An introduction to
Islamic Architecture and its
influence on the West.
 As the European civilization grew and reached the
Middle Ages, there was hardly a field of learning or
form of art, be it science, literature or architecture,
where there was not some influence of Islamic culture
present.
 Islamic learning became in this way part and parcel of
Western civilization well into the advent of the
Renaissance (where exchanges continued to be based
on mutual intellectual respect despite historic
differences), and on to the modern era.
 This presentation provides a short account of
the features that characterize what is referred to
as Islamic architecture, and recalls some of the
threads and common elements that bind it to
historic and contemporary western architecture.
 Islamic Culture:
Diversity in
Unity
 Islamic culture reached out and
intermingled with large numbers of varied
and distant peoples. In the course of 12
centuries, the cultures of Central Asia, the
Indian subcontinent and South East Asia
were added to the Islam’s original areas of
influence in the Middle East, North
Africa, Persia and Turkey.
 The uniting of so many diverse cultures under one
religion had the effect of integrating and
disseminating the latest and best discoveries to all
parts of the realm.
 Paper making from China, numerals from India,
classical Greek science and philosophy
translations, Byzantine and Coptic traditions were
all shared. In medicine the Muslims enhanced
Greek theory by practical observation and clinical
experience.
 One of the major achievements of the Islamic
civilization is its architecture.
 Its great masterpieces (from the Dome on the
Rock in Jerusalem, the Taj Mahal in India to
the Mosque of Cordoba in Spain) unite
intricate spatial relationships, artistic
illustration, remarkable structural technology
and sensitive environmental harmony into
magnificent displays.
Dome on the Rock, Jerusalem
Taj Mahal, India
Mosque of Cordoba
Mosque of Cordoba, Spain
Islamic Architectural Style
 Over the years, Islamic architecture
evolved from the first mosque built by the
Prophet Muhammad in Medina, and
from other pre-Islamic features adapted
from churches, temples and synagogues
into a highly refined and distinctive style.
 The fundamental vocabulary of Islamic architecture
was worked out relatively quickly during the first two
centuries of the new faith, that is the 7th and 8th
centuries.
 It proved flexible enough to meet all the needs of
Muslim life. Mosques, schools, markets, mausoleums,
houses and public baths were built with a beautiful
unified design system, embracing regional disparities
and inventiveness.
The prime architectural elements that define
Islamic style are:

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Courtyard
Minaret
Dome
Mihrab
Iwan
Arches and Vaults
Geometric decorative patterns and calligraphy
Islamic architectural elements in a typical mosque. Source: Encarta
the
Courtyard
 Most mosques contain a
courtyard (originally a
feature of the Prophet's
mosque) with a central
fountain or pool,
surrounded on all sides by
an arcade.
 A courtyard (sahn) in a
mosque is used for
performing ablutions,
praying, meditation and
socializing.
Grand Mosque, Aleppo Syria
 An interior courtyard in a
traditional house, on the other
hand, is used for aesthetics
and privacy.
 It performs an important
function as a modifier of
climate in hot arid areas.
 It allows outdoor activities
with protection from the
wind, dust and sun.
 Interior courtyards serve
both as light wells, in a
building with limited
exterior window openings,
and as air wells into which
the cool dense night air
sinks.
 During the day, the heated
air rises, convection currents
set up an airflow that, in
conjunction with a fountain
and pool, ventilates the
house and keeps it cool.
Painting by: Filippo Baratti, 1872
the
Minaret
Unique to Islamic architecture are the minarets. Their dual
functions are to act as a landmark for mosque location; and to
enable the call to prayer to be chanted high above the
community for the faithful to hear.
Samarra
Yemen
Syria
Source: “Islam Art and Architecture”
Source: “Islam Art and Architecture”
Seville
Ottoman
Taj Mahal
Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Masjid El-Nabawi. Medina, Saudi Arabia
the
Dome
 Domes, a dominant feature, may have
been a development of early Christian
sources.
 The earliest Islamic use of the dome was in
the eighth century mosque of Medina.
 Some mosques will have multiple, often
smaller domes in addition to the main
large dome that resides at the central
praying area
18th century panel representing the mosque of Medina in
Saudi Arabia.
