이슬람세계의 마스지드 연구

A Study on the Masjid in Islamic world

Since the beginning of the human history, numerous religions have existed. As a result of a religious desire, there have left beautiful architectures in this land. The Pyramids in Egypt, enormous and magnificent sanctuaries in Greece and Rome, Hindu Temples, Christian churches and cathedrals, Islamic Masjid and Buddhist Temples, these are the outcomes of its desire. Masjid, the best of the religious construction in Islamic world was built in unique style and in great scale to fulfill the Islamic believers’s religious desire. Islam prohibits worshiping the idols and is to worship the one and only God, 'Allah'. Therefore, it is not allowed to place other idols and sculptures in a place of worship. Instead, the interior is decorated with phrases in Quran written in artistic calligraphy or with flowers and plants modified in abstracted style which is arabesque pattern. Particularly, arabesque patterns are often used in Islamic construction. This is the abstracted pattern that is a complex composition of curved and flexible elements based on Arabic characters, plants or vines. In the case of construction of mosque, the surfaces of walls, floors and domes are mainly decorated with arabesque patterns by brilliant mosaic technique. The dome (qubba) symbolizing the roof in mosque, according to several scholars, implied small leather tents carried on back of the camels before emergence of Islam. And some tribes stored holy stones in them. The heads of tribes, also called as the master of Qubba, used them to receive the divine message during the peacetime and the wartime. Thus, before and after the emergence of Islam, the sacred halls are related to holy objects and the authority of leaders. In this article, through the study on Masjid, a symbol of Islam, by examining the etymology, its function and its form, it is dealt how it has been changed after passing 14 centuries up to today and what signifies to us.