Planning and Islamic Architecture ARCH 2206

Course description:

This course covers the use of historical analysis as a tool to show the students how architecture of the Islamic world has evolved throughout the varying periods, in addition to studying urban planning from the Islamic perspective. 
The course contents seeks analysing architectural elements, methods and style adopted for construction and identifying the key remarks of Islamic architecture throughout the latter’s distinct stages, which include, but not limited to, Umayyad, Abbasid, Ayyubid, Fatimid, Mameluke and Ottoman. This course ties contemporary development to Islamic architectural evolved previously. Thus, the focus is on modern experiments showing how to achieve continuity of architectural and structural elements of Islamic architecture.

Course Aims:

The course aims at:
  • Identify the Islamic architecture throughout the ages, study and analysis of the most important features, characteristics and advantages of each Islamic architecture style.
  • Provide cognitive skill related to buildings and types of Islamic architecture style in different stages, as well as the design and decoration used strategies.
  • Identify Islamic urban planning strategies and how they appear and evolve.
  • take advantage of the characteristics of Islamic architecture and its application in architectural design.
  • Devise Islamic elements used across various stages appropriate to the surrounding environment, and thus the mechanism used in the current architecture.

Course outcomes:

The student upon completion of his study to this course is able to:
  • Have depth of knowledge in architectural style of Islamic architecture since its inception until the present time, with the acquisition of cognitive skills, such as the characteristics and features of each style.
  • Acquire practical skills through the application of knowledge presented in lectures on the ground and on-site visits of Islamic buildings
  • gain research skills by the students working on producing reports while applying methods of scientific research related to data collection and analyses.
  • Acquire a depth of knowledge in heritage values.