International Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering IJCEE-IJENS Vol:10 No:04

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Traditional Islamic-Arab House: Vocabulary And Syntax

Dr. Abdel-moniem El-Shorbagy
Architecture Department, College of Engineering Effat University, Saudi Arabia aelshorbagy@effatuniversity.edu.sa

Abstract Houses represent the background or framework

for human existence. The Islamic-Arab house with its structural clarity and beauty can be conceived as being generated from the plan, which gave form and order to the space within as well as measured and scaled by the human body and its experience. The Islamic-Arab house was also established and based on a series of sustainable-oriented principles. The design concept of the Islamic-Arab house, problems, and solutions can be traced in many of the existing traditional Arab architecture, in which forms and spaces were dictated by habits and traditions. The aim of this paper is to examine the architectural vocabulary which governed the design concept of the Arab house and highlights their distinctive characteristics. It also explores the essential design problems, which affected the shape and the plan form of all traditional Muslim houses, in relation to the physical environment. A discussion of the way that tradition, culture, and religion formed the basis of the Arab house design approach and the continual reinvention of the plan will also be included. However, the main objective of this research is to identify the idealized spatial system of the Islamic-Arab house, which became a methodological and conceptual tool to constitute the basic vocabulary and syntax of its design.

stylish facades of Jeddahs townhouses, the windcatcher (badgir) of the houses of Dubais Bastakia district, and the courtyard houses of Yemen, are all evidence to the rich wealth of Islamic-Arab residential architecture. Every architectural element in the Islamic-Arab house represented a solution or an answer to a different problem that appeared according to a specific condition. They were a sequence of related problems, which were met successfully to achieve a unified and a harmonious house. In fact, the beauty of these traditional houses represents an art form that has resulted from an understanding of a unique mode of religious and cultural human life. II. VOCABULARY AND SYNTAX My father's palace where every footstep had a meaning [1]. This quote from Antoine de Saint Exupery expresses the design concept of the traditional Islamic-Arab house, where every step, forms and spaces were shaped by peoples habits and tradition. The Islamic way of life strictly defined the particular roles of man and woman in relation to the physical environment. While the public areas in a house are the domain of men, the private and family areas are the domain of women. The privacy of the family was also an essential element which affected the shape and the plan form of all traditional Muslim houses, to be clearly defined as public, semi-public and private spaces. The cultural and religious emphasis on visual privacy in Islamic communities has also tended to produce an inward looking plan with plain external walls to discourage strangers from looking inside. Climate also played an important role as a moderating factor and complemented the cultural and religious need for privacy. The houses of the hot arid zones such as Egypt, Iraq and India, are introverted, where family-life looked into a courtyard rather than looking out upon the street. However, the architectural vocabulary which governed the design concept of the Islamic-Arab house and highlighted its distinctive characteristics were, the majaz (entrance), the courtyard, the combination of the qaah and the malqaf, the takhtabush , and the mashrabiyyah . A. The Majaz (Entrance) In Arab houses there were two entrances; the majaz (the main entrance of a house), which usually opens onto a courtyard and the doorway, which is the main external feature

Index Term Islamic-Arab House, Tradition, S ustainability, Eco-Architecture, S yntax I. INT RODUCT ION In many parts of the Islamic-Arab world, one can realise many distinctive examples of traditional architecture, mainly houses. Although there were socio-cultural differences in each region, the design of houses retained a common architectural language that responded to both the common hot arid zones climate and the common religious needs. For example, the use of courtyard and the employment of the windcatcher or mashrabiyyah. The Islamic-Arab house is also one of the best examples that express the sakina . The word sakina comes from the word sakan , which is the Arabic name for a house and relates to dwelling in peace and purity. The heritage of traditional Islamic-Arab houses includes various forms, which were developed in response to religious, cultural, and traditional factors along with the specificity of the local built environment. The remarkable traditional houses of medieval Cairo, the

