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I. INTRODUCTION
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B. The Courtyard
The courtyard is the most essential element, which
represented the core of all Islamic-Arab houses. The concept
of the courtyard is commonly used in traditional architecture,
both rural and urban, of the hot arid regions from Iran in the
East to the shores of the Atlantic in the West. The courtyard
dates back to the Graeco-Roman tradition (c. 1900 BC.) in
Arabia. With the advent of Islam (632), Muslims adopted the
concept of the courtyard because it suited their religious and
social needs, especially the degree of privacy needed. The
arrangements of the courtyard also provided a satisfactory
solution to their specific environmental problems. The size of
the courtyard varies, as does the number, according to the
available space and resources [2].
Historical examples of Arab desert architecture, include, the
Ukhaider palace in Iraq, Quasir Amara in Jordan and Dar
Lajimi in Tunis (fig.2) as well as the twelfth century
courtyard-houses of Al-Fustate city, Egypt (fig. 3). The
houses of mediaeval Cairo such as Al-Souheimi, Zeinab
Khaton and Moheb Ad-din Al-Shafie are also expressive
examples.
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Fig. 6. Section of the Q'a of Muhib Ad-Din Ash-Shf'i, 1350, Cairo. [3]
D. The Takhtabush
In the vernacular architecture of the Arab house the concept
of the courtyard has also been developed to ensure a steady
flow of air by convection by including the takhtabush, a type
of loggia. It is a covered outdoor sitting area, located between
two courtyards; one is an unshaded, large paved-courtyard and
the other is planted. The takhtabush has one side opening
completely onto the paved-courtyard and through
mashrabiyyah onto the back garden. Air heats up more readily
in the unshaded courtyard than in the back garden creating an
area of low air pressure. However, the heated air rising in the
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E. The Mashrabiyyah
The mashrabiyyah is another important device which was
used to cover openings as well as to achieve thermal comfort
and privacy in a house. Its name is originally derived from the
Arabic word drink and referred to a drinking place. This
was a cantilevered space covered with a lattice opening, where
water jars were placed to be cooled by the evaporation effect
as air moved through the opening. The form and function of
the mashrabiyyah has changed to become a wooden lattice
screen. It is composed of small wooden circular balusters,
arranged at specific regular intervals, in a decorative and
intricate geometric pattern. The mashrabiyyah has five
functions and its design may fulfil some or all of these
functions. These are; controlling the passage of light,
controlling the air flow, reducing the temperature of the air
current, increasing the humidity of the air current and ensuring
privacy. To control the amount of light and air and to graduate
the contrast between shade and light, the size of the interstices
and the diameter of the balusters are adjusted [3].
Mashrabiyyah can be found in medieval houses in Cairo, such
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author wishes to thank Effat University for its effort to
support the research environment. Thanks are also due to the
Architecture Department for providing financial support to
publish this paper.
REFERENCES
[1]
V. CONCLUSION
The idea of perceiving a building as an entity as well as
articulating the function and identity of each member of the
building are the key to understand the architecture of the
Islamic-Arab house. The most subtle characteristics of the
Islamic-Arab house come mainly from its array of elements
that were tested by peoples traditions and culture.
Undoubtedly, the outstanding architectural quality of the
Islamic-Arab houses and the positive effect of their images do
not only come from its reliance upon recognised prototypes
and deliberate plans, but also from their interesting exteriors.
These houses maintained a coherence and unity between
inhabited space, construction and landscape. Therefore, the
aesthetic of the Islamic-Arab house comes from the harmony
of putting the architectural elements together as well as
juxtaposing them in order to provide variety and visual
interest through change in their size and scale. Although,
domes, vaults, bearing walls, mashrabiyyahs, malqaf,
courtyard and qaah together created a recognised language in
Islamic-Arab houses, their designs were based on finding
solutions to peoples religious and cultural needs and
requirements. For example, the arrangement of all spaces
around an inner courtyard and the division of domestic space
into two zones relating to the separation of the sexes. In
addition, the qaah, which was roofed by a dome or a
shukhshakhah, represented the central element of the formal
area in a house and provided the basis for designing all the