Explaining The Criterion To Assess The Islamic Arch and City
Explaining The Criterion To Assess The Islamic Arch and City
Explaining The Criterion To Assess The Islamic Arch and City
Explainingarchitecture
the Criterion to assess the Islamic
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and city
A survey in an overt and covert reality in Islamic architecture and city
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*Mohammad Naghizadeh, 3 Mohammadmehdi Goodarzisoroush
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Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad
University, Tehran, Iran.
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Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art and Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,
Tehran, Iran.
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Recieved 12.05.2011; Accepted 09.01.2012
ABSTRACT: Islam is regarded to pay attention to the characteristics of urban life which can be practiced on the
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urban settings. Not surprisingly, Islam has made a great focus on the form and design of cities and prescribed detailed
and elaborate regulations for individual and communal life. Seen from other way round, the penetration of Islam
into various regions such as Iran, Europe, and Africa had an undeniable impact on life style, urban design and social
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interactions. As an ancient civilization with a rich set of knowledge, culture, art and unification beliefs, Iran became
the host of Islamic ideology, relying on the propagation of its achievements while keeping its principle and value
criteria independent of time and place. Architecture has two dimensions; material and spiritual and its body consists
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of structure, construction and different materials while its spirit and meaning of architecture is derived from history,
memory and long lasting national and native values of a homeland which ascribes a specific meaning to architecture
and produces a mental image in the minds. In this paper, we are seeking for criterion to assess Islamic architecture
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and evaluate it. Architecture is of different dimensions, each has its own value criteria but determining the Islamic
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architecture and Islamic city of architecture let alone stating whether architecture in this period is Islamic or not
demands a great effort while it is worth mentioning that Islam is not limited to a specific age and place and can meet
the needs of human being in different period.
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Keywords: Islam, Islamic worldview, Islamic ideology, Islamic civilization, Islamic architecture
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INTRODUCTION
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The most controversial concept in Islamic architecture is that
of Islamic city. Farmed in the city, Islamic suggest some basic
themes to establish the city. The general idea of city-almedina
as depicted in Quran seems never to be out of data and has
dynamic descriptive approach to paradigms Islam has proposed
for notion of ideal-type city.
Worldview is a glance at universe which makes life philosophy
for human being based on which he designs different dimension
intrigued the minds of Jurists, philosophers, and architects. of spiritual and material life and continues his being. We need
The morphological and sociological aspects Islamic city, in first to define worldview and recognize human’s status in
compatible with the human beings' needs, the condition of universe to specify the effect of this worldview on architecture.
life and technology have driven the authorities to consider a An analytic look at pre-Islam and post-Islam architecture
helps us to explain the principles and criteria to assess Islamic
*Corresponding Author Email: [email protected] architecture as a human’s artifact.
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This article is adapted from the Ph.D thesis of the Corresponding author (Amir 1400 years ago, Islam was endowed to human being as a
Hosein Pourjohari) titled “How to determine Urban Growth Boundary of Iranian perfect religion by the prophet (PBUH) along with his divine
cities” researched in Department of Architecture and Urban Development, miracle (Quran). This unified worldview presented an ideology
Science & Research Branch Tehran, Islamic Azad University, Iran under
for all aspects of life in many an epoch, influencing politics,
supervisory of Dr. Hamid Majedi and co-supervisory of Dr. Esfandiar Kharat
Zebardast in 2010. trade, social relationship, eating and drinking. Architecture
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Explaining the Criterion to assess the Islamic ...
