Archinect - News

Over 100 Gaza heritage sites damaged or destroyed by Israeli strikes, report says

2023-12-05T13:30:00-05:00

The Spanish NGO Heritage for Peace has published a report on the impact of recent Israeli airstrikes on Gaza’s cultural heritage. The report, released on November 7th, claims that over 100 cultural heritage landmarks have been damaged or destroyed as of publishing. Reports of subsequent damage since November 7th are not yet available.

The Heritage for Peace report lists 104 pieces of built heritage impacted by the latest war, of which 4 have been completely destroyed, 11 have been partially destroyed by direct shelling, and 89 have been partially destroyed by indirect shelling. The list of sites spans mosques, churches, archaeological sites, historical houses, shrines, cemeteries, and museums.

Among the sites completely destroyed by direct shelling is the Omari Mosque, described by NPR as “one of the most important and ancient mosques in historical Palestine.” Meanwhile, the Church of Saint Porphyrius was partially destroyed, described by NPR as “the third oldest church in the entir...

Adjaye Associates completes Abrahamic Family House, a collection of religious spaces that ‘dissolves the notion of hierarchal difference’

2023-02-24T11:50:00-05:00

Adjaye Associates has completed their Abrahamic Family House project in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The development is comprised of three religious spaces: a mosque, a synagogue, and a church, all of which sit upon a secular visitor pavilion, with a mission of “nurturing the values of peaceful co-existence and acceptance among different beliefs, nationalities, and cultures.”

Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue. Photo credit: Dror Baldinger

Within each of the three places of worship, visitors will be able to observe religious services, listen to scriptures, and experience sacred rituals. The fourth sacred space will meanwhile serve as a center for people of all faiths, offering educational and event-based programming.

“As an architect, I want to create a building that starts to dissolve the notion of hierarchical difference — it should represent universality and totality — something higher, that enhances the richness of human life,” said David Adjaye about the interfaith complex, which is set to open in t...

More damage reported at Hagia Sophia as conversion impacts grow

2022-06-30T16:55:00-04:00

A number of marble tiles on the floor of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which was turned back into a mosque in 2020 after serving as a historical museum for decades, have reportedly been cracked by heavy machinery used to clean the building last week.

“It’s like a fairground now,” one tour guide reportedly told the Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet in reference to the change in status that occurred in 2020, when the site was reconverted into a mosque and conferred back into the auspices of the Department of Religious Affairs following an edict from President Recep Erdoğan.

The conversion of one of its original World Heritage Sites has drawn the ire of UNESCO, who says it is “gravely concerned.” In the past, Erdoğan, who is facing a potential unseating in the elections next year, has called the project “a symbol of the re-rising of the sun of our civilization.”

UNESCO's restoration of Iraq's historic Al-Nouri mosque site has been placed on hold

2022-04-18T14:07:00-04:00

The UNESCO-led effort to restore the historic Al-Nouri Mosque in Mosul has come to a halt this week after recent discoveries and feedback from the community have prompted a change of direction from the cultural agency.

The Art Newspaper reports that the restoration was placed on hold after months of highly public criticism leading up to January’s discovery of a 12th-century prayer hall and ritual ablution rooms underneath the mosque’s interior core.

The original plans. Rendering by Salah El Din Samir Hareedy and team

The team of Egyptian architects selected last spring to oversee the overhaul will now redraw its plans for a glass-paneled modern update to the hall. Other major changes are reported to include the scrapping of a car park in favor of a new Institute for Islamic Art and Architecture and the re-installation of original the original brick pattern to form the mosque’s famed “hunchback” minaret. Exterior elements like sun shading will be thrown out as well. The Sunni religio...

Dabbagh Architects’ first mosque project gives an enlightening new spiritual resource to Dubai's Al Quoz district

2021-12-21T17:04:00-05:00

A bright new spiritual center is finally open in Al Quoz, the industrial heart of Dubai.

Dabbagh Architects is behind one of the first mosques in the Emirates ever designed by a female architect.

Photo: Gerry O’Leary

A masterwork of materiality and form, the newly-completed mosque evokes a sense of inner calm to its worshippers, offering a spiritual break from the materialism of the outside world as promoted in the Quran.

Sumaya Dabbagh is one of only a handful of Saudi women architects and is considered a leader in the Gulf region for her designs, which “place an emphasis on the intangible in architecture; seeking to create meaning and a sense of the poetic in order to form a connection with each building’s user.”

Photo: Gerry O’Leary

“At the end of each project, my hope is that the building will evoke the feelings and emotions that were envisioned at the outset,” the architect said in a statement. “There is a defining, magical moment when the building is born and claims a life of...

