Design Trends for the Mihrab Element in Contemporary Mosques

Abstract

In the architecture of the mosque, the design of the Mihrab has received great attention from the Islamic builders. The Mihrab is the qibla of the mosque and its most important component. Previous studies highlighted the design characteristics of the Mihrab in ancient mosques. Moreover, the literature shows that there were specific forms and elements in the forming process that served as a formal reference for the design of the Mihrab in ancient mosques. With the contemporary development of mosque architecture and the diversity of design trends in modern mosques, the shapes of Mihrabs have varied in terms of form and elements to reflect these trends. The research problem is represented by “The lack of design trends of the Mihrab as an element in the contemporary mosques”. The study aims to identify the design trends of this important element in contemporary Mosque architecture in a scientific manner, measured through a quantitative and qualitative approach that was adopted to determine the design trends of each Mihrab concerning the historical formal reference. The methodology was applied in a practical study on a group of contemporary mosque Mihrabs to explore the design trends of each Mihrab separately. The results showed that contemporary mihrabs still rely heavily on heritage elements, adopting the forms of heritage plans while incorporating new building materials, such as iron structures, Bordeaux panels, and glass, as well as decorative calligraphic elements with low to medium density.