Khoja Ahmad Yasawi Mausoleum,
Turkistan 14th century
Sultan Mosque, Singapore, 1826
bearing multiple domes
the
Mihrab
 The most important element in
any mosque is the mihrab, the
niche that indicates the
direction of Mecca. Because it
functions as the focal point in
prayer ritual, its decoration was
executed with great skill and
devotion
Mihrab in the tomb of Sultan Iltutmish, Delhi, 1236
Mihrab, 14th century Isfahan,
Iran
the
Iwan
 An Iwan is a vaulted hall or space, used to
intermediate between different sections.
 There are usually four around the courtyard.
Sultan Hassan mosque, Egypt
Arches and
Vaults
 To the early architects of the mosque we may attribute the
development of the horseshoe and pointed arch and brick
vaulted arcades
Gardens
 The Muslims developed the concept of the
garden as a place of beauty and meditation,
harmoniously integrated with the building
layout.
 Islamic gardens were typically designed as a
sort of escape or peaceful seclusion from the
outside world.
Alhambra Gardens, 12 Century
Golestan Palace garden , Tehran, Iran, 16th century
Ornamentation
The brilliant use of decorative
schemes, geometric shapes and
repetitive patterns are a hallmark
of Islamic architecture .
Tiles. Iran, 14th century.
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Herat Mosque in Afghanistan
Photo: “Architecture of the Islamic World”
Madar-i-Shah, Isfahan, Iran, 18th century
Photo: “Architecture De L’Islam”
 Plaster, brickwork,
glazed brick and tile
were used as
decorative media .
Dome on the Rock, Jerusalem
Photo: “Architecture De L’Islam”
Stalactites (Muqarnas)
 Vast numbers of small
squinches were used as a
decorative motif , built in
overlapping layers creating a
magical cave of satellites.
 They were first used to cover
pendentives , spherical
triangles which act as a
transition between a circular
dome and a square or
polygonal hall on which the
dome is set.
:
Photo “Architecture De L’Islam”
 Stalactites were later
employed as a decorative
features in door heads,
columns capitals and on
walls.
Painting by M. Rifaat, 2006
The use of Ornamental Arabic Calligraphy
 Because the Muslim
faith discourages
pictorial representation,
the extensive use of
calligraphy evolved into
a highly sophisticated
decorative medium. Its
role in recording the
word of God renders it
one of the most
important forms of
Islamic art.
 Like all Islamic
decoration, calligraphy is
closely linked to
geometry. The
proportions of the letters
are all governed by
mathematics.
Inscriptions are most
often used as a frame
along and around main
elements of a building
like portals and cornices.
Friday Mosque, Isfahan, Iran
 Many Islamic buildings have surface inscriptions in
stone, stucco, marble, mosaic and/or painting. The
inscription might be a verse from the Koran, lines of
poetry, or names and dates.
Friday Mosque, Yazid, Iran
 Islamic Architectural
Style Transfer to the
West
 Many of the outstanding medieval
buildings of the West are indebted to the
techniques of Islamic architecture. In fact,
it can be said that the great medieval
European architectural tradition is one of
the elements of Western civilization most
directly linked to the Islamic world.
Bargello Musium, Florence, 13th century
The Role of
Spain
 From its power house in Mecca, Islam flashed
through North Africa and brought to Spain in
the 8th century the architectural heritage of the
Middle East.
 It was energetically superimposed on the
dormant Roman-Romanesque traditions of the
time, culminating in highly imaginative and
structurally ingenious design techniques;
gradually making their way all across Europe.
 Comparison of these two minarets reveals design features carried
through over eight centuries, from the 8th century Great Mosque
in Damascus (left) to the 16th century Aragon Cathedral in Spain
 Horseshoe arcades dominate the 10th Great Mosque
of Cordoba (left), and the 15th century Church of
Santa Maria la Blanca in Toledo.
 Astonishing similarities between
the stalactites ( Muquanas) and
wall calligraphy on the walls of
the 14th century Sultan Hassan
Mausoleum in Cairo (left), and
those of the 15th century Church
of Santa Maria la Blanca in Toledo
Great Mosque, Damascus, 8th century
Royal Palace, Zisa, Palermo, 12th century
Basilica Nuestra Señora del Pilar, 17th century
Zaragoza, Spain
Sultan Hassan Mosque, 14th century
Cairo, Egypt
 According to Thomas Goldstein (“The Dawn of
Modern Science”), the cities of Spain were
“urban, commercial, sophisticated, exotic,
and cosmopolitan”.
