Architecture, Building and Planning - Theses

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    The Javanese mosque: a regional interpretation of form and mystical concepts
    Isnaeni, Hendrajaya ( 1996)
    The expression of mystical concepts in the architecture of Muslim communities in Indonesia is the subject of this dissertation. The oldest tradition of Islamic building in the region is found on the island of Java. Mysticism in this study is defined as the relationship between members of the ummat and Allah expressed through efforts to establish a spiritual union, and in this case, making use of the long traditions of artistic and architectural expression beginning with Animism and continuing through the great period of the Hindu-Buddhist royal cults. Formal continuities through megalithic remains and the great temples (candi flowed into the mosque building programs of political and spiritual leaders within what is defined by the historian, M.C Ricklefs, as the modern period of Indonesian history. Fifteen Javanese mosques from the fifteenth to the eightenth century have been identified. They form the central focus of this study which elucidates the adaptation of older forms and the incorporation of iconographical elements from rich local traditions of sculptural and architectural expression. Major variations are observed and analyzed in relation to geographical regions and historical periods. Although these building complexes are less monumental in their physical fabric than many other traditions of religious architecture, even within Islam, the powerful continuities in the spiritual life of Java have resulted in strikingly persistent iconographic expression. Manifestations of the strength of cultural traditions within Javanese communities are pursued through study and the analysis of one of its most important forms, the shadow puppet theatre (wayang kulit) which has spanned centuries of political and social change. The rich twentieth century scholarship of Indonesian and foreign interpreters of these periods of cultural interaction have been brought to bear in this study, but important local interpretations have also been carefully considered. A profound syncretism is revealed through this comparative analysis, drawing particular insights from developments and change in the organization of the mosque form during these three centuries. The introduction of mystical doctrines within Islamic practice from the earliest periods is shown to have been interpreted with great originality in many aspects of built form and detail. Javanese beliefs which have persisted long before and after the advent of Islam, view this world as a temporary living place in which it is possible to make preparation for life in the eternal realm. Thus, the passing of time is regarded symbolically as a spiritual journey through a variety of spaces which contain guides towards, what the Javanese people of all faiths believe to be, The Right Path.