Spiritual Significance in Islamic Architecture, Dr Mostafa al-Badawi and Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad

Bradford Literature Festival Digital Programme 2021 bradfordlitfest.co.uk Islamic Architecture is amongst the most recognisable and admired in the world. It is known for its beauty, precision and timelessness, but few understand the meanings and metaphors that underpin it. The Bradford Literature Festival is honoured to host Dr Mostafa al-Badawi, in conversation with Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, as he takes us on a journey with authoritative textual references through the deeper and long-forgotten meanings of many of the elements of Islamic architecture. The discussion will include courtyards, gardens and fountains, generally believed to reflect images of paradise; domes, arches, ceilings, decorated so intricately with arabesque and geometric designs; as well as epigraphic inscriptions found not only in mosques but also everyday buildings in traditional Islamic architectural design. Waleed Arafa, an Egyptian architect, will be giving a short presentation on his project, the Basuna Mosque in Egypt, that he has designed, built and incorporated many of the dimensions explored in the book.