Architecture
Madinah: “The Watered Land, Rich in Date Palms”
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24 January 2012
The first phase of the Prophet Muhammad’s mission took place in Makkah, his birthplace. It lasted about 13 years and was not as fruitful as coveted. Having almost given up his hopes of making any further progress in Makkah, under the existing circumstances and by applying the current preaching methods, the Prophet (pbuh) started to mull over the prospect of shifting to another locality which will be more responsive and conducive than Makkah and, as such, will serve as a base for his arduous tasks as a prophet. He gave his thoughts to more than one urban settlement. However, it could be deduced that some heavenly elements presided over determining the place of the Hijrah (migration), as once disclosed by the Prophet (pbuh) to his companions before the Hijrah had even been planned. He told them: “I have been shown the place of your emigration: I saw a well watered land, rich in date palms, between two tracts of black stones.”[1]
Towards Reviving Islamic Architecture
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24 January 2012
Islamic architecture is not concerned about the form of buildings only. Islamic architecture signifiesa process where all the phases and aspects are equally important. It is almost impossible to identify a phase or an aspect in that process and consider it more important than the others. The Islamic architecture process starts with having a proper understanding and vision which leads to making a right intention. It continues with the planning, designing and building stages, and ends with attaining the net results and how people make use of and benefit from them. Islamic architecture is a fine blend of all these factors which are interwoven with the treads of the belief system, principles, teachings and values of Islam.
The future of Islamic architecture
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04 January 2012
Certain architectural features have become fixed and eternal. In this modern world, they help us find our architectural roots and remain true to our identity.
Almost every architectural structure addresses, in a direct sense, cultural identity and philosophy within a physical context.
If we want to understand, appreciate, and evaluate the architectural quality of a building, we need to develop a sense of dimension, topography, climate, material, structure, and proportion, and of the surrounding physical environment -- both natural and human-made. This sense goes far beyond the building's ability to serve utilitarian needs.
The Islamic world -- and the Middle East in particular -- is undergoing a transformation today unprecedented in its history, writes architect Garry Martin in the essay "Building in the Middle East Today -- in Search of a Direction." Oil wealth, along with social and political change, have threatened Islamic culture and traditions. This identity crisis is readily apparent in architectural design.
A desire for rapid development, Martin notes, brought to the Middle East the massive importation of Western technology, planning, design and constructional expertise. Many of the new buildings in the Middle East, continues Martin, are direct imitations of Western models that were designed for another culture -- and they are creating an alien environment in Islamic communities.