A UNESCO-backed redesign contest is met with controversy in Mosul

2021-07-03T13:55:00-04:00

But in many circles, it has done anything but, prompting an uproar among architects, urban planners and some Mosul residents who say it ignores Iraqi heritage. Perhaps in a nod to the United Arab Emirates, which is footing the bill, the winning design features cream-colored brick and straight angles of the kind found in the Gulf — a contrast to the arches, blue-veined local alabaster and limestone of traditional Mosul buildings.

An 8-member team of Egyptian architects had initially been selected from a lot of 123 for their "Courtyards Dialogue" proposal that will add a cultural center and school to a storied 12th-century mosque complex. The mosque features a leaning minaret that earned its famous nickname of "The Hunchback."

The $50 million restoration project will repair three religious structures in the war-ravaged Iraqi city including the Al-Nouri Mosque at the center of the dispute. The proposed complex was announced in May and has received significant blowback from academics and trade associations ever since.

This recent criticism may derail initial plans for the project to commence in the fall. The New York Times has more detail on the UN-backed competition here.

Winners of UNESCO architecture competition to rebuild damaged Al-Nouri Mosque complex

2021-05-12T11:35:00-04:00

UNESCO has unveiled plans for the reconstruction of the Al-Nouri Mosque complex in Mosul, Iraq. The proposal, titled “Courtyards Dialogue”, was pieced together by Egyptian architects Salah El Din Samir Hareedy, Khaled Farid El-Deeb, Sherif Farag Ebrahim, Tarek Ali Mohamed, Noha Mansour Ryan, Hager Abdel Ghani Gad, Mahmoud Saad Gamal, and Yousra Muhamed El-Baha.

Selected from among 123 entries, Courtyards Dialogue was the winning entry of an international architectural competition held by UNESCO as part of its Revive the Spirit of Mosul project. The initiative is an attempt to rehabilitate the city of Mosul after it was badly damaged during its occupation by ISIS between 2014 and 2017.

Rendering by Salah El Din Samir Hareedy and team

"The reconstruction of Al-Nouri Mosque complex, a historical site that is part of Mosul's fabric and history, will be a landmark in the process of advancing the war-torn city's reconciliation and social cohesion," says UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azo...

House of One, Berlin's new worship space for Christians, Muslims, and Jews, to start construction this spring

2021-02-26T14:46:00-05:00

On the site of a church torn down by East Germany’s communist rulers, a new place of worship is set to rise that will bring Christians, Jews and Muslims under one roof – and it has already been dubbed a “churmosquagogue”.

Designed by Berlin-based architects Kuehn Malvezzi, the $57 million House of One project for the historic Petriplatz in Germany's capital has been in a lengthy planning process for the past ten years.

Previously on Archinect: Designing the House of One, a Worship Space for Three Religions by Kuehn Malvezzi

According to The Guardian, the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the building that will incorporate dedicated spaces for each of the three main Abrahamic faiths is scheduled for May 27.

"People of other faiths and denominations, and those of no faith, will be invited to events and discussions in the large hall," reports the paper.

Learn more about the project and the inception story behind it in Archinect's 2016 interview with the architects, Designing the House of One, a Worship Space for Three Religions by Kuehn Malvezzi.

Syrian government to build replica of Hagia Sophia

2020-07-30T12:44:00-04:00

According to Duvar English, the Syrian government has announced that it will build a replica of Instanbul's Hagia Sophia after the Turkish government recently converted it into a mosque. Moscow will provide funding for the project "to show the importance of 'peaceful dialogue' between faiths." Built in 537, the Hagia Sophia is a classic example of Byzantine architecture and was then the largest interior space in the world. The structure is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hagia Sophia: mosque conversion confirmed by presidential decree

2020-07-10T18:15:00-04:00

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree Friday ordering Hagia Sophia to be opened for Muslim prayers, an action likely to provoke international furor around a World Heritage Site cherished by Christians and Muslims alike for its religious significance, stunning structure and as a symbol of conquest.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan followed through on his plan today to convert Istanbul's famed Hagia Sophia, a Unesco world heritage site, into a mosque. The presidential decree was issued within minutes after Turkey’s administrative court revoked the museum status that the sixth-century structure had been assigned by Turkey's first President, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in 1934 — itself a conversion from its previous designation as a mosque since the 15th century.

Photo: Filip Filipović

"Entry to the monument would be free of charge, foregoing the ticket price from several million visitors a year, and the first prayers inside Hagia Sophia will take place on July 24," reports The New York Times.

Erdoğan's intention had drawn international criticism in recent months and is likely to prompt reactions from Western heads of state.

