Overview

The Conference aims to highlight the importance of Islamic Heritage Architecture and Art to the world and its influence across different regions.

The Meeting will deal with the design of many types of buildings in Islamic countries, including not only the better known public buildings such as mosques, mausolea, citadels and forts, but also houses and gardens, engineering works such as bridges and dams, irrigation systems and many others which have also had a profound impact on society. Islamic Architecture has enriched design with a wide variety of structural shapes, including among others, unique arches, a wide variety of vaults and domes which allow for new forms to be developed. The influence that these structural forms have in non-Islamic countries will be one of the themes of the Conference.

There is much to learn from past experiences to arrive at solutions which are environmentally sound and sustainable in the long term. As conventional energy resources become scarce, the Islamic design heritage can offer invaluable lessons on how to deal in an efficient manner with cases of hard and extreme environments. Traditional architecture and urban environment in most Islamic countries is now being eroded by overemphasis on global type of architecture and city planning. As a consequence, many regions are losing their identity. The Conference will aim to review these developments in the light of what the classical Islamic urban designs and architectures have to offer modern society. An equally important part of the Meeting will analyse the materials employed and the types of structural elements, particularly those unique to Islamic architecture. Associated topics of discussion will include music, textiles and ceramics, which are essential parts of the architectural fabric.

The Conference will encompass papers on construction materials, including not only stone and brick but also more perishable materials such as adobe, wood and reeds. Preserving that Heritage also requires the development of appropriate conservation techniques in response to the different materials used and the ways structural forms work, including under extreme conditions, such as earthquakes. Papers relevant to the influence of Islamic architecture on the development of new structural form, shape and design in the Western countries are particularly welcome. The Meeting will be of interest to all researchers, practitioners and government employees actively involved in the topic of Islamic Heritage Architecture and Art.

Conference Topics:
Architectural heritage
Archaeological studies
Historical aspects
The Islamic urban environment
Mosques and minarets
Mausolea
Schools
Citadels and fortifications
Baths and caravansereis
Markets and public spaces
Palaces
Houses and gardens
Bridges and dams
Cisterns and qunats
Earth-sheltered architecture
Irrigation systems
Climate adaptability
Arches and vaults
Wind towers
Wind and water mills
Domes and squinches
Double shell dome
Geometry and orientation
The use of light
Design and nature
Vernacular architecture
Construction materials
Masonry and mortars
Wood and wooden roofs
Metals
Tiles
Stone including roofs
Adobe constructions
Structural analysis
Earthquake resistant structures
Calligraphy, painting and patterns
Architectural conservation
Structural rehabilitation
Repairs and maintenance
Data and documentation
Risk assessment and management
Oman and Eastern Saudi Arabian architecture
The upper Gulf (Kuwait and Basra)
The central Gulf (Bahranian and Qatar)
The lower Gulf architecture
The Persian coast and islands
The Trucial coast (Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates)
Classical Ottoman architecture
Ottoman Istanbul
Turkish architecture in the 18th and 19th centuries
The Balkans legacy
The Baltic and Caspian Sea legacy
Islamic architecture along the Silk Road
Islamic architecture in China
Other Eastern countries
Afghanistan
Islamic architecture in the ex Soviet republics
Architecture in Malaysia and Indonesia
The Indian continent
Islamic architecture in El Andalus and other Spanish regions
Influence in the Americas
The Mediterranean region
The East African coast
New cities and the search for authenticity