Design Visions for the Future of Contemporary Mosque Architecture between Identity and Originality.

Document Type : Research Studies

Author

Department of Architecture., Faculty of Engineering., Al Jazeera Higher Institute of Engineering and Technology, Al-Muqattam, Egypt.

Abstract

 Mosque architecture is one of the most important features of Islamic architecture throughout the ages, and it is a center of intellectual and religious radiation in which Islamic civilization grew, but if there is any change affecting the identity of the mosque or its traditional concept and sacred personality influenced by advanced technology from the West with its objectives and ideas in an attempt to take advantage of the modern possibilities available, forgetting the main function and cultural spirit of mosques that annul the original values of our architecture and obliterate the local identity, privacy and belonging of the cultural heritage of the city.
By identifying proposals and visions about mosque architecture and development, with regard to the philosophy of mosque design, spatial characteristics, visual dimensions, community options for the site, and building technology, the research addresses current trends and expected future visions of the architecture of contemporary mosques, which are an important pillar for Muslim communities in all Throughout the world, it remains an important center for spiritual, moral and cultural life in Muslim societies, despite the preservation of its overall spatial, visual, cultural, social and spiritual characteristics over the centuries, but the design of contemporary mosques has undergone various transformations that emphasize its centrality and adaptability to Islamic community developments.
The problem of research comes in: the loss of heritage identity and originality in the designs of contemporary Arab and Islamic architecture mosques, which are characterized by the weakness of the new mosque architecture designs by the requirements: functional, security and safety, environmental and aesthetic, so that they meet the needs of the worshippers and combine between 'originality' and 'creativity' in Saudi Arabia.
  The research includes five main parts: the first part of the presented in terms of objectives, problems and methodology, while the second part discusses the general concepts and four directions of the architecture of the mosques of the future, the main components and design considerations and requirements for evaluating the architecture of contemporary mosques, and The third part presents the practical framework for evaluating the standards and design requirements on two mosques with different environments in (Riyadh city and Medina), to develop a governing framework for the architectural design process of the architecture of contemporary mosques, and  The fourth part includes: presenting the results of the field survey of the views of worshippers and users in the mosques of the school districts to reach the general population's satisfaction with the mosques, and the research ends in the fifth part: The results of the questionnaire, the summary and the most important results and recommendations.

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