Description
Monsoon Mosques: Arrival of Islam and the Development of a Mosque Vernacular
By Patricia Tusa Fels
Book Specifications:
- Category: Architecture / Islamic Art & Heritage
- Pages: 140 pages
- Illustrations: 110 photographs and 8 drawings
- Dimensions: 7.16 x 9.25” (182 x 235 mm), Softcover (sc) with gatefold
- Date of Publishing: 2020
- Language: English
For centuries, monsoon winds brought traders from the Middle East to India, and onward to Malaysia and the Indonesian archipelago. Once the religion of Islam was established in Arabia, merchants peacefully carried their faith to the many ports of call along the Indian Ocean littoral.
As Islam spread, coastal trading cities responded in extraordinary ways. Modifying the form of local tropical buildings made of timber and stone, communities created a stylistic hybrid for their houses of prayer—the ubiquitous village mosque. An exceptional architectural vernacular ensued, reflecting a unique combination of the local environment, indigenous building skills, available materials, and the rich cross-cultural exchanges of the traders.
Monsoon Mosques celebrates a finely curated selection of these centuries-old mosques across Kerala (India), Sumatra, Java, and Malaysia. Raised high by their communities, these local mosques are a marvel of soaring timber spaces and traditional crafts, kept alive for centuries as dynamic expressions of place. However, the book also highlights a poignant reality: the 20th and 21st centuries have brought numerous threats to their continued existence, as globalized prototypical mosque archetypes threaten to replace them. This volume is a compelling plea to explore and conserve the fate of these vibrant symbols of cultural integration.
Praise for the Book:
“Fels has done a superb job in documenting these vernacular mosques and telling their compelling stories… Monsoon Mosques raises the timely issue of conserving these unique mosques before they are replaced by the prototypical mosque archetype.…It is a book of architectural splendour of a different kind.”
— David Lung, Honorary Professor of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong
“Monsoon Mosques is a serious journey into the history and making of the ‘local mosque’. Such an insightful work will help assure the survival of these beautiful religious edifices…”
— Dr. Rajan Chedambath, Director, Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development, Kochi
“Patricia Fels has written such a reflective book on the ‘monsoon’ mosques. The descriptions are very touching.”
— Gunawan Tjahjono, Professor of Architecture, Jakarta
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 Mosque: A Foot in Two Worlds
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Bibliography
About the Author:
Patricia Tusa Fels is a renowned architect, historic preservationist, and the founder of PTF Architects. She has written about and worked on conservation projects in the United States, Italy, Malaysia, India, and Indonesia. The research for her highly acclaimed first book, Mosques of Cochin (Mapin, 2011), was funded by the Ford Foundation.
