Preview - Islamic Mosques

Islamic Mosques

3:30

Purchase Options

Title Information

Tell a Friend

VHS

$149.95

DVD

$149.95

DVD + 3-Year Streaming

$224.93

3-Year Streaming

$149.95

Islamic Mosques (24:00)

Item# 35321
©2005

This title is part of the following series:

Building Faith: Sacred Architecture

The mosque’s minaret: alongside the dome, there is no more familiar symbol of a Muslim place of worship. But not all mosques have minarets—or even domes. This video describes the evolution of the mosque, or masjid, over time and across cultures by using the mosque at Cordoba, Spain; the Friday Mosque in Isfahan, Iran; and many others from around the world as examples. Common elements like decoration with geometric designs and Arabic calligraphy, the place for ritual cleansing, the imam’s podium, and the niche that signifies the direction of Mecca are presented, along with a capsule history of Islam’s birth and spread. (25 minutes)

Your Name:
Your Email:
Your Friend's Email:
Your Message:
We respect your privacy and will not use your friend's address without permission.

Segments in this Video - (8)

1. Traditions of the Islamic Mosque (03:30)

Available for Free Preview

Most mosques include a minaret, a tower that rises over it, and/or a dome, but these two symbolic items are not required. Mosques must contain the same basic required elements, but the prayers recited inside are most important.

2. Islamic Traditions of Shapes and Images in the Mosques (03:02)

Islam has no central authority and includes different sects, but all mosques share common characteristics such as repeated patterns of geometric shapes. Muslims do not create images of God, their prophets, or their kings.

3. Key Elements of an Islamic Mosque (04:57)

All mosques include a space for ritual washing and a main prayer hall. The members face the wall towards Mecca. This wall contains the "mihrab," or niche, and "minbar," or podium, each of which is decorated with geometric shapes and Islamic calligraphy.

4. First Islamic Mosque and Its Evolution (03:24)

Built in 622 A.D. at Medina, the first mosque was the house of Muhammad, the founder and prophet of Islam. As Islam spread throughout the world, the mosque added features like the columned hall, covered arcade, fountain pool, niche, and podium.

5. Further Additions to Islamic Mosque (01:05)

A few hundred years later in Iran, the basic mosque evolved with huge, outdoor porches or "iwans" that centered around the courtyard. Minarets flanked the doors of the porches. Domes were placed over important areas of the columned hall.

6. Cultural Changes and Adaptations to Islamic Mosques (01:59)

In the next phase, the columned hall was replaced by a single, huge building set off from the courtyard and topped by a dome. Each country adopted the mosque to fit the new culture or adapted existing buildings like the Hagia Sophia.

7. Mosques in Toronto, Canada (03:21)

Modern mosques in Toronto combine styles from different countries and are financed and maintained by a congregation, not royalty or nobility; thus, they are not as elaborate. The prayers, not the buildings, are the sacred parts.

8. True Meaning and Purpose of Islamic Mosques (01:35)

In Arabic, a mosque is called a "masjid," meaning prostration. "Islam" means a total submission to the will of the one true God; thus, there is no difference between religious life and everyday life. Mosques are places of teaching, study, politics, and prayer.