Email this article 
Hide
Show all
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IBADI MOSQUES IN M’ZAB, DJERBA, AND OMAN
Abstract
The Ibadis are a Muslim religious minority with a long history and a rich philosophical and theological literature. This research claims that the Ibadis adherence to strict and puritan Islamic principles has not only affected their individual and social behavior, but also marked their approach to architecture, and the construction of cities. This article investigates the architecture of mosques developed in the four significant regions where this network of communities has settled since the ninth century: Oman, the M'zab valley in Algeria, Djerba in Tunisia, and Jebel Nafusa in Libya. Many features distinguish the architectural style of these from the typical mosque style. Although it may appear plural in its spatial arrangement, volumes, material and construction methods, the architecture of Ibadi mosques displays an “air de Famille” that relates them to their Arab-Berber origins and Ibadi religious principles. The present research is a comparative analysis of representative samples of this architecture in all the regions inhabited by the Ibadis. The second layer of scrutiny consisted of exploring the origins of its distinctive features in the meanings of the Ibadi Fiqh that concerned the act of building. It is a pioneering investigation of the relationship between the Ibadi religious principles and the architecture of their mosques. This research has established that the Ibadi Fiqh has addressed some aspects of the design of mosques and therefore have impacted, if not produced, some of the distinctive features of this architecture.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
J. C. Wilkinson, “Changement et continuité en Oman,” in La péninsule arabique, P. Bonnenfant, Eds, Paris: Editions CNRS, 1980, pp. 394–395.
T. Lewicki, “Al-Ibadiyya”, in Encyclopedia of Islam, P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, and W.P. Heinrichs, Eds, London: Leiden-Brill, 1971, 3, pp. 648–660.
M. Mercier, La civilisation urbaine au M’Zab, Etude de sociologie Africaine, Algiers: Imprimerie Emile Pfister, 1922.
C. & P. Donnadieu, H. & J-M. Didillon, Habiter le désert, les maisons mozabites : recherches sur un type d’architecture traditionnelle présaharienne, Brussels: Mardaga, 1977.
A. Ravéreau, Le M’Zab, une leçon d’architecture, Paris: Sindbad, 1981.
J. Schacht, “Sur la diffusion des formes d’architecture religieuse musulmane à travers le Sahara”, in Travaux de l’Institut de Recherches, Tome XI, Sahariennes, 1954.
N. Benkari, “A Document of Ibadi Fiqh Governing the Architecture of Mosques.” Journal of Islamic Architecture, vol 4(2), pp. 56-62, December 2016.
N. Benkari-Boudidah, L’Architecture des mosquees Ibadites: M’zab, Djerba et Oman. Principes de conception et de construction, vol. 2, Saarbrücken: Presses académiques francophones, 2014, pp 83–88.
R. Mrabet, Mudawwanat Masajid Djerba, Tunis: Institut National du Patrimoine, Ministry of Culture, 2002.
J. Despois, Le djebel Nefousa: Etude géographique, Paris: Larose, 1935.
B. Zevi, Apprendre à voir l’architecture, Paris: Editions de Minuit, 1959.
M. Mercier, Etude sur le waqf abadhite et ses applications au Mzab. Alger: Jules Carbonel, 1927.
H. Mu’nis, Al–Masajid, Kuwait: Al-Majlis al-Watani li l-Thaqafah wa l-Funun wa l-Adab [National Council on Culture, Arts, and Humanities], 1981.
M. & E. Gouvion, Le Kharedjisme : Monographie du Mzab, Casablanca: La Vigie Marocaine, 1926.
M. A. Biancifiori, Works of Architectural Restoration in Oman, translated by S. Molton, Rome: De Luca, 1994.
M.I. Y. Attafayyish, Sharh kitab al-nil wa shifa’ al-‘alil [A commentary on al-Thamini’s ‘Kitab al-nil’ (19c.)], 2nd ed., vol 17, Jeddah: Maktabat al-Irshad, 1972.
A. Z. Y. ibn A. B. Al–Warjilani, Kitab al-sirah wa akhbar al-a’imma fi tarikh ahl Mizab. Algiers: Delagrave, 1979.
M. Mercier, “Notes sur une architecture berbère saharienne”, Hespéris 8, 1928, pp. 413–429
G. Marçais, Manuel d’art musulman, l’architecture : Tunisie, Algérie, Maroc, Espagne, Sicile, Paris: Auguste Picard, 1927.
J. Schacht, “Notes Mozabites”, Al Andalus, vol. XXII, fasc. 1, 1957.
H. Saladin and G. Migeon, Manuel d’art musulman, Paris: A. Picard, 1907.
Y. Bonète, “Notes sur l’architecture religieuse du M’Zab.” Cahiers des arts et techniques d'Afrique du nord, no. 6, 1961.
M. K. al-Battashi, Salasil al-dhahab, fil usul wa l-far‘i wa l-adab, Muscat: Ministry of Heritage and Culture, 1990.
A. B. A. B. A. B. Moussa, “Al Kindi A’Samadî Al Nizwî : Al Muçannaf, écrit en 1162, présenté en Arabe moderne par Abdelmon`im `Amer” in Ministère du patrimoine et de la culture, Dr. Jâdallah Ahmad, Eds, volume 5, Oman, 1983.
A. d. C. Motylinski, “Chronique d’Ibn Saghir : sur les imams Rostemides de Tahert”, Actes du XIVe congrès international des Orientalistes, Algiers, 1905.
M. V. Berchem, “À la recherche de Sedrata: deux campagnes de fouilles sur le site de l’ancienne capitale ibadite”, Algeria et l’Afrique du nord illustrée, Oct. 1953, no. 33 http://alger-roi.fr/Alger/tourisme/textes/3_sedrata_algeria33.htm Accessed 2 Jun 2016
P. M. Costa, “Historic Mosques and Shrines of Oman”, BAR International Series, 938, Oxford: Archaeopress, 2001.
M. Barrucand and A. Bednorz, L’architecture maure en Andalousie, Cologne: Taschen, 1992.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18860/jia.v5i4.5813
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2019 Journal of Islamic Architecture
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
EDITORIAL OFFICE
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Science and Technology
Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang
Jalan Gajayana 50 Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia 65144
Phone (+62) 341 558933,Facsimile (+62) 341 558933
e-mail: journal.islamicarchitecture@gmail.com / jia@uin-malang.ac.id
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.