Talk:Mashrabiya

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Projecting wooden oriel/shelf or flush stone wall?

If this means a wooden oriel window, then the supposed example "File:La Aljafería - Celosía 02.JPG|thumb|Restored mashrabiya from the Aljafería palast (10th century), in Spain." can't be one. The etymology given from the word for "shelf" makes it clear that a non-projecting window doesn't fit the bill. Unless of course the term has broadened markedly. Anyway, something's wrong either with the definition or the example. Chiswick Chap (talk) 10:25, 15 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If I remember Hassan Fathy correctly, the mashrabiya is just the wooden lattice which absorbs humidity during the night and cools the air during the day as the air flows through it. If this is correct, then some of the article should be removed - if they have stained glass in them nowadays, it's because they've got air-con inside! Vince Calegon (talk) 14:44, 16 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

You're right, to my knowledge mashrabiya refers to the wooden laticework more broadly, it's just that balconies are a very common use of it in the Middle East; there are other examples of elements referred to as mashrabiya which are not projecting balconies I believe (e.g. wooden screens at the entrances of mosques in Morocco; and maybe also maqsuras). I just made some minor revisions but I didn't touch this; I encourage anyone to revise the the page accordingly; the reference I just added in the lead section (Fathy Ashour 2018) looks useful for this, though only a limited preview is available on Google. Cheers, Robert Prazeres (talk) 19:25, 19 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Commentary of definition of mashrabiya

The precding commentary is very interesting. However, we need to consider what scholars have to say on the subject.

It is correct that some scholars, notably Western scholars, refer to the timber lattice work as a mashrabiya. Examples of this usage include: “Throughout the Middle East, women, their faces veiled from the sight of any man other than their husbands, hid themselves behind the mashrabiya, a fretted screen.” ^[1]

Yet other scholars use the term to refer to the entire protruding window structure. The Egyptian architect and expert in vernacular architecture, Ahmed Abdel-Gawad, describes a mashrabiya as a “projecting unit in the façade [of a structure). (p. 6) and describes its floor, roof and sides, clearly indicating that he is writing about an entire structure, rather than merely one part of it. He also makes a distinction between open and closed mashrabiya; “a closed mashrabiya… is screened by lattice and louvred shutters.” (p. 8) while an open mashrabiya has a closed lower section and an upper section that can be opened. (p. 8) Open mashrabiya consist of “columns that end in arches which carry the mashrabiya’s roof.” (pp 8-9) He also notes that “modified mashrabiya… contain shutter windows with double wooden leaves on the outside… and double glass leaves on the inside” (p.6). ^[2] The glossary of the text, defines a mashrabiya as “a projecting window that features wooden latticework made up of intricately turned wood, connected without nails.” ^[3]

It may also be worth noting that the popular press, along with certain scholars refer to “modern mashrabiya”, which refers to the ways that the original design and purpose of the structure can be adapted for use in high-rise buildings and skyscrapers. See for example, Edward Denison’s How to Read Skyscrapers: A Crash Course in High-rise Architecture, p. 196. Vernacular architecture must constantly evolve in order to remain relevant. As modern materials and technologies trigger new design concepts, traditional building elements create new opportunities for ancient concepts. Any attempt to relegate the concept, mashrabiya, to a narrow range of meanings/ applications would be tantamount to signing its death warrant in contemporary usage.

Based on the sources cited in this section, it is clear that the article in its current form, is accurate, as far as it goes. Any attempt to improve the article could provide a more nuanced interpretation of how the term, mashrabiya, is used in a modern context. On the other hand, any attempt to narrow its interpretation to timber latticework alone, as appears to have been suggested, would fail to reflect the diversity of meanings in the scholarly literature, and ultimately would leave the article in a poorer condition.

References

^ By Mary Gostelow, Blackwork, Courier Corporation, 1998, p. 131
^ Ahmed Abdel-Gawad, Veiling Architecture: Decoration of Domestic Buildings in Upper Egypt 1672-1950, American University in Cairo Press, 2012, pp 6-10
^ Gawdat Gabra, Gertrud J. M. van Loon, Stefan C. Reif and Tarek Swelim, The History and Religious Heritage of Old Cairo: Its Fortress, Churches, Synagogue, and Mosque, American University in Cairo Press, 2013, p. 318

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[1] By Mary Gostelow, Blackwork, Courier Corporation, 1998, p. 131

[2] Ahmed Abdel-Gawad, Veiling Architecture: Decoration of Domestic Buildings in Upper Egypt 1672-1950, American University in Cairo Press, 2012, pp 6-10

[3] Gawdat Gabra, Gertrud J. M. van Loon, Stefan C. Reif and Tarek Swelim, The History and Religious Heritage of Old Cairo: Its Fortress, Churches, Synagogue, and Mosque, American University in Cairo Press, 2013, p. 318

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