A ''mashrabiya'' or ''mashrabiyya'' () is an architectural element which is characteristic of traditional
architecture in the Islamic world and beyond. It is a type of projecting
oriel window
An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window generally projects from an ...
enclosed with carved wood
latticework
__NOTOC__
Latticework is an openwork framework consisting of a criss-crossed pattern of strips of building material, typically wood or metal. The design is created by crossing the strips to form a grid or weave.
Latticework may be functional &nd ...
located on the upper floors of a building, sometimes enhanced with
stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
. It was traditionally used to
catch wind and for
passive cooling. Jars and basins of water could be placed in it to cause
evaporative cooling
An evaporative cooler (also known as evaporative air conditioner, swamp cooler, swamp box, desert cooler and wet air cooler) is a device that cools air through the evaporation of water. Evaporative cooling differs from other air conditioning sy ...
.
It is most commonly used on the street side of the building; however, it may also be used internally on the ''
sahn'' (courtyard) side.
The term ''mashrabiya'' is sometimes used of similar lattices elsewhere, for instance in a ''
takhtabush
In Roman architecture, a (or , from , board, picture) was a room in a ''domus'' (house) generally situated on one side of the cavaedium, atrium and opposite to the entrance; it opened in the rear onto the peristyle, with either a large window or ...
''.
It is similar to Indian ''
jali''.
It has been used since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, reached a peak during the Ottoman period, but fell into decline in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. However, interest in sustainable architecture has contributed to a revival of the mashrabiya and other elements of
vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...
.
Names and etymology
The term ''mashrabiya'' is derived from the
triliteral root
The roots of verbs and most nouns in the Semitic languages are characterized as a sequence of consonants or " radicals" (hence the term consonantal root). Such abstract consonantal roots are used in the formation of actual words by adding the vowel ...
Š-
R-
B, which generally denotes drinking or absorbing. There are two theories for its name:
* The more common theory is that the term was derived from the Arabic word, ''sharaba'' (meaning to drink) because the space was used for a small wooden shelf where the drinking water pots were stored. The shelf was enclosed by wood and located at the window in order to keep the water cool. Later on, this shelf evolved until it became part of the room with a full enclosure and retained the name despite the radical change in use.
* The less common theory is that the name was originally ''mashrafiya'', derived from the verb ''shrafa'', meaning to overlook or to observe. During the centuries, the name slowly changed because of sound change and the influence of other languages.
The mashrabiya is known by different labels across the Arab world; ''takhrima'' in Yemen; ''barmaqli'' or ''gannariya'' in Tunis, ''shanashil'' or ''rowshin'' in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
. It is also called ''shanshūl'' () or ''rōshān'' ().
Other terms also exist to describe variants of this architectural feature beyond the Arabic world. In
Turkish it is called ''
şahnişin'', from
Persian, adopted into
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
as ''
sachnisi''. In
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, they are known by the
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language.
Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...
term ''
muxrabija''.
History
The origins of mashrabiya are uncertain; however, the earliest evidence of the mashrabiya, in its current form, dates to the 12th century in
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
during the
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...
period.
In Iraq during the 1920s and 1930s, the designs of the latticework were influenced by the
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
and
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
movements of the time.
Mashrabiyas, along with other distinct features of historic Islamic architecture, were being demolished as part of a modernisation program across the Arab world from the first decades of the 20th century. In Baghdad, members of the arts community feared that
vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...
would be lost permanently and took steps to preserve them. The architect,
Rifat Chadirji and his father, Kamil, photographed structures and monuments across Iraq and the Saudi region, and published a book of photographs. Such initiatives have contributed to a renewed interest in traditional practices as a means of building sustainable residences in harsh climatic conditions.
