The Spread of Islam

  The major world religion Islam, that was the second largest religion after Christianity, introduced by the Prophet Muhammad in 7^th century CE in Arabia that had a relation with both Mesopotamia and Egypt. As in Constantine’s Christianity/ Byzantine, Islamic culture also mostly focus on the religion. Thus, the highest and most effective expression of the Islam was the religious architecture such as madrasah and mosques that were the center of Islamic culture. Apart from its own style and language, Islamic architecture include also various forms and styles of other countries. We may say that, the character of architecture also somehow related with the Mediterranean culture.

The most essential and significant structures were mosques that was the gathering place to worship, also a discussion and resting place. It is defined by some distinctive elements. Such as, minaret, mihrab, dome, courtyard etc. The minaret that is like a slender tower, is one of the oldest elements of Islamic architecture. It was like a reminder of the entity of Islam.

Mecca is the city that Muhammad was born, also a holy and pilgrimage (site) for nomadic tribes of Arabia. It hosted many mosques, tombs, forts that were create a circular orientation. Besides, Mecca is the home of the Kaaba that is the most important Islamic mausoleum. This pre-islamic monument that has a meaning ‘cube’ but not properly a cube, built from granite and covered with a black fabric to protect the Kaaba. The pilgrims come together at the surrounding courtyard (haram).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apart from the Mecca, Muhammad moved to Medina to build up the first Islamic city. He encourage the modest architecture because of taking the afterlife as a base. Unlike from the pagan temple’s style, first Muslims preferred the secular structures. With an order of Muhammad, an enclosure was built, known as the prophet Muhammad’s house with a square courtyard (Mosque of the Muhammad) that was a primitive structure. It considered as the first mosque in Medina. At first, for Muslims praying, the direction of the worship, qibla faced with Jerusalem, but after the conquest of the Medina, it become Kaaba.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-The first mosques included some basic elements such as, fountains and covered halls.

Since the 7^th century, the mosques have built around the world with its various types. While there are various types, three common plans can be defined. One of was the hypostyle hall that adjoin with an open courtyard (sahn), was the main characteristic of the hypostyle mosque which dates back to end of the 7^th century. We come across with one of the earliest example in Kufah, Iraq, with a square hall and spaced columns. Kufah was the new city that Arabs founded, was established on a grid with crossed streets like the ancient Rome, include some open plazas (maydan) that surrounded by orthogonal streets.

Diagram reconstruction of the Prophet’s House, Medina

 

 

The Umayyad Period: Jerusalem and Damascus

After the Muhammad’s cousin Ali took the power, moved the capital from Mecca to Kufah. Then the tribe of Umayyad that were rival, settled in Damascus. The caliph of Umayyad, built the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem in the late 7^th century, that was the oldest Islamic most visible monument, built over the rock. The root of the mosaics and structure of the dome came from Byzantine style. It located near the center of Temple Mount with a central plan that covered by a central dome like the Christians martyrium. The octagonal arcade( that had pointed arch or ablaq features)surrounding the rock.  Besides, we still can see continuation of use of mosaics. Both exterior and interior decorated with marbles and mosaics.

 

After the Umayyads gained strength over the Mecca, they started to build much more fascinating mosques. One of was enlarged Mosque of the Prophet and other one was Al-Aqsa Mosque that was in the Jerusalem Old Temple Mount, had a basilical hypostyle hall. (Similar with the Christian Basilica) They contained one of the essential elements of mosques that is mihrab. It is a hollow in the wall and specify the qibla. Near the mihrab there was an enclosure, a box that called maqsurah to preserve the ruler. Besides, next to the mihrab there was minbar is a covered pulpit that located on a qibla wall.

 

The other essential monument was Great Mosque. It contains prayer hall and large courtyard that enclosed an octagonal pavilion, surrounded with the arcades supported by Corinthian columns. The walls of mosque covered with mosaics.

On the other hand the Damascus’s desert palaces that served as caravansaries were center of the agricultural property. These palaces had solid walls as symbolic. Qasr Mshatta can be an example that we can see the both Roman and Sassanid influences. It had limestone walls, symmetrical plan, central entry hall and larger court.

In the middle of the eight century, the revolution of Abbasid ended the Umayyad dynasty and established a round city with a capital called Baghdad (Madinah el-Salam (city of peace)). The initial plan would be a perfect circle with the southwest gate that pointed the Mecca. The entries had vault arches that also called iwan and hall with a golden dome. Besides, Baghdad had cross-longitudinal streets that covered with vaults. On the other hand, imperial palaces that framed by the central void, started to be constructed. Besides, the houses for caliph’s family were in the outer of the round and the administrative buildings located the inside of the round.

Baghdad Round City

A decade later Harun transferred the capital to Ar-Raqqah and began to construction of octagonal buildings. After the death of Harun, Samarra became the capital with extended Abbasid palaces and mosques. Caliph’s Palace was an example of it. The gateway formed by the iwans. The ground included amphitheater, central esplanade and gardens. Then, when Mutawakkil started to administer the city, he wanted to build most largest mosque in the world. So that, the Great Mosque of Samarra emerged. It has a rectangular layout and the courtyard surrounded by arcades. Besides, its’ minaret – Malwiya Tower- was a cone with spiral ramp.

Great Mosque of Samarra

Additionally, in Tunusia the dynasty of Aghlabid, Great Mosque of Kairouan was rebuilt with a high minaret, as an imitation of Great Mosque of Baghdad.

 

 

 

 

Lost In Somewhere / Pre Jury

We completed our first jury of the period. For this pre jury we were expected to study on a habitation environment that include various programs. We were responsible for the features of given topography. As the first step, we should understand and interpret these given programs.

Programmatic Outlines were: Service kits, power stations, regenerative bundles, spaces of displacement (additionally: mass participation zone and junk space)

We have to discover the potentials of these programmes and started to think on the various spatial definitions. At the same time, we should also consider and think on several activities that can take part in these programmatic outlines. Thinking on the activities and their relations offered to us various spatial organization and condition. The important think was, we hold on uncertain definitions while we were defining some programmatic possibilities.

In this process, we were studying through sections to study on and produce several relations of spaces in a 2D manner. On the other hand, thinking on section and considering uncertain definitions would offer some spatial and conceptual gaps.

At first, it was hard to think on just in 2D. I still continued to think in 3D at some parts. I forced myself to learn and produce through sections. I started to understand and catch the potentials of thinking on section but after the jury, I understood that still I had some problems while I was showing my ideas through sections. I hope, I solve this problem as soon as possible.

 

Fun Palace – Cedric Price

Architecture, Time and Space

“Choose what you want to do – or watch someone else doing it. Learn how to handle tools, paint, babies, machinery, or just listen to your favourite tune. Dance, talk or be lifted up to where you can see how other people make things work. Sit out over space with a drink and tune in to what’s happening elsewhere in the city. Try starting a riot or beginning a painting – or just lie back and stare at the sky.” (Fun Palace, 1961)

 

Fun Palace is like a machine that accomodates constantly changing cultural and social conditions. It was different than the architecture that we are familiar, it mostly based on improvision. We can not define it as a museum, theater, school or gallery but in time, it could transform into all these spaces. According to the human necessities, every space could play the role of another charachter in time. That means every space can be used for different activities.

“Laboratory of Fun”

John Littlewood who was a theater actress, tried to create a new type of theater where the people would be player and be active in the space. So, the idea was, turning the leisure time into a more public, dynamic and interactive form. Besides, they tried to design a place that respond to individuals various desire and need; provide a place that people could have various experiences. Eventually, Cedric Price who was an influential and prescient architect, develop and integrated John Littlewood’s ideas into architecture. Their idea was building a “Laboratory of Fun” to possibilities for various activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was an unenclosed structure and had variable parts such as mobile, gathered or divided stairs, floors and etc. The structure allow for a flow of space and time. Sometimes we have some difficulties to understand which parts were related or not, or follow what’s going on inside of it. In addition, one of the thing that I found interesting, they arrange the distances according to time, not measurements.

Case Study

 

As a case study, we had a list of some architectural project. These projects have various programmatic organizations and spatial definitions according to their purposes. We were expected to research and analyze these structures. We should tried to understand, consider and compare their spatial organizations and programmatic approaches to produce our analytic studies through sections, plans and sketches. Through these drawings and analysis we could make some interpretations and understood the organizational strategies and spatial relations.

1)Mirador-MVRDV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)Double House – MVRDV

 

 

3)Unite d’Habitation – Le Corbusier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)Dutch House – OMA

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)Shibaura House – SANAA

Early Christian Italy / Byzantium / Constantinople

Constantine was the first emperor of Rome, who raised from the power complications and stated the Christianity. Although Christianity was not the statutory religion in Rome, Constantine transformed the conditions and nature. So that, the focus of architecture also varied. So, churches that are the symbol of the religion, became more essential and important. There was a distinction between the pre-Constantine churches and post-Constantine’s because of the transition of Paganism to Christianity. We can say that, as we encounter almost in every period, the changes, struggles in religion reflected to the architecture (the Christian Church) also in ancient Rome.

 

 

The churches continued to survive and take powerful place in the city, even after Constantine left. As a note, Roman temples had an exterior orientation that reflects the openness of Pagan religion, formed on the exterior. However, because of the Christianity was a “mystery religion”, there was a reorientation from exterior architecture to interior. So, it needed large interior spaces. Thus, basilican church architecture became the base for church architecture within the ancient Rome architecture traditions.

