International Journal of Islamic Architecture - Volume 4, Issue 1, 2015

The correlation between belief in the stewardship of the earth and vernacular architecture yields a sensitivity to nature and to the spirituality of place in building construction. Patterns in nature are thus reflected in the organic forms of buildings and in various urban interventions. The notion of stewardship is also deeply embed in the teachings of Islam and other religions and cultural systems. Past architecture exhibits knowledge about the relationship and balance between the built and natural environment (A Place of Being). The scientific revolution, the industrial revolution and specialization seemed to bring with them the separation of beauty and utility and also encouraged an aggressive attitude toward the exploitation of nature. In the larger project of modernity ‘progress and development’ deepened the rupture between the built and natural realms (A Place of Forgetting). In the past two decades or so, environmental awareness and economic imperatives have begun to generate programs that have resulted in built works that attempt to heal the scars in the landscape and to be more sensitive to place (A Place of Remembering). Today, some architectural projects, based on ethical concerns, are beginning to reconnect contemporary architectural projects to the wisdom of the past in order to produce solutions for a sustainable built environment (A New Place of Being), and perhaps a new vernacular built environment.

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul offers an example of a physical environment containing specific districts that have emerged over time. This paper theorizes that the Grand Bazaar exhibits the characteristics of a Complex Adaptive System. Next, it considers specific urban elements found in the Bazaar, in light of complexity theory, to see how these facilitate processes that lead to the emergence of contiguous districts. This study repurposes Kevin Lynch’s categorization of urban elements to provide a useful framework for discussing complexity theory. This research is further informed by economic analysis derived from Evolutionary Economic Geography, which examines the emergence of business clusters.

The exquisite coloured glass windows that were widely popular in seventeenth- to nineteenth-century Iran, known as orosi, suggest a multiplicity of readings at physical, perceptual and contemplative levels. Comprised of sophisticated geometric patterns known as girih, the window offers variegated light patterns to the interior while simultaneously connecting it to the outside garden. This paper investigates the layers of design thinking associated with orosi windows through a study of the following horizons: architecture, pattern, construction, spatial experience and interpretation. Thus, the orosi window as a construct will first be discussed in terms of layers, planes and overall structure. Subsequently, the paper examines the girih for its essential pattern design vocabulary, as well as with respect to the similarities and differences in stages of conceiving geometric patterns through drawing and production. This study of the spatial experience of orosi argues for the significant role played by the coloured geometric patterned window in negotiating its adjacent spaces. The simultaneous presence of abstract and naturalistic geometric patterns seen in both the window and the exterior garden expands the discussion of geometric patterns to the entirety of the edifice, landscape and beyond.

This article examines the role of dome and minaret forms in recent mosque architecture through a case study of Ahmadiyya building activity in Germany. Although viewed by the majority of Muslims as a heretical sect, the Ahmadiyya are a visible Muslim presence in Germany as a result of their missionary activities and mosque-building campaigns. Exploring their mosque architectural practices both demonstrates the variety of belief and practice in Islam and enables analysis of conventions in mosque architecture, especially the dome and minaret. These forms trigger a range of associations for Muslims and non-Muslims, which have been complicated by Orientalist presuppositions concerning sacred space and the ‘other’. Thus the design and building process is a challenging one, as the community attempts to establish a distinct and non-threatening presence in Germany. Along these lines, domes and minarets are integral elements, connecting current structures to past building traditions and regions. Specialists in the field of architecture, however, are interested in innovation, often regarding dome and minaret forms as clichéd. This article examines the layered meanings that undergird continued use of conventions in mosque architecture, arguing that the domes and minarets convey important lessons to the worshipper about history, memory and ritual practice and assist in effecting attachment to place.

