Exterior of Case Studies 1, Taj Mahal!

Helloooo guys! Welcome back to my blog or if you're a new visitor.... HELLO there, welcome to my blog. In my previous posts I've mentioned about modern and early Church Architecture and Islamic Architecture so if you're interested please kindly scroll down! Well today, I'm going to start talking about the religious buildings that I've chosen from Eastern country and European country, which are Taj Mahal in India and Chartres Cathedral in France. I will be studying about these two religious buildings and analyze them in different perspectives.

The reason why I chose Taj Mahal as one my case studies is because it's arguably one of the most spectacular man-made structure in the world, it's said to be the prime example of integration of architecture and ornament (Lewis, 2008). Moreover, it's one of the seven wonders of the world too. The background of Taj Mahal adds a soul to its beauty. Taj Mahal is commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum ( a huge tomb) to commemorate his wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died after giving birth to his fourteenth child (Lewis, 2008).

Taj Mahal is considered by many to be the one of the perfect examples of Mughal architecture, it incorporates and expands on many design traditions including Hindu, Persian, and earlier Mughal architecture (Newworldencyclopedia.org, 2015). Despite its huge size, Taj Mahal is very well-proportioned and looks identically symmetrical. The four minarets are purely decorative, having no practical purpose at all (Lewis,2008). The white marble mausoleum is the most eye-catching part of this huge tomb, the sparking facades of the Taj Mahal make clear the building's significance. Though it appears to be white from a distance, ''it is clad in white marble from India's Makran region--but a closer look reveals colored stone inlay'' (Lewis, 2008). Moreover, speaking of Taj Mahal, you will never missed out the rectangular reflecting pool that leads the eye to the central dome. The dome is often called an onion dome (also called an amrud or guava dome).The reflection of Taj Mahal on the pool makes it looks twice magnificent.

Taj Mahal

(Taj Mahal Agara HD Wallpapers, 2014)

The top of the dome is decorated with a lotus design. 

(Show do CoV ao vivo nos 367 anos do Taj Mahal, 2016)

Taj Mahal is a centerpiece of entrance court, a gateway, a mosque, a guesthouse, and formal gardens with a reflecting pool (Lewis, 2008). Arabesque, geometric and calligraphic designs adorn the complex's flooring both exterior and interior. Taj Mahal is covered with intricate carvings, inlays and paint or stucco (Newworldencyclopedia.org, 2015). But most of the surface ornamentation is arabesque, this is because floral embroidered cloth was Mumtaz's favorite (Lewis, 2008). ''The abundance of usage of arabesque is contrasted by the white and black panels of calligraphy passages are thematically related quotations from the Koran--that were also extensively used as a design motif'' (Lewis, 2008). 

Close up look of Taj Mahal

(Safed, 2013)

Taj Mahal does not only leave a mark in history for being one of the most significant architectures in the history but it's also a great example of using the iconic Islamic identities as an element to unfold the building's spiritual essence. Taj Mahal accompanied by the garden full with greens and the pool that reflect the perfect symmetric structure and art details is a great combination of nature and man-made structure. Architects or future me as an interior architect should totally integrate these two more often as it definitely makes the man-made structure stands out even more. And.. that's it from me today! Hope you guys enjoyed! 

References :

Lewis, M. (2008). Architectura. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barrons Educational Series.

Newworldencyclopedia.org. (2015). Taj Mahal - New World Encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Taj_Mahal [Accessed 7 Jun. 2016].


Image Resources :

Safed, R. (2013). Delhi and Agra: Mughal Capitals, the Taj Mahal, and the India We Expected. [image] Available at: https://rohisafed.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/delhi-and-agra-mughal-capitals-the-taj-mahal-and-the-india-we-expected/ [Accessed 7 Jun. 2016].

Show do CoV ao vivo nos 367 anos do Taj Mahal. (2016). [image] Available at: http://cavalgandoovento.blogspot.my/2015/06/cov-ao-vivo-nos-367-anos-do-taj-mahal.html [Accessed 7 Jun. 2016].

Taj Mahal Agara HD Wallpapers. (2014). [image] Available at: http://findwallpapershd.com/taj-mahal/taj-mahal-agara-hd-wallpapers/ [Accessed 7 Jun. 2016].

More on Islamic Architecture!

Hello peeps! Today is quite a gloomy day for me, I've tried finding for information regarding Modern Islamic Architecture but to my surprise there's quite little information about it as most of the Islamic Architecture still remain its signature and traditional look, which is designed in magnificent themes of Byzantine mosaic and domed roof or at least, they're associated with conservative styles employing well-recognized geometric, arabesque and calligraphic shapes and form which are the traditional identities of Islamic Architecture. There's still a lot of ornamentation still though the construction method or material used may have changed. In my opinion, the fact that architects have to design a mosque involve specific challenges as the Islamic identities were created and established centuries ago and remain as the foremost principle in creating a place of worship for Muslims is extremely impressive.

As I've mentioned early, there's limited information regarding Modern Islamic Architecture, so I decided to put my two cents worth in how and why Islamic Architecture still able to remain its traditional icons and yet does not look eccentric at all among all the modern architectures in this generation. First of all, the idea of a mosque in its commonly known shape, dome, if it were to change to another form it would be widely unacceptable and refused, in some cases forbidden, and on the other part, there's no sign of tolerance from Muslims as they have propensity to insist on a certain idea of mosques that are traditional but purely symbolic.

Actually, I wouldn't say that Islamic Architecture purely remain in its traditional form but instead it still keeps up with the modern times while embracing its unique identity. Islamic architecture always wander between both traditional and modern, It always has the tendency to lean towards tradition in mosque design even up till today. Moreover, the trend of architecture commonly derived from tradition but yet being modernized. It can be seen in not only in architecture but also in fashion. People these days seek to feel connected to their past. This is why retro and vintage fashions are so trendy in recent years. In this era of rapid change, icons and visual are replacing words as the main method of communication. Our generation is deeply dependent on visual and that's when the iconic Islamic geometric, arabesque and calligraphic shapes play a huge part. It makes the followers of Islam feel the holiness and the connection with Allah. The symbolism of Islam has been long rooted in the heart of followers of Islam, it can't simply be taken away and yeah that's my two cents on this topic!

Oh by the way! As my lecturers thought it's better for us to grab on a real book and study, we're encouraged to do our research with books instead of online articles and journals. To be honest, it's pretty difficult to do so since our days are pretty packed up, having to go to library and search through books that might be related to our respective topics......it's difficult. But well, it definitely does good to us, so why not? Next post onward, I'm going to jump straight to my main topic which is 'What identifies a religious building?'. We're encouraged to choose a religious building from Eastern country and another from European country and discuss the relationship between the appearance of the building and its spatial quality. So...... stay tuned!

Masjid Sultan Hassanal in Phillipines completed in 2011.

(Masjid Sultan Hassanal, 2013)

Al-Saleh Mosque, Sana'a,Yemen, completed in 2008.

(Ten of the most beautiful mosques in MENA, 2016)

Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque competed in 2011.

(Ramp of State Mosque (Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque)

Bahria Grand Jamia Mosque in Pakistan, completed in 2014.
(Bahria Grand Jamia Mosque, Lahore , Pakistan, 2015)

Image Sources :

Bahria Grand Jamia Mosque, Lahore , Pakistan. (2015). [image] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/Travel_HD/comments/3n7o11/bahria_grand_jamia_mosque_lahore_pakistan/ [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016].

Masjid Sultan Hassanal. (2013). [image] Available at: http://islam.pictures/tag/masjid-sultan-hassanal/ [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016].

Ramp of State Mosque (Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque). (2014). [image] Available at: http://www.asergeev.com/pictures/archives/compress/2014/1378/15.htm [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016].

Ten of the most beautiful mosques in MENA. (2016). [image] Available at: https://www.thebig5hub.com/galleries/ten-of-the-most-beautiful-mosques-in-mena/ [Accessed 6 Jun. 2016].