Online Reflection 2

LECTURE 2

Through this lecture, it taught me about:
1) Architecture as Tawhid: Unity & Uniquely of Allah
2) Architecture of Ihtiram: Respect / Propriety

ARCHITECTURE AS TAWHID: UNITY & UNIQUELY OF ALLAH

It defines that "There is no God / Allah and Mohammad is his Messenger / Prophet" and there is no compulsion in Islam. We are given a choice but once we declare or sign the contract of Shahadah / Syahadah, we have to oblige to the Law of Islam. 

To define Tawhid in islamic architecture,

i) Muslims are urged to be unified and turn into a borderless community that transcends race, rank and wealth in order to witness the truth that divine reality is one, eternal and without association.

ii) The al-Quran teaches on haqiqa (formless essence) revelation or enlightenment that relates to nature of space, forms, order, orients and etc. which places man to the presence of divine unity.

iii) Building as catalyst that serves community in order to unify 'Umma. It has to be first built before building a community or nation. Other than that, it has to be used as a center for Muslim social life such as education, administration, court, public service, economic platform, military planning, govern country, religious event and etc. Also, it will be used as the five daily Solah Jamaah or congregation prayer.

iv) Urban planning means to unify the city according to Sunnah (Fiqh Law). It is through guide to everyday action and behavior. Muslims are requested to maintain practical and spiritual character that hold close-knit relationship with Allah. Therefore, the Fiqh Law is provided as a guide to teach them on the boundaries, heights and residents in designing the building. It will need to be separated from the residential area and spread along roads that interconnected as urban center. For example like Souq or bazaar, the activities are situated away but still accessible through narrow winding lanes as to link everything as a whole.

Kaabah Mecca, image source from http://web.uvic.ca/~rpn/files/pics/kaaba2.jpg

Kaabah is one of the prominent example to show the principle of architecture as Tawhid: unity and uniquely of Allah, as it is the direction whereby Muslims pray toward when they are carrying out their five daily prayers. It is a cuboid building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and it is the most sacred site in Islam. Al-Masjid al-Haram, the most sacred mosque in Islam, is constructed around the Kaaba. Muslims are expected to face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are. From any specified point in the world, the direction facing the Kaaba is called the Qibla.

Qibla towards Kaabah, image source from http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/30500/Colosseum-Kaaba-30531.jpg

One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to carry out the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to make Tawaf, the circumambulation seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction. Pilgrims also perform this circumambulation during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). However, the most dramatic times are during the Hajj, when millions of pilgrims gather to circle the building on the same day as the al-Quran said that "Purify my shrine for those who will walk around it, and those who will abide near it in meditation, and those who will bow down and prostrate themselves [in prayer]." Al Quran 2:125

The Kaabah is a semi-cubic building that stands about 15 meters high and 10-12 meters wide. It is an ancient, simple structure made of granite. In the SE corner, a black meteorite (the "Black Stone") is embedded in a silver frame. Stairs on the north side lead to a door which allows entry to the interior, which is hollow and empty. The Kaabah is covered with a kiswah, a black silk cloth which is embroidered in gold with verses from the Qur'an. The kiswah is re-done and replaced once a year.

Interior of the Kaabah, image source from http://0.tqn.com/d/atheism/1/7/M/f/KaabaInterior.jpg

ARCHITECTURE OF IHTIRAM: RESPECT / PROPRIETY

Ihtiram defines as respect or good manners and in order to translate it into islamic architecture, some design considerations are stated as below:

i) Muslims show respect to God by showing propriety towards Him according to Shahada.

ii) Muslims practice the five pillars (Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Fasting and Haji) to encourage every single individual in showing respectful consciousness to God as well as purify themselves in order to improve conduct and build up inner and outer self fulfillment that they are willing to submit own will to God.

iii) Prophet Muhammad is set as major exemplary and Muslim are needed to posse perfect good manners in propriety and praiseworthy characteristics.

iv) Al-Quran is used as a guide to show respect, to portray virtue and attitude of good manners. Muslims are required to be transcendent and mindful of actions in order to show their respect for the sake of Allah.

v) Practicing architecture parallel to respect God is encouraged through self-conscious act. It can be seen in building to serve the pillar of religion and to unify Muslim community. Buildings like Mosque, libraries and houses can be the unifiers of the community.

vi) Symbolism is expressed through architecture in order to show respect to God. The simple fundamental of applying geometric shapes to form patterns give the signs of harmony and purity.

