the perception of vocabulary of the islamic architectural heritage: the case of al mashrabiyah
TRANSCRIPT
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THE PERCEPTION OF VOCABULARY OF THE ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE: THE CASE OF AL MASHRABIYAH
BHZAD SIDAWI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF DAMMAM, COLLEGE
OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING, 31451 DAMMAM, P O BOX 2397, EMAIL:
ABSTRACT
The architectural heritage constitutes an integral part of any nation’s identity, culture and
pride. Elements of the past Islamic architecture were designed and built to respond effectively
and dynamically to people’s physical, environmental, social, physiological and religious
requirements at their time. At present, architects used to incorporate various elements of the
Islamic historical buildings in their design work. They usually take into account the
configuration of the element's form only and evaluate whether it would fit into the present
design scheme. They subsequently decide whether to use it with some or no adjustments. Such
blind copy- paste approach would only transfer the element's form though strips it from its
historical context and values. Furthermore, it would create a wrongly spelled architectural
vocabulary that is detached from its historical context, ill-fitted into the present design context
and would be misinterpreted by future architects. The paper argues that architect should not
comprehend the hidden values of the historical elements only but also how values interacted
and are integrated into these elements. By doing so, the architect would be able to correctly
perceive and read these elements thus incorporate it successfully in his/ her design. The
research proposes a conceptual model for analyzing and interpreting architectural heritage’s
vocabulary. This is to help professional architects and architectural students to develop in-
depth understanding of the Islamic architectural precedents and implement it properly in the
architectural design of buildings. A field survey was undertaken to test this model and to find
out the degree of people’s perception of each aspect of the architectural heritage. The survey’s
results show that some of al mashrabiyah meanings have been perceived more than other
meanings. This perception is on the ’global’ level and detailed level. The results were used to
refine the proposed conceptual model and to suggest future research theme.
Keywords: Architectural heritage, Islamic built laws, Islamic architecture vocabulary,
identity.
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1. INTRODUCTION
Many research studies have criticized the present built environment of the Islamic and Arabic
world and highlighted problems in the present Islamic/ Arabic built environment. These
problems can be categorized into three categories. Firstly, it is the adoption and use of foreign
e.g. Western architecture style. Some studies –for instance- argued that modem architecture is
a Western import, a foreign implant and it has no connection with Islamic architecture that is
based on the use of certain visual features (e.g. arches and colonnades) and certain design
criteria such as emphasis on privacy and respect for rights of neighbours, etc. which is mostly
absent in modem architecture (Al-Ibrabim 2003, Omar 2000).
Secondly, the present architecture has no link with the Islamic values and does not respond
effectively to people needs and inspirations. The research in Saudi Arabia showed the absence
of the lifestyle from the existing housing properties (Al Kurdi 2002 and Darweesh 2003).
Certain aspects of lifestyle are absent such as the visual and sound privacy, the need for
outdoor space for children activities or entertainment and the need for flexibility in design.
The researchers pointed out that these aspects have not been taken into account in the present
housing design. Ahmed and Parry (2001, 2002) conclude that the present modern architecture
constructed in Egypt according to government built laws, do not address people requirements
and lifestyle.
Thirdly, there is an over and misuse of aspects and components such as arches, old fashion
doors and windows etc of the traditional Islamic architecture (Salamah 2002). For the past
half century, this copy and paste or image cloning became a passive phenomenon in the Arab
world (Omar 2000). Ward Thompson of the Omrania design firm noted there is sometimes an
obsession with the Arab arch and clients quite often demand this but it can be badly overdone
(Brown and Marfleet 1984). Any observer can see that various visual traditional aspects are
used in the modern buildings in many cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia such as the
traditional motifs, exclusive use of sand colours and mud finish (Al-Ibrabim 2003). However,
there is no real reason to incorporate these features apart of showing these buildings to look
like the historical buildings.
On the other hand, researchers argued that traditional Islamic built environment was not built
in regards to physical and environmental parameters only but there was other important
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principals represented by the Islamic values were used to determine the form and shape of the
built environment (Akbar 1988& 1989 and Ahmed 2003). Ahmed and Parry (2001, 2002)
found that low-income unplanned random housing is constructed according to the Islamic
values and neighbours participation in decision making whereas housing that is planned by
the Egyptian government does not address Islamic values and people found it entirely
unsatisfactory.
