Events and
Activities

Symposium of Islamic Art & Architecture Program

International Day of Islamic Art: Diversity of Islamic Art and Architecture

Throughout its rich history, Islamic civilisation expanded to include areas stretching from Europe to Central Asia, creating regional centres that are unique in aesthetic characteristics. Consequently, the creative expression and visual language of the Islamic world increased to include diverse qualities that resulted from cultural exchange.

Today, Islamic art and architecture across the globe encompasses a range of forms, styles and functions while maintaining common principles.

This year, in collbration with the University of Bahrain and Bahrain Authorty for Culture and Antiquities, A Symposium will be held to celebrate the universal nature of Islamic art and architecture by highlighting its tangible and intangible qualities and the diverse practices enriching Muslim communities around the world.

Lectures in English Language 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS 

DAY 01-9^th Nov (Bahrain National Museum)

Sacred Spaces in Islamic Architecture: Affinities and Influences

Professor Dr Najla Alani
Professor at University of Bahrain

Najla ALLANI is a Full Professor at the Department of Architecture and Interior Design, College of Engineering (University of Bahrain). Previously, she held the position of Director of the National School of Architecture and Urbanism and Head of the Research Unit "Methods and Models for the Representation of Architectural Knowledge.” Najla ALLANI is a founder and jury member of the «Mediterranean Mimar Sinan Prize, MED21», a Prize for excellence in architectural design in Mediterranean countries. She is a jury member of the «International Land Award: Nature and Artifice». She is a founder member and executive director of the «Fatima Fihria» Prize to promote women's access to education and professional responsibilities in the Mediterranean. In November 2021, representing Tunisia, she was elected Bureau chair of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Committee on Social Policy, Poverty and Gender fourth session.

Islamic Art and Architecture as a Mirror of Civilization

Taimoor Mumtaz
Architect, Kamil Khan Mumtaz Architects

Taimoor Khan Mumtaz, is senior architect at Kamil Khan Mumtaz Architects. He holds an MA in South Asian Design & Architecture from De Montfort University, Leicester, UK (1999) and a Bachelor of Architecture from National College of Arts, Lahore in 1994. 

Taimoor is also the founding director of Hast-o-Neest – Institute of Traditional Studies & Arts in Lahore. Hast-o-Neest promotes the research and study of traditional art and culture. It aims to provide an introduction to and a greater understanding of traditional thought, including sufi doctrine and method, traditional philosophy, metaphysics and cosmology, and the arts such as calligraphy, miniature painting, classical music and architecture. The Institute holds Study Circles & Courses in Karachi, Lahore & Islamabad on, Calligraphy, Manuscript Illumination (Tezhib), Miniature Painting, Classical Music (Vocals & Instrumental), Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Traditional & Modern Philosophy, Metaphysics (Irfan) and Islamic Architecture.

LECTURE SERIES

DAY 02- (Bahrain National Museum) 

Bosnian Traditional Architecture: Svrzo House - Sarajevo

Mrs. Layla Karajica
Lecturer at University of Bahrain

History of Bosnia and Herzegovina goes all the way back to Neolithic times. However, in the 15th century the Ottoman Empire made an expansion into the Balkan and stayed for approximately 450 years. The capital city of Sarajevo began to develop as an urban center and became one of the most beautiful cities in the region. The number of residential areas, or so called "mahalas", was the best indicator of the urban growth in Sarajevo. Closed packed houses, small and narrow streets, projected windows, are just some of the main characteristics of "mahalas" fabric. It is important to mention that the traditional residential architecture of Sarajevo in particular, had emerged with the set of "unwritten" rules and with the clear architectural vocabulary.

Svrzo House is a testimony to the Bosnian heritage and is a shining example of residential architecture in Sarajevo. Its existence and its value have served well in preserving the identity of Bosnian traditional architecture by indicating the way of life of Bosniak society. The house is in harmony with nature and its surroundings. Furthermore, it demonstrates the unity of a family with the clearly define order and hierarchy. Svrzo House is a beautiful example of traditional arts and crafts in Bosnia. The artistry of the house imposes the feeling of "simple beauty" by using motives and colors that are in a harmony with each other. It also speaks about the great skills of the craftsman. Embroidery, engraving, intarsia, and ornamentation are the most beautiful artistic creations of this house. Without any doubt, Svrzo House is an important historical gem of Bosnian traditional architecture.

