Lighting Design in Two Mosque Typologies in the City of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Mosques are the most significant building in Muslim communities, where people perform their prayers and gather for social activities. The architecture and design of mosques have undergone significant changes over the centuries due to cultural, economic, and climatic factors. This raises a question regarding the design of the modern mosque. This paper analyses the physical characteristics of two Mosques located in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia, built at different time periods: the historic Al-Shafi'i Mosque, and the contemporary Al-Farsi Mosque. The analysis focuses on investigating the different design techniques used to lighten the interior space, and how this can be related to the identity of the mosques. In addition, it explores how the orientation of mosques, determined by the Qibla direction, has impacted the indoor lighting quality. This study provides some critical observations demonstrating the importance of the use of light in the mosque's interior, and the essential impact this has on psychological, physiological and behavioural responses of the mosques' visitors, with a focus on both daylighting and artificial lighting.

A Comparative Study on Daylight Performance of Konya Mosques Built in Anatolian Seljuk and Ottoman Period

“…In addition, it explores how the orientation of mosques, determined by the Qibla direction, has impacted the indoor lighting quality. Unlike our study, in Hareri et al, 2020; illuminance level comparisons were made only through observation.…”

“…Very parallel to our research Kammoun et al,2016 proves that the daylight distribution in the studied mosque is directly related to the shape of mosques and particularly, the courtyard shape, the presence of galleries, the architectural devices used to favor the introduction of the natural light and the naves orientation by using Radiance software Ecotect Programme. Another research whith similar pupose to our study belongs to Hareri et al, 2020. The study analyses the physical characteristics of two Mosques located in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia, built at different time periods.…”

Women's spaces in the vernacular Qatari courtyard house: how privacy and gendered spatial segregation shape architectural identity

“…These include (1) theories of privacy in Islamic domestic settings (Othman et al. , 2015; Sobh and Belk, 2011), (2) theories of gender performativity and gendered identities rooted in studies of feminism (Hareri, 2018; Hicks, 2019) and (3) other theories touching on home environments and/or architectural sociology (Hutchison et al. , 2014; Rapoport, 1969; Salama, 2013; Smith and Bugni, 2002).…”