It seems the modern architecture in Islamic countries does not hold the same values as the
traditional architecture, and it is detached from its historical, social, psychological, cultural
context, would hold many misleading meanings and may be misinterpreted by future
architects. There is a new trend has appeared which calls for a return to identity, to the
architectural forms that are in harmony with the cultural and human environment as these
forms a constitutional part of the nation identity (Bahnassi 2003). Asfour (1998) suggest that
Arabian architectural history should be reinterpreted by architects for architects, to generate
design issues relevant to the practice. This can only be achieved by interpreting correctly the
hidden values of elements of the historical Islamic architecture. Thus present architects
comprehend it and figure out how to incorporate it successfully in the design of modern
buildings. The next sections illustrate the rules that should be used to correctly interpret
architecture thus it discusses the forces that shaped the traditional Islamic architecture and set
a methodology of how to interpret its vocabulary using certain rules in order to accurately
incorporate in the design of our present and future built environment.
2. THE INTERPRETATION AND PERCEPTION OF ARCHITECTURE
Researchers have suggested a number of ways to read and perceive architecture.
Goss (1988) suggests that place is often "multicoded"; as people read and write different
languages in the built environment, meanwhile, collective sentiments too can accord meaning
to place. Rotenberg (1993) terms places as social places, or "communal sites" as are textured
by multiple layers of everyday meanings and sedimented history. Hillier and Hanson (1984)
have made the point that, unique among artifacts, buildings are not only shaped by the society
that creates them: they also impose constraints on subsequent social actions. Hillier (1984,
1996) point out that spaces have qualities and characteristics that would affect people
interaction and use of these spaces. He suggested two social dimensions of buildings or in
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other words that buildings operate socially in two ways: they constitute the social organisation
of everyday life as the spatial configurations of space in which we live and move, and
represent social organisation as physical configurations of forms and elements that we see.
Space creates and controls the interfaces between different categories of people and their
interaction with objects. Places and buildings should be constructed to satisfy the needs of
human beings. Maslow (1975) set the hierarchy of these needs as the following:
Physiological needs
Safety needs
Belongingness and love needs
Esteem needs
Self-actualisation needs
The desire to know and understand
Aesthesis needs
Thus buildings would address - in a way or another- people needs and desires but how can we
read these features/ values that are hidden in buildings? Lawson (2001) suggests a framework
that can be used to perceive and read buildings thus to reveal their meanings. This can be
done by interpreting the physical shape, form, dimensions, texture etc. He pointed out that
buildings can be perceived through:
Scale: it is the scale of the building or one of its elements. A constant observer would
perceive it differently from an observer who moves around it. Also it is related to the
pattern of movement
Size and distance: the size of the building or its’ components/ features. The distance
of an object in the space can be estimated by its size it appears to be, and secondly the
way it seems to move that space as we move both our head and eyes.
Symmetry: Symmetry can be created by arranging building elements in a certain
way1 and it is considered as a foreground-giving geometrical characteristic.
Colour: Colours are merely changes of the wavelength of light, and so might be
thought of a continuum as in the spectrum.
Number of building's elements: Simple and regular repetition of an object eventually
makes the object itself disappear. In architectural terms, the column eventually
becomes part of a colonnade.
1 Symmetry is a precise and well-defined concept of balance or "patterned self-similarity" that can be
demonstrated or proved according to the rules of a formal system by geometry (Wikipedia 2010)
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Order, pattern and redundancy of the elements: Redundancy is the use of a
number of rules; make changes in the rules that are used, unpredictability in
architecture, surprises, or revealing and understanding and the unknown. Redundancy
sets up expectations about what will happen next or, perhaps in architectural terms,
just around the corner. Sophisticated architecture can often be seen to have more than
one simple set of rules and then to play games with the resolution of these separate
systems of redundancy.
Sensation and perception: a building is perceived through the sensations of sound
that comes out of it, reflected on it, smell that comes out of it and our touch of its
components.
