CITIES OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Since the first urban settlements appeared in the Middle East (see Chapter 3), towns have remained important nodes of population and culture. The religion of Islam has dominated the region since the seventh century. The pensive influence of Islam on the lives of people in the Middle East led Western orientalists to propose a model of the Islamic city with an urban structure that reflects religious principles (Figure 22.6):
1. The lack of any corporate bodies in a society composed of state and subjects obviated the need for public buildings.
2. The city has a major mosque, called the Friday mosque, which as well as being a place of worship also provides a range of welfare and education functions. As cities grew, so did the number of local mosques, built in some districts out of earshot of existing ones.
3. The bazaar or suq is a key element of the Muslim city. Suqs comprise a series of small, contiguous market stalls located in a maze of passageways that are often covered over by vaults or domes. The suqs display a degree of functional specialisation, with complementary trades such as leather-sellers next to shocmakers. (Compare the medieval city, discussed in Chapter 3.)
4.The irregular street pattern reflects both a lack of a civil planning authority to prevent the encroachment of houses onto public thorough-fares and a response to local climate by maximising shade.
5.The residential fabric is composed of a compact structure of open courtyard houses in which all rooms face onto the interior courtyard. As well as providing thermal relief, this dwelling form reflects the importance attached to privacy in Islamic society, especially for women. This is also promoted by the use of culs-de-sac that restrict the number of people needing to approach the house, and L-shaped entrances that block views into a house.