Minarets

India is quite famous for its carving arts and temples and so on..that has connections to Hindu Budhism. When Islam came to India, islamic structure were constructed, keeping some influence from previous built temple elements in the building. Known islamic structures are Masjid, Tombs, and Moseleum..

I was assigned to focus on MINARETS of the Masjids in India. I did my studies on the Histroy of Minarets in general, Common Characteristics of Minarets (generally in India), and state a few examples of minarets to prove how it is influenced by India's culture and culture from other regions of the world.

HISTORY OF MINARETS
Early times of the prophet Muhammad S.A.W., there were no minarets, the call for azan was made from rooftops. Minarets were said to come from churches bell towers. But there is also a statement that bell towers were influenced by muslim minarets.
Minarets at its early period were constructed to show off in the means that this particular army has conquered a new kingdom. Many Muslim leaders disagreed with this reason, thus masjids were built without minarets..
But later, minarets found its reasons that allow it to be constrcted.
Function of Minarets

• Visual cue- people from afar can identify the location of the masjid.
  
• Voice of the muazzin, could be heard at a wider range
• Natural ventilation- the sun heats the dome, and air from the main hall goes up into the minaret. Allowing fresh air from outside to come in..
• Once it functioned as a watchtower and sort of like a lighthouse. Where 'Minaret' comes from the word 'Nur' that means light.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

• High-rise as to function as a visual cue and cover wider range for muazzin's voice.
• Consist of three parts; Base(Foundation), Shaft(Body), and Callery(finial) with or without a hilal (crescent)
• Certain are cylindrical-like shaped and most is square from the base and the top part is octagonal (to place the dome)
• Have ornaments, carvings based on flora and fauna motifs and calligraphy from the Al-Qur'an.
• Usually, three balconied like the Taj minarets.

EXAMPLE OF MINARET

Qutb Minar, Delhi

• Cylindrical shape
• Built on ruins of a temple. Stones and materials for this minaret was taken from the rundowns of the temple
• Made from red sandstone, marble for the two top most parts.
• Flora n fauna motif carvings and al-quranic calligraphy.

To be honest, there is so much to discuss on minarets!! But for now this is what I can share concerning this topic.. Waiting to update more on this..

Indian Architecture History

yet to be posted.. still in finalizing presentation process. insyaAllah this tuesday..

Task 2 - Tirta Empul Tampaksiring, Bali

Our lecturer Encik firdaus assigned us to search for a historical building in Indonesia. And what I've found is located in Bali. It has an interesting story behind it. It is the Tampaksiring Temple.

Tampak Siring is one of Indonesia presidential palace situated on the top of a hill with a stunning mountain panorama. This area very familiar with handmade carvings. The carvings are made from tusks and bones of hunted animals. The sacred spring of Tirta Empul in Tampaksiring has a special story behind it. It brings us back to legendary times. According to Usana Bali, an ancient Balinese manuscript and legends, there was once an evil king named Maya Denawa who did not believe in god, and objected to his people worshipping gods. The gods sent a punishment in the form of the warriors of Bhatara Indra, who arrived to attack Maya Denawa and overthrow him. However, Maya Denawa poisoned the warriors and died. Seeing this, the god Indra pierced the earth to create a spring called amerta the elixir of immortality. When the water was sprinkled over the dead warriors, they came back to life.

The waters are believed to have magic healing powers. People come from all over Bali every year to purify themselves in the clear pools. First they will leave a small offering to the god of the spring, and then men and women go either side to bathe. On the full moon of the fourth month each year, the villagers from nearby Manukaya take a sacred stone to be cleansed at Tirta Empul.

When the weathered inscription found the stone was deciphered, it noted the bathe of Tirta Empul's foundation as A.D. 962 and described the cleansing ceremony. For a thousand years these villagers had been surviving, by this tradition without having been aware of the meaning incised on the stone! In 1969 the temple at Tampaksiring was completely renovated. Many of the shrines were built anew and painted in bright colors. There are fine carvings and Garudas on the courtyard. The palace is divided into two connected main portions with a bridge. Wisma Merdeka was the building where the president stayed and Wisma Negara was the guesthouse for the friends and the guests of the state, like Ronald Reagan and Soviet president Krustsjov. There is a house for the press! The Wisma Yudistira, and the one that is for the life-guards, Wisma Bima. The palace constructed by president Sukarno is ignoring the temple of Tirta Empul. The buildings of a history are said to be designed by president Sukarno, who had training of the engineering of Bandung.

Outside the temple are rows of sales stands where you may buy souvenirs-the bargain being carved bone jewelry. There's a number of treats in store in Tampaksiring. One is that it is home to numerous woodcarvers, and their wares are available in great quantities from roadside stalls.
RUMOR has it that President Sukarno used a telescope to spy on naked women who took baths during dusk. And when he found a girl he liked, she was sent to him. Supposingly he fathered several children in the island. What a perverted president!

South of Tirta Empul, on a line joining with Gunung Kawi, is Pura Mengening. There is a definite connection between these three places. At the latter temple there is a freestanding candi similar to those candle the facades of which are hewn from the rock at Gunung Kawi. Like Tirta Empul, the temple has a spring of pure water, which is also a source of the River Pakrisan. Pura Mengening might be the commemorative temple of King Udayana.

The site is open to visitors, but buildings are out of bounds. Only VIP’s are known to be allowed in Tampaksiring. Such as Ne Win, Myanmar President, President Tito from Yugoslavia, President Ho Chi Minh from Vietnam, Queen Juliana from Netherland, and Lord Hirihito from Japan.

Currently I'm searching for more on this interesting site. I tend to look into books about this temple. And will share with you soon enough. Before that I have a video I found on YouTube recrded by tourist who went there and experienced the bath.

Task1 - My Self

For my third semester studying as an architectural student, I'm taking up 7 subjects including History of Architecture. And let's cut to the chase, the assignments given have to be posted on our blogs. So, in a way, we share what we learn. But the first asssignment is to introduce my self.

Here goes...

My name is Muhammad Mursyid bin Sazali. Born on January 10th, 1990 in Purawi Kuala Lumpur. My first three years I lived in Keramat next to my Granpa and Grandma. At three years old, I had 2 more little sisters (sweet! when we did'nt know words). Then my father, brought our family to America because he wanted to further his studies there. It was a nice country, beautiful indeed. I enjoyed my time there. School, not much but I loved my friends. Holloween, trick-or-treating was not on my schedule, but I watched through the window kids wearing funny costumes and all. Winter! Snow was my best experience I can ever tell you about. I once made a snowman, I didn't have a hat for it so I decided to put on my "songkok" on it. Hehe.. It was a converted snowman. A muslim snowman.

I have tons of pictures to show you actually, but my hard disk got stolen. And everything I've been storing for years, GONE!!! I lost it in Seri Iskandar. Whoever's responsible, damn you!!

To tell you more about my self in one post is quite boring. but i'll be posting from time to time. so, keep up. there's not much to know about me really. but before i go, i would like to tell you that i enjoy eating, sleeping, playing the computer, drawing, sketching, and annoying people. i hate being annyed by people.. thank you..!!