Meanings in objects: or what one can imagine or love to see in an object
Lawson further argued that buildings have internal and external meanings. Garner has
articulated an important distinction between what he calls internal meaning and external
meaning (Garner 1962). These two modes of perception may be called the ‘formal’ and the
‘symbolic’. Most spaces and the objects in them and surrounding them can be and usually are
viewed at both levels.
3. THE RELATION BETWEEN ISLAM AND ARCHITECTURE
Islam outlines the basic human needs and stressed that it should be preserved and protected.
Islamic scholars defined that the human needs represented by: the religion, life, property,
intellect and posterity. Some Islamic scholars suggested the order of the human needs is: the
religion, life, intellect, property and posterity (Al Obaidi, 1992, p.190). Other Scholars agreed
on the precedence of religion and life but argued that the remaining needs should be ordered
as: posterity, intellect and property Or intellect, posterity and property.
This list of needs looks similar to Maslow’s list of needs, although Maslow did not point out
the spiritual/ religious needs. Also, it can be argued that Maslow views the subject of basic
needs from the individual's point of view only whereas Islam views basic needs from three
perspectives: legislative, individual and state (Al Sari 2010). It is however suggested that
Islamic buildings express the religious beliefs, social and economic structure, political
motivation and visual sensibility of a pervasive and unified tradition (Michell 1978).
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Therefore, one can argue that traditional architecture in Islamic countries have been
developed in response to several factors that characterize each country such as people's needs
that highlighted above, the climate, the available building materials, the level of construction
technology that is used, the level of society's prosperity, and the local architectural traditions
and practices prior to the Islamic governance in that country.
4. CONSTRAINTS ON TRADITIONAL ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
In this section, the researcher explores the constraints and forces that shaped one of the
traditional Islamic architecture elements that so called al mashrabiyah. Al mashrabiyah was
mostly used in houses and palaces although sometimes in public buildings. There are different
types of Al mashrabiyah and its wooden latticework designs differ from region to region.
Most of Al mashrabiyahs are closed where the latticework is lined with stained glass and part
of Al mashrabiya is designed to be opened like a window. Some mashrabiyahs are open and
not lined with glass, in this case al mashrabiyah works like a balcony and the space enclosed
is independent of the upper floor rooms and accessed through those rooms with windows
opening towards it, sometimes even the woodwork is reduced. The following sub sections
illustrate the forces and constraints that shaped al mashrabiyah architecture, how the
architecture of Al masharbiyah had responded to these forces. The researcher considers the
responses as the values and these are embodied in al mashrabiyah.
4.1. Constraint Number One: The Islamic Built Laws
Islamic principles provide a unifying factor which primarily characterized religious and civic
buildings across the Islamic world. There are five main sources of Islamic principals: First;
the holy Qur'an2 and the sunna
3, the Ijma'
4, the qiyas or Itihad
5 and Urf
6. The Islamic built
laws that are extracted from these Islamic principals has modified the built form according to
the Islam's philosophy, ideology, law, and the requirements of socio-cultural forces in Muslim
2 Quran: which Muslims believe to be the literal word of God
3 Sunna: a set of traditions and practices carried out and implemented by the Prophet Mohammed
4 Ijma': is the consensus of the entire Muslim community
5 The use of human reasoning in the elaboration of Islamic law without contradicting any rule of the three
primary sources (Hakim, 1986 and Schacht, 1993) 6 Local norms and traditions that do not contradict with the above mentioned principals
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life (Hakim 1986). The built laws or principles as mentioned in Fiqih books illustrate the
responsibilities of both individuals and authority in Islamic law (Hammad 1997). Hakim
(1986) defines Fiqih of building processes as: "the mechanism of interpreting and applying
the value system of the shari'a (Islamic divine law) within the processes of building and urban
development... its primary sources, the Qur'an and the Sunna (or traditions of the Prophet)
are crucial for the transfer of the value system to design and urban form."
