Mosque: architecture, function, meaning

The mosque (masjid in Arabic) is the architectural manifestation of Islam. The domes and minarets of mosques dominate the skyline of most settlements in the Islamic world. But must a mosque have a dome and a minaret? What actually makes a mosque a mosque? What historical developments has its architecture undergone and what challenges do mosque architects face in modern times? What is the content of Arabic texts on the walls of mosques?

These and other questions will be answered by Arabist, historian of Islamic architecture, traveller and photographer Mgr. Martin Rudiš, Ph.D. Through dozens of his own photographs, he allows you to "visit" selected historical and modern mosques in different parts of the Islamic world, from Morocco to Egypt, Turkey and Iran to Central Asia and northern India. The lecture will be of interest to students of Mediterranean Studies, Art History or Religious Studies, as well as the general public.

Please note that the lecture will be held in Czech.

Mgr. Martin Rudiš, Ph.D. (1993) is a Ph.D. graduate in History and Cultures of Asia and Africa (with Arabic specialization) at the Department of Middle East Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, where he also teaches the course Islamic Architecture. He has studied the monuments of Islamic architecture during numerous study and research stays in a number of countries, from Morocco to Egypt, Turkey, Oman, Iran to the countries of Central Asia and India. His dissertation focused on the architecture of modern mosques in Cairo. The thesis was published in an edited form as a monograph entitled The Architecture of Cairo Mosques in the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries.