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A sahn (Arabic : صَحْن, ṣaḥn), is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque. [1] [2] [3] [4] Most traditional mosques have a large central sahn, which is surrounded by a riwaq or arcade on all sides.
The word sahn (صَحْن) means a courtyard in Arabic. [5] But more commonly it means "plate", "dish". [6]
The courtyard (sahn) of a mosque normally precedes and gives access to the interior prayer hall that stands on the qibla side (the side corresponding to the direction of prayer). [7] [1] Most mosque courtyards (sahn) contained a public fountain where Muslims performed wudu , a ritual ablution (purification) required before prayer. [8] The courtyard could be paved with stones or sometimes planted with trees. [7]
Historically, because of the warm Middle Eastern climate, the courtyard also served as overflow to accommodate the larger number of worshippers that came during Friday prayers. [7] However, the hot climate could also make the outdoor space uncomfortable. As a result, arcades (rows of arches) that supported roofed galleries, known as riwaqs, were usually added around the other three sides in addition to the prayer hall side. [7]
The first well-described mosque in Islamic history, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, initially consisted of a rectangular open-air enclosure, to which a roofed area supported by columns was soon added. In the 7th and 8th centuries, the mosque was expanded to become a hypostyle building with a central courtyard. [1]
Other major early mosques, such as the Great Mosque of Kufa, [9] the Great Mosque of Damascus (early 8th century), the Great Mosque of Cordoba (late 8th century), and the Great Mosque of Kairouan (early 9th century) all included courtyards as well. [1] Initially, some of these courtyards – including those in the mosques of Cordoba, of Kairouan, and of Tunis – were not lined with riwaqs (roofed arcades), but these soon became a standard feature for shade. [7] While these examples were all hypostyle mosques, courtyards also remained a feature in later types of mosques. The four-iwan layout, common in Iran and Central Asia, involved four iwans and other halls arranged around a central courtyard. The major domed mosques of Ottoman architecture from the 15th century onward also feature arcaded courtyards preceding their prayer halls. [1]
A mosque, also called a masjid, is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed, such as an outdoor courtyard.
Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic area historically ranging from western Africa and Europe to eastern Asia. Certain commonalities are shared by Islamic architectural styles across all these regions, but over time different regions developed their own styles according to local materials and techniques, local dynasties and patrons, different regional centers of artistic production, and sometimes different religious affiliations.
The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, officially known by its ecclesiastical name of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia. Due to its status as a former mosque, it is also known in Spanish as the Mezquita and in an historical sense as the Great Mosque of Córdoba.
The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports concerning the mosque, and historic events associated with it. Christian and Muslim tradition alike consider it the burial place of John the Baptist's head, a tradition originating in the 6th century. Two shrines inside the premises commemorate the Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali, whose martyrdom is frequently compared to that of John the Baptist and Jesus.
An iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and geometric designs. Since the definition allows for some interpretation, the overall forms and characteristics can vary greatly in terms of scale, material, or decoration.
Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Scholarly references on Islamic architecture often refer to this architectural tradition in terms such as architecture of the Islamic West or architecture of the Western Islamic lands. The use of the term "Moorish" comes from the historical Western European designation of the Muslim inhabitants of these regions as "Moors". Some references on Islamic art and architecture consider this term to be outdated or contested.
The Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahān or Jāme' Mosque of Isfahān, also known as the Atiq Mosque and the Friday Mosque of Isfahān, is a historic congregational mosque (Jāmeh) of Isfahan, Iran. The mosque is the result of continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations on the site from around 771 to the end of the 20th century. The Grand Bazaar of Isfahan can be found towards the southwest wing of the mosque. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. It is one of the largest and most important monuments of Islamic architecture in Iran.
The architecture of Yemen dates back to ancient times, when it was part of a tradition of South Arabian architecture. Developments continued during the Islamic period, displaying both local characteristics and external influences. The historic cities and towns of Yemen are known for their traditional tower-houses.
The Great Mosque of Taza is the most important religious building in the historic medina of Taza, Morocco. Founded in the 12th century by the Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min, it is the oldest surviving example of Almohad architecture. It was expanded by the Marinids in the late 13th century and renovated by the 'Alawi sultan al-Rashid in the 17th century.
The Aqsunqur Mosque (Arabic: مسجد آق, Turkish: Aksungur Camii; also known as the Blue Mosque or the Mosque of Ibrahim Agha is located in Cairo, Egypt and is one of several "blue mosques" in the world. It is situated in the Tabbana Quarter in Islamic Cairo, between Bab Zuweila and the Citadel of Cairo. The Aqsunqur Mosque also serves as a funerary complex, containing the mausoleums of its founder Shams ad-Din Aqsunqur, his sons, a number of children of the Bahri Mamluk sultan an-Nasir Muhammad and that of its principal restorer, Ibrahim Agha al-Mustahfizan.