Islamic built laws were used to define the rights, responsibilities of people and how to
respond to one's needs as outlined above without conflicting other people's interests (Al-
Ibrahim 2003). In this sense, Akbar (1988) points out that the Islamic principals have defined
the user’s rights in terms of how to build, alter or extend his/ her property. Some of the
Islamic building principles have been crystallised through the solutions resulting from the
conflicts that sometimes occurred between individuals themselves or between the individuals
and the governing authority (Hakim, 1991 and Ibn Al Rami 1995). These principals provide a
flexible framework to the property user/owner that enables him/ her to change his property
without harming his neighbours and violating their rights. Ahmed (2003) suggests the Islamic
built laws can be listed as the following:
No-Harm principle: No-Harm principle means that residents' initiated action, which
is considered harmful to others, should be prevented when affected people asked to be
stopped (Hammad 1997; Schacht 1993; Hakim and Rowe 1983).
Openings and projections: Akbar (1989) states that any individual could project part
of his upper floor, such as Mashrabiyahs or cantilevers, on to a through street as long
as no damage is caused to the public. Projecting cantilevers over main roads are
permissible because the roads are the remains of `dead' lands that could have been
`revived' in the past (Akbar, 1988). He/ she can also open windows and doors on to
these roads providing they do not cause harm to their neighbours.
Right of appropriation of open spaces, finas: As long as this causes no harm,
residents should be free to appropriate open spaces and finas in their residential
settlements for a wide range of social and economic activities determined and
permitted by the residents themselves without outside intervention (Akbar 1989 and
Hakim 1986).
Right of easement (servitude) (Irtifak): Right of easement (servitude) is an
exclusive benefit of a property over another adjacent to it, where the two are owned by
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different owners. This benefit belongs to the first property, even if its owner changes,
unless this benefit has been relinquished through a conventional transaction (Akbar
1988).
Right of pre-emption (shufah): The right of pre-emption (shufah) is the right of a
neighbour or a partner to substitute himself/ herself for the buyer of an adjacent
property or structure when offered for sale by another neighbour or partner (Schacht
1993, Akbar 1988).
Al mashrabiyah was constructed according to No harm principal in sense of avoiding
overlook to neighbours’ windows in the existing urban context. This was achieved by the
location of al mashrabiyah which is does not face directly neighbours’ windows/ openings.
The projection of al mashrabiyah is made according to two principals:
No harm principal thus it causes no harm to the road’s users or the neighbours.
The other principal that considers roads as remains of `dead' lands so there is no harm
to make projections onto the road.
It is suggested that ornamented shapes, and Islamic patterns7 and geometry are products of the
sacred science. Fundamental to the Islamic faith is a belief in the unity of God, and since the
material world is a creation of god, it also comprises a unity and would be shaped in a way
that signifies to god (Critchlow 2004). Thus, as the Islamic principals have an influence on
macro level of the built environment, it can be argued that it has similar influence on the
micro level of the building's architecture i.e. building's components, artistic features and
ornamentation. The Muslim builder powered with a desire to fulfil the will of a higher order
or cause have worked hard to create a built environment that is perceptible sign of the
Creator’s will and presence thus it is similar to the natural environment that signify to god
(Omer 2010).
4.2. Constraint Number Two: Architectural/Urban
One of the distinctive features of the Islamic cities is the winding and irregular streets. Due to
this feature, plots of land are also commonly irregular in shape while the house designs are
usually regular (squares and rectangles). This would cause irregular shapes of some rooms
7 See for instance the centered and radial ornamentation patterns that signify to the unity of the Universe and the
fact that it is created by one god
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and creates dead corners. Al mashrabiyah has responded to the irregular shapes of the plots of
land by correcting the footprint shape of the land. The projection of al mashrabiyah allows
correcting the shape of the room on the upper floor and increases the usable space without
increasing the plot size. This projection has also helped to sort out a number of problems
related to the urban spaces such as:
the scale of the urban spaces as al mashrabiyah provided stronger human scale; and
the visual enclosure of the street as al mashrabiyah projection helped to provide
visual/ physical enclosure to the street
4.3. Constraint Three: The Resident’s Needs
The human needs are highlighted by the Islamic scholars in section three as: the religion, life,
intellect, property and posterity and these can be categorized in the following categories:
Physical needs: is the need for comfortable space in terms of configuration, size, area,
dimensions, shape, form etc
Psychological needs: the need for a space that provides relaxation in terms of colour,
home enjoyment, level of privacy, type of delicate link with other indoor spaces and
link with the outdoor spaces, safety, aesthesis etc
Social needs: the need for space for an individual to socialise with family, relatives,
guests, and neighbours, self esteem,
Spiritual needs: the need for a space/ spaces for spiritual practice, worship and
adoration
Al mashrabiyah serves an important social function: it ensures privacy from the outside for
the inhabitants while at the same time allowing them to view the outside through the screen
(Fathy 1986). Therefore, a mashrabiyah covering an opening that overlooks the street has
small interstices except at the top far above eye level. With the focus on the lattice, the
mashrabiyah appears as a lighted wall. So when focusing beyond the lattice, the external view
is quite clear and only slightly obstructed.