 They developed into great international
centers of cultural advancement and
enterprise, and served as models for the
urbanization of Europe. Cities like Cordova,
Seville, Toledo and Grenada became centers
of knowledge dissemination for five
centuries.
10th century Muslim Cordova was an immense city with
over 1 million inhabitants, rivaling the splendours of
Constantinople, Damascus and Baghdad.
With its paved streets, complete with street lighting, 70
public libraries, universities and public baths it was the
most splendid city on the continent.
The significance of this in terms of human development is
underscored by the fact at that period, major urban
settlements in the rest of Europe were mere towns
estimated to be of no more than 50,000 inhabitants.
Gardens
 It was in Toledo in 11th century Muslim
Spain, and later in Seville, that the first
botanical gardens of Europe made their
appearance. They were pleasure gardens as well
as trial grounds for the acclimatization of
plants brought from the Middle East.

Flowers which originated in Muslim gardens include the carnation and the tulip.
 Today the consequences of the introduction of palace
gardens, pools and fountains by the Arabs can be
admired all over Europe .
 The 18th century gardens of the Chateau de Versailles
in France are magnificent examples.
Versailles gardens
(18th century)
Taj Mahal gardens
(17th century)
The perfectly regular series of geometrical compartments seen in
Versailles (left) are reminiscent of typical Islamic garden designs
 “The accuracy and geometric ingenuity of Islamic
building became a permanent lesson to architects
in the West”. (Bill Risebero ,“The Story of Western
Architecture”)
Sissinghurst Castle Garden,
England, 1930
Villa Farnese · Caprarola,
Italy, 1560
Impact on Gothic
architecture
 Following the end of the Arab rule in Spain, the splendor
of Islamic architectural lived on through its direct impact
on Gothic architecture, and consequently onto the 18th
century through links to Renaissance and Baroque styles.
 Muslims played a foremost role in introducing the
pointed arch, vaulting, multiple towers (or minarets),
and other features so characteristic of Europe's Gothic
cathedrals.
 Joseph Watterson (“ Architecture-A Short History”) explains
that it was in France, during the latter part of the 12th
century, that the Gothic system of building was born.
The pointed arch “was the first step in the
development of the Gothic system. The pointed arch
in itself was nothing new, for it has long been used in
the East”.
 Patrick Nuttgens (“The Story of Architecture”) goes further:
“ Yet not one of the features by which we distinguish
Gothic architecture was new – not the pointed arch
or window, nor cross-vaulting, flying buttresses or
twin towers on the façade”.
Mausoleum of Ibn Kalaoun, Cairo
Rheims Cathedral, Paris
 Pointed arches allowed for better distribution of
vertical forces away from windows and doors. Walls
could then be lighter and buildings could be built
bigger, higher, and more complex.
 According to Patrick Nuttgens (The Story of Architecture”)
the French called this new Gothic style “ le style ogival”
(pointed or ribbed ) in recognition of the dept its
shape owed to the East.
 The French recognized further
possibilities opened up by the pointed
arch and vault, producing cathedrals of
breathtaking beauty and proportions,
emulated by the rest of Europe
Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral
Palma de Mallorca Cathedral, Spain
 Mudéjar is the name given to the
Muslims of Al-Andalus, who
remained in Spain, but were not
converted to Christianity. (It is a
medieval Spanish corruption of the Arabic
word Mudajjan ‫) مدجن‬
 Mudéjar also denotes a vernacular
style (sometimes referred to as Mudéjar
Gothic) which emerged in the 12th
century on the Iberian peninsular.
Royal Residence built by Peter of Castile,
in Mudéjar tradition,14th century
 Wikipedia describes Mudéjar style as “ a
symbiosis of techniques and ways of
understanding architecture resulting from
Muslim, Christian and Jewish cultures living
side by side”
 Mudéjar style developed complicated tiling patterns that
have never been surpassed in sophistication. Even after
the Muslims were no longer employed, many of their
contributions remained an integral part of Spanish
architecture.
 Mudéjar brought in a new
characteristic by leading to
a fusion between the
incipient Gothic style and
the Muslim influences
that had previously been
superimposed on late
Romanesque
Tower of the Santa María church in
Calatayud, 15th century Spain
“Arab Norman Style” in Sicily
 The early Medieval summer palace
of Zisa, in Palermo, is a prime
example of the continued
European use of Muslim designers
and builders after the end of
Muslim rule in Spain.
