A mosque (Masjid in Arabic) is a place for Muslims to worship God. The sacred space that I visited is “Dar AlHjrah” mosque in Falls church, VA. In my country every neighborhood has a mosque and each mosque has different shape and Design. Dar AlHjrah mosque had everything a mosque has. There’s “minaret” which is a slim tower attached to the mosque. The “minaret” shape was octagonal with pointed roof. The reason for the “minaret” tower is to make the call for prayer (Adhan). The color of the whole mosque from outside is white and beige.
The mosque has a prayer hall (Musalla) which is the area for the prayer. Before entering the scared area which is the prayer area everyone is required to take off their shoes and place them in the shoe shelf’s outside. The prayer hall had high long windows and a dome in the sealing which made the mosque very bright. In the mosque there is not furniture needed. There are prayer rugs, because during worship prayers bow and kneel to God. The reason for the carpe, rugs and no shoes is to assure the cleanliness of the mosque. In the prayer hall there are book shelf’s to place the holy book “Quran” in. Also there is “Minbar” which is a raised platform made from wood for speeches. The “minbar” has a staircase covered with red carpet.
The prayer rugs are used for people to pray on. The “minaret” tower has a microphone to call for prayer (Adhan) at a high point. The person who calls for prayer (adhan) is the person who leads for prayer (Imam). Before microphones and speakers imams usually go up the “minaret” and call for prayer. Muslims congregate to the mosque when they hear the prayer call (adhan). In Muslims countries it’s common to have mosques in every town. Muslims pray five times a da...
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...s “Dhuhr” begins when sun appears the highest. The third prayer is the The “Asr” which begins prior sunset, the “Almaghrb” prayer which begins after sunset. Lastly the The “Isha” which begins when the night is at its dark. Praying time is a sacred time because it’s the time where you face god and you become closer to God. Praying in Islam is what makes you a Muslim. Muslims try to pray five times a day no matter where they are. Muslims know that it’s time to pray when they hear the “adhan” call of prayer, but when there is no “adhan” they follow the prayer time schedule. These days with the technology there are apps in iPhone, android and windows that people can download and it has “adhan” which reminds them its prayer time. The ritual ends when the person who leads the prayer “imam” does the farewell and the people praying will then follow him with the farewell.
Both these dynasties inherently inhabited the same territories (the Timurids ruled until the 1500s). Unfortunately due to a series of later earthquakes, there is not much surviving architecture from the reigns of the first two Safavid shahs. Shah Abbas, who moved the Safavid capital to Isfahan, practically reinvented the city based on collection of buildings including palaces, mosques, bazaars and madrasas. Abbas arranged the center of the city around a large open area called the Meydan-i Shah (Square of the Ruler) and located to the south end of the Meydan-i Shah is the largest of Shah Abbas 's imperial mosques, the Masjid-i Shah (Mosque of the Shah). The Masjid-i Shah"s development began in the 1612 and finished by around 1638. Something unique about the position of the mosque against the position of the square is that the qibla wall of the mosque is not adjusted with the square because the square was present prior to the mosque, hence the architects of the Masjid-i Shah built the entrance portal to the mosque turning 45 degrees. Another unique and fascinating note is that the scale is incredible. These enormous portals and minarets were garnished in elegant tile with massively patterned color to create a cohesive effect on the courtyard of the mosque. As for the interior, the abundant use of blue, yellow and gold including with the tessellations of vines, leaves
The Grand Mosque is the first mosque in Islam also the greatest, and it is in the center of the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia." It is an area of 750,000 square meters and it can hold 4 Million people." It costs $11,316,818,165$ for the comprehensive restoration. In the center of the mosque, is Kaaba. Muslims believe that is a sacred spot. The meaning of Kaaba in Arabic is cube like structure. It is really based on a small room with marble and black basalt stones constructed brought in from the nearby mountains. According to the Koran, a man named Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Kaaba in response to God's command. Kaaba has been in the Grand Mosque for a long time however really a few people who saw the inside of it on the other hand millions saw the outside of the Kaaba but both of them who saw it from the inside and outside drank from Zamzam well which been running more than 1,350 years.