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International Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering IJCEE-IJENS Vol:10 No:04 at ground floor level. The majaz was designed to open into a blank wall to obstruct views into the inside from outside in order to preserve the privacy of the family. On the other hand, the doorway is functional and modest because osten tation is discouraged according to the egalitarian basis of Islam. AlSuhaymi house, Cairo, 1648, is a good example, which expresses the relationship between the main entrance and the courtyard (fig.1). Some historians attributed the unpretentious doorway to the owners reluctance to show off his wealth, which would attract burglars, but this is a superficial reason. In fact, in traditional Arab houses, the real entrance to the house is the one which opens onto the main courtyard. In the Arab cosmology the four walls of the courtyard indicate the four columns carrying the dome of the sky and the courtyard symbolizes their private piece of sky. However, they preferred to have the main entrance open into this clean and holy space, which is on the scale of the house, rather than into the public street, which is on the scale of the city.

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Fig. 2. Dar Lajimi, a courtyard house, T unis. [3]

Fig.1. T he entrance opens into the courtyard, Al-Suhaymi house, Cairo, 1648. [3]

B. The Courtyard The courtyard is the most essential element, which represented the core of all Islamic-Arab houses. The concept of the courtyard is commonly used in traditional architecture, both rural and urban, of the hot arid regions from Iran in the East to the shores of the Atlantic in the West. The courtyard dates back to the Graeco-Roman tradition (c. 1900 BC.) in Arabia. With the advent of Islam (632), Muslims adopted the concept of the courtyard because it suited their religious and social needs, especially the degree of privacy needed. The arrangements of the courtyard also provided a satisfactory solution to their specific environmental problems. The size of the courtyard varies, as does the number, according to the available space and resources [2]. Historical examples of Arab desert architecture, include, the Ukhaider palace in Iraq, Quasir Amara in Jordan and Dar Lajimi in Tunis (fig.2) as well as the twelfth century courtyard-houses of Al-Fustate city, Egypt (fig. 3). The houses of mediaeval Cairo such as Al-Souheimi, Zeinab Khaton and Moheb Ad-din Al-Shafie are also expressive examples.

Fig. 3. Al-Fustt house, a courtyard house, Cairo. [3]

The courtyard was employed in most Arab houses, not only to achieve privacy, which is a necessity in Arab society, but also to enhance the thermal comfort inside a house. The courtyard is an effective device to generate air movement by convection. In hot dry zones the air of the courtyard, which was heated by the sun during the day, rises and is replaced by the cooled night air coming from above. The accumulated cool air in the courtyard seeps into and cools the surrounding rooms. During the day, the courtyard is shaded by its four walls and this helps its air to heat slowly and remain cool until late in the day [3].

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International Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering IJCEE-IJENS Vol:10 No:04 C. The Qaah And The Malqaf In the early Arab houses the courtyard also represented an intermediary space between the entrance and the guest area. Meeting casual male visitors, who are not relatives, always took place in the takhtabash , a room with a side open to the courtyard. On the other hand, important male visitors would enter indirectly from the courtyard to another large reception hall with a lofty central space, which was flanked by two spaces at a slightly higher level [2]. In the Mamluk period in the twelfth century, a change in the style of the house took place that involved the covering of the courtyard, and the introduction of the qaah as the main reception hall in the house. The qaah consisted of the durqaah (a central part of the qaah with a high ceiling covered by the shukhshakhah (wooden lantern on the top)) and two iwans (sitting areas) at a higher level on both the north and south sides. The lantern is provided with openings to allow the hot air to escape. Its shape could be square, octagonal, or hexagonal. It was also flat on the top, in order to help the upper layer of air to be heated up through exposure to the sun. With the covered courtyard, a new system of ventilation was invented to achieve thermal comfort inside the qaah . This was the malqaf (a wind catch). The malqaf is a shaft rising high above the building with an opening facing the prevailing wind and constructed on the north iwan (fig.4). It traps the cool air like sails capturing the wind and channels it down into the interior of the building.

