Mosque

Architecture

by David Macaulay

An author and artist who has continually stripped away the mystique of architectural structures that have long fascinated modern people, David Macaulay here reveals the methods and materials used to design and construct a mosque in late-sixteenth- century Turkey. Through the fictional story and Macaulay’s distinctive full-color illustrations, readers will learn not only how such monumental structures were built but also how they functioned in relation to the society they served.
As always, Macaulay has given a great deal of attention to the relationship between pictures and text, creating another brilliant celebration of an architectural wonder.

Genres: History, Architecture, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Art, Islam, Childrens

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2003

About the author

David Macaulay, born in 1946, was eleven when his parents moved from England to Bloomfield, New Jersey. He found himself having to adjust from an idyllic English childhood to life in a fast paced American city. During this time he began to draw seriously, and after graduating from high school he enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). After spending his fifth year at RISD in Rome on the European Honors Program, he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture and vowed never to practice. After working as an interior designer, a junior high school teacher, and a teacher at RISD, Macaulay began to experiment with creating books. He published his first book, Cathedral, in 1973. Following in this tradition, Macaulay created other books—including City, Castle, Pyramid, Mill, Underground, Unbuilding, and Mosque—that have provided the explanations of the how and the why in a way that is both accessible and entertaining. From the pyramids of Egypt to the skyscrapers of New York City, the human race’s great architectural and engineering accomplishments have been demystified through Macaulay's elaborate show-and-tells. Five of these titles have been made into popular PBS television programs.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid mosque!!!
You made me lose the spelling bee!!!

[Janna Gifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mosque by David Macaulay is a nonfiction book that is intended for the intermediate to advance age group. This book is about how a mosque was constructed during the sixteenth century. This book shows diagrams of the construction as well as showing the reader the importance of a mosque in the culture. I rate this book with five stars based on the information and illustrations. I loved how this book had pages filled with diagrams of the materials that was used to construct the mosque as well as what the mosque inside was used for. I loved that the illustrations that accompany the story was colorful and let the reader into the text. I am always wary of nonfiction books because I feel that they are sometimes too boring with so much text that I get lost in what they are saying. I loved how the book had so many illustrations and diagrams that would break up the text into smaller chunks to process. I loved how the author really put so much information about the Islamic culture that I could really start to understand the creation of the Mosque and the beauty of it. In the book, I could see the balconies, the bath house and all of the fantastic Islamic Art. The Mosque was created in such a mathematical way that it was fantastic that back in the sixteenth century there was so much knowledge of architect and mathematics engineering. Children will love to read this book and especially the children that are geared towards building things and mathematics. This book is a great way to also study the Islamic religion and see how important their religious building was to the community of Muslims. We see how the building of the Mosque incorporated everything that they believed.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read after finishing Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction. This book was set a little bit later than we needed for history study, but still very good.

[Lee]

Humans really were better at building things before technology weren't we.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My student gave this a 5.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Macaulay has been writing thrillingly illustrated books about architecture for over 20 years. This latest volume seems to grow out of a desire to increase understanding of Islam in the West after the attacks on the US. In his preface he says, "I was convinced ... that the time had come to find out where these extraordinary buildings came from, who built them, and of course how." There follows a wonderful explanation of the planning and constructing of a fictional mosque. Along the way, you learn the meaning of minaret towers, qibla walls, and why much Islamic art is so closely tied with Arabic calligraphy. During the Dark Ages, Islam was the caretaker of geometry and architecture, and this book is a quick primer on how they did it.

[Yusra Faridi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction book that describes the building of a mosque in the sixteenth century. This book contains facts about how the mosque was built, what materials were used, and what religious values this structure held for the people who followed it. This book is informational in more than one way. The focus is on architectural structures but the book can also teach readers a little about the people that built the mosque; what their beliefs were and what this structure meant for them. This book contains a lot of facts but they do not empower the book or overwhelm the reader. In fact, the illustrations in the book really add to the facts contained inside and help create a mental picture of the time and place.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I think of David Macaulay’s work, I always wonder if the future architect or construction engineer reads his titles with the same joy I do. I purchase all of his books to explain architecture and construction to young people, but I have never yet had the student who consumes them all in one fell swoop. They are so consumable! My hope was always to inspire that future architect or construction engineer, but I guess I will have to settle for how it makes the non-professional in these sectors understand their surroundings better. What an incredible job this author does at filling the niche of explaining how function-driven buildings are built and how they operate in context of their societies.

