The Bibi Khanum Congregational Mosque is the largest Timurid monument in Samarqand. Com-missioned by Timur himself after his military campaign in India in 1399, the architecture of themosque can be... Show moreThe Bibi Khanum Congregational Mosque is the largest Timurid monument in Samarqand. Com-missioned by Timur himself after his military campaign in India in 1399, the architecture of themosque can be interpreted as a visual representation of Timur’s ambitions to surpass the archi-tectural achievements of the preceding Islamic dynasties. Striving for political legitimacy beyondthe legacy of Chinggis Khan, Timur imitated and even e xceeded the monumental scale of the ar-chitectural ensembles in the Ilkhanid capitals of Tabriz and Sultaniyya. In an attempt to ensurethe continuity of the Timurid dynasty, Timur’s successors adopted Yuan iconography and visualvocabulary so as to forge an ancestral and artistic genealogy that directly related the Timuridswith the Mongols via the aesthetic legacy of the Ilkhanids and the Yuan. Their cultural pr oductionthus secured the continuity of the Timurid royal patrons as just successors of Chinggis Khan. Show less
This paper aims to study new Islamic epigraphical material found in the Jordanian Badia. These inscriptions include one hadith and one inscription dating to the thirteenth century ce / eighth... Show moreThis paper aims to study new Islamic epigraphical material found in the Jordanian Badia. These inscriptions include one hadith and one inscription dating to the thirteenth century ce / eighth century ah. This study will highlight the relationship between the place where the inscriptions were found and the early Islamic mosque also said to be located there. The purpose of this article is to publish images of the newly-found inscriptions, give a translation, and provide some commentary. This article considers the definition of Islamic inscription to be all Arabic inscriptions written since Islamic times. Show less
The dissertation analyses how architecture represents sacred realities. The main focus is on Tīmūrid architecture as an instrument to legitimize extreme and universal power. The four-īwān plan is... Show moreThe dissertation analyses how architecture represents sacred realities. The main focus is on Tīmūrid architecture as an instrument to legitimize extreme and universal power. The four-īwān plan is examined as a dynastic architectural tool marking the centre of the world, from which power spreads along the cardinal points to all corners of the macrosomos. Kosh examples of Tīmūrid mosques, madrasas and tombs are used to illustrate this approach. The concept of recreating Paradise on earth is further developed in line with dynastic supremacy and the role of the ruler as cosmocrator. The geographical focus is on Transoxania (present-day Uzbekistan) and partly on Khurasan (present-day Afghanistan). The four-īwān plan was a power statement, rediscovered by the subsequent ruler trying to relate his power to a previous undisputed chief patron. Since the Tīmūrids fostered good relations with the Sufi community, the four-īwān compounds were a symbolically acceptable setting both for the Sufi orders and for the ‘ulamā’. That is why, the four-īwān plan can be seen as an architectural representation both of the cosmologies of Sufism and of orthodox Islam. For the first time, the four-iwan plan is discussed in terms of the hierophanic and architectural palimpsest. This approach offers comparative analysis with Buddhist and Hindu cross-axial monuments, encompassing the current theories that regard the four-īwān plan only as a strictly Islamic phenomena. Show less
This book is a study of Dutch mosque designs, objects of heated public debate. Until now, studies of diaspora mosque designs have largely consisted of normative architectural critiques that reject... Show moreThis book is a study of Dutch mosque designs, objects of heated public debate. Until now, studies of diaspora mosque designs have largely consisted of normative architectural critiques that reject the ubiquitous ‘domes and minarets’ as hampering further Islamic-architectural evolution. The Architectural Representation of Islam: Muslim-Commissioned Mosque Design in The Netherlands represents a clear break with the architectural critical narrative, and meticulously analyzes twelve design processes for Dutch mosques. It shows that patrons, by consciously selecting, steering and replacing their architects, have much more influence on their mosques than has been generally assumed. Through the careful transformation of specific building elements from Islamic architectural history to a new context, they literally aim to ‘construct’ the ultimate Islam. Their designs thus evolve not in opposition to Dutch society, but to those versions of Islam that they hold to be false. Show less
In public debate and academic discussions about Islam in Western society, reference is often made to the role of the imam in processes of acculturation of Muslims. Throughout these debates, we come... Show moreIn public debate and academic discussions about Islam in Western society, reference is often made to the role of the imam in processes of acculturation of Muslims. Throughout these debates, we come across the important question of how imams transmit Islamic norms and values to Muslims living in secular, non-Islamic societies. This descriptive-exploratory research considers this question specifically looking at the role of the imam in the local mosque in the Netherlands. This dissertation describes and analyses the external perspective of the views circulating in the public debate on imams between 1993 and 2004. The internal perspective has been brought into focus empirically by describing and exploring his role, authority and influence in two mosque-communities and one Islamic student association. The internal perspective further divides into the perspective of the imam and the perspective of a group practising, mostly young and highly educated Muslims who grew up in the Netherlands. The imam finds himself in a field of tension between expectations from the majority society and expectations of the believers. The indicative findings from the internal perspective have been compared with the external views. The outcome of this comparison is used to clarify the ongoing public __imam-debate__. Show less
Negotiations about the construction of the Western Mosque in Amsterdam started some ten years ago. While local politicians voiced their fear that Islamic immigrants would take over the... Show moreNegotiations about the construction of the Western Mosque in Amsterdam started some ten years ago. While local politicians voiced their fear that Islamic immigrants would take over the neighbourhood, the local mosque organization immediately resorted to legal rights. This lack of trust has been overcome during the past ten years. Though the design of the mosque may still be seen as a compromise between opposing parties, the process of building the mosque led to a firm entrenchment of the organization in the local community. Show less
The meaning and interpretation of the inscriptions on a mosque in North America provide some insights into the concomitant qualities of belief, order, space, and form. Mosque inscriptions reveal... Show moreThe meaning and interpretation of the inscriptions on a mosque in North America provide some insights into the concomitant qualities of belief, order, space, and form. Mosque inscriptions reveal the American Muslim community’s concern with the expressive nuances of Islamic art and architecture, for this community has long recognized that the extreme stylistic characteristics of an inscription—except with little variation—can be expressed in any medium. Show less