Construction
Mashrabiya are
vernacular architectural elements; a type of balcony or
oriel window
An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window generally projects from an ...
in the form of a small latticed opening encasing the second or higher floors of a building and typically overlooking an internal courtyard. They are usually cantilevered to add more square footage to the upper floors, as well as providing shade to the first-floor windows. The lattice work ranges from simple geometric shapes through to ornate patterns. Architecturally, they are designed to satisfy one or more of the following functions:
* control air flow
* reduce the temperature of the air current
* increase the humidity of the air current
* provide privacy
Latticework designs differ from region to region, however the commonly used patterns include:
* Hexagonal – a simple geometric design with repeating hexagonal patterns
[Spencer, J., “Mashrabiya an architectural language “, ''Journal of Art & The Islamic World'', vol. 18, no. 1, 1990, pp 49-52]
* Kanaysi or Church – long narrow
baluster
A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...
s which are assembled vertically
[Ashi, A., ''Theories and History of Architecture'', Al Baath University Press, Homs, Syria, 2010]
* Maymoni – mesh with rounded balusters in some sections and squared balusters in other areas
* Cross – the short round balusters assembled diagonally, vertical and horizontally
* Sahrigi (Cistern turnery) large balusters in a wide mesh, and it is typically used in the upper part of the Mashrabiya
* Other – a variety of complex patterns using amalgamation of existing designs and repetition, used by skilled artisans
Effective ventilation and passive cooling could be enhanced by adding a water jar, also known as a qullah, inside the mashrabiya.
Most mashrabiyas are closed where the latticework is lined with stained glass and part of the mashrabiya is designed to be opened like a window, often sliding windows to save space; in this case the area contained is part of the upper floor rooms hence enlarging the floor plan. Some mashrabiyas are open and not lined with glass; the mashrabiya functions as a balcony and the space enclosed is independent of the upper floor rooms and accessed through those rooms with windows opening towards it. Sometimes the woodwork is reduced making the mashrabiya resemble a regular roofed balcony; this type of mashrabiya is mostly used if the house is facing an open landscape such as a river, a cliff below or simply a farm, rather than other houses.
File:Hasht Behesht-FarzadEmami (5).jpg, One of the mashrabiya at Hasht Behesht Palace in Isfahan showing a hexagonal lattice pattern
File:Mashrabiya work 03.jpg, Maymoni pattern as used in mashrabiya
File:Mashrabiya work 01.jpg, Cross pattern as used in mashrabiya
File:Mashrabiya work 02.jpg, Sahrigi pattern as used in mashrabiya
File:Luxor temple33.JPG, Complex lattice pattern used in a temple at Luxor
File:Egypt - Cairo - old house and masharabieh LCCN2004669805.jpg, Mashrabiya lattice in Cairo showing a mix of hexagonal and other patterns
File:Tools 4 Water 002.JPG, A water jar or qullah might be placed in a mashrabiya for passive cooling
File:Sanaa, Yemen (25).jpg, A Mashrabiya in the old city of Sanaa
Functions
Social
One of the major purposes of the mashrabiya is privacy, an essential aspect of Arab and Muslim culture.
From the mashrabiya window, occupants can obtain a good view of the street without being seen.
The mashrabiya was an integral part of Arab lifestyle. Typically, people did not sleep in any assigned room, rather they would take their mattresses and move to areas that offered the greatest comfort according to the seasons: to the mashrabiya (or shanashil) in winter, to the courtyard in spring or to vaulted basements in summer.
Environment
The wooden screen with openable windows gives shade and protection from the hot summer sun, while allowing the cool air from the street to flow through.
The designs of the latticework usually have smaller openings in the bottom part and larger openings in the higher parts, hence causing the draft to be fast above the head and slow in lower parts. This provides a significant amount of air moving in the room without causing it to be uncomfortable. The air-conditioning properties of the window is typically enhanced by placing jars of water in the area, allowing air to be cooled by
evaporative cooling
An evaporative cooler (also known as evaporative air conditioner, swamp cooler, swamp box, desert cooler and wet air cooler) is a device that cools air through the evaporation of water. Evaporative cooling differs from other air conditioning sy ...
as it passes over the jars.
The projection of the mashrabiya achieves several purposes: it allows air from three sides to enter, even if the wind outside is blowing parallel to the house façade; it serves the street, and in turn the neighborhood, as a row of projected mashrabiyas provides shelter for those in the streets from rain or sun. The shade in normally narrow streets will cool the air in the street and increase the pressure as opposed to the air in the sahn, which is open to the sun making it more likely that air would flow towards the sahn through the rooms of the house; the mashrabiya also provides protection and shade for the ground floor windows that are flat and usually unprotected.
Architecture
One of the major architectural benefits is correcting the footprint shape of the land. Due to winding and irregular streets, plots of land are also commonly irregular in shape, while the house designs are regular squares and rectangles. This would result in irregular shapes of some rooms and create dead corners. The projection allows the shapes of the rooms on the upper floors to be corrected, and thus the entire plot of land to be utilised. It also increases the usable space without increasing the plot size.
