Description
Mosques of Cochin
By Patricia Tusa Fels
Photographs by Shweta Bhatia Gupta | Contributions by Feroze Babu, Donald Fels, and Patricia Tusa Fels
Book Specifications:
- Category: Architecture / Islamic Heritage
- Pages: 90 pages
- Illustrations: 70 photographs
- Dimensions: 7.5 x 9″ (191 x 229 mm), Softcover (sc)
- ISBN: 978-81-89995-24-9
- Date of Publishing: 2011
- Language: English
- Publisher: Mapin in association with Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development, Corporation of Cochin
Cochin—a historic port city on the Malabar Coast in Kerala—has for centuries remained a centre of maritime trade along the Indian Ocean. These extensive commercial contacts brought the earliest influences of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam to India, resulting in a rich, cosmopolitan mosaic of people in the region. Against this backdrop, some of the very first mosques in India were built in tropical compounds replete with coconut palms.
Rather than importing Middle Eastern archetypes, these tropical mosques reveal a distinctive legacy in form. They acknowledge and celebrate the specific geography, history, and local building techniques of Kerala. Mosques of Cochin meticulously documents these surviving vernacular mosques, which stand as powerful, visible expressions of Islam’s seamless integration into the culture of Malabar.
Tragically, many of these fine old mosques have recently been demolished or heavily remodeled, replaced by uninspiring concrete structures. By highlighting the sublime beauty and historical importance of Kerala’s mosque architecture, this book aims to bring greater recognition and preservation efforts to these remarkable structures.
Praise for the Book:
“A truly stunning achievement. Beautifully photographed and elegantly designed, this book takes one into the traditional mosques of Cochin. And through images of surpassing beauty, it conveys the simple and primordial power of vernacular architecture… and the context in which it exists.”
— Charles Correa, Eminent Architect and Planner, Mumbai
Table of Contents:
- Introduction: Islam and the Sea, Trade Routes and the Spread of a New Religion
- Mosque Essentials: Space and Spices, Peace and Prayer
- India: Malabar
- Malay Heartland: Sumatra and Peninsula Malaysia
- Java: Pavilions for Prayer
- Merchant’s Mosques: A Foot in Two Worlds
About the Author:
Patricia Tusa Fels is a highly regarded architect and historic preservationist. She has been intimately involved in conservation projects across the United States, Europe, and Asia for thirty years. Her extensive research on the mosques of Cochin was sponsored by the Ford Foundation.
