Target Curriculum: History and Geography SOLs: 10.10 Time: One, 60-minute class Objective and Goals: Students will understand the layout and structure of a typical Islamic city. Purpose: To give students the opportunity to create an overview of a typical Islamic city including its development and evolution. Materials: Handout "The Islamic City: Order Within Chaos" (see attachment) with questions Oversized paper and colored pencils Procedure: Students will read the handout then divide into groups of two or three to complete the following assignment: Design an aerial view of an Islamic city. Include the following: Jami smaller mosques various types of markets that make up the Suq (be specific in your labeling) courtyard homes ramparts a Kasbah or citadel that includes all outer buildings Requirements: 1. Your city must cover most of your paper Your city must include a legend Your city must be color-coded. The handout and group map will be turned in at the end of the class. Observation: The teacher will monitor each group's progress. Impressive maps have been created. Conclusions: Since this is a hands-on activity, it has an enhanced impact on students. For Your Information: Students remember a tremendous amount of detail from the accompanying handout. I believe this is because they incorporated that detail into their own maps. Class Discussion Questions: Do cities in the United States follow a similar pattern of evolution? Why or why not? What types of things could disrupt this pattern of urban development? Cautions and Concerns: Students who are perfectionists will want to take too long on their maps. Give them a deadline and stick to it. Written By: Leigh Shipman Submitted By: Leigh Shipman, shipmaml@pwcs.edu Grade Taught: 10 School: C.D. Hylton High School Division: Prince William County Public Schools THE ISLAMIC CITY: Order Within Chaos Despite the chaotic appearance it presents at first glance-especially in relation to some of the newer, more spacious and formal parts of the city that surround it-the Islamic city is an entirely rational structure. Its notoriously narrow streets provide vital shade, keep down winds and dust, and use up little valuable building land. In fact, there is a clear logic underlying the city's layout, one that is announced in the holy book of Islam, the Koran, and codified by the various schools of Islamic law. Although there are regional differences, most towns and cities that have developed under the influence of Islam at any time in the last 1,300 years show surprisingly similar features. These apply to hundreds of settlements in a broad swath of land from Seville, Granada, and Cordoba in southern Spain in the west, to Lahore in Pakistan in the east. Elements of these ideas can be found in cities as far away as Dar es Salaam in East Africa and Davao in the Philippines. Although Islamic cities have generally been allowed to grow piecemeal, sometimes over many centuries, every new building or street has been constructed in line with certain basic regulations governing the rights of others and the pursuit of the virtuous life in the densely crowded city environment. The main guiding principles of Islamic city planning: recognize the need to maintain personal privacy; specify responsibilities in maintaining urban systems on which other people rely, such as keeping thoroughfares or wastewater channels clear; and emphasize the inner essence of things rather than their outward appearance. This last principle applies as much to the decoration of houses as to more purely spiritual issues. The major elements of the Islamic city are easily described. At the city's heart lies the Friday mosque, or Jami, typically the largest structure in the city. A number of smaller mosques are often found toward the periphery. It is rare, however, for other mosques to rival the Jami in height. Close to the Jami are the main suqs, the covered bazaars or street markets that are generally specialized in function. Within the suqs, trades are located in relation to the Jami. Closest in are those tradespeople who enjoy the highest prestige, such as booksellers and perfumers. Farthest away are those who perform the noxious and noisy trades, such as coppersmiths, blacksmiths, and cobblers. The neutral tradespeople, such as dressmakers and jewelers, who create no physical offense, act as an intermediary buffer. Attached to the ramparts, on which are located several towers and gates, is an immense fortified structure, the Kasbah. Usually perched on the highest ground, it was a place of refuge to which the sovereign or governor retreated when the main city had fallen to an enemy or was in the throes of civil war. The Kasbah contained not only the palace buildings and the barracks, but also its own small mosques, baths, shops and even markets. Everywhere else within the city is filled with cellular courtyard houses of every size and shape, tied together by a tangle of winding lanes, alleys, and cul-de-sacs. Housing is grouped into quarters, or neighborhoods, that are defined according to occupation, religious sect, or ethnic group. The most important residential unit in the Islamic city, the courtyard house, clearly demonstrates the application of the various principles of Islamic city planning. Outside walls lining a street are usually left bare and are rarely pierced by windows. If windows are necessary, they are placed high above street level, making it impossible to peer in. Entrances are L-shaped, and doorways opening onto the street rarely face each other, thus preventing any direct views into the house. In hot climates, courtyards with trees and water fountains provide shade, but they also provide an interior and private focus for life sheltered from the public gaze. But within the courtyard and the house itself the appearance of plainness often gives way to lavish displays of wealth and decoration. The vividness inside parallels the emphasis in the Koran on the richness of the inner self compared to more modest outward appearance. Questions: Why are the streets in an Islamic city narrow? Give three reasons. What three principles guide the planning of an Islamic city? What is the heart of each Islamic city? What is next to the Jami? How are businesses ordered, location-wise, in relation to the Jami? What is the Kasbah and what is included in it? Describe, in detail, a typical Islamic home. Why are Islamic homes often quite plain on the outside and lavish on the inside?

..................................................................................................................................................

WorldNet Virginia
TOLL 800 / 609-2680  ::  TEL 703 / 791-7328
FAX 703 / 791-7378  ::  EMAIL info@pwnet.org

Copyright © 1999 Prince William County Public Schools. All Rights Reserved.
Developed by Filnet, Inc.