On the street side, in addition to their ornamental advantage, mashrabiyas served to provide enclosure to the street and .
Occurrences
Mashrabiyas were mostly used in houses and palaces although sometimes in public buildings such as hospitals, inns, schools and government buildings. They tend to be associated with houses of the urban elite classes. They are found mostly in the
Mashriq
The Mashriq (; ), also known as the Arab Mashriq (), sometimes spelled Mashreq or Mashrek, is a term used by Arabs to refer to the eastern part of the Arab world, as opposed to the Maghreb (western) region, and located in West Asia and easter ...
– i.e. the eastern part of the Arab world, but some types of similar windows are also found in the
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...
(the western part of the Arab world). They are very prevalent in Iraq, Iran (where they may be known as Orsi windows in Kashan), the
Levant
The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...
,
Hejaz
Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
and
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. In
Basra
Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...
, where they are very prevalent, they are known as ''shanasheel'' (or ''shanashil'') to the extent that Basra is often called "the city of Shanashil." Some 400 traditional buildings are still standing in Basra.
In
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, mashrabiyas (known as ''
muxrabija'') are quite common, especially in dense urban areas. They are usually made from wood and include glass windows, but there are also variations made from stone or aluminium. They could possibly originate from around the tenth century during the Arab occupation of the islands. The modern word for it in the
Maltese language
Maltese (, also or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language derived from Siculo-Arabic, late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance languages, Romance Stratum (linguistics), superstrata. It is the only Semitic languages, Semitic language pred ...
is "gallarija", which is of Italic origin. Recognised as being the predecessors of the iconic closed balcony, or "gallarija", in 2016 Maltese authorities scheduled a total of 36 ancient mashrabiyas as Grade 2 protected properties.
The facade of
Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris by
Architecture-Studio and
Jean Nouvel
Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
are inspired by Mashrabiya.
Notable examples
Traditional
*
Bayt al-Suhaymi in Cairo, Egypt – Ottoman house, built 1648 and expanded in 1796
*
Shubra Palace in Taif, Saudi Arabia - built in 1858.
*
Nasseef House in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - built in 1872.
*
Bayt al-Razzaz palace in Cairo – urban palace first built in the 15th century during the Mamluk era, featuring multiple mashrabiyas
* House of Ali Effendi Labib in Cairo – originally built in the late 12th century
*
Bayt al-Kritliya in Cairo – originally built in 1631, now the Gayer-Anderson Museum
*
Hasht Behesht Palace in
Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
, Iran
*
Amber Palace in
Amer, India
*
Prince Mohammed Ali Tewfik Palace in Cairo – built in the early 20th century
File:Flickr - HuTect ShOts - Mashrabiya مشربية - Bayt Al-Suhaymi بيت السحيمي - Cairo - Egypt - 29 05 2010.jpg, Bayt al-Suhaymi, Cairo, Egypt
File:Bayt-al-razzaz-cairo.jpg, Mashrabiya exterior at Bayt al-Razzaz, Cairo, Egypt
File:BaytalRazzaz4.jpg, Mashrabiya interior at Bayt al Razzaz, Cairo, Egypt
File:Islamic Cairo67.jpg, House of Ali Effendi Labib, Cairo, Egypt
File:Kairo Gayer Anderson Museum BW 9.jpg, Bayt al-Kritliya, now the Gayer-Anderson Museum, Cairo
File:Traditional house in Al Balad.JPG, Traditional house in Jeddah, (Al-Balad District), Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
File:Palace of the King. (4264825911).jpg, Traditional house in Jeddah, (Al-Balad District), Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
File:Al-Naseef House (6573572949).jpg, Al-Naseef House, Jeddah, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
Contemporary
*
Mashrabiya House in
Beit Safafa, Jerusalem – a modern reinterpretation of a traditional building
*
Institut du Monde Arabe in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France – a contemporary building, completed in 1987, inspired by the façades of Arabic architecture
*
Doha Tower in Doha, Qatar – a contemporary structure that references mashrabiya
*
Louvre Abu Dhabi in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
, United Arab Emirates – the dome of the museum was inspired by traditional mashrabiya
*
Al Bahr Towers in Abu Dhabi – twin towers that use the principles of mashrabiya for effective thermal control
File:Paris - Institut du Monde Arabe (27136624340).jpg, Institut du Monde Arabe – a contemporary building inspired by traditional mashrabiya façades
File:LouvreAD exterior.jpg, The Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, showing the dome and its geometric pattern
File:P1000015 - panoramio Doha Tower.jpg, Doha Tower, Doha, Qatar, UAE
In literature and art
As a distinctive element in vernacular architecture with symbolic associations, the mashrabiya has inspired many poets, artists and writers. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, Western travellers and adventurers, travelled overland from Aleppo to Basra, along the route known as the Great Desert Caravan Route, leaving behind journals of their journeys. Their accounts often include commentary on local architecture encountered, including window treatments and mashrabiya. Some of these writers include: the Portuguese explorer, Pedro Teixeira (who travelled in the 1580s), the Danish explorer and cartographer,
Carsten Niebuhr
Carsten Niebuhr, or Karsten Niebuhr (17 March 1733 Cuxhaven, Lüdingworth – 26 April 1815 Meldorf, Dithmarschen), was a German mathematician, Cartography, cartographer, and Geographical exploration, explorer in the service of Denmark-Norway. He ...
