The Mosque: History, Architectural Development & Regional Diversity [Hardcover]

Martin Frishman (Author), Hasan-Uddin Khan (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994

This book, with contributions by 16 eminent scholars, traces the history and development of the mosque since its origins in Medina in the time of the Prophet Muhammad, explaining its traditional religious and teaching role in Muslim society, as well as its architectural and decorative features. The historical development of the mosque and its architecture is presented region by region, from North Africa to Southeast Asia, taking into account local building materials, climatic factors, and craft skills, as well as the cultural influences and major political developments, such as the rise of the Ottoman and Mughal Empires. The physical form of the mosque is analysed and fully illustrated with plans and photographs; its modern role as a religious and social institution is reviewed; and contemporary mosques worldwide are discussed in a separate chapter, encompassing not only those built by leading Muslim architects, but also those designed by Western architects. Illustrated with much unfamiliar pictorial material drawn from a wide range of sources, this book provides a comprehensive coverage of the architecture of the mosque, and also serves as a guide to an understanding of its role in Muslim society and culture. Martin Frishman is an architect and a lecturer at University College, London. Hasan-Uddin Khan is an architect, writer and former Director of Special Projects and Public Education at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Geneva. Both are specialists in Islamic Architecture.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Serving as a place of communal worship and a focus for cultural identity, the mosque is the outward and most visible symbol of Islam. Within the context of an architectural exploration of the mosque, the 16 authors of this text have done an exemplary job of presenting and illuminating the belief system of Islam. One quarter of the book is devoted to explaining how the mosque has become the physical expression of belief in Allah and a signal of submission to Allah's will. The remainder examines the mosque region by region around the world, with particularly interesting chapters on the lesser-known mosques of China, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Copious photographs and plans are well integrated with the text. Highly recommended.
David McClelland, Temple Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A welcome addition to the field of Islamic studies. -- Choice

[E]asily the highest quality and most complete selection of photos yet assembled in a single volume. -- Religion and the Arts --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500341338
• ISBN-13: 978-0500341339
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,460,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Mosque, July 22, 2001

By 

Daniel Pipes, Middle East Forum, Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mosque: History, Architectural Development & Regional Diversity (Hardcover)

On opening "The Mosque", most readers are likely to wonder that such a book has not been attempted earlier, for the topic is so obviously suitable for comparative study. The editors and their fourteen collaborators explain the mosque as an expression of Islam, analyse the characteristic styles of nine regions ranging from West Africa to China, and then report on the contemporary scene.

The last topic may be the most original and important, for Westerners are far more familiar with the celebrated mosques of the pre-modern period than with those of the twentieth century. Oleg Grabar and Mohammed Arkoun provide typically brilliant insights while Khan surveys the architectural variances ranging from the pseudo-classicism of the Islamic Center Mosque in Washington, D.C. to the astonishing modernism of the Sherefuddin Mosque in Bosnia.

Too often, in a specialized field such as Middle Eastern studies, a reviewer finds himself lamenting the excessive prices of books. How refreshing, then, to be able to compliment Thames and Hudson for including 378 illustrations, 170 of them in color, and yet charging very little more than the average scholarly book. This pricing decision brings The Mosque within the means of individual purchasers-and even pressures them to buy the book to prove that moderate prices do in fact lead to larger sales.

Middle East Quarterly, March 1995

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good but could be even better, May 7, 2004

By 

Vladyslav Serdyuk "Vlad" (Kiev, Ukraine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mosque: History, Architectural Development & Regional Diversity (Paperback)

The title is right and the books gives you a lot of not very deep information. But good as kind of catalogue. Authors missed a lot of regions. They took only well known to westeners. Somw great monuments are missed as well. But in general I would recommend to buy it for people who are interested in architecture and/or Islamic culture. Good photos.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mosque: History, Architectural Development & Regional Diversity, May 7, 2011

By 

Depsis - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Mosque: History, Architectural Development & Regional Diversity (Paperback)

Its an excellent book on mosque and Islamic architecture in general. I benefited quite a lot. However, much is needed on contemporary mosques.