In less than one hour, Macaulay explained to me as a reader, 1) who the great architect was of the Ottoman Empire, 2) how the wealthiest Ottoman men of accomplishment would choose to create a legacy via sacred architecture, 3) the techniques the craftsmen of the Ottoman Empire used to build a mosque and kulliye complex, and 4) how life was enhanced around a mosque once it was built. An idea new to me was how back in the day, a mosque and its complex of madrassa (school for studying the Koran), kitchen, hammam (public bath), and caravanserai (inn & stables) enhanced the economic development of the neighborhood, but as soon as I read it, I realized how self-evident that was. These building complexes attracted wealth and trade to the neighborhood.

What a talent it is to write for the middle grade student, yet create a book that also captivates adults! I knew 80% of the information in Mosque, which possibly increased the joy of reading it. Having watched a hammam get restored, including watching the lead sheets rolled out like aluminum foil to be secured one-by-one onto the dome, I loved seeing this process illustrated in a book. What was new to me were the two methods for building a dome and getting the arc of the dome exactly right. I loved seeing the process for making stained glass, for making the wrought iron grilles with their knots for the ground-level windows, and how one goes about building a minaret.

The drawings and blueprints of the construction process were so terrific and easy-to-understand. The illustrations, done by the author, were an enhancement to understanding on each and every page.

There was a one-page glossary in the back that teaches all of the Turkish words related to mosque buildings and worship. There was just enough explanation of Islam to explain why the building was built the way it was, and what each segment of the building signifies, and how one worships inside. If I was a kid somewhere else in the world who had never been exposed to Islam and its sacred buildings, I would have walked away from this book having enjoyed an hour or two well-spent and with a much greater understanding of the Ottoman Empire, the religion of the sultan and Ottoman ruling classes, and their sacred architecture.

This book should be sold in every tourist-related bookstore in Turkey. It would potentially sell like hotcakes to the 50 million tourists who visit Turkey annually who want to bring home a present to their kids and grandkids.

[MindfulMuslimReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When working in the service of some higher entity, we humans seem capable of surpassing our reach and perhaps even our expectations.” Author David Macaulay creates a fictitious story of a wealthy man who commissions a charitable foundation in recognition of his gratitude for the blessings God has bestowed upon him. The author extensively details how such construction was completed in Istanbul during the Ottoman empire in the sixteenth century. The illustrations bring to life how individuals left a lasting impact on their societies, some of which can still be seen today. The reader is introduced to the famous Ottoman architect Sinan, whose work informed the architecture of mosques and related structures throughout the empire even after his death. The book dives deeper and details the importance of the shapes chosen, related symbolism, the direction of the walls, the open nature of the prayer halls, the physics behind the support needed, the different types of materials used and shows how people of many religious faiths—Muslim, Christian and Jews—all worked together to build the charitable foundation. Elements of our faith, such as God, charitable acts, generosity, the call to prayer, prayer and Hajj are interwoven throughout the story. This unique masterpiece serves as a tribute to our Islamic heritage earning our gold star. The last paragraph of the preface along with the introduction really enriches the storyline and is not to be missed. Note: Parents of young children may want to use a thick black marker to block out images of naked men, shown from the back, in a public bath house (p. 56-57).

[EVA RUIZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts off with the building of a certain Mosque, in a certain place. It says how it's built, how it's designed, and how they celebrate when it's done. I give this book three stars because it could have been more interesting. The book gives a good amount of detail, but they could have gone into more detail about the detail.

I suggest this book for kids who are older than 7 because it needs a lot of understanding and patience for the reader. The graphics are extremely detailed and done in water color. In each page there is about 1-2 painted pictures.
The book contains 2-3 paragraphs made of 5 sentences in each page. I enjoyed the paintings on the side which helped you imagine it better. I liked this book because it opens a window into the art of ancient buildings.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Macaulay describes the means by which a Mosque is funded, designed, sited, and then built in the 16th century. As with all of Macaulay's books, the text is accompanied by wonderful drawings. This one was a bit different from which others because a Mosque, unlike other Macaulay topics, is not so complex in its physical building. But it was wonderful to learn about all the different parts of a faith not particularly familiar to me.

[︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ Steph ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Macaulay breaks down the process of creating a 16th century mosque in beautifully detailed illustrations and explanations. I wish I had this book with me when I visited Istanbul! Seeing these structures were awe-inspiring, but understanding the complexity of the foundation and interior layers adds a whole new dimension to appreciating the effort that went into the making of these gorgeous buildings.

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having just been to see the David Macaulay exhibit in Louisville this past month, I wanted to write about one of the many books this architect turned author has written describing the various processes of constructing things. This particular book describes the building of a Mosque in Istanbul at the end of the 16th century. Perhaps the most fascinating part for me was to learn why these mosques were built in the first place. The Muslims have five principles they must adhere to as part of their Islamic beliefs including faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage. A law was established that prevented the entire inheritance of a person to go to his children, thus promoting charity. In response, the richest people tended to establish charitable foundations where they could spend and leave their money, and these included the building of mosques, colleges for religious education, soup kitchens, buildings for public bathing, and public fountains, among other civic and social establishments. These impressive and enormous structures were funded by individuals! This is an interesting look into construction techniques for children interested in architecture and building. As with his other books like Cathedral, Pyramid, and Castle, this book is not text-heavy and the illustrations are a key part to understanding the construction techniques used, so that even though the text is full of difficult vocabulary and middle eastern words, readers can still pore over the illustrations and get a sense of the construction process. In addition, a glossary is provided at the back of the book for unfamiliar words, making this suitable for children and grades 3 and up.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, detailed illustrations and very informative text. I really loved learning how they made the domes on mosques. As usual, I think Macaulay's text is too lengthy, but I guess it depends on who's reading the book. Really neat book!

[mert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting fact: this book actually taught me better on understanding the structure technics used for the old mosques THAN they taught me at the architecture school. My restoration professor advised me to read it.

[OkieBadger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up on Macaulay's books so I am biased. I love his illustrations. This work does an admirable job of telling the story of the commission and the construction (architects, artisans, engineers, and laborers) in cultural context.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself is excellent. I'm giving it 3 stars only because it was a bit too technical for me and I found myself skimming thr majority of it. However, for someone interested in architecture, I'm sure it would score more stars.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and detailed but more about those details of the building than any kind of story. Perfect for the right kind of kid or just as reference.

[Kris Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the blow outs of the architecture. These books are a great way to understand the intersection of historical and cultural interactions.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to go wrong with any book by David Macaulay. Took away one star only because I know I would have loved this more if I'd read it when I was still a kid.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read of these books in so long. It is nice to see that they stand the test of time.

[Tracy Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read-aloud book! I read it to my fourth and seventh grader, and they loved it! We love David Macaulay's books!!

[Chuck Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my core memories is reading Cathedral in 7th grade and deciding I wanted to be an architect. I enjoy the story and detail that go into each of the books in this series.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Macaulay continues his tradition of using fictional stories to illuminate the engineering achievements of a given time. This particularly version is set in the Ottoman capital of Istanbul and features the building of.... "you guessed it!" a mosque.

On this particular work, there is the student perspective and the teacher perspective. My student was not as excited about this installment as others (pyramid or city or castle). I think this is due to the unfamiliar culture and terminology used to build an Islamic house of worship. There simply are not as many carry overs into our culture, which gives this work a bit more of a 'foreign' feel. He is also not as familiar with mosques, as with the Great Pyramids, for example, about which we studied a couple of times and watched videos, etc (did you notice how I worked the latin in there?).

From the teacher perspective, I am happy with the book. It contains a ton of historical information, but in the context of a narrative that is captivating to students. It might be a little too literal for more imaginative children, but they can build on what is presented and it is effective with those difficult to engage boys. I like how Macaulay engages the culture and uses the actual Arabic terms. It provides a window into a different way of thought and function, not just about architecture, but beyond.

Highly recommended supplemental. A worthy library check out.

