Mosques serve as spiritual homes for a fifth of the world’s population. Their architecture needs to proclaim modernity while embracing Islamic principles of geometry, form, and space. Early mosques were modeled on the Prophet Muhammad’s mud-brick house, which included living quarters around a courtyard and a dome to beat the heat. Architects today struggle to balance the requirements of this typology with modern sensibilities.

The Dome

Mosques are traditionally surrounded by domes. This architectural feature can be attributed to a combination of factors: A long-standing mortuary tradition of domed structures and an association with the sky gave the dome symbolic meaning in the Islamic world. The hadith promise that anyone who builds a mosque will receive an equivalent home in heaven also played a role, as did the desire to build a house for God, especially if it included a tomb.

Many of the earliest mosques had domes constructed of wood or stone. As these types of building materials became more scarce, domes made of brick began to appear in more and more mosques. A dome in a mosque is usually pierced with lights that create a glittering spectacle and highlight the calligraphy and other decorations on the inside. Mosques are also sometimes equipped with decorative pools and fountains, originally designed to provide water for ablution (wudu) before prayer. Often these decorative features are temporary and can be removed after prayers.

The Prayer Hall

The prayer hall is the focal point of a mosque. It includes a mihrab, which is a niche in the wall that indicates the direction to Mecca. Muslims must face this direction, called the qibla, while praying. Mosques also typically have a minbar, or pulpit, from which the imam delivers sermons on Friday. Many also have a series of tall, slender towers called minarets that are used by muezzin to issue the call to prayer five times each day. This is why a holistic ecological approach is required to Mosque Architecture Design.

Inside the prayer hall, there are usually rugs or carpets where people sit. They may kneel, bow, or prostrate as they pray, and it is important that they do so in a uniform way. For this reason, there are no pews or chairs in a mosque. Some mosques include ablution fountains for washing before prayers. There may also be screens to provide privacy for women and important guests.

The Garden

A mosque is not only a building but also an institution, a place that maintains the Muslim community’s social existence. Traditionally mosques were not stand-alone structures, but were often part of large complexes including schools, hospitals, and soup kitchens as well as mausoleums. These spaces aimed to provide the spiritual, emotional, and social needs of Muslims in one location. They were also aimed at bringing the entire community together.

Mosques incorporated gardens with different kinds of trees and plants, as they represent the Garden of Eden. They also included water elements which act as a symbol of spiritual cleansing and reflection. As the world becomes more and more modern, some mosques are incorporating innovative design features. But these elements should not be overused or they may compromise the sustainability objective of the space.

The Water

Mosques have a unique role in Muslim communities and often become the center of town. While mosques may differ in size and design across the Islamic world, they all have common elements. One of the most important is the mihrab, which is a niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca, the holiest site for Muslims. The mosque’s position is determined by the location of the qibla and can be different from place to place because science and geography determine the best alignment between it and Mecca. The mihrab is also where the five daily prayers are called. The mosque’s decoration almost never includes human or animal forms, which are seen as potentially idolatrous. Instead, inscriptions from the Qur’an and calligraphic designs are often used to reinforce the mosque’s sacred significance.

Other elements of a mosque include minarets, which are tall towers attached to or near a mosque from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer. Often they have a balcony at the top where the muezzin stands to give the call to prayer.

Conclusion

A mosque is a complex architectural and spiritual entity. It manifests various ideas, aesthetic values and concepts rooted in Islamic culture. The design concept focuses on the main prayer hall surrounded by a large and small courtyards with porticoes. The first courtyard, accessed directly from the street, abuts the entrance of the main prayer hall and functions as an orientation space.