By Spahic Omer
Al-Jaffali mosque in Jeddah was built in 1987. It is located on the left side of al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Street, just outside the Madinah Gate (Bab Jadid). At its opposite side is Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was designed by ˜Abd al-Wahid al-Wakil, an Egyptian architect who in the latter part of the last century designed more than a dozen mosques in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, most of which are in Jeddah and Madinah.
˜Abd al-Wahid al-Wakil is regarded by many as a leading authority in contemporary Islamic architecture. His philosophy revolves around the principles of reviving and readopting Islamic traditional styles, values and practices in architecture. For him, the beauty in architecture is not in total originality, innovation and style – in the modernist meanings of the terms – but in imitating, reviving and handling traditional solutions and forms for uses in new socio-economic, cultural and ecological contexts and strategies.
Beauty is in that which is indigenous, ecological, proven, friendly, unpretentious and expedient, instead of that which is foreign, unsustainable, unfriendly, unknown, artificial and ostentatious. This philosophy puts a great emphasis on sustainability and friendly coexistence with the natural world as well, as a result of which its existence nowadays is increasingly sanctioned and even looked-for. ˜Abd al-Wahid al-Wakil, thus, could be perceived as a foremost proponent of a neo-traditional or new classical Islamic architecture.
Al-Jaffali mosque is a classic example of ˜Abd al-Wahid al-Wakils vision. It is an epitome of his style. The mosque is a synthesis of structural and design components as well as ideas that could be traced back in part to the Prophets mosque and al-Ghamamah mosque in Madinah, al-Shafii as well as al-Hanafi mosques in Jeddah, and to several mosques built in the Seljuk style, an excellent representative of which is the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) of Bursa in Turkey. Scores of similarities are also found between this mosque and a few other ˜Abd al-Wahid al-Wakils masterpieces, such as the Quba mosque and the mosque of the two qiblahs in Madinah.
Al-Jaffali mosque is rectangular in plan. It can accommodate up to 2,500 worshippers. It consists of two segments: the main prayer hall and a covered courtyard, or atrium. The prayer hall is square. It is covered by domes. The domes are supported by octagonal pillars through the medium of slightly pointed arches. There are 16 pillars in the prayer hall. They are organised in four rows, with four pillars in each row. This hypostyle arrangement is identical either in terms of the parallel or perpendicular relationship with the qiblah wall, creating five arcades both ways. The transition between the pillars and the arches is marked by a fine muqarnas.
Accordingly, there are 25 bays in the prayer hall. Each bay is covered by a dome, which translates itself to 25 domes. The dome above the bay in front of the mihrab is the largest. Its drum is perforated with eight windows beneath which there is a large decorative band that highlights exquisite entwinements between geometric and floral patterns. The band runs across the circumference of the domes base.
Nine domes in the middle “ that is, the three middle domes in each of the second, third and fourth arcade “ are somewhat smaller than the mihrab bays dome. Still, in their respective drums there are four small and rather decorative windows. Under them, there are also decorative bands with similar decorative themes as those of the band of the mihrab bays dome. The remaining 15 domes, found at the end of each side of the prayer halls rooftop, are yet smaller. They feature neither windows nor decorative bands.
Because of 25 domes in the prayer hall there are 100 pendentives as constructional devices that allow the placing of circular domes over square spaces (there are four pendentives per dome). On each pendentive, inside a medallion, one of Allahs beautiful names is inscribed. There are 99 beautiful names of Allah. To make it 100, the word œAllah is also inscribed inside an additional medallion. That particular medallion symbolises the commencement of this unique beautification plan.
The covered courtyard, or an atrium, is lined on all sides with an arcade covered by tiny domes. The courtyards floor is paved with marble slabs containing a series of colourful ornate designs. The floor thus resembles a lovely extending-towards-infinity arabesque. Moreover, the courtyard is covered with a ceiling made of colourful glass that also encompasses a variety of geometric outlines and shapes.
During the day, when the sunrays penetrate the courtyard through its glass ceiling, a symphony of colours, light and forms is generated. The whole mosque then becomes such a fascinating place to be. Its enthralling ambiance and vibe become perfectly suited for meditation, worship and psychological repose. The quality and intensity of the mood oscillate with the movement of the sun westward across the sky.