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Fig. 5. Remains of an iwan with a shadirwan (Salsabil) in its center, the Western Fatimid Palace of al-Mansur Qalawun. [9]

However, this new system of ventilation combined the malqaf, the salsabil and the lantern in one design to assure a good circulation of cool air in the qaah . The fourteenth century Muhib Ad-Din Ash-Shafi Al-Muwaqqi house in Cairo best illustrated this combination (fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Section of the Q'a of Muhib Ad-Din Ash-Shf'i, 1350, Cairo. [3] Fig. 4. Bastikia district, Dubai. [8]

D. The Takhtabush In the vernacular architecture of the Arab house the concept of the courtyard has also been developed to ensure a steady flow of air by convection by including the takhtabush , a type of loggia. It is a covered outdoor sitting area, located between two courtyards; one is an unshaded, large paved-courtyard and the other is planted. The takhtabush has one side opening completely onto the paved-courtyard and through mashrabiyyah onto the back garden. Air heats up more readily in the unshaded courtyard than in the back garden creating an area of low air pressure. However, the heated air rising in the courtyard draws cool air from the back garden of the takhtabush , creating a cool draft. The takhtabush can be found in the medieval Cairo houses, such as Al-Suhaymi

The idea of the malqaf dates back to the early Pharaonic periods. Examples can be found in the Eighteenth Dynasty houses of Tal Al-Amarna. Fathy was influenced by the Pharaonic house of Neb-Amun, which was depicted on his tomb of the Nineteenth Dynasty (1300 BC.). It shows a malqaf with two openings, one facing windward to capture the cool air and the other facing leeward in order to evacuate the hot air by suction. To increase the humidity of the air coming from the malqaf, the salsabil was also introduced (fig. 5). It is a marble plate, decorated with wavy patterns and provided with a source of water. The salsabil was put against the wall of the opposite side of the iwan and placed at an angle to allow the water to trickle over the surface [3].

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International Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering IJCEE-IJENS Vol:10 No:04 house (fig.7) and the Qaah of Muhib Ad-Din Ash-Shafi AlMuwaqqi, [3]. Both houses featured two courtyards with a takhtabush between them.

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Fig. 8. Zeinab Khatoun House 14 th century

Fig. 7. Al-Suhaymi house, Cairo, 1648. [3]

E. The Mashrabiyyah The mashrabiyyah is another important device which was used to cover openings as well as to achieve thermal comfort and privacy in a house. Its name is originally derived from the Arabic word drink and referred to a drinking place. This was a cantilevered space covered with a lattice opening, where water jars were placed to be cooled by the evaporation effect as air moved through the opening. The form and function of the mashrabiyyah has changed to become a wooden lattice screen. It is composed of small wooden circular balusters, arranged at specific regular intervals, in a decorative and intricate geometric pattern. The mashrabiyyah has five functions and its design may fulfil some or all of these functions. These are; controlling the passage of light, controlling the air flow, reducing the temperature of the air current, increasing the humidity of the air current and ensuring privacy. To control the amount of light and air and to graduate the contrast between shade and light, the size of the interstices and the diameter of the balusters are adjusted [3]. M ashrabiyyah can be found in medieval houses in Cairo, such as Gamal Al-Din Al-Dahabi House 1637, and Zeinab Khatoun House, 14th (fig.8).