Walking through Islamic Architecture of Pakistan Manifest in Mosques

Mrs Aysha Aga Shah

Mosque architecture around the world has given rise to rich impressions and philosophical interpretations on part of general public as well as subject experts respectively. Amongst many, one reason for this is the geographical determinants that are manifest in mosques in the form of style, detail, and spatial layout. This presentation will offer its audience a walk through the mosques of Pakistan by highlighting influences from Islam art as assimilated by the traditional, regional, and historic environments. The end result is to further the understanding of the fact that social and physical context of Pakistan has formed and lent meaning to its architecture; mosques is one building type where this is evidenced. For this presentation, case studies have been mainly selected from the recent past. Since Pakistan is a geographically heterogenous country, mosques from different locations are made part of the discussion that display their uniqueness and a special stature amongst other notable mosques found in the Muslim world.    

Architecture and People in the Arab Islamic tradition: The meaning of home

Dr. Hawra Alshaikh
Assistant Professor at University of Bahrain

“Immateriality” in Arab Islamic Architecture could be considered as an integral part of the way people experienced their dwelling environment and how the cultural and social values had informed the way that experience was perceived or thought of.
Through taking the city of Manama, in Bahrain, as a case study, the research explores the ways city dwellers interact with the spaces they live in and experience and how that experience can be informed by social, cultural and other considerations beyond the physicality of the buildings in a context that is meant to be characterized by the prevalence of culture and religion.
The themes to be discussed are based on the outcomes of a study, undertaken using semi-structured interviews with 44 participants. The discussion will start with a theoretical coverage of concepts such as immateriality and the meaning of home in order to contextualize the meanings and associations that the participants are using when describing their spatial interactions with the home space.
The data gathered from the interviews is analysed under a number of themes. These include the meaning of home, the traditional house and family home, the journey of creating home, contemporary housing and home identity and belonging. The discussion of these themes is related to the concept of sense of place. The work described in this research demonstrates the extent to which the ways people interact with the home space and experience it, leaves no doubt about the immaterial aspects of such an experience, which goes beyond the physical aspects of the space to include the way people think about family and community life, the sense of belonging and the social bonds that go with that.

Mosque Architecture: Looking for Diversity in Design

Arch Fariel Khan and Dr Anamika Jiwane
Senior Lecturers at University of Bahrain

For Muslims, mosques are more than just the places of worship. Primarily the function of a mosque is to offer a space for congregational prayer but over the years it has taken multiple roles for the Muslim community including the roles of a space for educational, ceremonial, celebratory, and socio-cultural activities. Designing a mosque demands very specific challenges for the designers. These challenges include the rigid and detailed requirements for various design elements of mosque which were established centuries ago and still remain in importance to create a place of worship for the Muslims. The mosques are still identified and accepted by the society in its conservative forms and aesthetic values. Islam preaches simplicity and focuses on the spiritual and intangible values in the religion. It does not specify any particular shape and form for the sacred places for Muslim’s prayers. This means there is no need to apply rigid rules for design elements in mosque architecture. From the early period of history, mosque architecture around the world, has emphasized on the presence of some design elements like dome, minarets, mihrab, minbar etc. Though, a variation has occurred in their shapes and forms on account of periodical and geographical influences, they still carry the identity of mosque architecture. But in contemporary era, few designers are coming forward to break these century-long rules by focusing on more of intangible aspects than tangible aspects only. The research will review the diversity in design approaches of contemporary mosque. Various case studies of these mosques will be analysed and presented to highlight the current trends which lay importance on mosque design that evokes spirituality, blends with topography, respects the community, and serves multipurpose activities departing away from the strict, rigid and conservative visual images of mosque.

Mosques of the 17th Century: Jama Masjid, Delhi and Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul
Zain Al Kooheji , Nathalie Dalupang and Jovianne Francisco
Architecture Students at University of Bahrain

Mosque Architecture had adapted to many local and regional conditions in terms of a climate, construction, materials and to vernacular architecture of a certain locality that might pre-existed before Islam. The presentation is a critical comparative study to highlight similarities and differences between the two mentioned examples. Also, the presentation aims to draw a wider conclusion about the region, cultural and contextual context that shaped those two mosques. 

