The domes: El Wakil's traditionalist architecture of Quba mosque

Abstract

Quba Mosque stands as it is today after being rebuilt and renovated several times, as the sacred and historical place built by Prophet Muhammad PBUH in the first day of his emmigration to Medina. Being the first architecture following his hijra, it reflects the will of the people in their endowment to the mosque. This paper aims at studying the changes throughout the development of the mosque, focusing mainly on the last development designed by the architect El-Wakil, his will to reforge the link between the past and the present and the significance of understanding the Islamic culture, philosophy, and architecture. This study employed a literature review to capture the mosque's architectural features developed by El-Wakil. It argues that the elements of the mosque, particularly the domes, are products of El-Wakil's vision and defence for traditionalism. His use of traditionalist approach shows his notion of what Islamic architecture is.