ISLAMIC MOSQUE

SUBMITTED BY VAIBHAV MUDGAL

B.Arch 3rd Year Ideal School of Architecture

Introduction• A Mosque/Masjid is a place of worship for the followers of islam.• Most of the mosques have a particular architectural features which in todays time

has become a identity which are elaborated Domes, Minarets & Prayer halls.• The mosque played a major role in the spread of education in Muslim world and

this has been its main characteristics throughout the history.• Since the earliest days mosque has been a centre of muslim community, a place

of prayer only.• In a mosque there are strict restriction on the uses of the area formally

demarcated as mosque.

• Mecca is considered to be the first mosque ever built.• It is situated in Hejaz, Saudi Arabia.• The Mosque is built around the house of Prophet Muhammad

The Architectural Features of a Mosque• The architecture of a mosque is shaped most strongly by the regional traditions

of the time and place where it was built. As a result, style, layout, and decoration can vary greatly. • Nevertheless, because of the common function of the mosque as a place of

congregational prayer, certain architectural features appear in mosques all over the world which are mentioned down below:

• Prayer Hall• Sahn• Mihareb• Minaret• Qubba

Prayer Hall• The large central area for prayer is called a musalla. No furniture is needed, as

worshippers sit, kneel, and bow directly on the floor,a few chairs or benches to assist elderly or disabled worshippers.

Sahn (courtyard)

• The most fundamental necessity of congregational mosque architecture is that it be able to hold the entire male population of a city or town. In many mosques prayer hall is adjoined to an open courtyard, called a sahn. Within the courtyard one often finds a fountain, its waters both a welcome respite in hot lands, and important for the ablutions (ritual cleansing) done before prayer.

Fountain

Open Courtyard

Mihrab (niche)

• Another essential element of a mosque is a mihrab—a niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca, towards which all Muslims pray.• The direction of Mecca is called the qibla,and so the wall

in which the mihrab is set is called the qibla wall. • No matter where a mosque is, its mihrab indicates

the direction of Mecca (or as near that direction as science and geography were able to place it). Therefore, a mihrab in India will be to the west.

Minaret (tower)

• One of the most visible aspects of mosque architecture is the minaret, a tower adjacent or attached to a mosque, from which the call to prayer is announced.

The Mosque of Jama Masjid in Delhi having Minarets.

• Minarets take many different forms—from the famous spiral minaret of Samarra, to the tall, pencil minarets of Ottoman Turkey. Not solely functional in nature, the minaret serves as a powerful visual reminder of the presence of Islam.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque in Turkey.

Qubba (dome)

• Most mosques also feature one or more domes, called qubba in Arabic. • While not a ritual requirement like the mihrab, a dome does possess significance

within the mosque—as a symbolic representation of the vault of heaven. • Some mosque types incorporate multiple domes.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque showing multiple domes.

• The interior decoration of a dome often emphasizes this symbolism, using intricate geometric, stellate, or vegetal motifs to create breathtaking patterns meant to awe and inspire.

Some Famous Mosque Around the world

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi – Medina, Saudi Arabia

Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque-Turkey

Biblography• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/beginners-guide

-islamic/a/introduction-to-mosque-architecture• Picture-en.wikipedia.org• defence.pk• Transworldexpedition• http://

www.metmuseum.org/learn/for-educators/publications-for-educators/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-one/the-mosque• http://religions.iloveindia.com/mosques/

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