An Excerpt from my Upcoming Book in English Historicity and Religious Sanctity of Architecture in Islam: Muslim Extremists’ Cultural War is against the Core Islamic Principles (Part 2) By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi It is a marvellous part of the cultural legacy of Islam that it exhorted its adherents to respect the norms and values of all other faith communities. This is best reflected in the nature and styles of Muslim architecture. It should be noted that embracing the positive values of the local people especially in the architecture and crafts does not go against the principles of Islam. When Muslims chanced to rule lands stretching from present-day Spain in the west to India in the east, and from present-day Turkey in the north to sub-Saharan Africa in the south, they built historically remarkable and magnificent monuments taking into account the local norms and shared history of the native communities. From the early 8th century through the end of the 15th century, they established many historical buildings marking an auspicious event, commemorating a person or carrying significance to a group as a way to remember their shared history. As the earliest Islamic monuments were built in Baghdad, Damascus, Syria and Jerusalem, they were mostly influenced by the age-old structures found in Egypt, Rome, Byzantine, Iraq, Persia and other lands which the Muslims conquered in the 7th and 8th centuries. The Byzantine architecture was flourishing over there, so it had the greater impact on them. When Muslims went to Spain, they developed architecture suitable for the region in full synergy with the particular European values and traditions. Throughout all these countries, the cultural and architectural heritage of Islam has been truly fascinating. Early Muslims took great pride in the major architectural contributions they or their predecessors made with full religious enthusiasm and cultural gaiety. With a view to appreciate the very Islamic spirit of art and architecture thoroughly, I would throw some light on the magnificent architectural past of Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Spain, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. I am sure it would be quite interesting to note the distinguishing features and gradual evolution of the notable Islamic monuments and Muslim architectural buildings located in various parts of the world. It will also help us develop a modern interpretation of the basic Islamic spirit and principles of architecture which were embraced and promoted by the early Muslims. Islamic Architecture in Iraq If we glance through the Muslim countries to trace back the history of Islamic architecture, Iraq would stand out with salient historical features of its capital, Baghdad. The country, which is the birthplace of many early Islamic prophets with an old-age history of Semitic traditions, had great part in the enrichment of the Islamic architecture placing it among the highest rank of world heritage. In Iraq, Islamic architecture reached its zenith, especially in the Abbasid period. Well-embellished Mosques with towering minarets, beautiful shrines of prophets with high tombs, greatly venerated mausoleums and other spiritual centres put together to achieve the remarkable architectural achievements in the history of Islam. Historical cities in Iraq such as Baghdad, Basra, Kufa and Mosul are replete with the relics of magnificent Islamic monuments which had flourished both the cultural and civic life in the country. Here, it is worthwhile to make a special mention of AL-Askariah Shrine whose golden dome dazzles the eyes. It is situated in Samarra, the capital of the State in the Abbasid era and land of many sacred Islamic architectural sites. AL- Askariah Shrine embraces the tombs of Imam Ali Al-Hadi and his son AL-Hasan Al-Askari. With a circumference of 68 meters wide and more than 72.000 golden pieces, it is one of the greatest domes in the Muslim world. Regrettably, the al-Askariah Shrine in Samarra has now been vandalised by the extremist cults of Iraq. Samarra, a predominantly Sunni city, used to be an epitome of the peaceful coexistence between Sunnis and Shiites of Iraq, because the al-Askariyya shrine was equally visited by both of them. There is no doubt that the bombing of all such shrines and architectural sites in Iraq today is a doomsday not only for Islamic architecture but also for the national integration and sectarian harmony of the country. Islamic Architecture in Syria Besides scores of monumental mosques and madrasas like the Jam’e Damishq and madrassa and tomb of Nur al-Din, architectural buildings in Syria abound in the forms of hospitals and medical educational institutions, most notably the Maristan or hospital of Nur al-Din. This hospital also functioned as a medical school and had a magnificent portal, which is a mixture of Roman, Iranian and Mesopotamian styles. Tombs were in plenty in Damascus. Ibn Jubair (1184) has recorded more than twenty examples of the religious tombs in Syria. Most of them were commemorative structures which had the tombs of the founders attached with them. The interior of the tombs was usually decorated with painted stucco designs. Madrasas which imparted both religious and secular education stood out as the most flourishing Islamic monuments in Syria under the Ayyubid rule. The most notable examples of tombs and mausoleums in Syria are the tomb of Badruddin Hassan and the mausoleum of Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi in the famous Madrassa Aziziya. Islamic architecture of the Ayyubid era introduced the Ablaq masonry. Behind the modern town of Al-Maara in Syria, there is a very strange site known as “Dead Cities”. They are age-old abandoned cities and have been left to nature, sheep and local picnickers. In addition to a few monuments in this site, there are buildings forming a whole town including a tavern, Hammam (bath) and a church. The dead cities are many like Jerada, Ruweiha and Al-Bara, but its hard to figure out where one starts and ends. It is, clearly, a substantial proof that the early Muslims took their faith as a source of excellence and creativity in civilisation and other scientific pursuits. For them, Islam was a source of civilisational, scientific and cultural pursuits integrating into the creative architecture, fine arts and crafts with flourishing Islamic values reflected in them. But what the present-day Islamist zealots, particularly Daesh or ISIS, are doing by their cultural destruction in Iraq and Syria is not difficult to see. They have ostensibly waged a war against the deep faith of pious Muslim predecessors, the Salaf-e-Saleh whom they loudly claim to follow. (To be continued) Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (classical Islamic scholar) with a Sufi background. He has graduated from a leading Sufi Islamic seminary of India, Jamia Amjadia Rizvia (Mau, U.P.), acquired Diploma in Quranic Arabic from Al-Jamiat ul Islamia, Faizabad, U.P., and Certificate in Uloom ul Hadith from Al-Azhar Institute of Islamic Studies, Badaun, U.P. He has also graduated in Arabic (Hons) and is pursuing his M. A. in Comparative Religion from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. URL for Part 1: newageislam/…/history-and-religious-…/d/99648 URL: newageislam/…/historicity-and-religious-sanc…’-cultural-war-is-against-the-core-islamic-principles-(part-2)/d/99892 newageislam/ArticleDetails.aspx?cm=sb&ID=99892#cm
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 10:14:06 +0000
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