Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T22:26:01.081Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

3 - “All the Earth Is a Mosque”: The Masjid as Environmental Advocate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2021

Michelle Moore Apotsos
Affiliation:
Williams College, Massachusetts
Get access

Summary

The third chapter continues discussions of conservation and preservation in the form of contemporary environmentalism and eco-criticism. To this end, the three case studies in this chapter address how masjid space functions as an expression of the relationship between man and the natural environment, and thus not only complement the natural world but actively work to maintain it. The first case study focuses on the kramats of Cape Town, South Africa and their utilization of a “natural aesthetic” that positions nature as something to be celebrated, venerated, and preserved. The second case study addresses the Djenne mosque in Mali, which not only deploys historical building technology toward creating a fundamentally environmentally friendly structure, but also potentially utilizes a biomimetic adaptation of the West African termite mound, whose superior heating, cooling, and organizational systems provide an excellent model on which to base a functional space. The final case study introduces Tanzania’s first “eco-mosque” as a prototype for the application of ecologically and spiritually responsible living in rural, low-income areas. Collectively, these case studies privilege the idea of masjid as a fundamentally eco-friendly spatial concept that can manifest in diverse forms and spaces.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×