Mosque: Innovation in Object, Form and Function

The Museum at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) is dedicated to supporting the study and teaching of the history, art and architecture of Islamic cultures both in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Ithra also connects colleagues engaged in scholarly and professional activities related to these topics, and provides information about current programs and resources vital to the ongoing development of the discipline.

Ithra and the Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture are thus collaborating to present a three-day international conference on the study of the mosque to accompany Ithra’s exhibition Shatr Almasjid; the Art of Orientation. The conference aims to address the historic evolution, meanings and functions of the mosque.

To provide new and fresh perspectives, this conference brings together broad range of scholars: art historians, curators, artists, architects and philosophers. They were selected both for their in-depth knowledge about particular types of mosques, objects or themes, and their elegant and thought-provoking insight into more general aspects of premodern Islamic culture related to the mosque.