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In designing a sacred space, the work should be a product not only of the mechanics of the mind but also a response of the heart, and therefore the spirit or soul that an architect must possess. For the soul is the harmony between the two. This is what gets diffused into the work, the subjectivity of which gives it its reality. The work too can then become animate with soul. Mircea Eliade believed that through symbols, the world becomes transparent and transcendence becomes visible. The religious man therefore relies on symbols to recognize sacred reality. "Divine work always preserves its quality of transparency, that is it spontaneously reveals the many aspects of the sacred," which is why the very existence of the cosmic system and everything within presents itself as a proof of divine presence.1 For the construction of a sanctuary, the goal is to be able to perceive what is sacred in the mundane, and then bringing it forth, extracting it, distinguishing it to be experienced sensually. Sacred architecture is what identifies and then exposes these hierophanies. The site is located on the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave NW and 26th ST NW in Washington DC. For the design development, the story of the first revelation of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is used as a narrative through the project. His search for meaning and retreat into nature, teaches of Islamic monasticism, the path that leads completely inward to a place with no one but God. "Every road will lead you to this sense of initiation " the light, the secret, are hidden in the place from which you set out. You are on your way not toward the end of the road but toward its beginning; to go is to return; to find is to rediscover." 2 / Master of Architecture

This research begins with the assumption that the political ideology of Malaysian leaders influences the design of state mosques and seeks to investigate the relationship between Malaysian leaders political ideas of Islam and their influence on the design of state mosques in Malaysia. Even though studies undertaken of state mosque in other Muslim countries show a relationship between state mosque and politics, there are no studies that describe the influence of politics on the state mosques in Malaysia. To date, the research on the state mosque in Malaysia focuses on six main aspects: these are descriptions of the state mosque in regard to its historical development; documentation of the state mosque in the form of measured drawings; classification of state mosque styles; theory for designing the state mosque based on religious sources; discussion on the technical aspects of the state mosque design; and discourse on the role and function of the state mosque in relation to social aspects. In contrast, the aim of this research is to determine: How are the leaders political ideas of Islam expressed through the design of state mosques in West Malaysia? A case study approach as defined by Yin (2003) was applied. Evidence for the case studies has been collected from archival records to gather data regarding political development and building policy which relates to three prominent leaders in Malaysia –Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Mahathir Mohamad - while on-site observation, state mosque documents and interview were methods to collect evidence for three state mosques in Malaysia, which are the National Mosque, Penang State Mosque and Putra Mosque. Since this research deals with specific interpretations of the state mosque as a social-physical phenomenon and the need to understand how the structural relationship exists between the state mosques and social culture, a multi-disciplinary logic of inquiry combining the interpretive and structuralist paradigms was adopted. In association, a framework incorporating both semiotics and hermeneutics were developed to analyse, firstly, the symbolic meaning embedded in the design of the state mosques and their mundane settings and, secondly, to reveal the leaders intentions and associated actions during the creation of the state mosques. An analysis of the data exposed that there is a dialectic relationship between the leaders and the design of the state mosque in the period of post-independence in Western Malaysia. The investigation of the three state mosques also suggested that the political ideas of Islam as propounded by Malaysian leaders have a profound effect on determining the design of the state mosque. This study, therefore, offers new insights, which not only add to knowledge in this field by widening and strengthening the understanding of political and architectural historical theory in Malaysia, but also are valuable for range of associated fields including architectural semiotics and non verbal communication. This is because this research reveals deep understandings of the built form and material environment operating as a sign in a cultural and social context.

Conflictsthattookplacealmostthree centuriesapart – respectivelyinlatemedievalSpainandnineteenth-century South Africa – are described in some detail. The Spanish example offers insight into the effect of the conflictduringtheQonquista,followedbyaperiodofArabruleintheIberianpeninsula,which was terminated by the Reconquista of southern Spain by the Christians. The focus in this regard is the violence and counter violence manifested in the formative stages of the Great Mosque at Córdoba and its transformation into the church of Santa Maria. The behaviour of the Muslims and Christians at the sacred site at Córdoba during the conquest and the reconquest, through many centuries, became a theatre in which conflictingreligiousemotionswerearousedandeventuallyresultedinthepartialdestruction of a magnificentMuslimedifice.WhathappenedatCórdobaisanobjectlessontoallmulticultural societies in which the dominant group avenges itself upon the cultural artefacts of a subjected group. This is a common occurrence in the history of architecture, and fitsthebasicpremiseofRenéGirard’s theory of “mimetic desire” that states that one group desires what another desires. As the envy becomes more intense, “mimetic rivalry” with a model results: admiration is transformed into violent conflictthatisonlydiffusedifascapegoatisfound.InamodificationofGirard’sthesisitispostulatedthat in the end the model – taken to be a building or monument – is most often demolished or vandalised as if serving as the scapegoat for the aggressor’s animosity. In more benign cases desire results in the appropriation of the model, but with modificationstoitsidentity. Alternatively,anew model,coexisting with the original, is created by the vanquished to rival the existing model, as happened at the site of Blood River, Natal. In colonial South Africa a monument was erected in 1947 and a more elaborate version of a combat “laager” inaugurated in 1977 to commemorate the battle which took place there on 16 December 1838 between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus, in which the former were victorious. In response, the Zulus established the Ncome Monument and Museum to the east of the Voortrekkers’ monument, officiallyopenedinNovember1999,whichoffersareinterpretationofthe1838battle,celebrates Zulu culture in general and calls for the development of empathy across the cultural and ethnic divide of the former combatants. Ironically, the layout suggests the historical Zulu combat formation.

