22 Jan Student Spotlight: Lighting Islamic Architecture by Ismael Thamer

It is our pleasure to introduce Ismail Alobaidi, from Baghdad in Iraq, the author, lighting designer, and BHA School of Lighting student of the Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering course, who kindly submitted this inspiring article featured below.

Lighting Islamic Architecture

Overview:

Islamic architecture has a historical extension that Muslims used to create their own identity. This architecture originated in the areas that Muslims reached from the Arabian Peninsula and other areas of East Asia, Turkey, and even North Africa, such as Morocco, in addition to the areas that were ruled for a long time, such as in Andalusia (Spain).

One of the most important models of Islamic architecture is the religious schools; they were distinguished by their unique designs, and we see this through the design of the blocks, where the arches are more receptive to the viewer and make him touch the flexibility of the Islamic religion.

Islamic architecture was also influenced in many areas around the world by the weather, as it often contains open areas (courtyards) and the halls are distributed around the open area to be an engineering model that allows air and natural light to enter the basements.

We also see that Islamic architecture was influenced by religion, as inscriptions and writings were included in the finishes, which are distinguished by bright colours in art simultaneously. Clay materials were mixed with sacred phrases at other times (as in the Mustansiriya School in Baghdad).

Abject:

One of the models of Islamic architecture is the Middle Scientific School (Al-Akhund Middle School), which is located in Iraq, in the city of Najaf.  It is more than 120 years old.

Description of the architecture:

This school is distinguished by its unique design and the open courtyard method. The symmetry of the arches in the entrances to the classrooms has an amazing visual effect that amazes one by the precision and art of mastering this symmetry.

Description of finishes:

Through the picture we see the type of finishes used in these entrances, which are Karbala tiles (Karbala tiles: a material made of cement with water, marble and polishable stones) (Karbala: an Iraqi religious province adjacent to the city of Najaf).

Where Karbala tiles are considered part of the popular heritage in the religious areas in Iraq, they are distinguished by their colours which define the heritage and meaning from the artistic values contained in them. They find a clear dimension in the visual arts by adopting engraving with the methods of Islamic Arab decoration and Arabic calligraphy.

Karbala tiles are distinguished by their high artistic specifications, including the colours of their engravings and decorations which are durable and have a dazzling lustre and bright splendour. Their artistry of manufacture depends on high skills and techniques, long accumulated and inherited from experience based on mastery and precision in work and on proficiency and creativity in manufacturing.

Vision in lighting the school:

Pendant lanterns were the ideal way to light this type of building at night. I was assigned the task of lighting this edifice, so I decided to make it a prominent edifice that embodies the spirit of architecture and the magic of the effect of the materials used.

Since the place currently has a religious heritage character, I used lighting devices in-ground that do not affect the basic heritage structure of the building.

Art and ways to illuminate it:

After analysing the building, I found that the matching arches are the basic architectural feature of the place, so my thoughts turned towards illuminating these entrances and arches as the basic idea for the school.  I used recessed lighting devices and with an appropriate distribution so as not to affect the entry and exit of people into the rooms.

Choosing the colour temperature for the lighting of these materials was another challenge. My focus was on illuminating the colours of the Karbala tiles in their true dazzling colours to cheer the soul and achieve the ultimate impression for visitors to the heritage school.

The advantages of LED and modern lighting devices and high purity lenses is that they are able to achieve the desired appropriate lighting intensity and uniform distribution at carefully chosen beam angles to achieve these results.

In the end:

Lighting this distinctive and unique architecture had many challenges, which I was able to overcome with precise knowledge of every detail in this place. After reviewing and reading the references and how the historical buildings were built by a unique civilization that distinguishes my country, Iraq, I feel proud that it is the first heritage project that I have successfully been able to renew and illuminate the features as a member of a distinguished team that selected me to undertake the task.