{"id":137503,"date":"2020-02-23T17:06:39","date_gmt":"2020-02-23T17:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=137503"},"modified":"2020-02-23T17:06:41","modified_gmt":"2020-02-23T17:06:41","slug":"al-jaffali-mosque-as-an-ornament-of-jeddah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=137503","title":{"rendered":"Al-Jaffali mosque as an ornament of Jeddah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Spahic Omer<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Jaffali mosque in Jeddah was built in 1987. It is located on the\nleft side of al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Street, just outside the Madinah Gate (Bab\nJadid<\/em>). At its opposite side is Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was\ndesigned by \u02dcAbd al-Wahid al-Wakil, an Egyptian architect who in the latter\npart of the last century designed more than a dozen mosques in the Kingdom of\nSaudi Arabia, most of which are in Jeddah and Madinah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u02dcAbd al-Wahid al-Wakil is regarded by many as a leading authority\nin contemporary Islamic architecture. His philosophy revolves around the\nprinciples of reviving and readopting Islamic traditional styles, values and\npractices in architecture. For him, the beauty in architecture is not in total\noriginality, innovation and style – in the modernist meanings of the terms –\nbut in imitating, reviving and handling traditional solutions and forms for\nuses in new socio-economic, cultural and ecological contexts and strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beauty is in that which is indigenous, ecological, proven,\nfriendly, unpretentious and expedient, instead of that which is foreign,\nunsustainable, unfriendly, unknown, artificial and ostentatious. This\nphilosophy puts a great emphasis on sustainability and friendly coexistence\nwith the natural world as well, as a result of which its existence nowadays is\nincreasingly sanctioned and even looked-for. \u02dcAbd al-Wahid al-Wakil, thus,\ncould be perceived as a foremost proponent of a neo-traditional or new\nclassical Islamic architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Jaffali mosque is a classic example of \u02dcAbd al-Wahid al-Wakils\nvision. It is an epitome of his style. The mosque is a synthesis of structural\nand design components as well as ideas that could be traced back in part to the\nProphets mosque and al-Ghamamah mosque in Madinah, al-Shafii as well as\nal-Hanafi mosques in Jeddah, and to several mosques built in the Seljuk style,\nan excellent representative of which is the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) of Bursa in\nTurkey. Scores of similarities are also found between this mosque and a few\nother \u02dcAbd al-Wahid al-Wakils masterpieces, such as the Quba mosque and the\nmosque of the two qiblahs<\/em> in Madinah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em> wall, creating five arcades both ways. The transition between the pillars and the arches is marked by a fine muqarnas<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly, there are 25 bays in the prayer hall. Each bay is\ncovered by a dome, which translates itself to 25 domes. The dome above the bay\nin front of the mihrab<\/em> is the largest. Its drum is perforated with eight\nwindows beneath which there is a large decorative band that highlights\nexquisite entwinements between geometric and floral patterns. The band runs\nacross the circumference of the domes base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nine domes in the middle \u201c that is, the three middle domes in each\nof the second, third and fourth arcade \u201c are somewhat smaller than the mihrab<\/em>\nbays dome. Still, in their respective drums there are four small and rather\ndecorative windows. Under them, there are also decorative bands with similar\ndecorative themes as those of the band of the mihrab<\/em> bays dome. The\nremaining 15 domes, found at the end of each side of the prayer halls rooftop,\nare yet smaller. They feature neither windows nor decorative bands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of 25 domes in the prayer hall there are 100 pendentives as\nconstructional devices that allow the placing of circular domes over square\nspaces (there are four pendentives per dome). On each pendentive, inside a\nmedallion, one of Allahs beautiful names is inscribed. There are 99 beautiful\nnames of Allah. To make it 100, the word \u0153Allah\u009d is also inscribed inside an\nadditional medallion. That particular medallion symbolises the commencement of\nthis unique beautification plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The covered courtyard, or an atrium, is lined on all sides with an\narcade covered by tiny domes. The courtyards floor is paved with marble slabs\ncontaining a series of colourful ornate designs. The floor thus resembles a\nlovely extending-towards-infinity arabesque. Moreover, the courtyard is covered\nwith a ceiling made of colourful glass that also encompasses a variety of\ngeometric outlines and shapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mosque has three entrances: on the