Turkey's plan to convert Hagia Sophia museum into mosque draws international criticism

2020-07-07T15:01:00-04:00

The Greek government says that Turkey will violate Unesco’s conservation rules if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan moves ahead with plans to turn the historic Hagia Sophia site in Istanbul—currently a museum—into a mosque.

After plans by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to turn Istanbul's most iconic historic site from a museum into a mosque caused international condemnation last year, Unesco has now been invited by the Greek government to weigh in on the proposed conversion, reports The Art Newspaper.

Interior of the Hagia Sophia in 2009. Photo: Wikimedia Commons user Tranxen.

Built in the sixth century as a Christian cathedral, the Hagia Sophia was once converted into a mosque when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in the 15th century but declared a museum by the first President of the then new secular Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in 1935. The site gained Unesco world heritage status in 1985.

Fire quickly put out in Jerusalem's treasured Al-Aqsa Mosque, no damage reported

2019-04-16T16:31:00-04:00

Footage showing smoke and fire emerging from the roof of a structure known as the Marwani Prayer Room, or Solomon's Stables...The Palestine News Agency, the official outlet of the Palestinian National Authority, cited a guard as saying Monday that "the fire broke out in the guard's room outside the roof of the Marwani Prayer Room, and the fire brigade of the Islamic Waqf handled the matter successfully." No injuries or damage was reported during the short blaze.

On the same day that a harrowing fire damaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, some nerves were rattled at the fire that broke out yesterday in the Marwani Prayer Room in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. The fire is said to have occurred above the prayer hall in an open area.

No interior damage or injuries have been reported after the fire was quickly put out. According to Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director general of the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, the fire broke out in the courtyard and may have been caused by children.

Exploring the spiritual architecture of Swiss architect Mario Botta

2019-03-29T20:00:00-04:00

The spiritual architecture of Swiss architect Mario Botta is the subject of an exhibition at the Ringturm Exhibition Centre in Vienna. Building studies, drawings, and photography are brought side by side to reach an understanding of how Botta conceptualizes and designs religious experiences through the built environment.

Religious places of worship often prompt a sense of reverence and deep reflection. For some these sacred buildings provide peace, and for others perhaps a bit of anxiety. Nonetheless, Swiss architect Mario Botta has designed and completed 22 religious buildings during his 50-year career as an architect. His first religious architectural project was a chapel at the Bigorio Capuchin monastery in 1966. Since then, Botta's spiritual spaces of worship have made a broad reach internationally, especially in Europe. Currently, three new religious buildings are under construction in China and Seoul.

Church San Giovanni Battista in Mogno, Switzerland. Image © Enrico Cano

Chapel Santa Maria Degli Angeli in Mount Tamaro, Switzerland. Image © Mario Botta Architetti

Kirche Papst Johannes XXIII designed by Mario Botta. Image © Enrico Cano

Throughout his career, Botta has designed synagogues, Catholic churches, and mosques. With this spectrum of open creative application Botta designs each building ...

Chinese Hui Muslims resist order to demolish new mosque

2018-08-10T14:27:00-04:00

Hundreds of Muslims in north-western China are engaged in a standoff with authorities to prevent their mosque from being demolished. Officials said the newly built Weizhou Grand Mosque in the Ningxia region had not been given proper building permits. But worshippers refused to back down. One resident said they would not "let the government touch the mosque".

The new mosque was completed only last year, and city authorities initially wanted it torn down by Friday, citing a lack of proper planning and construction permits. Amid public outrage, authorities softened their demolition order to a "rectification plan" that demanded a less 'Arab' and more Chinese look.

"The first version of that plan called for the mosque’s 'Arab-style' domes to be replaced with traditional Chinese-style pagodas but was swiftly rejected by worshippers," reports the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. "The government then asked the mosque’s management committee to remove eight of the nine domes that top the mosque, leaving the largest one in the centre. That, too, was deemed unacceptable by most members of the community."

Earlier this week, the unannounced demolition of the influential Beijing studio of Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei sparked international outrage.

Rowan Moore reviews book on British mosque design

2018-03-14T05:38:00-04:00

The dominant theme is that of the expression of identity, the overwhelming preference in British mosque design being for traditional elements and decoration – especially dome, minaret and arches – applied to sometimes basic box-like structures. From time to time the cry goes up, including in Jonathan Glancey’s introduction to this book, that a “contemporary” Islamic British style should be developed.

