A mosque or masjid in Arabic is a communal building reserved for the purpose of praying in Islam. The word “masjid” is translated as “a place of prostration”. There are two main types of mosques: the masjid jami, also known as “collective mosque”, a center of worship for a community that serves as the site of Friday prayer services controlled by a large state; and those mosques of smaller scale run by many private groups. Like churches and cathedrals in Catholicism or temples and pagodas in Buddhism, depending on regional culture and distinct periods of history, mosque architecture varies in style.
Basic Layout | Mosque Architecture
The earliest form of mosque architecture is the Prophet Muhammad’s original house in Medina, current Saudi Arabia. Most mosques in former times include the standard elements based on the structural layout of Muhammad’s dwelling. There is an open courtyard, sahn, which usually has a fountain to perform ablutions. In many cases, the courtyard can be conjoined to a prayer hall that needs to be large enough for the male population of the area. In addition, the mihrab is an indispensable part of mosque architecture. It is a niche in the wall directed toward Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad was given birth. The mihrab is built into the qibla wall. The word “qibla” refers to the course of Mecca city. From afar, one can easily spot a mosque by the sight of the minaret, a tall tower that can either be adjacent or attached to the structure. It is used for announcements to prayers. The imam, the prayer leader, stands at the minbar when giving a sermon after Friday prayer. The minbar is elevated from the ground level by a staircase.
The Hypostyle Mosque
The Prophet Muhammad’s original house, also known as the first mosque of Islam, was built in hypostyle. Later, the style became popular throughout the Islamic lands and made it to the list of the most basic forms of mosque architecture. The architectural term “hypostyle hall” literally means “under pillar”. It describes an interior space with a roof supported by columns or pillars. The Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia is a representative of the hypostyle mosque. It was constructed in the 9th century by Ziyadat Allah I of Ifrigiya. He was the Emir, an Arabic word for a male monarch, aristocrat, or holder of high-ranking military or political office, in Ifriqiya from 817 to 838. The hypostyle halls of the mosque close a rectangular shape to create an inner sahn. The main structural material is stone. The hypostyle mosque architecture is further defined by a large number of columns in the interior space. Another outstanding example of the hypostyle mosque is the Great Mosque of Cordoba, which successfully combines the hypostyle with the utilization of bicolor for arches to create a dizzy optical effect.
The Four-Iwan Mosque
The 11th century introduced a new style of mosque architecture as the replacement of the hypostyle in the early period of mosque architecture’s history: the four-iwan. Iwan is borrowed from Persian denoting a vaulted space with walls on three sides and one opening side that leads to a courtyard. The name “four-iwan” results from the design of four iwans connecting to a central courtyard. The qibla iwan, the one set in the direction toward Mecca, is often larger and more ornamental compared to the other three. The Great Mosque of Isfahan was remodeled to the four-iwan form from the hypostyle by the Seljuqs of Iran when their army conquered the city in the 11th century. The mosque experienced another renovation in the 16th century with new tiles for the walls.
The Centrally Planned Mosque
While the four-iwan style of mosque architecture was dominating the construction of mosques across the territory of Islam, the architects of the Ottoman Empire were inspired by the central floor plan of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. The Empire rose to power in the 15th century after the successful conquest of Mehmed II in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire for more than a thousand years. Hagia Sophia, one of the greatest Byzantine churches, is famous for its monumental dome as the center of the floor plan over a large nave. The Mosque of Selim II, Edirne of Turkey, is considered to be one of the masterpieces of Ottoman architecture. Designed by Mimar Sinan, it features the centrally planned style of Ottoman mosques. The central dome appears to be higher and wider than the one of Hagia Sophia.
Mosques in China
Mosque architecture has made its first appearance in China since the Tang Dynasty. The earliest mosque in this country is Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou, built in 627 AD. Some of the mosques in China carry specific traits of Chinese architecture in combination with Islamic architecture. The Great Mosque of Xi’an is an example of a mosque well blending the characteristics of regional architecture with typical mosque elements like squinches and Islamic – style arched mihrab. It was originally built in 742 AD during the Tang Dynasty, but the current form was mostly reconstructed in 1384 AD in the Ming Dynasty.
Contemporary Mosque | Mosque Architecture
Contemporary mosque architecture has put on a more modern coat compared to those traditional mosques in terms of material and design. Punchbowl Mosque, Sydney Australia, is built in the neutral palette of concrete. The building lacks colorful ornament tiles and walls with complicated carved-in details. On the other hand, Punchbowl Mosque leaves its concrete walls unpainted. The sacred space is decorated with the geometric shape of the honeycomb structure. The dome is made of plywood, again unpainted, with a 30-millimeter round skylight at the top. The exterior of the mosque does not appear to be a classical religious mosque making the building exist in harmony with the urban neighborhood of Sydney.
References
Common types of mosque architecture (article) (no date) Khan Academy. Khan Academy. Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/beginners-guide-islamic-world-art/beginners-guide-islamic-art/a/common-types-of-mosque-architecture (Accessed: April 30, 2023).
Emir (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emir (Accessed: April 30, 2023).
Great Mosque of Xi’an (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mosque_of_Xi%27an (Accessed: April 30, 2023).
Han, S. (2019) Traditional Islamic architecture informs ornamental concrete vaulting in Punchbowl Mosque, Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/06/26/punchbowl-mosque-candalepas-associates-sydney-australia/ (Accessed: April 30, 2023).
List of mosques in China (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mosques_in_China (Accessed: April 30, 2023).
The Mosque (2013) The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum-resources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-one/the-mosque (Accessed: April 30, 2023).
Weisbi, K. (no date) Introduction to mosque architecture (article), Khan Academy. Khan Academy. Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/introduction-cultures-religions-apah/islam-apah/a/introduction-to-mosque-architecture (Accessed: April 30, 2023).
Ziyadat Allah I of ifriqiya (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziyadat_Allah_I_of_Ifriqiya (Accessed: April 30, 2023).