eastern, western and\nsouthern sides. On the northern side are mens toilets and ablution area. On\nthe same side there is a door that leads to a special residential unit. The\nwestern door is designated for women. It leads to their toilets and ablution\narea. The space is also connected to a staircase that leads to womens prayer\narea on the upper floor. Parenthetically, the last arcade of the main prayer\nhall is rendered two-storeyed. The lower level is for men and the upper one for\nwomen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most often used entrance is the one on the eastern side, which\nat the same time is the qiblah<\/em> side facing al-Madinah al-Munawwarah\nStreet. Hence, some realignment was needed. As a consequence, upon entering,\none steps into a domed vestibule. One then must turn left, going into the\ncourtyard. The courtyard precedes the main prayer hall, which is accessible\nthrough six wooden doors with glass and jali<\/em>. Once inside the prayer\nhall, one must turn left again in order to face the qiblah<\/em>. So, from the\nmain entrance, in order to face the qiblah <\/em>in the prayer hall, a U-turn\nis performed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defying the practice of the traditional mosques in Jeddah, this\nmosque has a minaret on the eastern side, next to the most often used entrance.\nThe minaret is a blend of the traditional Hijazi and Ottoman minarets. It has\ntwo balconies with wooden parapets, and is topped by a conical spire. At its\nbase the shaft is square. It then turns octagonal up to the second balcony\nwhere it becomes cylindrical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parapets are additionally stabilised and strengthened by bent\nor L-shaped wooden beams above them. The beams have two arms. The vertical\narms connected to the parapets extend upwards about one meter. Forming an\nobtuse angle of about 110 degrees, another arms then bend inwards towards the\nshaft wherein trey are fixed. These beams might well be called suspended\nbrackets. They are fashioned in such a way as to make sure that the spaces\nenclosed by the balconies and their parapets are unobstructed and safe for use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minaret is fairly tall. However, its standing free away from\nany spatial and visual obstructions, plus its gradual and ingenious progression\nfrom a square to a conical spire, make it look larger-than-life. When one looks\nat it especially from beneath, from in front of the main entrance where it\nstands, the minaret appears as though growing indefinitely and imposing itself\non the surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walls of the mosque are about one meter thick. Its windows\nfeature compact wooden jali. <\/em>The walls are additionally supported by\nbuttresses. The crests of the walls of the courtyard are crenelated. The\nmosques main building material was red terracotta bricks. Reinforced concrete\nwas used for the foundation of the building. The whole structure is elegantly\nplastered and whitewashed. However, the lower sections of the prayer halls\ninterior wall and of its pillars – about two meters high – are covered with\npolished dark granite tiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a standard in almost all mosques, the section with the arched mihrab<\/em>\nniche and the wooden minbar<\/em> is fully decorated, echoing at once the\nstyle and essence of the rest of decorative processes in the mosque. What has\nbecome something of a recurring theme in more than a few mosques, in this\nmosque, too, a horizontal ornamental strip with the calligraphic inscriptions\nof many Quranic verses and even entire chapters extends all the way through\nthe interior wall of the prayer hall. The strip is about 40 cm wide and is\nabout two meters off the ground. The only ostensible brief pause is the frame\nof the mihrab<\/em> niche. But then, this frame has its own outlining\ndecorative strip \u201c slightly narrower though \u201c which also comprises calligraphy,\nsuggesting thereby that, in essence, there is no interruption whatsoever. The\ntwo strips are interrelated and interconnected. They are members of the same\nornamental and functional genus. They are twins, so to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mosque is located on a plinth about 1.5 meter high, which is\naccessible via stairs. At four locations adequate facilities for the wheelchair\nusers are provided. The mosque is surrounded by a lake, a garden and a piazza\nbehind which there is a huge public parking zone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":137504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3,21],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[12,111,5],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/lllll.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137503"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137503"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137509,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137503\/revisions\/137509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/137504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}