There are about 1,500 mosques in Britain most of which have been designed in the last decade. Rowan Moore reviews architect and academic Shahed Saleem's book The British Mosque, a survey looking at why British mosque design is mostly traditional. Saleem presents both sides of the argument for traditional and contemporary designs. While some accuse the traditional of architectural timidity, others argue that innovative design is a financial and cultural luxury.

No minarets? No dome? Tehran's modern mosque draws the ire of conservatives

2017-10-24T15:48:00-04:00

But the Vali-e-Asr mosque, designed by the Iranian architects Reza Daneshmir and Catherine Spiridonoff, is stirring controversy in a country that hosts some of the world’s most glittering places of worship. Iranian hardliners are refusing to recognise it as a mosque, complaining that it does not have a minaret or proper dome, and that it is dwarfed by the theatre. [...] The conservative Mashregh News said: [...] It was “an insulting, postmodern design” that is “empty of any meaning”, it said.

Designed by Iranian Fluid Motion Architects and nearly 10 years in the making, the modern appearance of the almost completed Vali-e-Asr mosque in Tehran is facing harsh opposition from Iran's conservative establishment.

"The Vali-e-Asr mosque doesn’t have a minaret, nor a dome; neither did the first mosque," the design architects Reza Daneshmir and Catherine Spiridonoff tell the Guardian. "A mosque is a place for worship, and the Qur’an doesn’t dictate a special structure for it. It’s what it contains that is important."

International Criminal Court issues ruling in first case of cultural destruction as war crimes

2017-08-31T15:08:00-04:00

The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled on 17 August, that an Islamic extremist caused €2.7m in damages when he destroyed shrines in Timbuktu, Mali, in 2012. This is the first time that the ICC has made a ruling solely on cultural destruction, setting an important precedent. [...] Islamic extremists used pickaxes and bulldozers to destroy nine mausoleums and the centuries-old door of the Sidi Yahya mosque, built during a golden age of Islam [...].

By ruling that "the destruction of the protected buildings has caused the suffering of people throughout Mali and the international community," the International Criminal Court in The Hague acknowledged the demolition of cultural heritage as a war crime — potentially treating recent acts of violence against historic sites in Palmyra and Mosul as such as well.

Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman mosques

2017-07-09T20:02:00-04:00

Erdogan is ordering the construction of mosques much as Suleiman the Magnificent once gave orders to Mimar Sinan. But as Bozdogan points out, there were many styles of mosques throughout the Ottoman Empire; in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries...Erdogan, however, sees such 18th- and 19th-century mosques as a contamination, not purely Turkish like the mosques of the 16th century.

Suzy H. Hansen visits Turkey, where Erdogan’s AK Party and TOKI (the national housing commission) have overseen a boom in construction and urban re/development. Including of houses of worship designed to reference a "golden age" of Turkish identity, while also furthering the Islamicization of the country and providing an ongoing economic engine.

International Criminal Court hears first case of cultural destruction as war crimes

2016-08-22T15:38:00-04:00

In the first case of its kind, the Islamic extremist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi has today (22 August), pleaded guilty to war crimes for destroying historic monuments in the ancient city of Timbuktu in northern Mali. Al-Mahdi is accused of ordering the razing of nine mausoleums and the 15th-century Sidi Yahia mosque. It is the first time the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has heard a case about the demolition of cultural heritage.

Learn more about Timbuktu's outstanding value as a world heritage site on UNESCO's website.

Omaha is building a Tri-Faith campus with a church, a mosque and a synagogue (no joke)

2015-12-29T14:35:00-05:00

A mosque, a church and a synagogue go up on the site of an old Jewish country club ... It sounds like the setup to a joke — but it's not. It's actually happening in Omaha, Neb. The Tri-Faith Initiative may be the first place in history where these three monotheistic faiths have built together, on purpose, with the intention of working together. [...] Similar initiatives are underway elsewhere. One in Berlin would house all three religions in a single building.

Similar tri-faith building initiatives are also germinating in other parts of the world: A church-mosque-synagogue, in Berlin

More than 50 dead after crane collapses on Mecca's Grand Mosque

2015-09-11T13:33:00-04:00

At least 52 people were killed when a crane crashed in Mecca’s Grand Mosque on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s civil defence authority said on its Twitter account.It said 30 people were injured. The Muslim annual Haj pilgrimage is due later this month and Saudi authorities go to great lengths to be prepared for the millions of Muslims who converge on Mecca.

Legal limbo continues for Christoph Büchel's Venice Biennale Mosque

2015-08-12T14:20:00-04:00

A court in Venice has refused to fast-track a legal claim filed by the Icelandic Art Center (IAC) seeking the reopening of artist Christoph Büchel’s mosque, which launched earlier this year in a disused church in Venice as part of the Biennale. The IAC is the commissioner of the controversial project, which was housed in the former Catholic church [...]. The mosque closed at the end of May after only two weeks when city officials claimed that it breached health and safety regulations.

