What Happened To Islam’s Environmentally Friendly Architecture?
03 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: architecture, Eco-Mosque, Environment, Islam, Mud, sustainable
My latests musing on why so Muslim countries have abandoned Islam’s simple and sustainable architecture in favour of brash Gulf-style monstrosities. Here’s a snippet:
From luxury architecture in Mecca to the blinged-out buildings of Dubai, it seems that Islamic architecture is all about opulence and grandeur. The bigger and the more lavish- the better but it hasn’t always been like this. In the past, Islamic architecture relied on natural materials and some of the most iconic Islamic buildings were ones of simplicity and modesty- think the Kaaba in Mecca. Mud was something that was heartily used and architecture sought to reflect the environment rather than to outshine it…
Full article ‘What Happened to Islam’s Environmentally Friendly Architecture‘ at Green Prophet.
Mosque in Turkey Goes Solar
06 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Eco-Mosque, Environment, Green, Islam, Mosque, Solar, Turkey
Another mosque has taken up the battle against climate change and gone Eco- this time in Turkey
When a nuclear plant was proposed for the Turkish village of Buyukeceli, the residents decided to demonstrate their resistance not through protest and petitions but by highlighting the viability of renewable energy. Using the support of Greenpeace, they decided to show the power of solar energy and installed photovoltaic panels on the local mosque.
Whilst this may sound like a new and novel concept, back in July Green Prophet revealed plans for Europe’s first completely eco-friendly Mosque in the English city of Cambridge.
Using skylights to limited the need for light bulbs, energy-efficient technologies and a green-roof, the project hoped to minimize it’s carbon footprint and also become the first ‘Eco-Mosque’ in Europe. Well, the idea spread far and wide since then there has been the announcements that the controversial‘Ground-Zero Mosque’ would be green, accolades for Green mosque designs and now this Turkish Solar Mosque.
A Model of Sustainability: Eco-Mosque in Levenshulme
09 Oct 2010 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Eco-Mosque, Environment, Green, Islam, Manchester, Solar, UK, Water Saving
In 2003 the Muslim Bohra community of Levenshulme started thinking about replacing their makeshift prayer hall – a former Maternity & Child Welfare Centre in an old Methodist chapel – with a brand new mosque. However, fitted with solar panels, recycled wood, reclaimed stone, under-floor heating and other energy saving measures this wasn’t your average mosque, but an eco-mosque.
Opened in 2008, the new building was the culmination of a lot of hard work, curiosity and a belief that it is possible to create a mosque which positively impacts both the community and the environment.
Friday’s News Round-up
27 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Abdul-Hakim Murad, Eco-Mosque, Floods, Niger, Uganda, UK
Image via Wikipedia
For all those stories that didn’t make it as blogs!
- Muslim community to plant a 10,000 trees in Uganda~ Uganda’s Daily Monitor, 21 August 2010
- Influential environmentally-aware Sheikh Abdul-Hakim Murad who is behind the Ec0 mosque in Cambridge UK talks about his conversion to Islam~ The Independent, UK, 20 August 2010
- Further heavy rains in Niger, a predominately Muslim country, have raised the number displaced by floods from 111,000 to almost 200,000 in a week. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is calling on donors and aid agencies to urgently send shelter materials, blankets and mosquito nets.
Cambridge Eco-Mosque Plans
08 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Eco-Mosque, Green Islam, Sustainable Architecture, UK, Water
England’s historic city of Cambridge, with its world-famous university and idyllic countryside, will soon count a mosque amidst its stunning skyline of spires. But this isn’t just any old mosque. In fact it is the first-purpose built mosque in the city which also happens to be environmentally-friendly!
After years of dealing with overcrowding at various small sites across the city, the growing Muslim community decided that it was time to take action. By the summer of 2008, a strip of land and an old warehouse has been purchased and plans for the new mosque were underway. However rather than simply building a mosque as quickly as possible, it was decided from the very start that the mosque would follow environmental sustainability principles.
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