 Commissioned by the 12 century
Norman rulers of Sicily, Zisa is in
effect an Muslim building. It is
designed by Muslim architects and
built by Muslim craftsmen
according to Muslim traditions.
Photographic collection of René Seindal
and Valentina Derito
Other examples of Arab Norman Style in Sicily are San
Cataldo Church and the Moreale Cathedral in Palermo.
The Palatina chapel, is
a composition of
Islamic splendour,
adorned with glittering
mosaics. The Arabian
stalactite ceiling,
(muqarnas), was created
by Iraqi artists from
Samara.
An interior courtyard in Arab Norman style, Palermo, Sicily
 The Mudéjar tradition
continued in some areas
into the Renaissance
period.
 At Seville several
Mudéjar palaces were
still under construction
in the 16th century.
The Casa de Pilatos, Seville,
Spain. The 16th century building
is a mixture of Italian Renaissance
and Spanish Mudéjar.
Cross-cultural
Exchange Through
Trade
 Islamic architectural influence grew at a rapid
rate as the the empire expanded and Muslim
traders found their way to the most remote
areas of the then-known world, building a vast
network of foreign trading stations and
settlements.
Muslim Trading Routes.
Source: “Islamic Art and Architecture”
 Between the 5th and 9th centuries, the
major building projects in western Europe
were almost at a standstill.
 Architectural development was left to
Byzantium, which had benefited
economically from its trading partnership
with the Orient.
 This situation changed as, in the 9th and 10th century, a
number of merchant cities on the edge of western
Europe forged strong links with their Islamic
neighbours: Cairo, Damascus and Constantinople,
trading both goods and ideas.
 Such cities as Naples, Ravenna, Milan, Pisa, and
above all, Venice worked their way to the economic
and cultural forefront of Europe.
The Role
of Venice
 For almost 1000 years, Venice (the last stop on
the “silk road”) was the meeting place of
Europe and the East. By the 16 century, Venice
had become a supreme Mediterranean trading
power.
 Her prosperity and her identity derived from her
role as mediator between Western Europe and
the much richer civilizations of the Middle East,
and her ability to exchange and assimilate goods
and ideas from across the Mediterranean
 Debra Howard (“Venice and the East”) explains that
studies of east-west contacts in the Middle Ages have
long recognized the seminal role of Spain in the
channeling of Arab learning to Europe. In
architectural terms, Spain reveals more overt Islamic
influence, and has been proposed as a route for the
import of Gothic characteristics into western Europe.
 In comparison to Spain , Howard argues, “Venice was
not subject to direct Muslim domination, rather,
Venetian trading patterns reveal such profuse
evidence of direct contact with the eastern
Mediterranean and its people”, that it freely absorbed
Muslim visual arts and intellectual culture directly.
Several Arab cities had a
permanent Venetian
diplomatic representative with
regular access to local
authorities. Ties between the
Venetian nobility and
merchant classes and their
counterparts was particularly
strong.
The longest reigning Doge of
Venice, Francesco Foscari (r.
1423–57), was born in Egypt.
(Department of Islamic Art,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
The Reception of the Venetian Ambassadors
in Damascus, 1511
Musée du Louvre, Paris
(Note: The Venetians are in black)
 By the 15th century, Venice became Christian
Europe's most important interface with the
Muslim civilizations of the Middle East.
 The Middle East came to influence the city’s
artistic and artisan output so profoundly that
even experts sometimes struggle to figure out
whether works are Venetian or Oriental.
 East-West hybrids of architectural styles
flourished.
Mark, Venice’s patron saint,
was from the Egyptian city of
Alexandria, and her cultural
and spiritual centre – the
basilica of San Marco –
was built in his honor
Piazza St. Marco, Venice. 18th Century Painting by Canaletto
Saint Mark's Basilica, Venice 12th Century
 An architectural style described as a cross between late
Gothic and Islamic prevails in these 15th century
Venetian palaces.
 Similarities between the courtyards of the 15th century
Ca’ Goldoni, Venice (left) and Yasine House, Alleppo,
Syria are obvious. Both open courtyards admit light to
the heart of dwellings in dense urban settings, creating
the family’s private refuge, a primary Islamic
architectural tradition.