4.4. Constraint Four: Environmental Conditions
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Most of the Islamic countries have warm if not hot weather. Some of the Islamic cities are in
hot arid climate whereas others have hot humid climate. Some such as Saudi Arabia has
harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes. The configuration of al mashrabiyah has
responded effectively to the various weather conditions. The wooden screen with
casement/double hung windows provides shade to the walls and protection from the hot
summer sun while allowing the cool air from the street to flow through. The wooden screen
has the capability of providing long time lags to the absorption of heat waves, so it helps in
isolating the interior environment. In hot dry areas, a large clay water jar is usually placed in
al mashrabiyah and the water evaporated from the jar freshens the incoming air (Hakim 1986,
Masaud 1996). This provides a significant amount of air moving in the room without causing
it to be uncomfortable. In hot humid areas, the wooden screen has the capability to absorb the
humidity from the air. The projection of al mashrabiyah achieves several purposes, on one
hand it allows air from three sides to enter and on other hand provides protection and shade
for the ground floor windows that are flat and usually unprotected (figure 1).
Al mashrabiyah has four environmental functions. Different patterns have been developed to
satisfy a variety of conditions that require emphasis on one or more these functions. These
functions involve:
controlling the passage of light;
controlling the air flow;
reducing the temperature of the air current, and
Increasing or decreasing the humidity of the air current.
The design of each mashrabiyah is selected to fulfil all these functions. In the design, it is the
sizes of the interstices (i.e. spaces between adjacent balusters) and the diameter of the
balusters that are adjusted. Different names identify certain of these patterns (Fathy 1986).
Its cooling and humidifying functions are closely related. All organic fibres, such as the wood
of al mashrabiyah readily absorb, retain, and release considerable quantities of water. Plants
can provide some regulation of their skin temperatures by the successive processes of
transpiration and evaporation (called evapo-transpiration). Thus, the sap flows through the
fibres to the plant surfaces, where it evaporates and cools the skin. Wood fibres retain this
ability even after they are cut from the tree and used in buildings, as long as the pores are not
covered by an impervious paint.
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Mashrabiyah in
Jaddah (source:
ww.saudicaves.com )
Mashrabiyah in
Basra (source:
Wikipedia)
Mashrabiyah in
Makkah (source: the
author 1982)
Figure 1: Types of traditional Al mashrabiyah in different Islamic countries
4.5. Modelling The Values And Meanings Of al Mashrabiyah
The discussion above suggests that al mashrabiyah is constrained by a number of factors thus
would hold the response to these factors as embedded values. These values are: the user
needs, architectural/ urban parameters, environmental parameters, and the Islamic principles.
To properly perceive al mashrabiyah’s meanings, the present researcher suggests a conceptual
model for reading and perceiving Al mashrabiyah values and meanings (see figure 2). This
model illustrates the relation between various meanings/ values and the physical properties of
al mashrabiyah such as: the size, projection, shape, orientation, relation with the urban context
(i.e. neighbours’ openings and block) and fine ornamental details. It also shows the interaction
between these values as well. To find out whether these values would exist, a field survey has
been conducted in 2011 in Al Khober. The aim of the survey is to find out whether certain
mashrabiyah’s values are perceived by people and how far they are perceived. Thus to
introduce the findings to architects, so they would take these possible embedded values on
board. It targeted randomly around 130 individuals. A one page questionnaire about the
values of al mashrabiyah has been handed to them, and seventy respondents have filled in the
questionnaire and returned it back.