[Meltha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not precisely sure what I expected this book to be, but it surprised me. Essentially, it's a pictorial account of the building of a mosque circa 1600. While there is a superficial plotline of a wealthy man donating what must have been a truly massive amount of money to charity for the purpose of building the kulliye, the real focus here is on the building techniques used by the engineers and architects of the mosque and its other buildings, which is actually quite fascinating. The sheer volume of work is stunning, and the attention to detail, both in terms of the illustrations and the text, is highly impressive. Scattered throughout are pieces of information related to Islam and ordinary life during the time period portrayed. This would be an excellent tool for a non-Muslim to read prior to visiting a mosque. My problem with the book, and it's not so much a problem as it is a reaction to what I thought was going to be a children's picturebook, is that this is written at a very high level of vocabulary. I'm having a difficult time placing this within an age range, but junior high or perhaps high school might be most appropriate unless a student has a particular interest in architecture. Frankly, I learned a lot from this book myself, so I would recommend it to an adult audience as well. The length, at over 90 pages, is also just less than triple current usual picturebook standards, so bear that in mind for assignments.

[Avempace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mosque by David Macaulay is a fantastic book at several levels. The details included about building a a major mosque in 16th century Istanbul are pretty accurate and historically faithful. The illustrations are wonderful and engrossing, enjoyable to both children and adults. Some details to note: the mosque in question, Suha Mehmet Pasha’s mosque, is fictional, but very representative of several such mosques one finds in Istanbul. The closest one comes to a mosque whose history recapitulates the story line of the book is the Kiliç Ali Pasha mosque in the Tophane neighborhood of the Beyoğlu district in Istanbul. It was among the last designed and built by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan late in the 16th century on commission from the Grand Admiral of the Navy Kiliç Ali Pasha. The second aspect is that this book was published in the US towards the end of 2003, two years after the attacks of 9/11/2001 and a few months after the invasion of Iraq by the US. These were times during which prevailed widespread unease about things Islamic, if not outright hostility. The publication of such a book at the time, a small gesture as it was, still reverberated with me as a message of cross cultural understanding and reconciliation. Highly recommended.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid entry from Macaulay with a mix of populated street, construction or interior scenes, elevations of a mosque with its identified parts, floor plans and local maps, and his usual commanding perspectives as we get a birds-eye look down onto the construction site or up into the majestic dome in the completed facility. And we get to follow the timeline of the mosque rising above its foundations until the final crescent adorns the dome. Macaulay teaches along the way, combining details about the rules, physics, craft and creativity that went into the design and creation of the mosque. His style conveys the accuracy and detail you want from an architect, but also an accessibility with illustrations that are easy to look at and don't overwhelm us in all their detail.

[Annie Combest-friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mosque looks at the building and expansion of Admiral Suha Mehmet Pasa’s mosque and six other buildings that created that area. He touches on the religious purpose of such a building and why it was built. As the mosque gets rebuilt, so does the city it resides in. This book would be useful in an architecture class or as an exploration into religions and worldly perspectives. Also students could relate it to the society they live in and how businesses affect the community. This book could be used for instruction or as a resource in the class library. David Macaulay uses the construction then the function of these structures to convey the grandness of the structure as well as the culture behind its construction.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Young Adult non-fiction?) I say non-fiction with a question mark because Macaulay's book displays the process of buidling a mosque in a fictional setting. He uses the fictional character, Admiral Suha Mehmet Pasa, who funds the mosque, to tell the story of the mosque. Macaulay has also written similar books on mills, cathedrals, Roman city planning, to name a few. The illustrations are fantastic, the story keeps one involved, and it's informational without being overloaded. Perfect for teens and adults who want to know more about mosques, but don't want to read more 100 pages to find out.

[Andres · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Macaulay's first "building book" Cathedral, I coincidentally also picked up and read the latest of his books that centers on a building.

I liked this one just as much but I felt this one was a little more wordy than Cathedral, and by wordy I mean that not everything explained in the text was backed up by the illustrations. Sometimes the written descriptions weren't depicted in the pictures, which threw me off a little when I looked in vain for a visual reference to some description that I couldn't quite picture in my mind.

Like Cathedral, this book is worth the read for both kids and adults.