Photos : “Venice and the East”, Debra Howard
 The papacy often sought to prohibit trade between the
Christians of western Europe and the Muslims of the
Middle East with trade embargos. But because their
livelihood depended so much on east-west trade, Venetians
fought to have such bans lifted and, on occasion, even
defied the pope.
 During the Crusades, the Venetians compromised their
position with the papacy by acting opportunistically to
maintain their good trade relations with the Muslim
world. (“Venice and the Orient”, exhibition, L’Institut du Monde Arabe in
Paris February, 2007).
the
Crusades
 In 1095 Pope Urban II granted absolutions to
whomever would reclaim the Holy Land for
Christendom. With that assurance began two
centuries of Crusades.
 Of the numerous momentous consequences of
the Crusades, one of the least acknowledged is
their role in bringing back to Europe advanced
Islamic knowledge.
 Thousands of westerners were brought in direct contact with
an advanced civilization.
 As Bill Risebero (“ The Story of Western Architecture”)
explains:
“Whether the Crusades had been initiated for
political or for religious reasons, there is no doubt
that the most significant gains to the West were
economic and cultural”.
 Captured Muslim craftsmen “brought their
superior skills to Europe, looted artifacts provided
patterns for westerner craftsmen to copy, and
acquired books helped to spread Arabic ideas and
knowledge.”
 Building techniques found their way
westwards, starting with castle building where
Islamic ideas were adopted wholesale by the
Crusaders as they built there own defenses,
changing the pattern of western castlebuilding forever.
Krak de Chevalier.
A fortress in Syria (12 to
13th century), built by the
crusaders using
methods learned from
Islamic military
architecture.
 Cross-cultural
Exchange Through
Scholars and
Travelers
 In addition to trade relationships, transfer of
architectural concepts was supplemented by
observations and drawings of the numerous
western scholars, architects and travelers to North
Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
 Never was nostalgia for the past greater than in
Northern Europe at the beginning of the 19th
century as expanding industrialization was
creating a bleak, inhumane environment.
 The exotic past of the countries to the
south and east of Europe became more
widely known as descriptions of historic
buildings were publishes by travelers, and
miniature paintings from Persia and India
found their way to the West.
A collection of drawings by 18th and 19th century travelers
which helped revive western interest in Islamic architecture .
Scottish-born David Roberts is the most famous of the 19th
century artists to travel to the Middle East. He brought back from
his visits to Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Syria and the Holy Land
fabulous highly precise drawings of people and places he had
seen.
Photos: Rita Bianucci “David Roberts, Egypt and the Holy Land”
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
(1656 – 1723)
 Austrian architect, sculptor, and historian
Erlach’s publication “A Plan of Civil and
Historical Architecture” (Vienna, 1721) was one of
the first and most popular European
comparative studies of world architecture, with
representations of Arab, Turkish and Persian
architecture based on writings of travelers and
archeologists.
Sultan Ahmad Mosque in Constantinople, as illustrated in
“A Plan of Civil and Historical Architecture”
 The publication
spurred the design of
several structures in a
quasi-Islamic manner,
including Erlach’s
own Karlskirche
church in Vienna
(1715).
Sir Christopher Wren
 Sir Christopher Wren, England’s celebrated 17th
century architect, was a fan of Islamic architecture
and an advocate of its effect on Gothic styles.
 In his greatest project, St Paul's Cathedral , several
Islamic elements may be
detected, including the structure
of the dome and aisles, and the
combination of dome and towers.
John Nash (1752-1835)
 George IV commissioned architect John Nash to remodel an unfinished
structure at the London Royal Pavilion. The design submitted was inspired
by the Taj Mahal. It was built in the 19th Century as a seaside retreat for
the then Prince Regent .
London Royal Pavilion, John Nash
Owen Jones ( 1809 – 1874)
 English designer, architect,
and writer, best known for
his standard work treating
both Eastern and Western
design motifs
 He travelled for four years
in Italy, Greece, Turkey,
Egypt and Spain, making a
special study of Alhambra.
 Upon his return to England
in 1836, he played a role in
spreading interest in Islamic
culture.
Christ Church, Streathem Hill.
 Alexandra Palace was built in North London, England, in 1863 based on
the drawings of Owen Jones
 Jones was a strong advocate of ornamentation as an
integral part of design.