A riwaq is an arcade or portico open on at least one side. It is an architectural design element in Islamic architecture and Islamic garden design.
The Great Mosque of Aleppo is the largest and one of the oldest mosques in the city of Aleppo, Syria. It is located in al-Jalloum district of the Ancient City of Aleppo, a World Heritage Site, near the entrance to Al-Madina Souq. The mosque is purportedly home to the remains of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, both of whom are revered in Islam and Christianity. It was built in the beginning of the 8th century CE. However, the current building dates back to the 11th through 14th centuries. The minaret in the mosque was built in 1090, and was destroyed during fighting in the Syrian Civil War in April 2013.
Al-Zaytuna Mosque, also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque, and El-Zituna Mosque, is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis, Tunisia. The mosque is the oldest in the city and covers an area of 5,000 square metres with nine entrances. It was founded at the end of the 7th century or in the early 8th century, but its current architectural form dates from a reconstruction in the 9th century, including many antique columns reused from Carthage, and from later additions and restorations over the centuries. The mosque hosted one of the first and greatest universities in the history of Islam. Many Muslim scholars graduated from al-Zaytuna for over a thousand years. Ibn 'Arafa, a major Maliki scholar, al-Maziri, the great traditionalist and jurist, and Aboul-Qacem Echebbi, a famous Tunisian poet, all taught there, among others.
The Tarikhaneh Mosque, is a historic monument located on the southern limit of the present day city of Damghan, Iran.
The Great Mosque of Mahdiya is a mosque that was built in the tenth century in Mahdia, Tunisia. Located on the southern side of the peninsula on which the old city was located, construction of the mosque was initiated in 916, when the city was founded by the Fatimid caliph Abdallah al-Mahdi, to serve as the new city's main mosque. Most of the Fatimid-era city and its structures have since disappeared. The current mosque was largely reconstructed by archeologists in the 1960s, with the exception of its preserved entrance façade.
Abbasid architecture developed in the Abbasid Caliphate, primarily in its heartland of Mesopotamia (Iraq). The great changes of the Abbasid era can be characterized as at the same time political, geo-political and cultural. The Abbasid period starts with the destruction of the Umayyad ruling family and its replacement by the Abbasids, and the position of power is shifted to the Mesopotamian area. As a result there was a corresponding displacement of the influence of classical and Byzantine artistic and cultural standards in favor of local Mesopotamian models as well as Persian. The Abbasids evolved distinctive styles of their own, particularly in decoration. This occurred mainly during the period corresponding with their power and prosperity between 750 and 932.
Umayyad architecture developed in the Umayyad Caliphate between 661 and 750, primarily in its heartlands of Syria and Palestine. It drew extensively on the architecture of older Middle Eastern and Mediterranean civilizations including the Sassanian Empire and especially the Byzantine Empire, but introduced innovations in decoration and form. Under Umayyad patronage, Islamic architecture began to mature and acquire traditions of its own, such as the introduction of mihrabs to mosques, a trend towards aniconism in decoration, and a greater sense of scale and monumentality compared to previous Islamic buildings. The most important examples of Umayyad architecture are concentrated in the capital of Damascus and the Greater Syria region, including the Dome of the Rock, the Great Mosque of Damascus, and secular buildings such as the Mshatta Palace and Qusayr 'Amra.
The Great Mosque of Sousse is a historical mosque in the coastal city of Sousse, Tunisia. The construction dates back to 851, during the rule of the Aghlabid dynasty, vassals of the Abbasid Caliphate. It was commissioned by the ruler Abu al-‘Abbas Muhammad al-Aghlabi. It is a major monument of Aghlabid architecture in the early Islamic period. The mosque was renovated and its prayer hall expanded multiple times over the following centuries.
The Great Mosque of Sfax was the most important mosque in the old city of Sfax, Tunisia. It was initially built towards the mid-9th century under the rule of the Aghlabid dynasty, a vassal state of the Abbasid Caliphate. The mosque was the urban and religious heart of the city and it underwent several major modifications in later periods. Architecturally, it is notable for its minaret and its unusually decorated eastern façade.
Aghlabid architecture dates to the rule of the Aghlabid dynasty in Ifriqiya during the 9th century and the beginning of the 10th century. The dynasty ruled nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliphs, with which they shared many political and cultural connections. Their architecture was heavily influenced by older antique architecture in the region as well as by contemporary Abbasid architecture in the east. The Aghlabid period is also distinguished by a relatively large number of monuments that have survived to the present day, a situation unusual for early Islamic architecture. One of the most important monuments of this period, the Great Mosque of Kairouan, was a model for mosque architecture in the region. It features one of the oldest minarets and contains one of the oldest surviving mihrabs in Islamic architecture.
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