Structural Positioning of Mosque in the Development Plan of the Federal Capital of Pakistan

Abstract

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The aim of this research is to create an understanding regarding the relationship between Grand Mosques in urban structure of the Islamic Communities. For this study, Faysal Mosque, Grand Mosque of the Federal Capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, has been selected as a primary site of inquiry for investigating function and purpose of a mosque in an Islamic community.  Using a conceptual framework developed using Michel Foucault’s framework for Enunciative Modalities and design analysis of key examples of major grand mosques in the Islamic history, the paper highlights that a grand mosque holds a vital position in the historic Islamic cities. Its placement at an anchoring point generally connects it with the urban fabric of the city. Historically, the vital positioning in the mosque is also associated with the diverse function that generally work as a school, a treasury, a lecture hall, a guest room, and place of worship. However, with the evolution of the Muslim societies the mosque’s function was confined to a religious place and a school as the rest of the function were shifted into more specialized buildings. Through the assessment of architectural, political, and sociological impacts, however, it has been concluded that whether modern or traditional, the Islamic city was never conceptualized without the grand mosque.

Keywords: Mosque Architecture, Faysal Mosque, Modernity, Symbolism