Cities and Urban Spaces Architecture and Construction Religious buildings

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1 Cities and Urban Spaces Architecture and Construction Religious buildings Among architectural types, the religious and sacred express most visibly humankind s eternal efforts to represent, reveal and reach the transcendent and eternal. Religious buildings or sites are sacred places where the presence of God is manifest and the boundaries between the sacred and the profane connect; they are also where the worldly and the transcendent meet in terms of the donor, who hopes that the offering will attract God s favour. Traditional societies saw their fundaments in the presence and power of God in the universe, thus religious buildings were the focal point of the city both physically and symbolically. A significant number of religious buildings in Arab and Ottoman lands have left evidence that different faiths coexisted among cultures and societies. A wide range of religious buildings pertain to Christian worship, including burial sites and other types of mausoleums, churches, monasteries and other religious monuments. Mosques and minarets are the most apparent and significant sites of the Islamic faith, which remained identifying and determining elements of the Islamic urban structure even during the colonial era. Temples, mosques, churches, tombs and mausoleums all betray layers of civilisations past and present. TN 093 Temple et fontaine de Zaghouan Institut supérieur d Histoire contemporaine de la Tunisie XIXe siècle Papier Ruins of a nymphaeum # the ancient Greek and Roman sites consecrated to water nymphs # and its temple. UA 007 Interior of the Great Temple at Baalbec Printed Steel engraving The construction of the Temple of Bacchus (Dionysius) is evidence that the cult spread throughout the Roman Empire. The empire s conversion to Christianity in the 4th century saw an end to temples dedicated to this god. UA 008 The Ruins of the Temple of the Sun at Baalbec 1861 Oil on canvas One of the most ancient sites of religious worship is that of the Temple of Baal, a Canaanite god.

2 UA 003 View Looking across the Hall of Columns, Karnak Published 1849 Lithograph The Temple of Karnak is the world s largest religious complex and the Hypostyle hall still the largest room inside any religious building. The temple was dedicated to Amon, Mut and Khonsu, the Theban triad of Egyptian gods. UK 028 Excavation of the Great Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel Victoria and Albert Museum The temple is one of the main features of ancient Egyptian religion, a fundamental part of the social structure and theocracy: the belief that the pharaohs are incarnations of Gods. UA 004 Portico of the Temple at Edfu, Upper Egypt Published 1846 Lithograph Ruins of the Temple of Horus from the Ptolemaic period in Egypt. UA 002 Head of the Great Sphinx, Pyramids of Geezeh July 17th, 1839 Published 1846 Lithograph Since they are the burial sites of pharaohs, the pyramids are religious monuments. UA 016 Panoramic View of Makkah Arabia (West Asia). Panoramic View of Makkah during the Celebration of the Pilgrimage of the Muslims to the Kaaba, where the religious treasure is guarded

3 Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation / Sharjah Museums Department Late 19th / early 20th century Engraving The most important religious site of the Islamic faith, all faithful Muslims aspire to visit Mecca, the Ka aba and the sacred complex that surrounds it at least once in a lifetime. DE 004 Excavation of Samarra Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum, State Museums City: AD 8th 9th century; photo: 19th century Important ruins of the Great Abbasid Mosque with its unique type of minaret. LB 023 The Imam Uza`i Mosque Late 19th century early 20th century This mosque and mausoleum, commemorating an important Muslim imam, is a most significant religious site in Lebanon. TR2 167 Tomb of Sultan Selim II Sabanc# University, Sak#p Sabanc# Museum 19th century Oil on canvas The tomb is visited by many people who come out of respect and to remember. UK 067 Mosque of Sidi Bu Madyan, Tlemcen, Algeria Victoria and Albert Museum 1881 A mosque and shrine dedicated to a sacred man.

4 TR2 021 Nusretiye Mosque and Tophane Square Pera Museum Mid19th century Acid Paper Late Ottoman religious architecture by a local architect that shows fluid transformation of the European architectural vocabulary into the local architectural language. TR1 009 Salepçio#lu Mosque Hegira 25 Zilhicce 1323 / AD 27 February 1906 Integrating Ottoman mosque constructions and European architectural influences, the ornamental decoration is based on a dialogue of colours. TR1 008 Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque Complex Hegira 1288 / AD 1871 The façade appears as if it were lace or net frozen in stone. A magnificent example of late 19thcentury Ottoman mosque architecture, built under the patronage of a royal woman, it provides a unique example of the incorporation of architectural styles from different eras and cultures, European and Indian, based on the local Ottoman architectural vocabulary. TR1 005 Ortaköy Mosque Hegira 1270 / AD 1853 The impact of European architecture is apparent in the NeoBaroque façade of this 19thcentury Ottoman mosque on the Bosphorus. It was commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecid and designed by Armenian architects.

5 LB 035 Sayyidet alsaha 1898 Puritan, humble and simple architectural construction, this late 19thcentury church is a reminder of structures from early European Christianity. TN 042 The Greek Orthodox Church in Tunis, Rue de Rome 1901 The church, which was built for the Greek Orthodox community of Tunis by a locally based Italian architect, represents a revival of traditional Orthodox church architecture in the early 20th century. LB 040 Saint Stephen Cathedral (Mar Estephan) 1910 The cathedral is a fine example of the transformation of the traditional Arab architectural language to accommodate European Gothic traditions. Designed by an Italian architect, it illustrates early 20thcentury local architecture of the Maronite community, built using local materials. LB 047 All Saints' Anglican Church 1870s The style of this multiethnic church, founded in the second half of the 19th century, evokes late Roman Europeanstyle church architecture. LB 049 Saint Louis Capuchin Church

6 1864 The presence of the Capuchin missionaries in Beirut is documented from From its name, this church can be traced to one of the main saints of France, who also happens to be one of the most significant saintkings of the Roman Catholic Church. A revival of the late Roman#early Gothic style, it was built using locally available materials. LB 039 Saint Georges Maronite Cathedral 1884 and ended in 1894 The method of construction, location and source of inspiration for this building of the Maronite community manifests a significant spiritual and cultural message. The nationality of its architect being Italian, symbolically, the cathedral attests to both late 19thcentury crosscultural relations between Italy and the Arab and Ottoman world and the connection between the Maronite and Roman Catholic Church as well. LB 043 St George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Remodelled in 1910 This landmark Greek Orthodox Church in Lebanon is the oldest church building still extant in Beirut. Its late 19th#early 20thcentury remodelling, which harmoniously added a Late Romanstyle portico, also embellished the building with NeoByzantine style frescoes. LB 042 St Elias Greek Catholic Cathedral 1863 This centre for LebaneseGreek Catholics in Beirut is a further example of the revivalist style of the second half of the 19th century. The imposing NeoByzantine exterior not only protects a magnificent NeoGothic interior, but also reveals the impact of traditional Arab architecture. Its reconstruction in the 20th century is a significant example of the protection of the local heritage in Lebanon.

7 LB 061 National Evangelical Church of Beirut 1848 Materially, the building follows local forms, making use of limestone and sandstone; stylistically, it harks back to the Gothic period, perhaps one of the most significant eras for the construction of Christian churches. It is a good example of the 19thcentury Gothic Revival and represents culturally the presence of nonroman Catholic Christian churches in Arab and Ottoman lands.