GBA Sunshine Mosque, Ardeer, Victoria

Page 1

Islamic Components

Some of the Islamic components are presented here.These components include: (a)Minaret - a tall tower which is traditionally a landmark to broadcast prayer call. In this case, the minaret of Sunshine mosque is considered a later type, which has a square base,octagonal centre and cylindrical top, also conical roof on the very top typifies a Turkish Islamic form. (b) Mihrab, Qibla & Minbar - For Muslim, prayer has to be done facing Qibla, the direction towards Mecca. Mihrab, an ornamental niche is placed at the midpoint of Qibla wall. While Minbar is a crowned pulpit where sermon is delivered. The mihrab,which was highly decorated with sophisticated pattern tiles, stands out from all of the components in the hall.

Sunshine Mosque

Besides, courtyard is a place for leisure activities, as well as celebrating major festivals such as Kurban and Ramadan. Two rooms around the courtyard are worth-mentioning : a function room which was the original site for prayer, and burial preparation room for ritual cleansing.

1.HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Sunshine mosque, also known as the Cyprus Turkish Islamic Society mosque, is the biggest mosque in Victoria. It was fully aided by Cypriots, which gathers predominantly in the western suburbs. Nowadays, this mosque serves Muslims from distant parts of Victoria. The purchase of original site at Ballarat road, Sunshine in 1984. It was an important decision for the community. It operated as a community centre, before the construction of the mosque in 1992. A great facilitator of the construction is Mr Hassan Dellal, which is also the founder of the society. He envisioned a mosque representing The Blue Mosque of Istanbul. The original intention of the construction of this mosque is to bring a tad of magnificent Turkish Islamic elements to Victoria. Now, for Turkish Cypriots, this mosque is an important visible symbol of Muslim identity and values. This building is not only remarkable in terms of religious function, but in a wider context it represents a bridge between Australians and International Islamic Community.

Fig.5: The relations of Islamic components including: minaret, minbar, mihrab Fig.6: Prayers are done facing qibla wall, which mihrab and minabar are placed.

Fig.3: Site plan sketch, a general impression of the interior spatial organization. This mosque is a simpler version of Ottoman mosques, minor elements such as fountains are omitted .

Fig.7: The highly deocrated minbar, these mosaics with calligraphy and arabesque patterns are imported from turkey

Fig.4: minaret with a square base,octagonal centre cylindrical top and conical roof

2. PLANNING,COMPONENT & FUNCTION

Sunshine mosque consists of a prayer hall (haram), a courtyard (sahn) and several arcades(riwaq) which surrounds the previous two space . The main function of the mosque is to provide a house for the congregation at prayer. Besides, this place is also reserved for the organization of communal activities and traditional Islamic funerals. The prayer hall is where Friday prayers and formal lectures are conducted. Unlike churches, there are no benches in this space, because Muslims may move while praying. The upper floor of the hall is allocated for women. Fig.2: Elevation of Sunshine mosque, dome structure is prominent in this mosque.

Goh Jin Er 1063298 Fig.6

Fig.7


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.