The mosque has three entrances: on the eastern, western and southern sides. On the northern side are mens toilets and ablution area. On the same side there is a door that leads to a special residential unit. The western door is designated for women. It leads to their toilets and ablution area. The space is also connected to a staircase that leads to womens prayer area on the upper floor. Parenthetically, the last arcade of the main prayer hall is rendered two-storeyed. The lower level is for men and the upper one for women.
The most often used entrance is the one on the eastern side, which at the same time is the qiblah side facing al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Street. Hence, some realignment was needed. As a consequence, upon entering, one steps into a domed vestibule. One then must turn left, going into the courtyard. The courtyard precedes the main prayer hall, which is accessible through six wooden doors with glass and jali. Once inside the prayer hall, one must turn left again in order to face the qiblah. So, from the main entrance, in order to face the qiblah in the prayer hall, a U-turn is performed.
Defying the practice of the traditional mosques in Jeddah, this mosque has a minaret on the eastern side, next to the most often used entrance. The minaret is a blend of the traditional Hijazi and Ottoman minarets. It has two balconies with wooden parapets, and is topped by a conical spire. At its base the shaft is square. It then turns octagonal up to the second balcony where it becomes cylindrical.
The parapets are additionally stabilised and strengthened by bent or L-shaped wooden beams above them. The beams have two arms. The vertical arms connected to the parapets extend upwards about one meter. Forming an obtuse angle of about 110 degrees, another arms then bend inwards towards the shaft wherein trey are fixed. These beams might well be called suspended brackets. They are fashioned in such a way as to make sure that the spaces enclosed by the balconies and their parapets are unobstructed and safe for use.
The minaret is fairly tall. However, its standing free away from any spatial and visual obstructions, plus its gradual and ingenious progression from a square to a conical spire, make it look larger-than-life. When one looks at it especially from beneath, from in front of the main entrance where it stands, the minaret appears as though growing indefinitely and imposing itself on the surroundings.
The walls of the mosque are about one meter thick. Its windows feature compact wooden jali. The walls are additionally supported by buttresses. The crests of the walls of the courtyard are crenelated. The mosques main building material was red terracotta bricks. Reinforced concrete was used for the foundation of the building. The whole structure is elegantly plastered and whitewashed. However, the lower sections of the prayer halls interior wall and of its pillars – about two meters high – are covered with polished dark granite tiles.
As a standard in almost all mosques, the section with the arched mihrab niche and the wooden minbar is fully decorated, echoing at once the style and essence of the rest of decorative processes in the mosque. What has become something of a recurring theme in more than a few mosques, in this mosque, too, a horizontal ornamental strip with the calligraphic inscriptions of many Quranic verses and even entire chapters extends all the way through the interior wall of the prayer hall. The strip is about 40 cm wide and is about two meters off the ground. The only ostensible brief pause is the frame of the mihrab niche. But then, this frame has its own outlining decorative strip “ slightly narrower though “ which also comprises calligraphy, suggesting thereby that, in essence, there is no interruption whatsoever. The two strips are interrelated and interconnected. They are members of the same ornamental and functional genus. They are twins, so to speak.
The mosque is located on a plinth about 1.5 meter high, which is accessible via stairs. At four locations adequate facilities for the wheelchair users are provided. The mosque is surrounded by a lake, a garden and a piazza behind which there is a huge public parking zone.
The mosques location is at a distance from residential quarters. It seems that it was meant to be that way. The mosque was aimed to be a landmark and an attraction. It was to symbolise the freedom, vastness and perpetuity associated with the modern Jeddahs expansion and growth. It was to be affiliated with this new outlook and the entire city, rather than with any particular district and even idea. It was to be the citys ornament.
The mosques being a homogenous mixture of Islamic traditional local and international styles, likewise, implies the dynamism, openness, flexibility and inclusiveness that the city of Jeddah always embodied, and still intends to do in the face of modern developments and challenges. Fair enough, the mosque is frequented in droves by visitors and passing pilgrims. As mosque users, they outnumber the locals.***