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Physical properties of
Al mashrabiyah
Islamic
spiritual
values
Environmental
parameters
Psychological
needs
Social values
Islamic laws
consideration
Urban
parameters
Embedded
values
Figure 2: The constraints that impact the physical properties of al mashrabiyah and
generate embedded values as a response to these constraints
5. RESULTS OF THE FIELD SURVEY
On ‘global’ level, the survey’s results show that the perceived values are as the following
(categorized from more to less perceived): architectural/ urban, environmental, social,
psychological, Islamic laws and spiritual (see table 1). On the detailed level, the matter looks
different as the most perceived value is the environmental value. The results show that the
most perceived meanings/ values are (from more to less perceived):
It provides a comfortable internal environment in terms of light distribution density etc
it Stimulates and preserves the privacy of inhabitants;
it is pleasant to the eye, humanely-scaled;
the big size of al mashrabiyah is an indication of prosperity, power, high social class and
dignity of the inhabitants;
it provides a relaxing and peaceful internal environment; and
It helps in breaking the monotony of the urban context (see table 1).
On the other hand, the least perceived values are (see table 1):
it increases sense of self-esteem and happiness of the house's inhabitants;
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it preserves a delicate connection of passers-by with the inhabitants in terms of
transmission of sound and smell;
it preserves a delicate connection of inhabitants with the alleyway in terms of transmission
of sound and smell;
it helps in increasing the attachment/ bonding of an inhabitant to the house; and
its’ ornamented patterns hold Islamic spiritual meanings.
6. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The reading of the survey results reveals the following issues:
a. all meanings of al mashrabiyah are perceived by the respondents;
b. however, on ‘global’ level, some of these meanings are perceived more than others
such as the environmental and architectural thus the social;
c. the results shows that al mashrabiyah is perceived to create a strong relation between
the interior spaces of the house with the urban context but the respondents perceive
this relation according to the various aspects that they asked about (see table 1); and
d. Also, the level of connection that al mashrabiyah provides to the inhabitants is
perceived on several levels.
In regards to the survey’s findings, the study sees that the model that is introduced earlier (see
figure 2) should be refined to enable architects to interpret the possible meanings of al
mashrabiyah in a precise way. The refined model uses the results of the field survey and
Lawson’s framework (2001) as a start point to perceive al mashrabiyah’s meanings. Lawson
(2001) suggests that the physical form, dimensions, texture etc. should be analysed. This can
be on two levels: formal and symbolic (Garner 1962). The next stage is to analyse the forces
the shape al mashrabiyah and define al mashrabiyah‘s values. This would be through a field
survey that explore the opinions of inhabitants’ of a historical district about the meanings of al
mashrabiyah and examine the relation of al mashrabiyah with the neighbourhood’s context.
The inspection would be on the following levels (see figure 3):
a. on the architecture/ urban side: this is to find out whether al mashrabiyah’s shape, colour,
pattern, etc would enrich the urban context and makes it prettier;
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Potential embedded meanings and values Mean
Std.
Deviation Skewness
Environmental
It provides a comfortable internal environment in terms of
light distribution density etc 3.9429 0.84931 -0.766
It provides a comfortable internal environment in terms of
thermal and environmental comfort 3.7101 1.04461 -0.821
It protects passer-by from sun and rain 3.3385 1.17629 -0.698
Mean (environmental) 3.6638333
Psychological
It increases sense of self-esteem and happiness of the
house's inhabitants 3.0469 1.11881 -0.165
It provides a relaxing and peaceful internal environment 3.8676 1.11843 -0.984
It is pleasant to the eye, humanely-scaled 3.9 0.9033 -0.77
It helps in increasing the attachment/ bonding of an
inhabitant to the house 2.4138 1.19992 0.337
It is inspiring and motivates imagination 3.5507 0.89994 -0.343
Mean (Psychological) 3.3558
Social
The big size of al mashrabiyah is an indication of
prosperity, power, high social class and dignity of the
inhabitants
3.8841 1.21916 -0.925
It gives a clear indication of the identity of the house’s
occupants 4.0588 1.02042 -1.163
It stimulates and preserves the privacy of inhabitants 3.942 1.06942 -0.922
It facilitates inhabitants' communications with the outside
