2. The beginning of Islamic Urbanism can be
considered in 622 AC 1 after hejra
When prophet Mohammed immigrated from
Makah to Al Medina
Islamic Urbanism
The Beginning of Islamic Urbanism:
3. Types of Islamic cities
2. Centralized cities1. Non centralized
cities
Planned and built
by the authorityPlanned and built
by people
Natural =
Classical Times
= Regular
Classical Times
4. Types of Islamic cities
1. Non centralized cities:
* Are the cities that were built by Muslims following Islamic sharia and
local traditions with the use of local materials without intervention
from the authority except in conflict conditions.
It is the most popular style in Islamic cities
* Are the result of informal planning and natural growth
5. Types of Islamic cities
2. Centralized cities:
* Are the cities that were planned and built by the authority for
different reasons.
* They are the result of regular planning or formal growth
6. Example of Centralized City
City of Baghdad:
• It was built by Caliph Mansour about 145 after Hejra.
7. Example of Centralized City
City of Baghdad:
• The city had a circular shape.
• It was surrounded by 3 walls.
• The outer wall was surrounded by water trench.
• The outer area was left empty for watching and defense.
• The area between the inner and the middle wall was dedicated for residence.
• Inside the inner wall located “the main square- palace-mosque-soldiers…” .
• The city was divided by 4 main roads surrounded by commercial shops from
both sides.
Wall
Water
trench
Empty
area for
defense
Residentia
l area
Main
square
Governor
palace
& Mosque
4 main
Roads
8. Example of Centralized City
City of Baghdad:
• The authority divided the lands and streets in the residential areas.
• Gates were built at the end of streets for protecting the local streets
• Each residential district contained several services “mosque- shops….”
Outer
Road
Local street
Inner
Road
Residential
buildings
Gates
Gates
9. We have centralized cities and non
centralized cities
What about cities existed
before Islamic conquests ?
Islamic Cities
10. Cities existed before Islamic conquests
• No major changes happened to cities that were planned and built
before Islamic conquests except the removal of the features that
contradicted with religion
• Building the mosque at a centralized area in the city
• There are many examples for those cities:
Give an example
11. Cities existed before Islamic conquests
• The city of Makah :
• It was an existed city when prophet Mohamed returned back again to it he
didn’t change any of its urban components except that demolishing all idols
there.
12. Cities existed before Islamic conquests
• Also Alexandria city when Muslims went there they didn’t change any of its
urban features
13. • Till now you can find the
roman monuments beside
Islamic buildings.
19. every one is free:.No harm1
to do any thing in his
building and town but
any harmwithout causing
.to others
a) The effect of No harm
on city design
Distributing uses:
* Allocating the uses that
create smoke and bad
smells away from other
uses in the city.
Tunis: plan of the Suq south of the Zaytuna Mosque
The Principles of Islamic Urbanism
20. every one is free to:.No harm1
do any thing in his building and
anytown but without causing
.harm to others
The effect of No harm on
city design
b) Using public spaces:
* Every one can use public
spaces and streets, plant
trees and even build a
shading if only these actions
wouldn’t cause harm to
others.
The Principles of Islamic Urbanism
21. every one is free:.No harm1
to do any thing in his
building and town but
any harmwithout causing
.to others
* The effect of No harm
on city design
c) Modify buildings:
* Every one can add
additional stories to his
building only if the new
heights won’t obscure sun
lights and air from others
The Principles of Islamic Urbanism
23. 2.Privacy: Protecting the family
especially women from the eyes of
strangers,
* The effect of Privacy on city
design:
a) affected the positions of windows
including their height above the
street so that people could not see
in.
doors or windows Shouldn’t directly
face other
No one can be able to look into any part
of one’s neighbor's premises, especially
the courtyard and the roof where his
women might be.
The Principles of Islamic Urbanism
24. 2.Privacy: Protecting the family
especially women from the eyes of
strangers,
* The effect of Privacy on city design
b) Even the Muezzin, as he climbs
the minaret of the mosque to call the
faithful to prayer, was chosen to be
blind.
Or the minarets were built Blocked
when overviewed the roofs of the
buildings
The Principles of Islamic Urbanism
26. Pre-emption “El shofaa”: if a person
wanted to sell his property the priority should
be for his neighbor first and if he refused any
one else could by it.
3. Neighbor’s rights: Each person should
respect his neighbor and didn’t cause any
harm to him
* The effect of Neighbor’s right on city
design
The Principles of Islamic Urbanism
27. ”:IrtifaqEasement right “
when a new building blocked
the way of abundant building
the owner of the new build had
to provide an access for the old
building across his owns.
