The image of Islamic Architecture has always been associated with domes, arches, minarets, muqarnas and other architectural vocabularies from the traditional Middle East and Central Asia. In truth, according to Traditional Islamic Architecture of Malaysia, architecture is simply a product of the forces of climate, technology, economics, politics, culture and most importantly, the belief system of a society. What has been made available to lay persons nowadays is the imitation of a foreign architectural heritage which has no direct relation to the belief system of Islam. The only common denominator of all Islamic architecture is the ritual, values and belief system. Thus the Islamic architectural heritage of a country such as Malaysia or Indonesia is at the same footing as those in Egypt, Turkey or Saudi Arabia. Because such architectural products from the Nusantara has not been made available, such as the three tiered pyramidal roofs of the Nusantara traditional timber and masonry mosques, the stereotypes of domes and arches of the Middle East and Central Asia have become the iconic vocabulary of Islamic Architecture. In this book, the different typologies of mosques, madrasas, palaces, houses of religious scholars, tribal chieftains, warriors and merchants of the traditional Malay Peninsular are made available. This book is important for designers, policy makers and the lay public in order to change the erroneous perception that Islamic Architecture is necessarily one with the stigma of a foreign type of architecture. It will not restrict the discourse of architectural vocabularies but enrich it to be appreciated and used or adapted in contemporary structures.
About the author: Dr. Mohamad Tajuddin bin Haji Mohamad Rasdi is a Professor at the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor. He was appointed as Lecturer at UTM in 1987, Senior Lecturer in 1996, Associate Professor in 1997 and Professor in 2005. He read his Bachelors in Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 1984 and 1986 respectively. ln 1996 he was conferred a Doctorate in Architecture from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He specializes in theory and history of architecture with emphasis on the ideas of Islamic Architecture from the perspectives of the Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah (traditions) and the framework of early western modernist thoughts. He has published many books and articles on the subject of mosque designs and community curriculum and has given many lectures to religious leaders, academics and general public. Dr. Mohamad Tajuddin has published many books and articles on the subject of mosque designs and community curriculum and has given many lectures to religious leaders, academics and general public.
