palaces, and the role of
• Saladin-style relative to the Ayyubids in Egypt. large. Unfortunately, most of those buildings
• Mamluk style relative to the Mamluks in Egypt. ceased to exist, leaving only a few including
• Asaljqa model relative to the Seljuk of Iran the Nouri Mosque and the Lighthouse of al
• Persian Mughal style relative to the Mongols of hadaba, Majahda mosque, Imam Yahya bin
Central Asia and the country of Persia. QasimBadr al-Din Palace and Mosque of Arbil,
• Safavid style relative to the Safavids in leaving only a minaret.
Iran.Indian From the late period of the Abbasid to
• Mughal style relative to the Mughal India. the free-Khalifa Nasser al-Din Allah, Iraq and
• Mughal-style Turkish relative to the Mongols of other important parts of the Muslim world
Central Asia. under the ruling of the Seljuk until the fall of
• Model relative to the Pashto Pashto tribes in Baghdad in (656 AH / 1255 AD), were the
Afghanistan. brightest periods in the history of Arab-Islamic
• Ottoman style. civilization. It has returned to the succession
prestige land status, and it raised the status of
Baghdad, and many construction and
We can see Baghdad has undergone the rule of reconstruction. As examples are the Alkhvavin
Albuehi, and admitted that since the Caliph mosque, alKarkhi mosque.
invaders arrived, some physical movement was
going on in Baghdad, limiting their role in urban
development. The role was the basis for the elite
people who were on a high level of civilization who
were compared to the invaders. They built house
peacocks, the square home and octagonal house,
reconstructed Baghdad and the palaces, mosques
and hospitals.

Figure 22. Alkhvavin Mosque

Figure 20. Caliph Palace (House Peacocks)

Figure 23. Alkarkhi mosque

58 | Journal of Islamic Architecture Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2012

 During the Mongols attack on Baghdad, Hulagu Conclusion
suffered vandalism to their heritage buildings.After
a short period of its fall, some of its buildings were We can see the evolution of form and function
resumed. New set ups and new buildingsalso took over time that depended highly on the circumtances
place: minaret of the Mosque of the Caliphs of the political and cultural lives of the population.
(market spinning), new school reefs, Khan Murjan The label (Islamic architecture) goes back to the
and some fields, schools, mosques and markets. nineteenth century. As Western Orient called it,
Nevertheless, among thosethat were defected, a concept and named after the Islamic cultural
some of which still exist are the most famous of heritage, and not a condition where the Islamic
these Schools, School of Morgan, the Alovaúah faith isenshrined.The Muslim building refers to the
School and mosques such as the Acoli Mosque, SE product of Muslims where shapes are mixed with
mosque, Nomani mosque and, the Syed Sultan Ali the thought that moves the qualities and evolves
mosque. with time according to the variables.
It is also noted that the Muslims practice
paying respect to the norms of all people, even in
the architecture and crafts especially if it does
not conflict with the principles of the Islamic
religion and Semitism that is so-called
contemporary. The Muslims create something from
their principles and their time, if theyconsume what
is produced by age only, without taking into
account their privacy it will be de-identity. We
note that the aesthetic phenomenon in Islamic
architecture (the fact that it was wonderful to be
compatible with the reality of the necessities) is
not the ultimate destination for architecture
Figure 24. Mosque of the Caliphs
because that will bring to the deviation in the
beauty.What distinguishes Islamic architecture is it
protects itself from factors that are exposed and
meet the needs of its users.
Generally,in the different Islamic eras, we can
focus on many forms for a concept, such as the
police concept, society, and economic so we can
ensure and proof the changes in Islamic
architecture is always suited for concepts of every
existing era.

Figure 25. School of Morgan

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60 | Journal of Islamic Architecture Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2012

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