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Title
Influence of traditional Muslim beliefs on medieval religious architecture: a study of the Bahri Mamluk period The influence of traditional Muslim beliefs on medieval religious architecture: a study of the Bahri Mamluk period |
Full text
http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6991 |
Date
1992 |
Author(s)
Gabr, Aly Hatem |
Abstract
Mamlük medieval religious architecture was designed and built through a process
which involved a deep knowledge of Sufism, the inner dimension of Islam. Through the
symbolism implicit in this process, the external, limited, and sensible forms of these buildings
carried within themselves inner transcendental qualities. This thesis adopts the traditionalist
approach which has its foundation in objective truth based on Islamic metaphysical
interpretations. This approach is applied to reach the symbolism of medieval religious
buildings, focusing specifically on the Bahri Mamlük period in Cairo as a case study. The
need for such a study is twofold: firstly, to know the truth about the intent and design process
of the medieval Mamlük tradition; and secondly, to see if it is possible to formulate new
guidelines for contemporary architects to use in today's mosque designs.
Medieval historical sources emphasize that the Mamlük society had its roots in Sufi
thought. Sultäns, emirs, scientists, intellectuals, the common people, and even some of the
'ulama', respected and participated in Sufi rites. The hypothesis behind this study is that the
Sufi thought which pervaded Mamink society at large must have influenced the craftsmen who
produced artifacts, particularly the sacred ones.
A purely historical approach is used to introduce the buildings of the case study. This
immediately raises several queries that have either been answered inadequately, or remain
unanswered within a stylistic and historical approach; this shows the limitations of its scope
of interpretation. By adopting the traditionalist approach it is possible to re-create the
traditional Mamlük context applying both exoteric and esoteric dimensions of interpretation
to these buildings. The context consists of both the setting and the design and building
processes involved in creating a traditional product, as well as the traditional view of the
relationship between the Sü i masters, the Süfi craftsmen, and the general craftsmen who were
not necessarily SGfis. It is here that the relation between the symbol and the act of "creation"
of traditional forms is revealed from a SO point of view to imitate the process of Divine
Creation. This line of argument is adopted and applied to the different notions of architectural
form which are in turn analyzed from a traditional viewpoint.
Subsequently, specific architectural analyses reveal several layers of understanding
in the symbolism of traditional religious buildings: the level of the elements, the level of the
relationships which incorporates several elements visually and results in a second layer of
symbolism, the temporal level through the sequence of spaces of a building which gives yet
a further dimension to this wholistic system of symbolism. Bafiri Mamlük cases are analyzed
at these three levels, and the results confirm the value of the methodology adopted in this
thesis. The findings bring about a more vivid picture of how and why a traditional member
of the society designed and used these buildings down to their constituents. It is at this level
where architect, craftsman, and user are unified in their relations to the traditional artefact
that the symbol of unity is found to be operative.
The thesis ends in a general review of how a traditional prototype would have been
created in the Bafiri Mamlük period. The benefits of adopting the traditionalist approach in
order to re-create a lost tradition are then discussed. This is followed by a review of the basic
differences between the modern and traditional processes, which sheds light on the extent of
our contemporary displacement from our traditional past. The question of the relevance of
this study to the contemporary situation is raised. It is here that it becomes evident that there
can be no return to traditional principles while living in a modernistic society governed by
modern values. The suggestion that is set forth is that there must neither be a faked tradition
nor a faked modernity. If the contemporary architect is to make use of such traditional
findings and symbolisms, he must first adapt his method of form-creation by learning from
the principles of the traditional process so as to be able to reuse them to fit the society's
contemporary needs and using the means of today. |
Subject(s)
Architecture; Religion; History |
Language
eng |
Publisher
University of Edinburgh |
Type of publication
PhD Doctor of Philosophy |
Format
application/pdf |
Identifier
534491 |
Repository
Edinburgh - University of Edinburgh
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Added to C-A: 2022-08-22;11:49:56 |
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