ISLAMIC

ARCHITECTURE
LATE ISLAMIC PERIOD : 1037 - 1918

Presence of Islamic religion in 1700

INDO - ISLAMIC ARCHITECTRE …..!!!!
CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAMIC ARCHITECTRE …..!!!!
AN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE IS.. THE ARCHITECTURE WHICH DID
SERVE A RELIGIOUS FUNCTION OF
“ ISLAM ” – THE MOSQUE, THE TOMB, THE MADRESA.
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE DEFERS FROM OTHER NON-ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTRE CREATIONS BY THEIR ARCHITECTURAL FORMS WHICH
IDENTIFIYS EXPRESSION OF CULTURE CREATED BY THE ISLAM.
IN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURAL INVENTION CONCENTRATES IN THREE
MAJOR CONSTRUCTIONS, THE MOSQUES OR MASJID, TOMBS, AND THE
PALACES.

PLANING:
• TYPICAL CHARACTER OF ANY
OF ISLAMIC STRUCTURE IS HAVING
geometrical FORMS.
• THE CONCEPT OF CENTRAL
COURTYARD IN MOUSQUE IS BROUGHT
IN INDIA FROM ARABIC COUNTRIES.
ORIENTATIONS:
THE MAIN HOLY PLACE OF MOSQUE IS FACING TOWARDS
MACCA, WHICH IS IN West DIRECTION FROM INDIA SO THE MAIN WALL
OF SANCTURY IS ALSO TOWARDS west DIRECTION.
ELEMENTS:
ARCH,PLINTH,DOME, ARE THE
MAIN BASIC ELEMENTS OF ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURE.
THE BASIC RULE OF THE
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE IS TO
MEASURE THE DISTANCE BY AN ARCH
WHILE IN INDIAN ARCHITECTURE
BEAMS WERE USED FOR MEASURE
THE DISTANCE.

USE OF WATERBODY:
WATERBODY IS PLACED IN
THE CENTRE OF THE CENTRAL
COURTYARD WHICH IS USED BEFORE
ENTERING THE MAIN HOLY BUILDING
OF MOSQUE.
ORNAMENTATION:
THIN WALL ,DOMES,
ARCHES, ALL ELEMENTS WERE
ORNAMENTED WITH NATURAL
COLOURS AND SYMMETRICAL
PATTERNS.

JAMI, SCREEN AND PARAPET:

THIN WALL WHICH IS
MADE BY GRILL PATTERENS
OF SYMMETRICAL DESIGN
WITH PARAPET WHICH IS USED
AS SCREENS.
NICHE (MIHARAB)
• Miharab is the semicircular niche in the wall of mosque.
• The term was used by Islamic prophet Muhammad to
denote his own private prayer room FOR PRIVATE
WORSHIP.

COLUMN
• Columns were often combined with arches and beams,
creating a sense of harmony.
• Columns may support a roof or a beam, or they can be
purely decorative.
• A column has three main parts.
THE BASE: Most columns rest on a round or square base.
THE SHAFT: The main part of the column, the shaft, may be smooth,
fluted (grooved), or carved with designs.
THE CAPITAL: The top of the column may be simple or elaborately
decorated.
The capital of the column supports the upper portion of a building,
called the entablature.
ARCH
• Islamic architecture is characterized by arches which
are employed in all types of buildings.
• Earliest form of arches employed in Islamic
architecture were semi circular round arches.

MINARATES
• Minarate is a slim tower rising from the mosque.
• They vary in height, style and number.
• Minarates may be square, round or octagonal and are
usually covered with a pointed roof.
• Originally they are used as a high point and
traditionally as a decorative feature of the mosque.
 CONSENTRATION OF THE INTERIOR :

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE OF ALL ISLAMIC

ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS IS THEIR FOCUS ON THE ENCLOSED SPACE,
ON THE INSIDE AS OPPOSED TO THE OUTSIDE BUILDING,

IN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTRE THE OUTSIDE APPEARANCE OF THE

STRUCTURE IS OFTEN DEVELOPED TO THE EXTREAM.
 DOME AS A SYMBOL OF POWER:
A DOME APPEAR OVER OF
A MASS OF A BUILDING.
IT IS GENERALLY VISIBLE FROM A
FAR.
THE DOME MAY INDICATE
A MOSQUE, A PALACE, OR A TOMB.
IT MAY COVER A
PRAYERHALL, A CHAMBER AT THE
END OF A RECEPTION HALL OR A
SQUARE ,CIRCULAR OR
OCTAGONAL TOMB.

INSTEAD OF DEFINING A PARTICULAR FUNCTION, THE DOME

APPEARS TO BE A GENERAL SYMBOL, SIGNIFYING POWER, THE ROYAL
CITY, THE FOCAL POINT OF ASSEMBLY.
IT CAN THUS SERVE BOTH RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR FUNCTIONS.
 MUSLIM ARCHITECTURE IS A HIDDEN ARCHITECTURE…!!

AT ALL THE TIMES AND IN THE REGIONS OF THE MUSLIM

WORLD WE CAN FIND “ HIDDEN ARCHITRCTURE ” – THAT IS,
ARCHITECTURE THAT TRULY EXSIST, NOT WHEN SEEN AS MONUMENT
OR SYMBOL VISIBLE TO ALL AND FROM ALL SIDES, BUT ONLY WHEN
ENTERED, PENETRATED AND EXPERIENCED FROM WITHIN.
 FORMS AND FUNCTIONS…!!
CLOSELY RELATED TO
THE CONCEPT OF ‘HIDDEN
ARCHITECTURE’

THERE ARE VERY FEW

FORMS IN ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURE THAT CANNOT
BE ADAPTED FOR A VARIETY OF
PURPOSE.

THE STRUCTURES FUNCTION EQUALLY WELL AS PALACE,

MOSQUE, MADRESA OR PRIVATE DWELLINGS AT DIFFERENT TIME IN
DIFFERENT PLACE.

ISLAMIC BUILDING AUTOMATICALLY REVEAL BY ITS FORM, THE FUNCTION

IT SERVE.
 INTERIOR SPACE…!!

THE ENCLOSED SPACE,

DEFINED BY WALLS, ARCADES AND
VAULTS, IS THE MOST IMORTANT
ELEMENT OF ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURE,

DECORATION IS DONE FOR

THE ARTICULATION AND
EMBELLISHMENT OF THE INTERIOR.

DECORATION IN ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURE SERVES SEVERAL
FUNCTIONS, BUT ITS MAIN EFFECT
AND MAIN PURPOSE IS APPEAR TO BE
THE CREATION OF NON-TECTONIC
VALUES. IT MAKES THE ISLAMIC
ARCHITECURE DIFFERENT FROM THE
OTHER NON-ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
OF OTHER RELIGIONS.