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Islamic architecture is understood to have a distinct set of elements which emotively contribute to the divine logic of ritual and spiritual manifestation. This rationality, however, is imitative and has been boldly positioned within an unfamiliar context as a derivative of Arabian stimulus. Traditionally understood as a place welcoming to all people for matters extending beyond the religious, its circumstantial interpretation has had a profoundly negative influence on its newfound context, consequently acting as a deterrent for some. Its spatial proximity has fostered a sense of territorialism; its monumentalism has disconnected it from its urban milieu. The consequential reassessment of the mosque typology is necessitated whereby contextual and cultural reasoning makes an impact on its form, identity and meaning within an unfamiliar urban framework. This new comprehension is proposed to foster a sense of Islamic Ubuntu amongst a unified diaspora given its vastly connected assembly within the urban locale. The investigation aims to uncover an alternate process of choreographing a spiritual and emotive experience through contestation and subsequent redefinition. Instead of designing a religious edifice as an emblem of our own worldly inspiration, the inquiry seeks to spatially manifest the objective teachings of the divine scripture – the Holy Quran. Tangible and intangible mapping, along with a grounded theoretical outlook drives the study; the overall premise is based on a personal understanding and a life-long discovery of the religion in question. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

This study aims to explore the contemporary mosque architecture in Turkey, through a survey of the selected cases, focusing mainly on the use of traditional elements of mosque architecture. The selected cases are outstanding examples of contemporary mosque architecture in Turkey. Their architects are innovative in their design decisions and displayed their own design approach and interpretation outside the main stream of contemporary mosque design Turkey. In this framework, six mosques for every decade beginning from 1960&rsquo / s are analyzed in terms of their general architectural features and the use of traditional elements of mosque architecture in their design. Throughout the selected cases, the modification of forms and functions are studied and compared with the pre- Modern ones as well as with each other. The changed forms of obsolete elements and the introduction of new elements to their design are also discussed. By this way, a general evaluation regarding the developments and progress in contemporary mosque architecture in Turkey is proposed with reference to comparative results. On this basis, this study demonstrates that the main elements, organization schemes and planning setups of Classical Ottoman Mosque are still preserved in the selected mosque examples. The novelty brought to their design is basically the usage of modern materials and techniques and a formal exploration of mosque architecture.

abstract: This dissertation examines the concept of gendered space as it applies to prayer spaces in Islam, particularly mosques and mushollas exclusively for women. Gendered space is often articulated as space created by those with power—men— in order to control women’s access to knowledge and to put them at a disadvantage, thereby maintaining patriarchal structures. Yet, when groups are relegated to or voluntarily choose the margins, those within may transform the margins into sites of empowerment. I consider the dynamics of religious space, including its construction, maintenance, and activities performed by its inhabitants, by focusing on the Women’s Mosque of America in Los Angeles, which opened in 2015, and Musholla ‘Aisyiyah Ranting Karangkajen and Musholla ‘Aisyiyah Kauman, which have been in operation since the 1920s in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This work is based on ethnographies of the attendees of these three sites in order to explore the experiences of the women and the impact both traditional religious spaces and religious spaces exclusive to women have on their spirituality, ideas of authority, and sense of community. The Women’s Mosque of America and ‘Aisyiyah women’s mushollas create opportunities for women to participate in and contribute to Muslim communities by basing their efforts on the Sunnah and examples of female piety and leadership in early Islam. The present research challenges the argument that gendered spaces are inherently detrimental and must be remedied by a de-gendering process. Rather, the accounts of the attendees of the Women’s Mosque of America and ‘Aisyiyah women’s mushollas speak to the possibilities of creating an exclusive space that privileges those within it, fulfilling the women’s desire of religious knowledge, leadership, community, and piety in ways that traditional religious spaces have at times fallen short. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Religious Studies 2020

Mosques are established as physical manifestations of Islam and its cultural identity in every settlement in Malaysia, including in urban areas. The original concept of the mosque suggests that its use as a community place should be all-encompassing, not only for Muslims, but also to inspire the involvement of other community members. In spite of far-reaching studies conducted on the importance of mosque architecture, historical background and functions, very little attention has been paid to the utilisation, functions and importance of mosque open spaces to the multicultural community. This study aims to explore the spatial and sociocultural factors of urban mosque open spaces in order to determine the extent to which intercultural space exists within them. The study focuses on three urban mosques at the national, district and sub-district levels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Guided by theory of place and the concepts of affordance and social affordance, this study employs a mixed method strategy with a cross-sectional design. It comprises both quantitative – systematic observation with behaviour mapping at selected urban mosques – and qualitative – focus group discussions with mosque managers and multicultural users – methods, as well as findings with regard to the use of mosque open spaces that were derived from social media sources such as Facebook and blogs. The findings show that more multicultural users utilise the National Mosque open spaces in comparison to those at district and sub-district mosques. Patterns were identified in the spatial occupancies based on gender, age group, ethnicity and activities at all of the urban mosque open spaces studied. People‟s identification of their favourite open spaces and preference for outdoor activities, as well as the current condition and design of the mosque open spaces, influences the utilisation of urban mosque open spaces by multicultural users. Both opportunities and challenges may arise in relation to multicultural use in the form of public friendliness, accessibility, community sensitivity and mosque etiquette. This study highlights several factors that encourage better intercultural interaction at mosque open spaces: good social activities; the good design, facilities and accessibility of mosque open spaces; proper promotion, publicity and education; and social acceptance among community members.

Thesis (M. Bibl. (Dept. of Library and Information Science))--University of the Western Cape, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-91).