(1733–1815), the English traveller, John Jackson (d. 1807), the German architectural historian, Oskar Reuther (1880–1954) and the English artist,
Tristram Ellis (1844–1922).
The absence of ground floor windows at street level was a theme taken up in many travellers' accounts. William Beawes who travelled the route in 1745 considered the absence of street facing windows to be "very disagreeable to Europeans", while John Jackson, who travelled the same territory thirty years later remarked that homes resembled "prisons". Carsten Neibihr, the Danish cartographer, who travelled the route in the 1760s, noted that, in hot countries, glazed windows were a rarity; instead latticed window openings provided ventilation and light. Tristam Ellis, writing in 1881, provided a detailed account of shanshil in Baghdad:
: It is always on the hareem that the greatest efforts of ornamentation are expended. The walls from the floor to the ceiling, as well as the ceiling itself, are covered with every colour of the rainbow in elaborate arabesque patterns…windows appearing above this for the purpose of introducing air and light… When all the windows are open this system allows the free circulation of air during the hot weather, but enables secrets whispered in one room to be heard in all the rest. The windows overlooking the street are overhanging, supported on brackets, and carrying a settee all round. The upper part of the windows is ornamented with coloured glass, introduced in small pieces in a pierced wood pattern, which is painted black or a dark colour. The inhabitants of Baghdad are extremely proud of this form of ornamentation, which they consider belongs entirely to themselves, though its origin is no doubt Persian.
An elaborate mashrabiya could signal wealth and status. In the poem, ''The Shanasil of al-Chalabi’s Daughter'', the Iraqi poet,
Badr Shaker Alsyyab (1926–1964), describes his lover, al-Chalabi's daughter, coming into view from behind the shanashil or mashrabiya. The poem includes references to the social status of the lover's family who reside in the town's largest house complete with sophisticated mashrabiyas. The mashrabiya, with its concept of secluding women from public view, played into the erotic fantasies of European male audiences.
John Frederick Lewis painted both interiors and exterior views of the mashrabiya in works such as: ''The Courtyard of the Coptic Patriarch's House in Cairo'' (1864); ''The Reception'' (1873), ''The Midday Meal'' (1875), and ''The Siesta'', (1876). Other paintings that feature mashrabiya include Walter Charles Horsley's ''Women and an Old Man in the Harem'' (1883),
Arthur von Ferraris’ ''The Coffee House'' (1888) and
Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme (; 11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academic painting, academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living art ...
's ''The Horse Market'', (1867).
Certain 20th century artists and photographers, such as
Lorna Selim and
Rifat Chadirji were prompted to document mashrabiyas for very different reasons. They feared that traditional architectural elements were in danger of being lost to "modernity" and sought to document them for posterity. The British artist, Lorna Selim, who married an Iraqi sculptor, was fascinated by vernacular architecture, especially that along the Tigris. Not long after her arrival in
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
, the city underwent a period of "modernisation," during which many traditional houses were being demolished. The architect, Rifat Chadirji and his father,
Kamil Chadirji, used the camera to document traditional architecture across Iraq and Syria in the mid-1950s.
