El-zahraa Mosque
Urban and Architectural
Design Idea: The basic idea of the mosque’s design depends on the possibility of accommodating the largest number of worshipers on holidays and Friday prayers, with part of it being converted into classrooms for the Islamic Call College at times of other prayers without a conflict between the two functions.
Project elements: The mosque consists of a main prayer space with a surface area of 1440 m 2 that accommodates 1900 worshipers, in addition to the courtyard of the mosque with a surface area of 320 m 2 that accommodates 430 worshippers, at a level of 1.80 from street level, and a chapel for women with a surface area of 110 m 2 that accommodates 140 women. It overlooks the back space and the courtyard of the mosque and is reached Through circular staircases in the minaret to the right of the main entrance, and with the same staircase, it reaches the basement where there is a ladies’ mansion. The women’s entrance has been completely separated from the men’s entrance. As for the men’s washroom, it is accessed by descending the circular stairs in the minaret to the left of the main entrance to the mosque, and in addition to the prayer space there are Several activities in the part in front of the Qibla hallway, where at the basement level there is a gymnasium with a surface area of 100 square metres, a computer science hall with a surface area of 100 square metres, in addition to a group of various stores. For faculty members, and on the first floor there is a scientific and religious library for women, and thus the mosque combines several functions integrated with each other, which helps to give The mosque plays a leading role in guiding the activities and life of the Muslim. The prayer space has been distributed in two screens, the first to the right of the qibla hallway and the second to the left so that the crowds of worshipers can see the preacher.
The construction idea: The prayer space was covered by cross vaults loaded on frames of reinforced concrete frames to give clean seas without columns in order to achieve a width of 12 m, the length of the classrooms, where the space between each two frames covers a pair of cross vaults on two levels, with flat wheel work 1 and 2 For the applicable doors that separate the seasons in a special space between the frames, the cross vaults are made of reinforced concrete on metal formwork, typically.
The number of these vaults is 34, while the dome covering the qibla portico has a diameter of 8 meters and a height of its highest point of about 20 m. The beautiful Islamic one as it allows to provide sufficient natural lighting for the classrooms and the prayer space. These openings also help to move the air inside the mosque by entering the air through the courtyard and exiting from those openings.
Covering with cross vaults gives a shape gradient in height towards the dome of the qibla portico in a distinct architectural formation.
The mosque has two minarets, on the right and left of the main entrance, with a conical shape, with a height of up to 33 meters, and at the top of each of them there is a balcony covered with tiles. The influence of the minarets of Bukhara and Samarkand is noted.
Description
Details
Location
Al-Azhar University, Al-Nasr Road, Nasr City, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
Owners
El‐Azhar University
Architect Name
Year of Build
1995
Area
5,360 m²
Drawings
Map
Urban and Architectural
Design Idea: The basic idea of the mosque’s design depends on the possibility of accommodating the largest number of worshipers on holidays and Friday prayers, with part of it being converted into classrooms for the Islamic Call College at times of other prayers without a conflict between the two functions.
Project elements: The mosque consists of a main prayer space with a surface area of 1440 m 2 that accommodates 1900 worshipers, in addition to the courtyard of the mosque with a surface area of 320 m 2 that accommodates 430 worshippers, at a level of 1.80 from street level, and a chapel for women with a surface area of 110 m 2 that accommodates 140 women. It overlooks the back space and the courtyard of the mosque and is reached Through circular staircases in the minaret to the right of the main entrance, and with the same staircase, it reaches the basement where there is a ladies’ mansion. The women’s entrance has been completely separated from the men’s entrance. As for the men’s washroom, it is accessed by descending the circular stairs in the minaret to the left of the main entrance to the mosque, and in addition to the prayer space there are Several activities in the part in front of the Qibla hallway, where at the basement level there is a gymnasium with a surface area of 100 square metres, a computer science hall with a surface area of 100 square metres, in addition to a group of various stores. For faculty members, and on the first floor there is a scientific and religious library for women, and thus the mosque combines several functions integrated with each other, which helps to give The mosque plays a leading role in guiding the activities and life of the Muslim. The prayer space has been distributed in two screens, the first to the right of the qibla hallway and the second to the left so that the crowds of worshipers can see the preacher.
The construction idea: The prayer space was covered by cross vaults loaded on frames of reinforced concrete frames to give clean seas without columns in order to achieve a width of 12 m, the length of the classrooms, where the space between each two frames covers a pair of cross vaults on two levels, with flat wheel work 1 and 2 For the applicable doors that separate the seasons in a special space between the frames, the cross vaults are made of reinforced concrete on metal formwork, typically.
The number of these vaults is 34, while the dome covering the qibla portico has a diameter of 8 meters and a height of its highest point of about 20 m. The beautiful Islamic one as it allows to provide sufficient natural lighting for the classrooms and the prayer space. These openings also help to move the air inside the mosque by entering the air through the courtyard and exiting from those openings.
Covering with cross vaults gives a shape gradient in height towards the dome of the qibla portico in a distinct architectural formation.
The mosque has two minarets, on the right and left of the main entrance, with a conical shape, with a height of up to 33 meters, and at the top of each of them there is a balcony covered with tiles. The influence of the minarets of Bukhara and Samarkand is noted.
Description