Mosques

A mosque, or masjid in Arabic, is literally a clean space for prayer, oriented so that the praying worshippers are facing the holy city of Mecca. In Cairo, a mosque can refer to a piece of carpet next to a jewelry store on the third floor of the Ramses Hilton shopping mall or a monumental 12th-century building housing the head of Husayn, the Prophet's martyred grandson. A mosque means either a small prayer space near one's home or workplace for the five daily prayers or a large building purposely constructed for the Friday afternoon congregational prayer service.

The first mosque was Muhammad's home in Medina in the year 622 in the Gregorian calendar or year 1 in the Muslim calendar. The clean and undecorated palm-fronded courtyard and mihrab (marking the direction of prayer) form what architects call the hypostyle pattern, later seen in the Great Mosque of Córdoba. Similarly elaborating on the mosque's humble origins, a caliph, king, or wealthy donor can also build a large state mosque such as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Jamé Mosque in Isfahan, or Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul.

The clearest sign of a mosque today is a dome or minaret, neither of which was originally Muslim. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Hagia Sophia provided models for the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul. Domes are particularly useful in colder climates, where more light is admitted to illumine the prayer space. In warmer climes, a lower flat ceiling of the hypostyle variety is more conducive to serene prayer and contemplation. Domes and minarets are more popular in Muslim-minority nations as historical markers and signs of confidence to non-Muslims. The origins of minarets may include church bell towers, Mediterranean lighthouses, desert caravan signal stations, or Zoroastrian ziggurats.

In the United States and Britain, the number of mosques registered for tax-exempt status tripled during the 1990s, from several hundred to over a thousand, with 9 out of 10 of these being storefronts or private homes. Purpose-built mosques, financed by foreign governments in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, and London are frequented by diplomats, visiting dignitaries, professionals, and students. A self-financed purpose-built mosque in the United States or Britain is usually an Islamic center that includes a lecture hall, offices, bookstore, kitchen, [Page 831]school, gymnasium, and mortuary in addition to the prayer space. Islamic centers have both an imam to serve as religious leader and a director to manage day-to-day operations, including public relations and outreach to non-Muslims.

The design of a purpose-built mosque or Islamic center is a statement of the religious and political orientations of the community and reflects a relationship with the larger society. The first goal of the architect is to maximize the prayer space given the budgetary and property constraints, including parking and traffic regulations. Then the theological and historical aspirations of the community must be reflected in the architectural style. The signage and façade may invite, intimidate, or be completely lacking, depending on the relationship with local non-Muslims. The prayer space for women can be next to, above, or below the men or eliminated altogether. Women are more likely to serve on the boards of directors of self-financed Islamic centers than foreign-financed mosques. Arabic is used for prayer, but local languages are used for the Friday sermon, or khutbah, in mosques that are not strictly orthodox.

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