Urbanism of the Neighborhood Mosque

Abstract

Mosque architecture has been developing since the beginning of the Islamic era to this day, as it may seem like a place only for worship to some, the fact is that the Muslim society has shown a more robust social, political, and economic relationship to the mosque, with time, the mosque’s roles and functions have changed. And yet it has kept its social role regardless of the means of achievement, which varied based on different geographic locations, cultures, and costumes. This research aims to study the interrelation between the mosque and its surrounding urban context, on a micro-scale, and the whole city, on a macro-scale and thus reflecting an important essential side of this role. It starts by introducing some of the significant components of the mosque and reviewing the different roles the mosque played in Muslim society. It then moves to identify the various forms of the relation between the city and the mosque throughout a historical review of several case studies across the Muslim world.