Revitalizing Islamic Architectural Identity In The Contemporary World

Abstract

Islamic architecture is a wide-ranging classification with a much-debated definition. The buildings themselves employ a variety of features which have shown themselves to be repeated across different architectural attributes and typologies with influences from Roman and Byzantine sources . The architecture shows itself most frequently in buildings from the 7th to 14th centuries in areas which endured a long-standing Muslim occupation . It is characterized by several distinct characteristics which architectural experts today agree to be the main tenets of the Architecture. These characteristics include things like pointed arches, minarets, domes, motifs, and ornaments. Each of these underlying characteristics also contain their own storied use in the construction of buildings. When combined together, they work together to create an architecture clearly identifiable as Islamic. This thesis project aims to create an Islamic architectural manifestation by utilizing one of its main characteristics which is Islamic geometrical patterns and reveal this architectural identity outside its original context. The designation of an architectural attributes as Islamic is one that comes with its own set of challenges. Scholars have argued over whether the definition should be restricted to buildings which serve a specific religious purpose, such as mosques . Others have argued that the style’s designation has moved beyond one with strictly religious underpinnings to one that simply describes a set of characteristics which have taken on a life of their own. This debate is particularly relevant in discussions of revitalizing Islamic architecture and employing its identifiable characteristics in secular contexts in more multicultural arenas. Those who believe that Islamic architecture is a defining term shaped by religious influences tend to believe it should stay that way, while those who appreciate the functional and aesthetic virtues of the style tend to lobby for its spread throughout the world, as well as its use in things as varied as shopping malls and cultural centers. This debate is relevant once again as the architecture seems to have done just that. Islamic architecture has in fact successfully been transplanted from its original, more sacrosanct purposes into a more modern context, and without the loss of its rich and varied cultural history. The specific instances in which this has been accomplished are the study of this work. This work will aim to explore the specific cases of Islamic-style architecture used in the modern era and the methods through which its cultural history was preserved. The study aims to defend the idea that the Islamic architectural style can be modernized