 The “Grammar of Ornament”, a book authored by him
and first published in 1856 became an important tool
of the period by introducing designers to decorative arts
from cultures where Jones traveled: Chinese, Persian,
Indian and most notably Islamic.
Illustration from “The Grammar of Ornament” (1856)
 Owen Jones saw in Alhambra the
perfect embodiment of the principles
of decoration. He wrote of Alhambra
in The Grammar of Ornament:
“not only does the decoration arise
naturally from the construction, but
the constructive idea is carried out in
every detail of the ornament on the
surface”.
Hall of Ambassadors, Alhambra, Spain
Frank Furness ( 1839 – 1912)
 Amongst American architects who were inspired by the
publications of Owen Jones was Furness.
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts ,1875
Gabriel Davioud (1823-1881)
 Perhaps the most striking
Islamic features
resemblance in the
Trocadéro Palace in Paris
(1878) were the two square
towers, said to be modeled
after the minarets of North
African mosques—with
elaborately ornamented
facades and domed
pavilions.
Lord Leighton (1830-1896).
.
 Leighton House Museum
in London is the former
studio-house of the
Victorian artist Frederic,
Lord Leighton (designed
by George Aitchison).
 His appreciation of
Islamic work is reflected
in the “Arab Hall”
Fredric Church (1826-1900)
 After touring Syria, Palestine and
Europe, American landscape
painter Fredric Church (1826-1900)
did a series of Mediterranean
compositions that included scenes
from Jerusalem and Petra.
 Church returned from his trip with
an enthusiasm for Islamic
architecture, devoted most of his
efforts to the design and
construction of his estate at
Greendale-on-Hudson, New York.
 Along the way, peculiar
hybrids appeared, such as
the Royal Panopticon of
Science and Art (1852, top)
and its replacement, the
Alhambra Palace Theater
in Leicester Square,
London
Modernist
Architects
Movement
 Islamic influence died out for some
decades until some of its features and
concepts were brought back by the
creative 20th century Modernist (Art
Nouveau) architectural movement .
Las Ventas, Salamanca, Spain is a bullring designed by Espeliú
(1931) in the so called “ Mudejar Revival” style
Antoni Gaudí (1852 –1926)
 Gaudi the great Spanish
architect of the Modernism
movement, is famous for his
unique style and highly
individualistic designs.
 One of his very rare trips outside his
native Barcelona was to Morocco. His
profound interest in Mudéjar
heritage governed the design of his
early works, such as Casa Vincens
and Astorga Palace
 Gaudi’s first house, Casa Vincens (1878),
was an expression of Art Nouveau.
 He used a standard tile as a
decorative feature and a module for
the whole house. This technique, together
with the rooftop tower, are common Islamic traits.
Gaudi’s Astorga Palace, 1887
 Patrick Nuggens
(“Understanding Modern
Architecture) describes Gaudi’s
work as “ architecture of
sunlight, full of colour, based
on Greek and Arab
decorations, a product of
Spain. Its shapes reflect
nature; they also reveal his
interest in mechanics and
three dimensional geometry”
Casa Vincens, Barcelona
Johan van der Mey
 Johan was a leading member of
the modernist or expressionist
architectural movement that
developed in Northern Europe
during the first decades of the
20th Century.
 Expressionism is described as
“drawing as much from
Moorish, Islamic, Egyptian, and
Indian art and architecture as
from Roman or Greek”
(Wikipedia)
Shipping House, Amsterdam, 1912
Hans Poelzig (1869 – 1936)
 The Großes Schauspielhaus
(Great Theater) Berlin,
Germany, (1919) is another
example of expressionist
architecture.
 . “The dome and pillars were
decorated with muqaras, a
honeycombed pendentive
ornament, which resembled
stalactites”. (Wikipedia)
Le Corbusier
 The earlier work of Le Corbusier ,
the turn-of-the-century
architect whose immense
influence on global modern
architecture is undeniable,
displayed affinity in some of his
early works with the Ottoman
and North African vernacular
he had studied .
Postcard in the personal collection of
Le Corbusier, Fondation Le Corbusier,
Paris
 A number of his early
villas, such as Villa
Schob were organized
around a central
courtyard, and
characterized by simple
spacing, massing, and
blank street facades, a
typical Islamic house
arrangement.