The Principles of Islamic Urbanism
3. Neighbor’s rights: Each person should
respect his neighbor and didn’t cause any
harm to him
* The effect of Neighbor’s right on city
design
28. What are the components of
Islamic cities?
Islamic cities
29. The Components of old Islamic cities
1.THE MAIN MOSQUE:
• It occupied the heart of the town.
• Attached to the governor palace
30. * Attached to it the Madrassa providing religious and scientific teaching.
The Components of old Islamic cities
1.THE MAIN MOSQUE:
31. The Components of old Islamic cities
2.THE SQUARE:
• Attached to the Mosque there was a square used for social activities
32. 3. SUQS:
* located near the main mosque provided the economic activity in the
town.
* Goods sold were usually spatially distributed corresponding to their
nature.
* Suq contained other activities like baths (Hammam) and hotels
(Funduq and Waqala).
The Components of old Islamic cities
33. Goods sold were usually spatially
distributed corresponding to their nature.
34. 4. CITADEL:
A military building and the palace of the governor, the citadel was
surrounded by its own walls and constituted a district on its own with its
own mosque, guards, offices, and residence.
The Components of old Islamic cities
35. 5. City Walls:
A well-defended wall surrounded the
town with a number of gates
The Components of old Islamic cities
36. 5. RESIDENTIAL QUARTERS:
* They were clusters of households
usually from relatives or persons who
share the same profession.
* They were usually dense and each
quarter had its own mosque used only
for daily prayers, Quranic school
(Madrassa), bakery, shops and other
first necessity objects.
* They even had their own gates which
were usually closed at night after last
prayers and opened early morning at
early prayers time.
The Components of old Islamic cities
37. 6. STREET NETWORK:
Connecting between residential quarters and
to the central place was a network of
streets consisting ofnarrow, winding??
Semistreet “Casaba”,main publicthe
. Streetsde sacsculprivatestreets,public
called “haraht”
The Components of old Islamic cities
main public street
Semi public streets
Private street
38. The Components of old Islamic cities
6. STREET NETWORK:
streetsGates on the Narrow winding streets
41. • The foundation of the city of Jeddah is dated back to around 3000 years
when groups of fishermen used to settle in it after their fishing trips.
• in the era of the third Muslim Caliph Othman Bin Affan in 647 AC he ordered
the city to be a port to welcome pilgrims (Hajjis) coming by sea for the Holy
Pilgrimage in Makkah.
Old Jeddah
History of the city:
• The wall surrounding Jeddah was built by
Hussain Al-Kurdi, who was one of the
Mamluk Princes to protect the city.
• the wall had six Gates; one on the side
facing Makkah : Bab Makkah, Bab Al-
Medina, Bab Shareef, Bab, Bab Al-Bantt,
and Bab Al-Magharba.
44. • the streets of Old Jeddah were
twisting, unpaved and , flanked
by closely-packed buildings.
• The configuration of the street
network was greatly influenced
by the profile of the city wall and
the location of the gates. Street
network was established on the
alignment with the gates.
Street Network
Old Jeddah
45. • Residential quarters:
• The city of Jeddah was divided inside the wall into several quarters, which
were called 'Hara' by the people of the city. These quarters acquired their
names from their geographical locations inside the city or through famous
events they have witnessed:
• Harat Al-Mathloum: this quarter was named after a man called Abdul Karim
Al-Barzunji, who was killed by the Ottoman government (mathloum means
innocent victim). It is located to the north-east inside the wall at the north of
Al-Alawi Street and includes Dar Gabel, Al-Shafei Mosque, and Souq Al-Jame'i
(market).
• Harat Al-Shaam: is located in the northern part inside wall in the direction of
the Al-Sham region (currently known as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and
Palestine). In this neighborhood lies Dar Al-Sarti and Dar Al Zahid.
• Harat Al-Yemen: is located in the southern part inside the wall, south of Al-
Alawi Street. It gained its name because it faces the direction of Yemen, and
includes Dar Naseef, Dar Jamjoum, Dar Sha'rawi, and Dar Abdelsamad.
46.
47. • MARKETS or SOUQS
• The souq was the heartbeat of
Old Jeddah . Most of these
markets were associated with the
Mosques so the city became a
meeting place for the religious
scholars, traders and students
The ancient Markets of Jeddah
48.
49. • Mosques (Masjid):
• Those mosques were constructed
in accordance with various styles
of designs and different schools
of architecture ranging from the
"Fatimi" "Ottoman" .
• The mosques represented the
central core of religion and
education.
Othman bin Affan Mosque
AL-Shafie Mosque
