Islamic Urbanism ARC 427 Saleh Aldakhil Term Paper
Aldakhil Saleh ARC 427: Dr. Miller Paper Term April 30, 2015 Islamic Urbanism The Islam stared from the Arabian peninsula around 600 A.D where there no existing civilized cities in the peninsula rather than two cities which are Mecca And Eathreb which named after The Muslim prophet Mohammed moved to it for around a decade and changed its name to Almadina Almonaowara which means the city that has be shined. Isalmic urbanism started by the first building that he made which is the holy mosque of Medina and since then each city must have a mosque in the center of the city. There are Major elements in every Islamic city and as a rule, there is an interaction between what people build and what they believe (Bianca 22). Also, for developed Islamic cities there are more elements (Hakim 55). There are several variables impact the urban form of the Islamic city which started by the Islamic authority, and ends by individuals (Hakim 102). Climatic conditions also play rule in the formation of the urban form. Elements of Urban Form starts by the residential units which contains several elements. Courtyard concept house was the dominant approach in Islamic house for many reasons. First, the Islamic society is man dominate society and the man is charge of everything in the house and to keep the privacy the family should gather in the middle of the house and no strangers are allowed to social with what he consider properties without his admission. Second, the climate played a big rule in strengthen the concept of the courtyard house since the weather is hot most of the year the ventilation was needed all this time. Also, depending on the material used building
the house which in most cases is the mud openings in the walls were few and so small and the need of natural lighting made the courtyard house in favor (Bianca 92). Albastakiya is an element that was used in the Eastern region, it`s main purpose was to catch air to cool the house and it raises above the house and has rectangular openings. Some water may be positioned in the way of the air to reduce the air temperature before it enters the house. Mashrabyah is mainly used in the western region of Saudi Since its origin is from North Africa. Hundreds years ago its purpose was to cool water in jars with the flow of air into lattice wood work. It developed to be an architectural element that can be used to be room extension, window, and curtain. It allows breeze to enter the room. In addition to allowing the air it allows the natural light to penetrate to the room (Bianca 75). Mosque in Islamic city means a lot since the beginning of Islam until a century ago the whole Islamic world was under one government, in other words the mosque is the real connection between the city and the main government (Kilafat) the capital give the orders to the Islamic society through the mosques. Another meaning of the mosque is the school where the children were learning. There are no official school and everybody sends his children to the mosque to learn how to read and write the Arabic language. Scientists were travelling long distances to meet in the mosque and learn from each other. Also, festivals and funerals were taking place in the mosques. The mosques usually located in the middle of the city where everyone can get to easily (Bianca 102). As the residential unit was based on the courtyard concept every mosque also has a courtyard. Mehrab which is the place where the imam stand and lead the prayers. Mehrab always pointing toward the Holy City of Macca. And it’s usually the end front point of the mosque. manarah is the tallest part of the mosque it was used to tell the
calling for each prayer and after the invention of the microphone it became the symbol of the mosque. Mosala is the main part of the mosque where the prayers stand for worship and pray five times every. The souk is the Islamic term for the shops, and it’s always on the way to the mosque and every type of goods were brought to the souk and only the animals are kept away outside the city( Bianca 122). There are several minor elements for more developed cities. Sur (castle) is the first defensive line of the city. Usually it`s 6 m high and 2 m wide. However, castle is not a primary for every city (Hakim 60).The Bab (gate) is a big secure open to the city, there could be multiple gates and the sur could contain the Burg (tower) which allow the soldiers to predict who is coming to the city far away ( Hakim 60). The gate leads to the Shar` (street) since Islamic developed city usually have a main street connecting the gates to the core of the city, at the end of the street there is the Saha (public square) (Hakim 61). There are several other elements in the city such as the mussalla which is a small prayer area in private buildings (Hakim 61).At the end of the city usually out of the castle the maqbara (cemetery) is located even though the ceremonies may happen in the mosque and the house of the dead person. There are private water storages and public big water storage that called the khazzan (Hakim 63).the sewer system is called Khandaq which usually located around the city (Hakim 63). For the visitors from outside the city there is a place called mahalla where is the visitors can stay (Hakim 63). In Building Process and Impacts on Buildings and Urban Form the Islamic authority rules is the main factor (Hakim 102). The most important rule which impacted the Islamic urbanism is the direction of the qiblah (Mecca), the biggest structure in the whole city is the mosque that should
be pointing to Mecca. Even the city isn`t grid system, the direction of most buildings almost pointing to the qiblah (Hakim 102). And here is some examples of Mecca direction: - Fas, Morocco, 34 2 North 5 0 West - Sharm-ash-shikah, Egypt, 27 51 North 36 14 East - Tabriz, Iran, 38 4 North 46 17 East The water resources is main factor in locating and shaping the city. Each city should be located near to main water resource such as a river, or above adequate wells. The water is a main resource to irrigation and drinking (Hakim 108). Water transportation activities cab be classified under three categories which are Cisterns which are located under each residential unit to collect water for household needs, Aqueducts which are running form the main water resource to the core of the city. These aqueducts considered the main water source, and Individual wells for private uses (Hakim 108). Social and cultural impacts is the second factor including the shape of the streets, and the privacy (Hakim 109). The Streets are connecting the gate to the core of the city which form the main grid in the city (Hakim 190). The Privacy such as the separation between the genders in the public spaces and it plays a huge rule in forming the house (courtyard house). So if the owner of the house wanted to build a house he will order a Sakifa which is an opening with closed doors so no one can see directly to the courtyard from outside. For middle and high class houses simple rooms may be added bel-kbu u mkasar this part of the house usually located in the opposite side of the entry and divided into: The main space which is called Kbu in the center contains built-in seating and elaborate wall, primary living area and decorated ceiling. The bel-kbu u mkasar is for
friends and family gathering, two rooms located in the side of the Kbu, they are called Maqsura and usually they are used as bedrooms, two opposite alcoves used as bedrooms (Hakim 113). They are built-in beds and/or storage, they are usually framed with a decorative wooden structure called Hanut hajjam (Hakim 113). As the house gets completed the builder may use some sketches to communicate with the owner. When there is unclear part of the design the owner most likely will show the builder another house with the existing sample that he wants it in his house (Hakim 113). Overlooking: visual corridors that were designed by the doors, windows, and the heights of the buildings, the walls between neighbors which is a right for the ownership and usage. There is no separate wall from neighbor they are all connected, and there is a big impact on the city urban by the drainage of rain and waste water (Hakim 113). There are Climatic factors that impact the urban form of the city based on the location and the materials. There is a rule of the climate on the design of the house which made every region different from other. In the Region of Saudi Arabia which is known as hot humid climate on the coast mud and mixture with some organic material such as grass to strengthen the wall and reduce its width. Courtyard concept is the main concept used in buildings due to the shortage of the exterior openings in order to get some ventilation and natural lightings. On the other hand, the arid area in the central of Saudi has other features, only mud which require a wide wall especially in the base and make it difficult to have windows. There is no openings on the exteriors which made the courtyard the best way to get lighting and ventilation. However, in the western region there are different style was used there, the material used in western region mostly was coral which allowed buildings to go three floors high the coral material allowing the building to go higher and has more and wider openings with no courtyard need. Finally, Southern Houses on
the mountains in Saudi is mountain area and the material used there is the stone. The stone is the best choice for high buildings with some mud as a mortar to keep the stones together.
Sources: Bianca, S. (2000). Urban form in the Arab world, Thames and Hudson. Hakim, B. S. (2008). Arabic-Islamic Cities: Building and Planning Principles, EmergenCity.