DAY 03- (Bahrain National Museum)

Hybrid Crafts
Dr Nehal Almerbati
Assistant Professor at University of Bahrain

The talk covers how the maker movement, industrialization and local markets are interweaved together. It also looks at local Craftsmanship difficulties and the notion of the thinking hand and digital artisan. By combining both hands, hybrid craft emerged in a mission to sustain craft by exploring current practices of Hybrid crafts methods and required digital skills. The talk exhibits the work of number of hybrid craft projects from 2017- 2022.

Islamic Designs: Between the Embodied and the Immaterial
Dr Tamadher Alfahal
Assistant Professor at University of Bahrain

In understanding the notion of creativity within the Islamic philosophy, cosmology and metaphysics were the basis on which the general framework for Islamic arts was built. One of the main ideas that influence the philosophical reading of Islamic design and architecture is the Sufi notion of inner and outer meaning. Sufi thoughts are based on the belief that every external form is complemented by an inner reality or internal essence; a belief that refers back to the two names of Allah; Al-Zahir (The Manifest) and Al-Batin (The Hidden). While the Manifest (al-zahir) is artistically expressed with forms, lines and colours, the Hidden (al-Batin) is embedded in the intangible values, meanings, and the creative process guiding the believer.
When it comes to design world today, there is a growing momentum to draw inspirations from the cultural context in order to create products and spaces that connects to people’s heritage, values and beliefs that reflect unique aesthetic expressions in a globalised world. However, how can design embody the intangible aspects of Islamic aesthetic philosophy?

In an attempt to approach this question, the talk suggests an alternative reading to traditional Islamic aesthetics that can respond to contemporary design practices. This was explored through series of focus groups consisting of artists and designers in different settings. By showcasing some of the focus groups outcomes and examples of students work, the talk will demonstrate how studio-based methods that focused on design process can help designers and design educators in broadening the understanding of Islamic aesthetics.

Islamic Identity in the Middle East
Ms Noor Alalawi
Teaching Assistant at University of Bahrain

Despite the endless debate amongst academics and practitioners trying to classify Islamic Architecture, a common idea arises. Islamic architecture is a unified expression of a rich, diverse culture, articulating the power and breadth of Islam; the belief in one God, Allah. The concept of Allah’s infinite power continuously informs Islamic architectural designs through repeated themes which suggest eternity. Muslims seek to showcase the Islamic cultural identity and civilization in the buildings around them. Identity is a notion that starts with the individual, which gets transferred through communities, and even translated into architecture. It is something that encompasses the values we hold, ideas we identify with, are proud of and want to be associated with. Buildings tell stories about our ancestors’ traditions and beliefs and are the most evident record of our existence. Islamic Architecture incorporates various principles, and works on different scales, promoting harmony between basic structural elements, the environment, people, and their creator. Despite the cohesive unity of its architectural conception, social, economical, and political factors have played a major role in producing established variations of it across the Islamic world and beyond. Hundreds of buildings still stand today as a visual representation of the story and identity of Islamic Architecture such as the historic Prophet’s Mosque in Medina to the Ottoman palaces in Turkey. On the other hand, some cities in the Middle East prove that the architectural identity crisis does exist, thus increasing the Disneyfication of the urban fabric. How can we positively contribute to the ever-changing built environment whilst preserving our Islamic Identity, to celebrate Islamic Architecture with the world.

Designing a contemporary Mosque (IAA 2020 competition)
Hussain Ghanem, 1st Prize Winner
Architecture Student at UOB

In his presentation, Hussain will present the work submitted for the first IAA competition in which he designed a contemporary mosque in Bahrain. He will be explaining his concept fully and how he applied it in his design. This will give insights to student on what to be expected when participating in similar competitions as well as question what makes a successful proposal. The presentation will also include insights on why the project was selected to earn the first prize. 

DAY 04-17th Nov (Bahrain National Museum)

Contemporary Approaches in Islamic Art and Design

Contemporary approach in design is about “newness” in styles and cultural use. Mostly it represents new form that have rear influence of historic touch. It breaks away from the “primitive” past. Though it originated from a strong base of Islamic ideologies, contemporary Islamic art and design presents a new way of thinking and expression.
Unlimited with time or place, Islamic design approach shows strong sense of unity and variety at the same time. These principles are understood with authenticity of Islamic traditional essence by following newness with modernity, new material and technology, infra-structure and climatical challenges.
The panel discussion will touch upon the hybrid combination of traditional and modern approach in Islamic art and design. The intension is to raise this debate and to broaden up the discussion on the transformation from very strong traditional Islamic features towards a fusion of form development that is integrated with new technology.