Previously in the Archinect News: Police Shut Down Mosque Installation at Venice Biennale

Police Shut Down Mosque Installation at Venice Biennale

2015-05-22T17:21:00-04:00

The police in Venice closed an art installation in the form of a functioning mosque on Friday morning, after city officials declared the art project a security hazard and said that the artist who created it, Christoph Büchel, had not obtained proper permits and had violated laws by allowing too many people inside the mosque to worship.

"There is no mosque in Venice, so the thousands of Muslim tourists visiting Venice must pray in a converted factory in Mestre, which is the polluted part of Venice.

This until the swiss artist Buechler converted an abandoned and unused former catholic church into a functioning mosque for the duration of this year's Art Biennial.
Short lived though, Venice Municipal Authorities just yanked the permit.
Reason: Security andSafety-it was too popular, too many people wanted to see it or pray in it.
As usual security trumps everything"

As quoted by a friend.

Copenhagen approves sleek mosque design by Henning Larsen Architects

2015-03-19T15:27:00-04:00

Muslims in Copenhagen can look forward to getting a new place of worship as Copenhagen Municipality has approved a planning application for a new, modern-looking mosque this week by the Muslim faith group Islamisk Trossamfund. The new mosque, which will be designed by the renowned architect firm Henning Larsen Architects, will replace a current mosque located on the corner of Dortheavej and Tomsgårdsvej in the Nordvest district of the city.

Beauty and Symmetry Collide in Stunning Photographs of Mosque Architecture

2014-08-15T14:14:00-04:00

Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji [...] is capturing truly stunning photographs of the colorful, architecturally gorgeous interiors of historical Mosques throughout the Middle East. [...] Using wide angle lenses, fisheye lenses and panoramic photography techniques he has traveled to some of the most historically significant mosques in and around his home country of Iran to capture the kaleidoscope-like architecture inside.

Ganji's work gives some faith back in the beauty of our profession.

Blowing up Mosul's historic mosques is 'a war crime'

2014-07-28T13:12:00-04:00

Leading British archaeologist and member of the House of Lords, Colin Renfrew, says the destruction of historic mosques in Mosul, northern Iraq, by Islamic state militants (Isis) “is a disaster for the cultural heritage of Iraq, and indeed of Islam”. The Prophet Jirjis mosque and shrine in Mosul was destroyed on 27 July, according to unconfirmed press reports. The 14th-century mosque was the latest in a series of holy sites targeted by the jihadist group.

Previously: Islamic State jihadis destroy ancient mosque in Mosul

Islamic State jihadis destroy ancient mosque in Mosul

2014-07-24T18:38:00-04:00

The mosque was built on an archaeological site dating back to 8th century BC and is said to be the burial place of the prophet, who in stories from both the Bible and Qur’an is swallowed by a whale. It was renovated in the 1990s under Iraq’s late dictator Saddam Hussein and until the recent militant blitz that engulfed Mosul, remained a popular destination for religious pilgrims from around the world.

Barcelona Debates Turning an Abandoned Bullring into a Mosque

2014-07-08T13:49:00-04:00

One of Spain’s largest bullrings could soon start an unlikely new life as a mosque. That might sound like a strange metamorphosis, but the city of Barcelona is currently considering plans suggested last month by the Emir of Qatar to convert Barcelona’s Plaza Monumental into a place of prayer for up to 4,000 worshippers. [...] With a projected cost of €2.2 billion, the Qataris are presumably planning something rather lavish for this already grand shell.

A church-mosque-synagogue, in Berlin

2014-06-22T23:37:00-04:00

"What's interesting is that when you go back a long time, they share a lot of architectural typologies. They are not so different...This is about going back to the origins when these three faiths were close and shared a lot architecturally". Kuehn says.

Stephen Evans digs into the House of One, a planned synagogue, church and mosque under one roof.

Prishtina Central Mosque Entry by Team Venturella/Balducci/Ponsi/Gaeta

2013-05-17T17:42:00-04:00

A team of collaborating Italian architects is sharing with us their rather unusual spin on mosque design. The solar panel-covered "Wall-Dome" concept was the group's entry to the highly debated architecture competition to design the Central Mosque of Prishtina, Kosovo [...]. The team includes the architects Paolo Venturella, Angelo Balducci, Luca Ponsi, and Paolo Gaeta.

Previously: No Clear Winner (yet) in Kosovo’s Central Mosque of Prishtina Competition