Image source from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5K8PP-0Naw0fy4AB4LKn0-gKd-EPAicIfVKgC1UT5YDu-j-G1zCzyYRh9-1QaVxlWicV2OY7bSrPNHj7f0pkGuLXqdFLUCTRqXt1linPHw3Qz7dqpaZety06tbF1gP61d1y0H_1lH9Y/s1600/8.jpg

Image source from http://kameleonputnik.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/7/5/12750231/9265832.jpg

Image source from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9becRwiYxORaUxgaaP-C5hTDiqlmhH70WbicPLKg2QPioSj0ooMHcLJPQdZLTHcwbtsuNSsj6kwwXPkPewId8BiZ5VFvX_C9azDSMc6OI6eikQ8yP0C9kVXoQWAreuP2Q53AYT7BvZeCM/s1600/Double+Design.jpg

Image source from http://www.ncolonie.com/DatabaseofArtists/Islamic%20Art/thumbs/islamic-architecture-3.jpg

Image source from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kfkiGGB9nez6BO8XOyIphH30309D4FZdywOUUlZsHKwtzvvmn8JqR_m5iaLr7irlewnAM0ZLUDRTx-iaz-uw94GboB61DlFyo8Ka2Dfvqje9MQuk7e9VSeY3vJUG_fQMUikfJmAvXI-U/s400/27math190.2.jpg

vii) Essence of Islam and humanity are respected by acknowledging building as sanctuary. Muslims are encouraged to conserve the islamic buildings that had been constructed as well as continually expand the "Prophet's Mosque". Religious and prophetic significance of the building need to be preserved and restored as well as its phase of history.

Conservation in Islam:
a) Must firmly protect and continually enrich divine meaning and values of Islam.
b) In the process, won't hinder growth and change.
c) Change of physical form is permissible, to meet the challenges of transformation.
d) Growth and change mustn't jeopardize meaning and value.

Old Al-Azhar Mosque, image source from http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Kk_TYV7H1zo/TxLTonK7OkI/AAAAAAAAPIM/Q26yfjDtDsA/image011.jpg?imgmax=640

New Al-Azhar Mosque, image source from http://gerakanmahasiswapantaitimur.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/al-azhar-mosque-04.jpg

UMAYYAD ARCHITECTURE

The Umayyad period's greatest extent, image source from http://lostislamichistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Umayyad750ADloc.png

Between 661 and 750, Umayyad architecture has developed in the Umayyad Caliphate and mainly in its heartlands of Syria and Palestine. The main artistic influence came from the late antique classical naturalistic tradition, which had been prevalent on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. It drew expansively on the architecture of the defeated Byzantine and Sassanid empires, but introduced innovations in adornment and new types of building such as mosques with mihrab's and minarets.

Minaret, image source from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Minaret_of_the_Bride,_Umayyad_Mosque_01.jpg/768px-Minaret_of_the_Bride,_Umayyad_Mosque_01.jpg

In terms of religious buildings, the Umayyads often built their monuments on sites of historical or symbolic significance. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (691), the first major Umayyad architectural undertaking accomplished under the patronage of the caliph ^cAbd al-Malik (r. 685–705), was constructed on a well-known site formerly occupied by Solomon's Temple and later associated with Muhammad's ascent to heaven. Other prominent religious buildings from the Umayyad period date from the reign of al-Walid (r. 705–15) and include the enlarged mosque in Medina (706–10), the former house of Muhammad. Also significant are the mosques of Damascus (706), where the site of the former Roman temple and fourth-century Byzantine church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was transformed into the congregational mosque of the Umayyad capital, and of Jerusalem (709–15).

Almost all monuments from the Umayyad period that have survived are in Syria and Palestine. The sanctuary of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is the oldest surviving Islamic building.

The Dome of Rock in Jerusalem, image source from http://go-holyland.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Dome-of-the-Rock-Wikimedia-Commons-idobi.jpg

The Noble Sanctuary, image source from http://bibliaytradicion.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/003a1.jpg

"The Barada Scene" mosaic panel at the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, image source from http://web.mit.edu/4.611/www/3-barada_panel_large.jpg

The Umayyad embraced the construction techniques of the Byzantine and Sassanid empires, and regularly re-used existing buildings. There was some innovation in adornment and in types of building. Most buildings in Syria were of high quality ashlars’ masonry, using great firmly joined blocks, sometimes with carving on the facade. Stone barrel vaults were only applied to roof small spans. Wooden roofs were used for larger spans, with the wood in Syria brought from the forests of Lebanon. These roofs generally had shallow pitches and rested on wooden trusses. Wooden domes were built for Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, both in Jerusalem. Baked brick and mud brick were used in Mesopotamia, due to lack of stone. Where brick was used in Syria, the work was in the finer Mesopotamian style rather than the more crude Byzantine style.

Qasr Mshatta carvings, image source from http://www.metmuseum.org/~/media/Images/Exhibitions/2012/Byzantium%20and%20Islam/blog/mshatta1.jpg?h=329&mw=495&w=495

The Umayyad hired local workers and architects. Some of their buildings cannot be distinguished from those of the previous system. However, in many cases eastern and western elements were combined to give an idiosyncratic new Islamic style. For example, the walls at Qasr Mshatta are constructed from cut stone in the Syrian manner, the vaults are Mesopotamian in design and Coptic and Byzantine elements appear in the decorative carving. The horseshoe arch appears for the first time in Umayyad architecture, later to evolve to its most advanced form in al-Andalus. Umayyad architecture is distinguished by the extent and variety of embellishment, including mosaics, wall painting, sculpture and carved reliefs with Islamic motifs.

Horseshoe arch applied in Umayyad architecture, image source from http://www.matrix.genezis.eu/geografia/staty/fotky/syria/Damascus-Umayyad%20Mosque-Minaret%20of%20the%20Bride.JPG

Information's source from:

1) http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/umay/hd_umay.htm

2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_architecture