Scheduling time for prayers means that the Muslim is up early before sunrise and cognitive of the time. Muslims in the western world adapt their prayer schedule to their work schedule, but “in countries such as Saudi Arabia, companies must shut briefly three times a day; it’s against the law to prevent employees from praying” (Mahajan, 2013, p.130). In some areas of the world, the prayer may be heard on loudspeakers to calling Muslims to prayer (Corduan,
The actual building itself appears similar to a castle. The architecture had royal features due to the triangular points on the top of the building. There were three open doors; one big main entrance in front, two small side doors, and all the guests entered through the main entrance. Once I walked in, a big gold Buddha was centered in the back surrounding multiple iconic religious statues. There seemed to be about a hundred religious statues highly dazzled in silver or good.
The Eugene Islamic Center and the Eugene Zendo were both very similar in appearance and location, in that they seemed to be built in what was once a large house, and that they were both tucked into residential neighborhoods. The Eugene Islamic Center was much more like a traditional Christian church in outward appearance than the Eugene Zendo, which could've passed as a house if it didn’t have it’s sign. The Zendo had no stained glass, but it didn’t stray away from windows. The space was very open on the inside, which was a point made even more clear by the lack of furniture or anything but mats and books and religious objects. The Islamic center was very similar in that it had little furniture, but it was much more carpeted and cozy feeling, which makes sense, as Buddhism is a religion with a principle of meditation, which requires posture of an inanimate object.
The Lodhi Gardens, in India, contain a mosque, a place for Muslims to worship God. The famous mosque, “built… by the Saiyads and the Lodhis…have been beautifully maintained and preserved” (Gupta). The mosque contains inscriptions of the Qur’an with floral patterns on the ceiling (Gupta). The mosque, one can argue, may represent Islam as a whole, with beauty and symmetry, inscribing verses from the Qur’an. One can say the mosque at the Lodhi Gardens makes an argument. Because of the objective beautiful aesthetic of the mosque, people are drawn to it, often the site for school trips and tourism, and the mosque presents itself, winning people over and making the mosque a site to see; however without the inscriptions of the Qur’an, the Lodhi Gardens
The general structure of the Suleymaniye mosque mirrors that of many Islamic mosques, but Sinan's work shows that it can remain a unique piece of architecture. The mosque is designed around a central axis. The length is running from north to south while the width spans east to west. This is appropriate for the purpose of the building, where Muslims must face the cardinal direction of Mecca during prayer (Freely 124). Sinan further emphasizes the north and south direction by place two short pillars on the north end and two taller ones on the south end (see Image 2) (Nelipoglu 212). Looking at the plan of the Suleymaniye we see a definite presence of geometry (see Image 3). The mosque is made up of spherical and rectangular shapes, as well as series of arches along the facades. The main, central dome is further magnified by the surrounding half domes. This draws the attention towards the center (Goodwin 35). The dome becomes the spiritual focus, representing God's "unity without distinctions" (Freely 128). Sinan focused on a harmonious connection of the dome to the rest of the mosque to further emphasize its spiritual representation (Cansever 65). Sinan also strived for the Islamic belief of uninterrupted space between man and God. In his floorplan (see Image 3), he works to build the interior space with few obstructions as possible. Any existing obstruction was placed so that its transition was experienced gradually.
Driving along the highway, all eyes are drawn as a magnet to the unique building with its golden dome and unusual architecture. The Islamic Center is located at the base of a residential street in a small neighborhood. The center houses an Islamic school, a community center, an international school and the Mosque, which is the place of worship for Muslims.
Islamic art and architecture is a blend from three or more different cultural traditions from the east. The Arab, Turkish, and Persian traditions are three such traditions that were adopted into the Islamic art and architecture design. The best expressions of Islamic art and architecture are found in Muslim mosques. The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for prayer of Islam. Mosques are also a center for information, education, and dispute settlement. One of the most famous mosques of the Islamic art is the Great Mosque of Samarra in preset day Iraq. The Great Mosque of Samarra also has a spiral staircase on the outside of it.
