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Title: An%20introduction%20to

1

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 Islams 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
9
Taj Mahal, India

Mosque of Cordoba

Mosque of Cordoba, Spain
11
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
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.

21
Source Islam Art and Architecture

Samarra
Yemen Syria
Seville Ottoman Taj Mahal

Source Islam Art and Architecture
22

Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

23
Masjid El-Nabawi. Medina, Saudi Arabia
24

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
Photo Islam, Art and Architecture

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.

37
Alhambra Gardens, 12 Century
38

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

42

43

Madar-i-Shah, Isfahan, Iran, 18th century
Photo Architecture De LIslam

Plaster, brickwork, glazed brick and tile were
used as decorative media .

45
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 LIslam

Stalactites were later employed as a decorative
features in door heads,
columns capitals and on walls.
Painting by M. Rifaat, 2006

47
The use of Ornamental Arabic Calligraphy

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.

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.

48
Friday Mosque, Isfahan, Iran
49

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

58
Great Mosque, Damascus, 8th century
Royal Palace, Zisa, Palermo, 12th century

59

Basilica Nuestra Señora del Pilar, 17th century
Sultan Hassan Mosque, 14th century
Zaragoza, Spain 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.

61
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62

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.

63
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64
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.
66

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)

68
The perfectly regular series of geometrical
compartments seen in Versailles (left) are
reminiscent of typical Islamic garden designs
69

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,
Villa Farnese Caprarola,
England, 1930
Italy, 1560
70

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
???? )
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

81
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
82

Other examples of Arab Norman Style in
Sicily are San Cataldo Church and the Moreale
Cathedral in Palermo.

83
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.
84

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
89

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. 142357), was born in Egypt.
(Department of Islamic Art,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The Reception of the Venetian Ambassadors in
Damascus, 1511Musée du Louvre, Paris(Note The
Venetians are in black)
95

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 citys
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.

96
Mark, Venices 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

97
Saint Mark's Basilica, Venice 12th Century
98

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 familys
private refuge, a primary Islamic
architectural tradition.

Photos Venice and the East, Debra Howard
100

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, LInstitut du Monde
Arabe in Paris February, 2007).

101

the Crusades

102

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.

103

Thousands of westerners were brought in direct
contact with an advanced civilization.

104

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.

105

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 castle-building forever.

106

Krak de Chevalier.
A fortress in Syria (12 to 13th century), built
by the crusaders using methods learned from
Islamic military architecture.

107

Cross-cultural Exchange Through Scholars and
Travelers

108

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.

109

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.

110

A collection of drawings by 18th and 19th
century travelers which helped revive western
interest in Islamic architecture .

111

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

112
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656
1723)

Austrian architect, sculptor, and historian
Erlachs 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.

113

Sultan Ahmad Mosque in Constantinople, as
illustrated in A Plan of Civil and Historical
Architecture

114

The publication spurred the design of several
structures in a quasi-Islamic manner, including
Erlachs own Karlskirche church in Vienna (1715).

115
Sir Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren, Englands 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.

116
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 .

117
London Royal Pavilion, John Nash
118
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.
119

Alexandra Palace was built in North London,
England, in 1863 based on the drawings of Owen
Jones

120

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.

121
Illustration from The Grammar of Ornament (1856)
122

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

123
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

124
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
mosqueswith elaborately ornamented facades and
domed pavilions.

125
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126
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

.
127
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.

128

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

129

Modernist Architects Movement

130

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 .

131

Las Ventas, Salamanca, Spain is a bullring
designed by Espeliú (1931) in the so called
Mudejar Revival style

132
Antoni Gaudí (1852 1926)

Gaudi the great Spanish architect of the
Modernism movement, is famous for his unique
style and highly individualistic designs.

133

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

134

Gaudis 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.

135

Gaudis Astorga Palace, 1887

136

Patrick Nuggens (Understanding Modern
Architecture) describes Gaudis 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

137
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

138
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)

139
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

140

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)

141

According to Zeynep Celik the North African
vernacular surfaced sporadically in Le
Corbusiers work to name a few, in the Roq et
Rob project ( 1949) and Maison Jaoul (1953) in
France.

142

Perhaps one of the most fascinating of Zeynep
Celiks assertions is that one of Le Corbusiers
most famous buildings, the Notre-dame-Du-Haut
church in Ronchamp (1954) echoed the sculptural
mass of Sidi Ibrahim Mosque in Algeria

143
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867 - 1959)

Following his visit to Baghdad, and his design of
the master plan for Baghdad university, Wright,
one of Americas greatest architects, designed
the Civic Center in San Rafael, California in the
late 50s with an Islamic flavour.

144

Civic Center in San Rafael, California, Frank
Lloyd Wright

145

Civic Center in San Rafael, California, Frank
Lloyd Wright

146
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

147

Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler's Transportation
Building was one of the most memorable structures
at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

148

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
149
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150

More North American Examples

151
Hearst Castle , San Simeon, California
152
The Berkeley City Club, California
153
Alcazar Theatre Building, San Francisco,
California
154
Opa-locka, City Hall, Florida

Some architects have demonstrated much
enthusiasm in imitating Islamic design features!

155
McGill Square Church, Toronto

Henry Langleys 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).

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Stanford University, California
157
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.

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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

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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

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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