LECTURE 3

THE MOSQUE:
Typologies & Styles
Mosque Design (Part 2): Studies of the different examples and their
main characteristics.
 Courtyard Mosque

 Evolution of the Mosque

 Regional Styles

 Examples throughout History

- Prophet Mosque in Al Madeena
- Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
- Great Mosque in Damascus
COURTYARD
MOSQUE
• The first mosque was prophet's mosque built in Medina just after he
migrated from Mecca.

• It was a simple courtyard surrounded by two porticos and rooms for

prophet and his wives.

• This type was very popular for a long time, and inspired courtyard mosques
• Open courtyard is typical for subtopic areas where it serves also for prayer
under the open sky.

• The plan was rectangular, almost square.

• On one side or three or on all four sides there were arcades forming prayer
halls.
• In some other countries where the climate was different and much cooler,
some other types were developed which were much more suitable for the
weather conditions there.

• This is a type of the courtyard mosque with closed prayer hall connected
and facing courtyard.
EVOLUTION OF THE
MOSQUE
• In different parts of the world there are different types of Friday mosques. It
is possible to clearly distinguish between mosques built in Turkey, or in India or
in Arab countries.

• Environment, culture, materials, climate made certain influences and

created different styles.

• It is possible to observe evolution of the mosque starting from:

1. Prophet mosque
2. First bigger mosques in Islamic cities with courtyards and arcades
3. Mosque with T or U plan
4. Iwan mosques
5. The ones covered with large number of domes
REGIONAL STYLES
There are five basic categories of mosque design but built in seven different
parts of the world and in seven different regional styles.
1. Arabian land, Spain & North Africa:
hypostyle hall with an open courtyard

2. Iran & Central Asia: biaxial type (two axles)

with four iwans (roof or vaulted space open at one
end)

3. Anatolian & Ottomans: massive central

dome with large number of smaller domes

4. India: characterized by triple domes shaped as

"onion" dome and big courtyard in front

5. Sahara & West Africa: hypostyle hall and

mud brick as a main material

6. China: a few detached pavilions, garden and

enclosed with walls

7. South-East Asia: typical central pyramid roof

structure
 EXAMPLES
THROUGHOUT
HISTORY
 Prophet Mosque in Al Madeena

•The original Prophet's Mosque was built by the Prophet himself, next to the
house where he settled after his Hijrah (emigration) to Medina in 622 AD.

•It was an open-air building with a raised platform for the reading of the Qur'an.

•A square enclosure of 30x35 meters, the mosque was built with palm trunks and
mud walls.
• Inside shaded area was created to the south called the suffrah and the prayer
space was facing north towards Jerusalem.

• When the qibla was changed to Mecca, the mosque was re-oriented to the south.

• The mosque also served as a:

community center
a court
religious school.
• first minber

• The basic plan of the building has since been adopted in the building of other
mosques throughout the world
• Seven years later (629 AD/7 AH), the mosque was doubled in size to
accommodate the increasing number of Muslims.

• Islamic rulers continued to enlarge and embellish the Prophet's Mosque

over the centuries. In 707, Umayyad Caliph al-Walid (705-715) tore down
the old structure and built a larger one in its place, incorporating the house
and tomb of the Prophet.
• Mosque was 84 by 100 meters in size,
with stone foundations and a teak roof
supported on stone columns.

• Walls were decorated with mosaics

by Coptic and Greek craftsmen, similar
to those seen in the Umayyad mosque
in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock
in Jerusalem.

• Courtyard was surrounded by a

gallery on four sides & four minarets on
its corners.

•Mihrab topped by a small dome was

built on the qibla wall.
• Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi (775-785) destroyed the northern section of al-Walid's
mosque between 778 and 781 to enlarge it further.

• He also added 20 doors to the mosque: eight on each of the east and west
walls, and four on the north wall.
During the reign of the Mamluk Sultan Qala'un, a dome was erected above the
house and tomb of the Prophet and an ablution fountain was built outside of
Bab al-Salam.
After the foundation of the
Saudi Kingdom of Arabia in
1932, the Mosque of the
Prophet underwent several
major modifications.
 Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

Abdl al Malik was the one who begun with the construction of this mosque. It
dominates the Temple Mount.

Different years are taken as the year when they started to build the mosque
(between 687 and 692). It is one of the three most important monuments.
• Unusual in shape as octagonal
building (54m in diameter) with 2
ambulatories (outer & inner) are
surrounding central space.

• Such geometrical structures are

common in ancient world and in
Byzantium.
• The ambulatories are covered with slightly sloping wooden roof.

• Central space is surrounded with 4 circular pillars and in-between

columns.

• This construction carries the wooden double dome (inner & outer) about
20m in diameter, height of 36m and a drum with 16 windows.

• Each dome has 32 ribs.

• Decoration of this mosque is
very famous.

• Inner side of the dome is with

painted and gilded plaster
decoration.

• Each side of the octagon has 7

tall, narrow panels which are
finished by semicircular arches.
• Marble paneling and marble columns with gilt capitals are used.

• Mosaics (green, blue and gilt) and motives of vegetal and floral origin are
obviously by Byzantium ornamental language.
 Great Mosque in Damascus (Umayyad Period)

• At the beginning of the 8th century Caliph al Walid constructed the

mosque that was worthy of the empire he ruled.

• After laying out the enlargement of the mosque at Medina, as well as

Al Aksa mosque in Jerusalem, al Walid decided in 706 to build the place
for prayer in the center of Damascus.
• It was partly built by using materials of St. John's Basilica, such as roman
columns.

• According to some orientalists some architectural elements were borrowed from

pre-Islamic architecture:
- axiality of mihrab with the main gate
- the same axiality with the courtyard
• The ancient site was measuring 160m x 100m with the mosque oriented east-west.

• To the north there is a huge courtyard, 120m wide by 150m long.

• The courtyard is surrounded on three sides by arcades and porticos, and the fourth
side is the façade of the prayer hall.
• The prayer hall is formed by three arcades running parallel to qibla wall with
four mihrabs.

• A broad transept is running from north to south cutting these arcades into two
symmetrical wings, each extended 56m to east and west.

• Each arcade in the wing is supported by ten massive columns. Ceiling is

approximately 10m above floor.
• Transept is separated from the courtyard with three arches resting on two
marble columns.

• Above are three windows and on the side strong buttresses to received the
trust from the transept.

• Central space of the transept is covered with the dome.

• The decoration is splendid. The whole area is paved with white marble and the
walls were paneled with same material.

• Other decorative elements on the frieze, outside façade of the transept are
using golden wine leaves and grapes same as on the Dome of the Rock mosque.
• Typical Byzantium mosaics play an important role: trees, flowers, small
houses and pavilions.
 RECAP?

Courtyard Mosque
Evolution of the Mosque
Regional Styles
Examples throughout History

WHAT’S NEXT?
Thank you