Architektura káhirských mešit v 19., 20. a 21. století – Rudiš Martin (2023)

Cairo is one of the architecturally richest cities in the world, and its skyline is dominated by hundreds of mosques from various historical periods. From the early 19th century to the present, their architecture has undergone rapid and unprecedented development, influenced by a range of factors. Generally, this has involved the penetration of modern Western architectural influences and the global architectural trends that stem from them. However, a mosque is a very specific type of building, associated with a continuous tendency to reference the past, manifesting with varying intensity across the last three centuries. The architecture of Cairo's mosques thus becomes a site of remarkable confrontation between tradition and modernity. The introductory section of this scholarly publication provides a general theoretical introduction to mosque architecture and pre-modern traditions of Islamic architecture, which have become a frequent source of inspiration for contemporary architects. Four core chapters, corresponding to four main periods of development from the 19th century to the present, then demonstrate the prevailing trends in the Cairo environment through more than twenty selected examples of specific buildings. The text is supplemented by numerous unique photographs taken during their stays...