John Frederick Lewis - A Lady Receiving Visitors (The Reception) - Google Art Project.jpg, John_Frederick_Lewis_-_A_Lady_Receiving_Visitors_(The_Reception)-_Google_Art_Project, ''The Reception'' by John Frederick Lewis, (1873)
John Frederick Lewis - Study for 'The Courtyard of the Coptic Patriarch's House in Cairo' - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Courtyard of the Coptic Patriarch's House in Cairo'' by John Frederick Lewis (1864)
Lewis midday-meal.jpg, ''The Midday Meal'' by John Frederick Lewis, (1875)
John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876) - The Siesta - N03594 - National Gallery.jpg, ''The Siesta'' by John Frederick Lewis, (1876)
Gerome--Haggin--Horse-Market.jpg, ''The Horse Market'' by Jean-Léon Gérôme, (1867)
Binder-Street.jpg, ''Street Scene in Cairo'' by Tony Binder, (1912)
Current status
Use of the mashrabiya became widespread during the Ottoman period (1517-1805). However, by the late 19th century its use was in decline. The reasons for its decline are complex, including both cultural and practical considerations such as the emergence of modernism and the availability of new technologies and materials, the high cost of the labour-intensive work of producing lattice and concerns about fire danger.
In the second half of the 20th century, the use of vernacular architecture, including mashrabiya and badgir (windcatcher), have undergone a revival. Contemporary architects have recognised the environmental value of traditional designs as a means of providing natural and efficient solutions to cooling problems in hot climates.
[Almerbati, N., Ford, P., Taki, . Li-Onel, D., “From Vernacular to Personalised and Sustainable: The Value of Additively Manufactured Window Screens in Middle-Eastern Dwellings,” in: F. Madeo and M. A. Schnabel (eds.), ''Across: Architectural Research through to Practice: 48th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association'', 2014, The Architectural Science Association & Genova University Press, 2014 pp. 479–490]
The revival of vernacular architecture in the Middle East is due, in large part, to the work of the Egyptian architect,
Hassan Fathy
Hassan Fathy (; March 23, 1900 – November 30, 1989) was a noted Egyptians, Egyptian architect who pioneered appropriate technology for building in Egypt, especially by working to reestablish the use of adobe and traditional mud construction as ...
(1900-1989) and the Iraqi architect,
Rifat Chadirji (1926-2020), both of whom championed the integration of traditional materials and designs and worked to reconcile tradition with contemporary needs.
Rue du Caire (Egypte) - Bonfils. LCCN2004668078.jpg, Cairo Streetscape, showing prevalence of mashrabiya
Malta GC. Valletta-1967 (8240967236).jpg, Street scene in Valletta, Malta showing mashrabiya, 1967
Old city of Basra 1954.jpg, Street scene in Basra, Iraq in the 1950s.
Shanasheel.jpg, In Iraq, the balcony window is known as a shanasheel
See also
*
Al-Mashrabiya Building
*
Jharokha (stone version)
*
Brise soleil
Brise, Brisé or Briše may refer to:
* Brisé (dance), a type of jump in ballet
* "Brisé" (song), Maître Gims 2015
*Brisé (music), Style brisé (French: "broken style"), Baroque music
Places
* Briše, Kamnik, Slovenia
* Briše pri Polhovem G ...
*
Arab World Institute
*
List of Historic Monuments in Cairo
*
Lorna Selim - artist who produced hundreds of sketches of Baghdadi mashrabiya
*
Rifat Chadirji - architect who sought to integrate traditional Iraqi elements into modern building design
*
Samta Benyahia
*
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...
*
Terraced houses in Australia
References
Further reading
*
*Ching, Francis D. K. (1995) ''A Visual Dictionary of Architecture'' Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY
External links
Glossary and Useful Terms in Islamic art and architecture*
ttps://www.britannica.com/technology/moucharaby "Moucharaby" (Encyclopædia Britannica).
Mashrabiya, A Day of Art and Adventure touregypt.net.
of Bayt Al-Suhaymi
{{Islamic architecture
Windows
Islamic architectural elements
Arabic architecture
Islamic architecture
Culture of Egypt
Architecture in Egypt
Architectural elements
Architecture in Iraq
Arab culture
Arab inventions
Passive cooling
Passive ventilation