Islamic Architecture(By Ankur Bhadauria)

Article Summary by: bhadauria99

Original Author: Ankur Bhadauria

Not yet rated
Visits : 30
words:900
Comments : 0

Islamic Architecture
Persian Architecture
For invading Muslims, India, served

as a home, and it was here that Persian architecture was experimented with and perfected. Islamic architecture in India can be classified into three sections: Delhi or the Imperial style, from 1191 to 1557AD; the Provincial, encompassing the surrounding areas like Jaunpur and the Deccan; and the Mughal, from Babur to Aurangzeb (1526 to 1707AD), although the last of the true `Great Mughal Emperor’ was not much of a great builder.
Muslim Architecture-- Religious and Secular
Muslim architecture can be subjected to another classification, this one being a little simpler – religious and secular. The mosque or masjid still stands as a constant reminder of Muslim art in all its simplicity.
The masjid, or place of prostration, is the all-important construction of the Muslims. It is also the key note of the Islamic style. Based on a humble design, it follows the principle of the somewhat discreet dwellings of Mohammad, the founder of Islam in Medina in Arabia. The religion itself condemns the use of idols, or that of any fanfare, and this principle was kept in mind while building mosques.
Prayers are meant to be offered in the open air, ascertaining that nothing stands between man and the God. That was the original intent, but somewhere along the way the hand of man intervened.
¤ Mosque Architecture
The mosque is basically an open courtyard surrounded by a pillared verandah, crowned off with a dome. The enclosed space provided respite from distractions from outside. A water tank also seeped in as a convenience for devotees to wash and cleanse themselves before they prayed to Allah. Prayers are always offered facing Mecca, the holy pilgrimage for all Muslims. The pillared verandahs gradually got neighbors in the form of a wall containing an alcove called mihrab, indicating the direction or qibla for prayer.
Towards the right of the mihrab stands the mimbar or pulpit from where the Imam (religious head) presides over the proceedings. An elevated platform, usually a minaret from where the Faithful are summoned to attend the prayers is almost always a necessity.
But it was only during a much later period that minarets began to be included as a device for carrying the muezzin’s (person who calls the Faithful to prayer) voice further.
However, during Prophet Muhammad’s time, mosques were free of minarets, possibly to ensure that it’s height and was not misused to spy into nearby homes.
In every city there will be a Jama Masjid (Arabic: Al-Masjidu’l Jami meaning the Collecting Mosque) where the faithful assemble for the Friday prayer or Jum’ah. (See Jama Masjid under Delhi).
It was soon discovered that additions were required to this basic structure, but that seemed to create a problem. Obviously the mihrab couldn’t be tampered with for this was the most important place. So the outer sections were dealt with; the idea was to make it look like a house of prayer without making any drastic changes on the inside.
Towards the outside a screen was thrown to ward off evil eyes, and a dome was raised.
Coordinating all this was a problem, and Indian builders never did get it right. The early phase in mosque building in India presents a consistent disharmony between the front elevation and the dome, and in almost every mosque the view of the dome is hampered by the parapet. However, this doesn’t mean that the view from the back is equally bad. The cause of such an incoherent approach to building can be attributed to the immature design of the earliest examples, the Qutub in Delhi and Arhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer, which were essentially built on the foundations of temples. Their defects were adhered to in following constructions due to force of tradition. Wherever Muslim monuments were built with temples as the basic structure, this disharmony prevailed.