After the strikes of the Visigoths, Ostrogoths and Vandals, the popes, who took the place of emperors, supported the churches such as Santa Sabina, Santa Maria M. and Santo Stefano Rotondo. Firstly, Santa Sabina is a grand space that had a dominant central axis from entrance to apse and colonnades orient the focus to apse. Actually, these features make humans feel small (unimportant). Santa Maria Maggiore included Ionic column order, complex mosaics at the wall and had a coffered wooden ceiling. Lastly, Santo Stefano Rotondo that had an uncompleted dome, is the oldest example of circular church. The arcade divide the centre and stabilize the structure. Besides, the church may inspired from the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem. Additionaly, height, length and orientations of these churches, make humans feel small and unimportant.

Santa Maria Maggiore Church

On the other hand, in time, some statues occurred that was about the transformation of pagan temples to church, such as Pantheon. This time it was not devoted to God, but devoted to the martyrs.

 

Milan on the Eve of the Gothic Advance

Towards the 3^rd century, while the city divided into east and west, Milan became the capital city of Western Roman Empire. In the time of St. Ambrose who was the bishop of Milan and tried to provide a formula about medieval church-state relation. Sant’Ambrogio Church, the Basilica Apostolorum and San Simpliciano church were formed as a martyrdom churches and supported by him.

San Lorenza was the oldest church in Milan that was built by the rival emperors. The form of basilica follows a central system and included four towers at the corners. There was a connection between the chapels and the main part of the church. Besides, the Corinthian columns lined up the front of church and it opened to the orthogonal atrium.

 

The Dome as an Act of Faith

In the 5^th century, after the Western Rome fall, as the eastern Rome the Byzantine Empire arose. Constantine shifted the capital to Constantinople (New Rome) that got his name. Byzantines developed their own political, religious system and also architecture. In the Byzantine, the Roman architecture tradition continued with adding some new systems that were strengthening walls and domed churches. So we can also say that the domes b

ecome a remarkable symbol of Christianity. Besides, because of the Christianity the basilicas turned into churches that had a central floor plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Constantinople: The First Christian Capital

Throughout his domination, Constantine established palaces, hippodromes, churches that had major three type, and mausoleums while he considered the Christianity principles and to promote it. On the site of Byzantium, he was founded the Constantinople that located between the Europe and Asia. On the other hand, The Mese that was the main street and the center of Constantinople, dominate the peninsulas’ urban structure. In fact, the mese means “middle road”, so it was cutting through almost the entire city, that surrounded by porticoes and colonnaded shops. Moreover, there was a forum, which we encountered also in other ancient cities. However, this time, it was not in rectangular form. The Forum of Constantine that was in circular form with lined up colonnades, included two monumental gates. At the centre there was a column with statue of Constantine. In the forum, the Senate House established with huge doors and there was a golden gate(arch) to pass to the Great Palace. Besides, Augusteio, with its key monuments, was a large, central open public space that located south of the Hagia Sophia and in time, it became a court of Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia that was one of the great churches of Constantine, devastated several times and then reconstructed. Reconstruction of Justinian was a masterpiece and the greatest surviving example of Byzantine architecture. Anthemius of Tralles and Isodore who were the architects of the church, invented some new perspectives. It was unique in several aspects, mostly in terms of the size and dimensions.

Hagia Sophia served as a basilica that had a complex system of vaults, arches, mosaics, coverings and domes; the highest central dome and the semi-domes. We can also defined it as “sphere within the sphere” as a representation of the world. This whole elongated space covered up with a huge central dome that had very large continuous distance than the Pantheon’s. The central dome attached with windows and gave floating sense. Besides, the semi domes that supported the main dome, expand the space to a rectangle.  Also, pendentives that are like a transition between the rectangular base and the circular shape of dome, supported the dome.  The dome, carried by the arches but inside of the church, you don’t sense the arches because of its embedded condition. Besides, these supportive arches of domes covered by mosaics and especially the golden mosaics stand out. On the other hand, ‘immaterial space’ concept come across. Because the spiritual effects more significant than the physical. It include abstracted, different column orders that are in various scale. So, in overall, we can also say that Hagia Sophia has a complex form rather than the simple and proportional character like the Greek temples.

Mosaïques de l’entrée sud-ouest de Sainte-Sophie (Istanbul, Turquie)

Hagia Sophia’s appearance during Byzantine times

In the first century BCE, Ravenna became the capital of Western Rome, located on the Adriatic coast. It was the capital of Byzantine architecture with the churches, mausoleums, campaniles and baptisteries. We can see mostly the influences of Byzantine style, but at the same time it was also close to the Western Roman style. Such as mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Arian Baptistery, Basilica of Sant’Apollinare, San Vitale Church and etc.

At the end of the fifth century when Theodoric, the king of the Ostrogoths take the control of Italy and started to follow Roman style and increase the number of religious structure; cathedrals, baptistery etc.