Vol.1, No.2, Autumn 2011
International Journal Of Architecture and Urban Development
and urbanization as the space of comprising human and his Islamic urbanization from it. (Motahari, 1997a)
activities underwent a huge change and was refined based on
this idea. Art and architecture in Islamic epoch:
Farabi, the Muslim philosopher of the fourth century A.H, In the 7th AD, Islam captured most of the countries in Asia
described his ideal city in civilization policy. He considered including Iran where Islam became the basis of lifestyle. Iranian
a global society consisting all masses and peoples the prime Muslims tried to reconstruct Iranian art under the commands of
leader of which is the prophet who is connected to the active Islam, yet, we don’t see many profound changes in the nature
wisdom and takes command immediately from him. Farabi`s and form. (Hatam, 2000)
system is contained in the great system of creation and a city Professor poop in the book of ‘introduction to Iran industries'
alone can not tolerate it. writes about Iran architecture and its revelation to Arabs and
City contains all behaviors, events and artifacts of human their tradition:
being: city is the habitat of human body, beyond a physical Iran architecture was ascribed to Arab people and Iranians
corpus, in which the cultural values and beliefs are expressed. believed that beautiful domes and minarets which decorated
The city introduces its own constituent worldview and the the mosques were imported from outside while this is in
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goals the dwellers are committed to pave. It is the mirror of its contradiction with historical facts. Arab people didn’t have
dwellers identity and the tendency to achieve the identity they anything other than tent and mud but Iran architecture is not
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would like to have. In a nutshell, the city displays the lifestyle influenced by Arabs. (Hatam, 2000)
of its dwellers. (Naghizadeh, 1998) In fact, Iranian mosques were built in Iranian style free from
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The definition of unified worldview is of importance to Arab’s invasion. These mosques were imitated from local
determine the principles and values on one hand and its effects designs of Sassanid pentice wide, in that wide pentice gradually
on anatomy, meaning and concept of architecture. turned into side wall and became a mihrab in fire temple which
Unified worldview
Worldview is defined as the interpretation of a school about
universe and classified into scientific, philosophical, religious
and [mystic] originated from science, philosophy, religion and
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was open from three fronts.
Our prophet said; the God created human like him. Resemblance
means quality similarity since it has endowed human a faculty
to express the seven fold qualities of God; life; science; power;
speech; vision and hearing. (Burckhurt, 1967)
[mysticism].(Motahari,1997a)
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The worldview can be based for ideology if it is religious-
burden. In unified worldview, the principle idea is that the
e Mosque
The first mosque built by our prophet in medina became the
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word has been created by a wise policy and volition which
is enveloped in a series of laws named divine traditions.
(Motahari, 1997a).From Islam point of view, there is nothing
similar to God. The originator of the heavens and the earth;
stereotype of different mosques which were built in Iran by
skilled artisans. (Pirnia, 1993)
The first mosque was but a platform to be the shelter of disciples
and place of worship. (ibid, 2)
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he made mates for you from among yourselves, and mates of
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the cattle too, multiplying you thereby; nothing like a likeness
of him; and he is the hearing, the seeing (shora,11).God is
the absolute rich. O men! You are they who stand in need of
The building of the mosque conveys a social and religious
message acting as mirror in which social conditions are
reflected. The mosque architecture displays the path of changes
created in the lifestyle of Muslims. The mosque building can
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Allah, and Allah is he who is the self-sufficient, the praised one transfer the status and degree of civilization or extent and nature
(fater, 15).To what direction we stand, we are towards Him. of Muslims' worldview of each age. In addition, the mosque
And Allah’s is the east and the west, therefore, whither you architecture relies on epistemologic foundation of Islam which
turn, thither is Allah’s purpose; surely Allah is amplegiving, lets the architect capture the dimensions and mental degrees of
knowing (baghare, 115) He is the sum of perfections and free his contemporary society. He understands that the authenticity
from defects. And Allah’s are the best names, therefore call on of existential logics and object is the first step of building a
him thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of mosque. The mosque architecture is inspired by social order
his names; they shall be recompensed for what they did (eraf, and its location which depends on the architects ability and
180) initiatives.
Islam commands people to be obedient to God and accept the If the mosque architecture is supposed to be considered as an
direction of realities so that they can reach the ultimate point of art work, it must aggregate different concepts of art embodied
development. (Motahari, 1997b) in human’s mentality and present them. In the architecture of
The unified worldview opts some attributes for Islamic society: the mosque, past, present and future are unified with life and
Islamic classless society is a society free from prejudice, culture of society while its substance is expressed in all these
ignorance while teemed with justice and equality. These rubrics aspects.
can be considered as the theoretical principles of conducting Before paying attention to the features of mosque and its effect
humans to create its dwelling space so that we can extract on human, we mention some Muslims' needs in relation with the
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Mohammad Naghizadeh, Mohammadmehdi Goodarzisoroush
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Fiq.1: Isfahan, Emam mosque
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Explaining the Criterion to assess the Islamic ...