Committing to religious beliefs is one of the strongest factors influencing the preservations of a Muslim identity. A mosque has a huge role in society and it has to maintain this. Generally, a mosque is somewhere where people can come to pray and contemplate. It is a place away from all the hustle from our day to day busy lives.
Imagine being lost in a blistering desert and finally seeing an oasis ahead. Walking through a palace where color bursts through the doors like children running to recess and the stories of Muslim heroes described right in front of ones eyes; open for the world to see with nothing to hide; this is Islam. Although one may consider Islam a monotonous religion, Islam has a unique way of socially accepting Muslims, great advancements in architecture, and distinctive artwork. Islam is a monotheistic religion that follows the scared text called the Qu'ran. To be a Muslim, one must follow The Five Pillars of Islam and show dedication to Allah (god).With the development of Islam's unique culture came a brilliant artistic language that represents the stories behind faces, dedication to Allah and the rich culture Muslims all share. Islamic architecture is based upon both religious and non-religious types of composition which can be found in Mosques, tombs, forts and palaces. Even though there are many different laws and ways of life, with communication and the same dedication to god, the Islamic culture flourishes on its diversity yet similarity.
I think a gigantic funerary mosque of white marble, built in Agra by order of the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, the Taj Mahal is the most perfect jewel of Moslem art in India and is one of the universally admired architectures of the world’s heritage. Not only see the beautiful Taj Mahal from the video, I also knew the history of itself and its country. A white marble tomb sums up many of the formal themes that have played through Islamic architecture. The video did talk a lot of how much Shah Jahan himself and his father loved art and made many gorgeous artworks. Taj Mahal’s refined style is a conspicuous contrast to the Hindu architecture of pre-Islamic India, with its thick walls, arches, and heavy supports. Even though Taj Mahal is the symbol of grief and sadness, it still has it beauty looks from marble and sand stone.
There was lots of interesting stuff to see both outside and the inside. The build was very much like the house. I guess it makes sense, since it is here in US, and the weather is pretty cold. Usually in a mosque there towers rising form the mosque. They were round and long and covered with the pointed room. It is where adhan is called; adhan is a islamic call to prayer. And the building has the dome rooftop. The mosque I went to was very plain looking. From the front it looked like a house. It was kind of long, and it had lawn around it, with beautiful trees and flowers planted. From the inside, the building is very plan. As soon as you enter the building there was a shoe rack, where everyone took of their shoes. And then there was a prayer hall, where the warship takes place five times a day. The prayer hall is also called musalla. The prayer hall was pretty plain; there was literally no furniture in the room. There were some chairs for the elderly people, and a book shelf filled with Quran and other islamic religious books. The prayer hall walls were plain as well, except some part where the walls ware decorated with the writings from Quran in Arabic. Other than that, there was no paintings, statues, or altar that caches your attention except one little part of the wall. That one little part of the wall was Mihrab. Mihrab is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque, which indicates the direction of the
The second pillar, named Salat, is the pillar of praying five times a day. Muslims wash their face, arms, feet and passed their wet hands over their heads, before each prayer. Muezzins were people who called the Muslims to the mosques for prayer by shouting from tall towers called minarets. Layme... ... middle of paper ... ...
Taj Mahal. ( Mahal is the word in urdu language used for Palace) How can I describe The Taj Mahal? You can’t its impossible. You just have to experience it. To gaze in wonder at that magnificent dome and elegant gardens will be a moment that you remember for the rest of your life. It is one of the greatest sights in the world, some say the greatest, and like Victoria Falls, The Grand Canyon, and Macchu Picchu, it simply is one of those things you have to see in your life. The architectural grace and symmetry of the Taj Mahal just takes your breath away. We had chosen our visit carefully--the sun was setting and the light that washed over the Taj was golden in color. The minarets were now stark against the setting sun . The actual dome was a surprise, it is not yellow-white but blue-white and covered in inscriptions and detail. From below it looked like something out of "Arabian Nights." But inside were the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The central tomb is a lofty chamber with light streaming through fine latticework, and hanging above was an elaborate lamp. Words cannot describe its beauty when you stand on that marble platform overlooking the Yamuna, with the setting sun turning it into a golden ribbon. You may a...