Villa Schobe , 1916)
 According to Zeynep Celik “the North African vernacular
surfaced sporadically in Le Corbusier’s work – to name a few, in
the Roq et Rob project ( 1949) and Maison Jaoul (1953)”* in
France.
*"Re-visioning America and the 20th Century',
published in "One Hundred Years of
Architecture"
 Perhaps one of the most
fascinating of Zeynep
Celik’s assertions is that
one of Le Corbusier’s most
famous buildings, the
Notre-dame-Du-Haut
church in Ronchamp
(1954) “echoed the
sculptural mass of Sidi
Ibrahim Mosque” in
Algeria
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867 - 1959)
 Following his visit to
Baghdad, and his design
of the master plan for
Baghdad university,
Wright, one of America’s
greatest architects,
designed the Civic Center
in San Rafael, California
in the late 50’s with an
Islamic flavour.
Civic Center in San Rafael, California, Frank Lloyd Wright
Civic Center in San Rafael, California, Frank Lloyd Wright
Louis Sullivan (1856 – 1924)
 Traces of Islamic character can
be found in works of Louis Sullivan,
one of the fathers of modernism in
America.
Guaranty Building, Buffalo, 1895
Carson, Pirie, Scott Building, Chicago, 1899
 Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler's
Transportation Building was one of the most
memorable structures at the 1893 Columbian
Exposition in Chicago.
 Sullivan draped his buildings
with intricate system of vegetal
ornament. Patrick Nuttens
(“Understanding Modern Architecture”)
wrote that he used Owen Jones’
“ Grammar of Ornament” for
inspiration
 The ornaments and decorations
were integral to the idea and
design of the building itself,
another primary Islamic design
concept.
Guaranty Building, Buffalo, 1895
More North
American
Examples
Hearst Castle , San Simeon, California
The Berkeley City Club, California
Alcazar Theatre Building, San Francisco, California
Opa-locka, City Hall, Florida
Some architects have
demonstrated much
enthusiasm in imitating
Islamic design features!
McGill Square Church, Toronto
 Henry Langley’s 19th
century church in the
Gothic Revival style
has familiar features,
most notably the
multiple, slim, highly
decorated towers and
pinnacles (suggestive
of typical minarets).
Stanford University, California
PPG Building, Pittsburg
 Architect Philip Johnson is
said to also have borrowed
ideas from French style in
his 1984 PPG Building by
adapting modernists
signature glass curtain walls
to Gothic forms.
 Commenting on the PPG building, TIME
editors predict that “soaring with uplift, the
French style may yet be around for a while”
(“Great Buildings of the World”, Editors of TIME).
 Being the forerunner of French Gothic, we
predict that the Islamic style may also yet be
around for a while; and the dialogue
between western architecture and Islamic
architecture, which goes back to the birth of
Islam in the seventh century, shall continue
to flourish
 Arthur Erickson is an
internationally celebrated
Canadian architect. In 1973 he
was made an Officer of the Order
of Canada and was promoted to
Companion in 1981.
 Erickson is no stranger to Islamic
architecture and the Middle East,
where he was awarded some
forty prestigious public projects,
such as the the Dubai Etisalat
Tower .
Etisalat Tower, Dubai, UAE
Photo: Official Arthur Erickson
Architect web site
Filberg House, Comox , British Columbia
 The Filberg house, designed by Erickson in
1958 is, according to the Globe and Mail, the
most beautiful house in Canada , the design of
which “borrows profoundly from Andalusian
architecture”.
 We decided to end this presentation with some
fascinating photos of the Filberg House,
downloaded from the official website of
Arthur Erickson Architect :
References
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Markus Hattstein and Peter Delius, “Islam Art and Architecture”
Henri Stierlin, “Islam From Baghdad to Cordoba. Early Architecture”
Henri Stierlin, “Architecture De L’Islam”
Zeynep Celik, “ Architecture of Islam at Nineteenth Century World’s Fair”
Owen Jones, “ The Grammar of Ornament”
Geoge Mitchell, “ Architecture of the Islamic World”
Debra Howard, “ Venice and the East”
John Hoag, “Western Islamic Architecture”
Bill Risebero, “ The Story of Western Architecture”
Parick Nuggens, “The Story of Architecture”
Bruce Allsopp, “The Great Tradition of Western Architecture”
The Editors of TIME, “ Great Buildings of the World”
Richard Koshalek and Elizabeth Smith, “One Hundred Years of architecture”