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International Journal Of Architecture and Urban Development
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The Muslim’s city is the representive of Islamic thought and 2. Centrality: the emergence of scattered elements to the
behavior and displays the comprehensiveness of Islam and central unity is seen in most architectural spaces of Islamic
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Islamic regulations on the city anatomy and urban places to regions. The central internal space which is beyond the central
remove the material and spiritual needs of Muslims. The spirit court regulates all activities and the basis of space is located in
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of the city contains the space of mosque, house, school and a place in which inflection point happens.
market which are the most element of urbanization. The first 3. Reflection: the best examples of this regular formation
known cities built on Islamic thought were toward qibleh with through reflection can be found in metaphysical mirrors of
a focus on mosque.
There are extracted from Quran some suggestions about house.
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4. the house as a place of peace and worshipping God
5. the house is promoted by reciting god
e placed in a hierarchical order which respect the divine gifts.
5. Geometry: in Islamic art and architecture, geometry is
of great importance which is the place of divine thought and
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6. The house in which Quran is recited sparks light for
heavenly people.
understanding of cosmos. In traditional house, the movement
from outside to inside is not a cultural reality but it brings a
prerequisite to recover essence of house.
6. Transparency and continuity: against the concept of
architecture
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There exists this belief in Iranian culture that architecture is
the art of shaping space in terms of requisites and human’s
historical approach to cosmos, human and the origin of
closed and completed spaces is the concept of transparency.
In such a space, the direction of human’s movement or his
approach happens in a continuous trend so that spatial openings
in horizontal and vertical lines cause transparency in walls and
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creation, related to religious or mundane culture of humans. columns to revive the prospects.
In other words, architecture is to realize the space and place. 7. Secret and ambiguity: feeling the spiritual splendor
Focusing on the spiritual features, Iranian architecture seeks to and ultimate simplicity have been considered in building
describe the sacred architecture. Nasr believes that architecture Iranian structural which are sensible and is concomitant with a
an art organize the space and sacred architecture aims at whole inducing its perfection through a perfect image.
plaeing human at the court of God through endowing sacre to 8. Harmonic balance/feeling equilibrium: in architecture, a
the space built. balanced equilibrium is evident between building and natural
The principles common in Iran art and architecture can be environment and building is considered as a nature beings.
classified into five categories. Deep understanding of builders of architectural structures
1. popularization: having human dimension caused the anatomical elements to specify their presence and
2. prevention from vagueness: this principle was in pre the function of each are responses to environment such as
Islamic architecture and was focused after the rise of Islam dome, Ivan, thick walls, and base.
3. Structure: consisting of statics of building, science of
building or technology of building along with knowing the Quality principles of architecture and city
materials. extracted from Islamic
4. Self-containing: the builders have tried to obtain the The city consisting of rules is expressed as a mirror of human
required materials from the nearest places with the cheapest life and directs his activities by inducing values and cultural
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Mohammad Naghizadeh, Mohammadmehdi Goodarzisoroush
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occasion he is in the mosque. All these expressions come from book, London.
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word of Islam, Festival, London.
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10Eliadeh, Mircea (1996), the sacred and no sacred, translated by
Infect, architecture takes its principle of construction from Nasrollah Zigoui, Soroush publication, Tehran.
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Islamic and guidance ministry publication.
12.Goodarzisoroush, Mohammadmehdi (2010), A Iranian
CONCLUSION Islamic garden; Built Environment, Proceedings of 4th International
Muslim city reflects the general socio-cultural, topological and
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Conference on Built Environment in Developing Countries (ICBEDC
economical structures of the space for people to be free from 2010), University Sains Malaysia(USM), 1-2 Dec, Penang Malaysia
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environmental troubles so that they can turn to God easily. The
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human being and natural life. The controversy over the real Jahanshah Pakbaz and Abdolreza Homayon, Beheshti university
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