Centers of Community: Discovering and Preserving Mosque Heritage

Since the dawn of time, both community and heritage in the urban context have played important roles in shaping and reflecting how our cities are formed today. This is evidently shown in the earliest mosques which are located in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

From the past to the present, this session will take audiences on a journey of discovery through culture and space within the mosques built during the time of the Prophet (ﷺ), and how they relate and apply to their surrounding urban fabric. Through unique stories from the past of how these landmarks came to be, and the inspirations and impact they had both locally and globally. It will also delve into the use of modern-day methods of preservation and how they could translate to representation of culture and heritage. Finally, this research provides an understanding about how the initial concept of a mosque reflects the importance of a community as referred to in the Arabic word, jama’a, derived from a root word meaning “to gather,” or “gathering;” being a place that provides a mixed use space for knowledge, health and spirituality for its surrounding communities.