Islamic Impact on City/Town Planning
Course : Muslim Heritage and its Global Impact (Spring 2013) sec. 02

Date : 3/19/2013

Table of contents
1. INTRODUCTION 2. THE CITY 2.1. PRE-ISLAMIC PRECEDENTS 2.2. FORMATION OF URBAN MODELS 3. DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF THE ISLAMIC CITY 3.1. NATURAL LAWS 3.2. RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL BELIEFS 3.3. DESIGN PRINCIPLES STEMMED FROM SHARIAH LAW 3.4. SOCIAL PRINCIPLES 4. MORPHOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF THE ISLAMIC CITY 4.1. THE MAIN MOSQUE 4.2. SUQS 4.3. RESIDENTIAL QUARTERS -COURTYARDS 4.4. STREET NETWORK 4.5. WALL 4.6. EXTERIOR 4.7. ELEMENTS ABOVE THE STREET. 4.8. ISLAMIC EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR DECORATION 4.9. THE WAQF 4.10. WATER SYSTEMS 4.11. SERIAL AND CONTINUOUS SHAPES OF WATER 4.12. POLAR AND CLOSED WATER SHAPES 5. CONCLUSION 6. REFERENCES 3 4 4 4 6 7 7 7 7 8 9 9 11 12 12 12 12 12 13 14 15 18 19 20

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1. Introduction
Man is a natural planner and all through history has planned for his own changing needs and for the needs of those around him. His towns and cities have been subject to continual 'progress' and 'modernization', evolving, adapting and assimilating new ideas and technologies. The changes came about through additions, alterations and adjustments to what was there before and in a way that continued to allow each place its own expression of culture and society. The infinite variety and diversity of mankind is identified by cultural preferences, modes of social behavior and interaction, rationale, intellect, beliefs, history and sense of space, time, color, texture and environment; and in the fulfillment of their ideals and aspirations. Progress must have its roots in the established culture, history and identity of the place. It would indeed be an incredible human imagination that could devise a universal model applicable to everyone ,everywhere. Just as peoples and nations each have their distinctive history,