Mosque architecture : formulation of design criteria and standards in the context of Bangladesh

Abstract

Mosque, being the center of Islamic spirit and activities, bccomes an edifice of special sigmficance in the Muslim settlements all over the world. Starting from a simple one in Medina, in course of modification through time and regions, it has attained a certain degree of architectural magnificence amI established il~elf as a distinguished building type. The first mosque cstablished by the Prophet (S) was intended to abide by the commamlment of Allah, convey His message to the whole humankind and render ~crviec to the society. This mosque can be characterized as a simple, austere and strictly functional one. Afterwards, influences from other religiou~ architecture of mediaeval period led the mosqlle architecture towards monumental and SlJmptuOlJs structures. This thesis explores, a, one of its objectivc~, to identify the original intent of a mosque and how it was redefined in course oflime and region. Thousands of mo,qlJes are ~erving thc Muslim community of Bangladesh. Mo~qucs of early Islamic period were built under the patronage of rulers and distinguished rich Muslims. Gradually the common people started to build mosques in their own initiative. These mosqlJesdevelop gradually and reflect the desire and demand of the community. In most of the cases they do not follow any systematic design criteria or standard in temls of the()logyand practice. Moreover, there are no such authentic and compiled sources of guidelines or standard~ to be used by the architects. As a re,ult, there are good number of faulty aspects in different mosques, with respect to shariah and practical i,sucs. This thesis focuses on the formulation of design criteria and standards, which can bc applied for designing mosqlJes in Bangladesh. Obviously, some common and fundamental aspects may apply universally to any mosque around the globe. Some criteria, like determination of qihla direction, configurations of spaces, contiuuation or jama'al in diffcrcm levels, service facilities etc. arc to bc taken into consideration in design approach. Thcse aspects are directly or indirectly dictated by shariah. As a quantitative design tool, architects ~hould follow some design standards. Determination of capacity, spacing of qatars, ergonomic data for different activities, requirement of space for different aetivitics, size of ingress and egress, service load - all these issue, are included for analysi" and propositions. Abstract: Ii -'" A mosque is a unique building type, which requires almost no liturgical support. The floor is mostly used for salat and other activities. Only little furniture, as for example, rnlmbar, seats for Wazu, bookshelf, shoebox or rack etc. arc required to be designed. Standards are formulated for all these liturgical supports. Environmental aspects are also significant for a mosque. But, an elaborate discussion on this aspect is selectively kept beyond the scope or this lhesis, as (his field itselr is very vas! and suitable to be an independent research work. Only some brief discussions and general propositions arc ineluded for certain environmental issues important ror mosque design. There arc many major and minor criteria, which should be considered for designing a mosque. Bul due the limited scope orthis thesis work, some major issues, particularly those very significant on spatial aspoxts are covered in this work. Some aspects, which arc common for any other building type and do not carry extra significance for a mosque, are kept beyond the scope. It is expected that the architect will be able to handle those common issues out of his general education and expertise in architecture.