Cosmology And Architecture In Premodern Islam

293 Pages·2008·4.54 MB·English

by  Samer Akkach

Cosmology and
Architecture in
Premodern Islam
An Architectural Reading
of Mystical Ideas
Samer Akkach

Cosmology and Architecture in
Premodern Islam
SUNY series in Islam
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, editor
Cosmology and Architecture
in Premodern Islam
An Architectural Reading
of Mystical Ideas
Samer Akkach
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2005 State University of New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Akkach, Samer.
Cosmology and architecture in premodern Islam : an architectural reading of mystical ideas /
Samer Akkach.
p. cm. — (SUNY series in Islam)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
IBSN 0-7914-6411-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Islamic art and symbolism. 2. Symbolism in architecture. 3. Architecture, Islamic.
4. Islamic cosmology. 5. Sufism. I. Title. II. Series.
BP182.5.A34 2005
726'.2'01—dc22
2004014267
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Illustrations vii
Note to the Reader xi
Preface xiii
Introduction xvii
Abbreviations xxv
Chapter 1. Discursive Order 1
Cosmology: An Overview 1
Symbolism: A Critical Review 4
History and Symbolism 13
Sufism 18
Symbolism: A Sufi Perspective 25
Chapter 2. Metaphysical Order 55
Being and Presence 55
The Primordial Presence 63
The Divine Presence 67
The Human Presence 82
The Presence of the Word 95
The Geometryof Being 109
v
vi Contents
Chapter 3. Cosmic Order 113
The Original Idea 113
Creative Breathing 115
The “Cloud” and Cosmic Forms 119
The World of Command 120
The World of Creation 124
Chapter 4. Architectural Order 149
Gazing at the Sky 149
Ordering Spaces 151
Architecture and the Sacred 162
The Ka(cid:1)ba: The First House 179
The Mosque and the Spatiality of Prayer 193
Afterword: Architecture and Cosmic Habitat 207
Notes 211
List of Arabic Manuscripts Cited 237
Selected Bibliography 239
Index 255
Illustrations
Photos
Photo 1.1 Thecomplexof Shaykh Muhyjal-Djnat
·
the foothill of Qa¯siyu¯n in Damascus. 23
Photo 1.2 The dome over the tomb of Ibn (cid:1)Arabjin
Damascus. 24
Photo 4.1 The Umayyad Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. 152
Photo 4.2 The central domed structure at Ibn Tu¯lu¯n
mosque in Cairo showing the geometry
and spatial order of the centralized
enclosed space model. 154
Photo 4.3 Thecourtyard of the Sultan Hasan school
·
in Cairo showing the geometry and spatial
order of the centralized open courtyard model. 157
Photo 4.4 The respondents’platform (dikka)at the
Sultan Hasan school in Cairo. 196
·
Photo 4.5 The interior of the great Umayyad mosque
of Damascus. 199
Photo 4.6 The tomb of the prophet Yahya¯inside the
·
prayer hall of the great Umayyad mosque
of Damascus. 200
vii
viii Illustrations
Figures
Figure 1.1 The hierarchy of shadows according to
Ibn (cid:1)Arabj. 34
Figure 1.2 Triplicity and quadrature underlying the order
of universal manifestation. 42
Figure 2.1 The seven states of Being viewed from various
perspectives. 62
Figure 2.2 The circle as a symbol of divinity in the state of
first determination. 68
Figure 2.3 The world as divine business (sha(cid:2)n),according
to Ibn (cid:1)Arabj(Futu¯ha¯t). 70
·
Figure2.4 The geometric representation of the divine
creativecommand according to Ibn (cid:1)Arabj. 72
Figure2.5 The first stage of manifestation according to
Ibn (cid:1)Arabj(Futu¯ha¯t). 74
·
Figure2.6 The second stage of manifestation according to
Ibn (cid:1)Arabj(Futu¯ha¯t). 75
·
Figure2.7 The third stage of manifestation according to
Ibn (cid:1)Arabj(Futu¯ha¯t,a:Da¯rSa¯dir ed.; b:MS. 1328). 77
· ·
Figure2.8 Pattern of proliferation according to Ibn (cid:1)Arabj. 79
Figure2.9 The human presence mediating between God
and the world. 85
Figure2.10 The three-dimensional cross as a symbol of the
human presence. 86
Figure 2.11 Thethree movements of spatial unfolding. 89
Figure 2.12 Thecomplementary movements of spatial
expansion according to Ibn (cid:1)Arabj. 92
Figure 2.13 The correlation of the Arabic alphabet and the
human body (“Jawa¯hir,” MS. 7127). 99
Figure 2.14 The natural qualities of the Arabic alphabet
(“Jawa¯hir,” MS. 7127). 100
Figure 2.15 Diagrammatic representation of the formation
of the word in Arabic. 107