4.611/13 Civil Architecture in Islamic History (HASS)
Instructor: Nasser Rabbat

19- Revivalism and Twentieth-Century Architecture:

In the Islamic world today, the issue of revivalism is one of the most debated themes in the cultural discourse in general, and the architectural one in particular.  No clear definition of the term exists, but for our inquiry the Aga Khan Award definition would constitute a starting point.  According to their 1989 final report’s introduction, revivalism is a “fully thought-out recasting of forms created and used in the past or in vernacular traditions.”

Revivalist Styles in Early Twentieth Century:

Mahmud and Mustafa Fahmi: the Ministry of Waqf, Cairo, a clear neo-Mamluk building built in three stages in 1898, 1911, and 1929.

‘Abd al-Razzaq Malas: the Fijeh headquarter building, Damascus, an eclectic, Neo-Islamic building for the water company, (1937-42).

The Different Approaches to the Vernacular: 

Hasan Fathy: The visionary Egyptian architect and pioneering advocate of revivalism.  His buildings adapt selected vernacular examples as the embodiment of an authentic Egyptian architecture, albeit of an unlikely mix of Mamluk Cairene and Nubian styles, and recast them through subjective and lyrical interpretations of traditions.

Hamdi Seif al-Nasr Rest house, Fayyum (1944).

The Village of New Gourna, Opposite Luxor, Upper Egypt (1948-1961).

Riad House, Saqqara Road, Giza, Egypt (1967).

Jean-François Zevago: A Rationalist modernist who used the courtyard house as a paradigm for comfortable low-cost housing

Courtyard Houses, Agadir, Morocco (1964).

‘Abd al-Wahid al-Wakil: A disciple of Fathy, who freely blends together forms, and even fragments of forms, to create plastic, sculpture-like structures.

The Halawa House, Agami, Egypt (1975).

Nail Cakirhan: A poet and journalist turned master builder and revivalist.  He built summer houses in his native town, Mugla, following traditional “Turkish” house types.

Inkaya House, Akyala Village, Mugla (1975).

Ahmet Gülgönen: A Turkish architect whose approach to vernacular architecture could be termed conceptual and contextual, although his preferences are rather limited.

Gülgönen House, Istanbul  (1981).

Basil al-Bayati: The Iraqi master formalist, his projects combine elements adopted from historical styles with an over-all romanticized conception of Islamic architecture.

A project for a Museum of Islamic Architecture (1983)

A project for a hammam (public bathhouse) (1983).