Book & Author
The Architect and the Architecture of the Holy Mosques of Makkah and Madinah
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
Chicago, IL
Muslims all over the globe revere Al Masjid al Haram at Makkah; it holds a special significance for them; they pray facing in its direction (Qibla); and every year it is the destination of millions of pilgrims who arrive to perform Umrah and Hajj. The Architecture of the Holy Mosque, Makkah (Mecca) is written by acommittee headed by Dr Muhammed Kamal Ismail, an architect, and an engineer, and edited by Dr Salma Damluji, an architect and a specialist in Islamic architecture. The book presents the history of pre- and post-Islamic Mecca; construction of Ka'bah by the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), wherein lies the origins of the Hajj or pilgrimage.
The book also chronicles the work performed during periods of Umayyads, Abbasids and Ottomans, and engineering and architectural details of the new extension of Al Masjid al Haram (The Great Mosque) that started in 1991 to accommodate the increased number of pilgrims. The project was supervised and supported by King Fahd, and services of Dr Muhammad Kamal Ismail were acquired as a design consultant.
The book includes 18 original architectural drawings, and 86 specially commissioned photographs. It concludes with a description of the engineering and electromechanical systems of the New Extension and the enhancement of services for worshippers, such as air-conditioning, water, escalators, and parking facilities.
The companion book to The Architecture of the Holy Mosque, Makkah (1991), is The Architecture of the Prophet's Holy Mosque, Al Madinah (1998). Dr Muhammad Kamal Ismail(author) and Dr Salma Damluji (editor) narrate the history of Al Madinah and details of the previous and present expansions of al-Masjid an-Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque ) in terms of architecture, materials used and their sources.
Historians have reported that Madinah was first established by Yathrib, one of the grandsons of Prophet Noah (pbuh) of the sixth or eight generations after the flood. The population of Madinah just before Islam was around 12,000 -15,000, and at the death of the Prophet (pbuh) was around 30,000. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Hijaz railway station was constructed in Madinah, and that boosted city’s population to 80,000. In the 21st century, Madinah has evolved as a modern city, and its present population is 1.3 million, and it peaks by another 1-2 million in Ramadan and Dhul Hijjah, when the pilgrims arrive to perform Umrah and Hajj. Today, thanks to mega expansion projects, al-Masjid an Nabawi can accommodate around 1.6 million pilgrims, and Madinah is connected to Makkah through the Haramain high-speed railway network (453 km).
The two books serve as a valuable reference and are an essential reading for all general readers and professionals such as historians, engineers, and architects; they chronicle the historical evolution and modern era expansions of the two holiest mosques of Islam.
Dr Muhammad Kamal Ismail (September 13, 1908 - August 2, 2008) is the architect and the engineer who planned, designed, and oversaw the largest expansions during the past fourteen centuries, of the Al Masjid Al Haram and al-Masjid an-Nabawi. He was chosen by King Fahd bin Abdel Aziz to design the monumental work of expansion after he saw his work titled “Encyclopedia of the Mosques of Egypt.” Among his other most notable projects are the Mogamma (The Complex) on Tahrir Square, Cairo, the High Court of Egypt building in Cairo, and the Salahuddin Mosque in Manial.
He was born in the Egyptian city of Mit Ghamr; he completed his primary education at Madrasa El-Madina Elementary School; later, when his family moved to Alexandria, he pursued his secondary education at the Abbasiya School; afterwards, he attended Fouad University, Cairo, to study engineering. At the university, professors from England and Switzerland taught him world architecture but he got inclined towards Islamic architecture, which after graduation led to his comprehensive study on Egyptian mosques. He published his work, titled “Encyclopedia of the Mosques of Egypt,” in four volumes. It highlights the evolution of designs, styles, and architectural features of the Egyptian mosques representing various stages of the Islamic civilization.