III. THE PRINCIPLES OF A RCHITECTURAL COM POSITION The Islamic-Arab house revealed an understanding of the laws of composition, which created a conscious arrangement of elements of a building in a functionally and visually satisfying whole. Hierarchies were an essential factor in the design process of the Islamic-Arab house, which highlighted the importance of the interior and exterior of a building. Scale, proportion, contrast and balance were also tools, which enhanced the character of buildings. All the spaces in traditional houses were covered with variations of domes, vaults, shukhshakhah and flat roofs, which achieved pleasant spatial and visual characteristics. The design of the IslamicArab house also respected human reference and human scale and this had enabled people to articulate and comprehend the elements of their buildings. Harmony with the surrounding landscape was another important factor in the design process, where these houses were carefully integrated to the environment which has existed in equilibrium for a very long time. Applied colour seldom appears in Islamic-Arab houses, but the natural colours of materials, which identified both the origins of this architecture and its close link to the landscape. The visual impact of the homogeneous single colour emphasised the basic form of the building without the distraction of various colours, textures or materials. Traditional houses were also largely, determined by a unique vision of light and its influence on materials. The dynamic contrast of light and shade, and the dramatic use of space were also features, which can be sensed in the architecture of IslamicArab houses. The real power of light is not derived completely from its inherent character, but requires some sort of darkness to assert itself. For example, light entering through a window or mashrabiyyah evokes an expressive shadow, which accentuates the shape of the interior. IV. CONTEM PORARY ISLAM IC-A RAB HOUSE The Egyptian architect and master builder, Hassan Fathy (1900-1989) was one of the first architects to break with modern

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International Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering IJCEE-IJENS Vol:10 No:04 architecture and to found a new approach based on a conception of interpreting forms and masses from the past. He was unique in believing that this language could exist alongside that of an aggressively modern one that cut all ties with the past. He fully understood the function of the elements of the Islamic-Arab house and their balanced relation to the environment. All his buildings and projects, which were mainly domestic, comprised the same architectural elements which were drawn from the Islamic-Arab house. One of his important houses was the Nassif house in Jeddah (fig.9), which represented an opportunity for Fathy to reinterpret the traditional architecture of Saudi Arabia. The house featured all the essentials vocabularies of the Islamic-Arab house such as, courtyard, mashrabiyyah, shukhshakhah and windcatcher [4].

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(fig.11), exhibited the architects awareness of the traditional building forms such as dome, vault, loggia, malqaf and mashrabiyyahs as well as the traditional building techniques.

Fig. 11. Halawa House, Agamy, Egypt, 1975. [10]

Fig. 9. Nassif house in Jeddah. [10]

Another Egyptian architect whose work from the 1960s onwards has stood out in clear contrast with much modern architecture has been Abdelbaki Ibrahim. He published several books discussing the historical perspective of Islamic architecture and the Arab houses. Ibrahims Al-Nawras Tourist Village, Isma'iliya, Egypt, 1989, (fig.10) is an expressive example of the integration between modern architecture and abstracted traditional vocabulary.

The prominent architect Rifat Chadirji (1926) from Iraq was aware of the traditional vocabulary of the traditional architecture in Iraq and employed them to serve contemporary needs. Chadirjis Tobacco Monopoly Building ( 1966) in Baghdad is clear evidence of a contemporary Arab architecture (fig.12). It exhibited a synthesis of international avant-garde concepts and abstract forms derived from his own traditions. For example, Chadirji employed simple projecting mashrabiyyahs made of brick or concrete instead of the expensive wooden ones. Chadirjis architecture excluded simplistic imitations of traditional features and primitive technologies because neither is compatible with the fundamental thrust of the mechanical-aesthetic mode [6].

Fig. 12. T obacco Monopoly Building, Baghdad, 1966. [11] Fig. 10. Al-Nawras T ourist Village, Egypt, 1989. [10]

Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil is also a dedicated Egyptian architect to the course of vernacular architecture and traditional building techniques. El-Wakil believed that it is the role of art, and above all of architecture, to safeguard the environment in which the tradition can survive [5]. El-Wakils Halawa house (1972-1975) in Al-Agamy, near Alexandria

Like Chadirji, the distinguished Jordanian architect, Rasem Badran did not perceive history as a source of physical forms to be reinterpreted, but tried to adapt the process behind these forms and explore the social forces behind traditional typologies. Badrans Al-Talhouni residence, Amman, Jordan (fig.13), shows the architects confidence in handling the traditional vocabulary in harmonious composition in his elevations. He also was capable of adjusting the orientation of I J ENS

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International Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering IJCEE-IJENS Vol:10 No:04 each courtyard in order to permit maximum airflow and to exhibit the beauty of nature and the art of reflection by employing decorative fountains in the courtyard [7].

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Architecture Department for providing financial support to publish this paper.

[1] [2]

[3]

[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Fig.13. Al-T alhouni residence, Amman, Jordan, by Rasem Badran . [7]

V. CONCLUSION The idea of perceiving a building as an entity as well as articulating the function and identity of each member of the building are the key to understand the architecture of the Islamic-Arab house. The most subtle characteristics of the Islamic-Arab house come mainly from its array of elements that were tested by peoples traditions and culture. Undoubtedly, the outstanding architectural quality of the Islamic-Arab houses and the positive effect of their images do not only come from its reliance upon recognised prototypes and deliberate plans, but also from their interesting exteriors. These houses maintained a coherence and unity between inhabited space, construction and landscape. Therefore, the aesthetic of the Islamic-Arab house comes from the harmony of putting the architectural elements together as well as juxtaposing them in order to provide variety and visual interest through change in their size and scale. Although, domes, vaults, bearing walls, mashrabiyyahs, malqaf, courtyard and qaah together created a recognised language in Islamic-Arab houses, their designs were based on finding solutions to peoples religious and cultural needs and requirements. For example, the arrangement of all spaces around an inner courtyard and the division of domestic space into two zones relating to the separation of the sexes. In addition, the qaah , which was roofed by a dome or a shukhshakhah , represented the central element of the formal area in a house and provided the basis for designing all the possible variations of Arab houses. There is no doubt that the outstanding quality of the architecture of the Islamic-Arab house was derived, not from stylistic elements, but from the superiority of its essential features, their proportional arrangement and their basic ideas. A CKNOWLEDGMENT The author wishes to thank Effat University for its effort to support the research environment. Thanks are also due to the

REFERENCES De Saint-Exupry, Antoine, The Wisdom of the Sands. Chicago, 1979, p. 19. Danby, Miles, Privacy as a Culturally Related Factor in Built Form, in Ben Farmer and Hentie Louw, eds., Companion to Contemporary Architectural Though . London, 1993, pp. 138-139. Fathy, Hassan, Natural Energy and Vernacular Architecture: Principles and Examples with Reference to Hot Arid Climates . Chicago, 1986, pp. 46-47, 57-59, 62-67. Alkhateeb, Sharief, Arab Architecture for T hose Who Can Really Live in Style. Saudi Gazette, 19 September 1979, p. 5. Steil, Lucien, T radition & Architecture. Architectural Design , v. 57, no. 5 / 6, 1987, p. 53. Chadirji, Rifat, Concepts and Influences: Towards a Regionalized International Architecture . London, 1986, pp. 49, 118-119. Steele, James, The Architecture of Rasem Badran: Narratives on People and Place. London, 2005, pp.70-72. Author, 2010 www.myoops.org/.../LectureNotes/detail/lec4.htm www.archnet.org http://www.worldarchitecture.org/world-buildings/

Author Dr. Abdel-Moniem El-Shorbagy is the Scientific Chair of Architecture and Urban Design at Effat University. In 2001, he received his Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. He also received a M.A. in Architecture from the same university in 1997 and a postgraduate qualification from Lincoln University, in New Zealand, in 1996. Prior to attaining his postgraduate studies, he launched and managed his own professional practice from 1980 1995 and designed numerous residential buildings, villas, and hotels. He taught Architecture and Design in various academic institutes in Egypt between 2002 and 2006. Currently, he teaches courses in Architecture, Design, Structure, and Islamic architecture at Effat University. He also manages the preparation of the urban design manual for upgrading slums in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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