world in a conservative way 3.791 1.09458 -0.784
It helps in preserving the inhabitants' safety 3.0746 1.27105 -0.235
It preserves a delicate connection of passers-by with the
inhabitants in terms of transmission of sound and smell 3 1.06904 0
It preserves a delicate connection of inhabitants with the
alleyway in terms of transmission of sound and smell 2.9231 0.9732 -0.052
Mean (Social) 3.5248
Spiritual
Its’ ornamented patterns hold Islamic spiritual meanings
(e.g. signify to Allah; the creator of the Universe) 2.2308 1.29275 0.853
Architectural/ Urban
Its' shape, colour, pattern, etc. enrich the urban context
and makes the context prettier 3.8182 0.97522 -1.059
It helps in breaking the monotony of the urban context 3.8636 0.82063 -0.601
Mean (Architectural/ Urban) 3.8409
Islamic laws
The configuration of al mashrabiyah’s shape is controlled
by the Islamic built laws such as No harm principal 3.1304 1.14934 -0.083
Table 1: Meanings and values of al mashrabiyah as perceived by the respondents (note, sample
size 70, scale: 1 = not embedded at all to 5= fully embedded)
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b. on the environmental side: studies concentrate on the environmental role of al mashrabiyah
in terms of its’ benefits to the residents but did not however highlight its potential role in
protecting passer-by by from sun and rain;
c. on the social side: researchers concentrate on the privacy side of al mashrabiyah whereas it
should reflect and address other sides such as: social class, the prosperity, power, reputation,
and dignity of the residents. Also whether it facilitates inhabitants' communications with the
outside world in a conservative way. One can inspect further how far it would preserve a
delicate connection of passers-by with the inhabitants in terms of transmission of sound and
smell and vice versa.
Aspects of interpretation of Meanings/values of Al Mashrabiyah
Levels of
interpretation
Stages
Residents and by-
passer needs
(physical, social,
psychological,
spiritual)
Environmental
context
Architectural/
Urban context
Islamic laws
consideration
Stage I Analyzing the
physical, social,
psychological,
and spiritual
dimensions
Analyzing the
environmental
impact
Analyzing the
physical and
artistic features,
and configuration
of al
mashrabiyah, and
the Urban context
Analyzing the
which and how
far Islamic built
laws has
impacted Al
mashrabiyah
Stage II Defining the
physical, social,
psychological,
and spiritual
dimensions
impact on al
mashrabiyah and
vice versa the
impact of Al
mashrabiyah on
residents’ daily
life
Defining the
environmental
dimensions
Defining the
impact of the
Urban context/ on
the Al
mashrabiyah and
vice versa the
impact of Al
mashrabiyah on
passer-by and
neighbours.
Defining
Compliance/ non-
compliance
degree with the
Islamic built law
and the potential
consequences on
the built
environment
Stage III Investigating how these forces are related and
interact and the weight of each
Figure 3: Conceptual model for reading and perceiving Al mashrabiyah values and meanings
Also how far it helps in preserving the inhabitants' safety. It can be suggested that al
mashrabiyah’s configuration, shape, colour, ornamentations complexity and richness, size etc
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are constrained by: the financial status of the house' owner. The financial status of the
property’s owner and the owner willingness to pay more towards the construction expenses –
for instance- may not only affect the size, appearance, richness of the ornamentation, finishes
but also the type of materials that are used to erect al mashrabiyah; and
d. on the psychological side, one can explore how far it succeeded in increasing the sense of
self-esteem, happiness of the house's inhabitants, provides a relaxing and peaceful internal
environment, and how far it was inspiring and motivates imagination.
The future field survey that target the inhabitants of the historical district in a Middle Eastern
city –for example-, would show how al mashrabiyah’s values would interact, the priority of
each and how this affect the production of such unique Islamic architectural heritage’s
element. Archaeological research is required as it would reveal certain facts about how the
inhabitants had lived, how they had socially and economically interacted and the outcomes
can be linked to the architectural research. This may clarify – for instance- the type and cost
of construction materials that were used, why and how, and can be linked to the demography’s
data. The outcome of such thorough inspection would help the professional architect’s to
develop better understanding of al mashrabiyah in particular and the other traditional Islamic
elements in general, thus he/ she would be able to design it and implement it successfully in
the architectural design scheme.
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