Mohammad Kamal Ismail had a unique and remarkable academic career; he was the youngest high school graduate in the history of Egypt; the youngest to enroll at the royal engineering school; the youngest to graduate from it; and the youngest student sent to Europe for pursuing a doctorate in architecture; he was the first Egyptian engineer to replace foreign engineers in Egypt; and he was the youngest to receive prestigious national awards. Indeed, he was an architectural genius.
In early 1930, after receiving his Bachelor’s of Engineering from Fouad University, he went to France for higher education and, in 1933, earned a doctoral degree from Bouzal School. He also earned another doctoral degree in engineering and returned to Egypt and joined the Emiri Buildings Authority, the government department that oversaw the construction and maintenance of all government building. He served as its director in 1948.
For his valuable contributions and services, he received many awards: King Farouk awarded him The Nile Scarf and bestowed on him the title of “Al-Bakwiya (crying rank of the king),” and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia awarded him the King Fahd Prize for Architecture. He got too busy with his professional life, and married late, in 1952 when he was forty-four years old. He had one son, and two grandchildren. After the death of his wife (2002), and most of his friends, he became very isolated and died at the age of ninety-nine.
Dr Zaglool Al-Najjar, an Egyptian geologist narrates an interesting story about Dr Ismail’s work on the Haramain. Dr Ismail wanted to cover the floor of the Al Masjid al Haram, Makkah with the heat-absorbing marble so that it could be comfortable to pilgrims making the Tawaf. Marble of this kind was only available in a small mountain located in Greece. He went to Greece and signed a contract to obtain appropriate amount of marble for the project; which was almost half of the mountain; the marble came and the floor project of the Al Masjid al Haram was completed. Fast forward fifteen years, the Saudi King requested Dr Ismail to place same kind of heat-absorbing marble in the al-Masjid an-Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque) in Madinah. He got concerned because he had already bought half of the mountain in Greece earlier, and was not sure what became of the other half. Dr Ismail travelled to Greece and met the CEO of the marble company, and enquired if he could buy the other half of the mountain. The CEO informed him that it was sold immediately after Dr Ismail’s deal fifteen years ago. Discovering this Dr Ismail became sad and concerned. Before Dr Ismail left the office of the marble company, he requested the office secretary to share the details of the company that purchased the other half of the mountain fifteen years ago. She replied that it would be a difficult task to locate the old records, but on Dr Ismail’s insistence she agreed to search the old records. He gave her the hotel contact where he was staying. While leaving the office, Dr Ismail reassured himself that Allah SWT will make something wonderful to happen.
Next day, as Dr Ismail was getting ready to leave for the airport, he received a phone call from the secretary informing him that she had found the address of the buyer. Dr Ismail was pleasantly surprised to discover that the company was located in Saudi Arabia. Upon his arrival in Saudi Arabia, he went directly to the company that purchased the marble and inquired what they had done with it. The director of the company informed him that he did not know, and started to make enquiries. Hewas told by the stock room that they still have the entire stock as it was never used. Dr Ismail presented a blank check to the owner of the company and asked him to write any amount he wanted for the entire stock of marble. When the owner came to know that the marble was to be used for the Prophet’s mosque, he refused to take any money and said “I will not take even one Riyal. Allah SWT made me purchase this marble, and to forget about keeping in stock ... it was meant to be used for the Mosque of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).” And thus, thanks to Dr Ismail’s efforts, the marble obtained from the other half of the Greek mountain covered the floor of the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah. May Allah SWT grant him a very special place in paradise for his dedicated service to the Haramain! Ameen.
Dr Ismail was a very humble, pious, wise, and private person; he avoided media limelight and fame. He refused to accept payments worth millions of dollars for his services rendered for the expansion projects of the two holy mosques. King Fahd and Bin Landin company tried hard to convince him to accept a check for his services, but he told engineer Baqar bin Ladin: “Why should I accept money (for my work) at the two sacred mosques? How can I face our Lord (on the day of judgment)?”
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