Q2 :: islamic | christian

visual priority

The Islamic city privileges environment. Streets are narrow, opening only to courtyards inside buildings. The city is a fabric made up of a similar building type throughout. Surfaces outside the building are simple, while inside the courtyards are decorated with zelige - geometric designs and script that strive to achieve a vibration between our reality and the cosmos. The city is structured for meditation, which is key to the Islamic faith. Though minarets rising high above the urban fabric are easy to spot, as a visitor to an older Islamic city it is possible to be standing next to a great mosque without realizing it is there. 

The Christian city privileges spectacle. Long straight avenues create major axes that end in focal points (spatial nodes). Churches almost always enjoy a front plaza for gathering. Here the facade becomes a design that narrates stories and aggrandizes the entrance. The naves are continuations of urban axes, culminating in a pulpit, the closest space to God. Like the passion of Christ, linear procession is reinforced. The streets in a Christian city are wider than their Islamic counterparts, creating a space ripe for spectacle. This usually takes the form of procession (parade). These processions comprise spectacles, effigies, and costumes that narrate the Christian stories. A visitor to a Christian city quite easily sees the churches both from afar and through the streets. 

urban ordering

In the Christian city, streets are laid out first. As buildings fill out the blocks, courtyards are formed. These serve as semi-public or private outdoor spaces. The street is the public realm. Blocks that have not been built upon become public Squares. Courtyards are semi-public, sometimes turned private. Indoor spaces are private. 

In the Islamic city, private courtyards come first (riads). Buildings are created by laying out living spaces around the riad. As families grow, the house grows by laying out more rooms around the riad. The maze of  streets result from this spatial aggregation.

object | field

The Christian city exhibits far more object buildings than the Islamic city. This could stem from traditional spatial usage resulting from religious ideas. The Bible is made up of stories, with characters doing things. These lend themselves to depiction. The Quran is largely a book of prayers, that are meditative in cadence. The architecture that results from these different backgrounds exhibits these values spatially.