This article examines four archaeological and ethnographic museums in the provinces of Turkey designed by Erten Altaban, a female architect. While these museums have long been neglected and viewed as a sign of Turkey’s failure to preserve its cultural heritage, this study suggests that they reveal a conscious project of forgetting – a negligence of the diversity of memories in the creation of official histories. From a cosmopolitan and feminist perspective, this paper points out that the abandoned spaces of these archaeological and ethnographic museums contain the potential to draw attention to what has been forgotten within the official historiographies. Unlike existing scholarship that focuses on central museums and views them as representations of dominant historical narratives, this study points at peripheral structures as conveyers of memories left out of prevailing accounts.

This essay describes a graduate studio where students were asked to design a new mosque in the historic old town of Yazd, Iran. The project was formed under the broader theme ‘Sacred Architecture in International Historic and Sustainable Contexts’ and required the students to think critically about design within historic, cultural, environmental and tectonic contexts. The studio also responded to concerns expressed by the American National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) about the limited international training and experience in architectural programmes. As such, the project addressed a particular design problem (a mosque design in Yazd, Iran) and responded to broader issues within the field of ­architectural pedagogy. Five examples of students’ projects demonstrate a variety of design concepts and architectural approaches to the design of the new mosque. All examples show attentiveness to faith requirements and sensitivity to the specific site restrictions, as well as to local climate conditions. The latter was emphasized by sustainable design proposals, which accommodate the harsh desert environment of Yazd. Reflections and recommendations follow the description of students’ projects and relate to the pedagogical issues in teaching global architectural history and contemporary practice.

Photography’s Orientalism: New Essays on Colonial Representation, Ali Behdad and Luke Gartlan (eds.) (2013) Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute, 224 pp., 45 b/w illus., 27 colour plates ISBN 9781606061510, $35 (paperback)

From a Nation Torn: Decolonizing art and Representation in France, 1945–1962), Hannah Feldman (2014) Durham and London: Duke University Press, 336 pp., 88 illus. ISBN 9780822353713, $27.95 (paperback)

Contemporary Architecture and Urbanism in the Middle East, Mohammad Al-Asad (2012) Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 320 pp., approx. 550 illus. ISBN 9780813040172, $50 (hardback)

Cairo to Constantinople: Francis Bedford’s Photographs of the Middle East, Sophie Gordon (2013) London: Royal Collection Publications, 256 pp., 220 colour illus. ISBN: 9781905686186, $60 (hardback)

Eros and Sexuality in Islamic Art, Francesca Leoni and Mika Natif (eds.) (2013) Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate, 244 pp., 56 b/w illus., 8 colour plates ISBN 9781409464389, $109.95 (hardback)

Politics, Patronage and the Transmission of Knowledge in 13th–15th Century Tabriz, Judith pfeiffer (ed.) (2014) Leiden and Boston: Brill, Iran Studies, volume 8, 397 pp., 34 illus. ISBN 9789004255395, 131€/$182 (hardback)

‘Qalam: The art of Beautiful Writing’, Birmingham Museums and art Galleries, Birmingham, UK, November 2, 2013–January 26, 2014

‘How Architects, Experts, Politicians, International Agencies and Citizens Negotiate Modern Planning: Casablanca Chandigarh’, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, November 26, 2013–April 20, 2014

‘Robertson: Photographer and Engraver in the Ottoman Capital’, Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations, Istanbul, November 27, 2013–February 20, 2014

‘“The Map is not the Territory”: Parallel Paths – Palestinians, Native Americans, Irish’, Levantine Center, Los Angeles, May 15–June 22, 2014

Announcement of the 2013 AGA Khan Award for Architecture Recipients, Castle of SÃo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal, September 6, 2013

‘The First International Workshop on Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art’, Istanbul Design Center, Istanbul, Turkey, September 23–29, 2013

‘Encounters with Islamic Art: Reception, Revival and Response’, University of Michigan Museum of art, Ann Arbor, Mi, February 1, 2014

‘Architectural Exchanges in South Asia: Medieval to Contemporary Period’, South Asian Studies Program, Brandeis University, Waltham, ma, April 4, 2014