Islamic Mosque Essay

In all Muslim communities, the mosque is the most important building as it provides a sense of identity and a place of worship. It provides a point of reference for citizens and passers-by (source), as the typical grandiose structure is a powerful symbol of the Muslim faith and its monotheism.

• ARCHETYPAL MODEL OF PLACE

The architectural tradition of Islam shows a tolerant attitude for diverse cultures, due to their flexibility regarding the form of the place of worship. (source) Therefore, the archetypical model of a mosque is not so easily defined. The Islamic prayer does not require a specific form or order, as prayer can take place anywhere as long as one faces Mecca. Prophet Muhammad said: "The whole earth has been made a mosque for me." Hence, in many examples of Islamic

The Hagia Sophia, described as the archetype of the great Ottoman mosques, was created with combined elements from the basilica style and central style, a clear example of how the varying culture of the Ottoman Empire affected its architecture. The building became a monument that has a massive ovoid interior space combining a main dome with two half domes. (source)

[Insert drawing of plan, whose diameters are almost the same as that of the main dome.]

The Ottoman architectural culture was a combination of indigenous Turkish culture and Islamic architectural culture, and made use of domical structures in many of their buildings. Turks believed that domes were a symbol of the heaven. Ottoman architecture united a square or rectangular base with a dome. (source)

The conceptual source of the design of the great Ottoman mosque is a synthesis of the Islamic dome-on-squinch, the post-Roman idea of a dome space, and associated with an unchangeable rectangularity of plan, typical of the Islamic mosque tradition. (source)

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