Light & Engineering 34 (3) 2026

Volume 3
Pages 92–102

The Influence of Daylighting on the Architecture of the Newest Mosques Part II: The Light Opening is a Replacement for the Traditional Mihrab and the Qibla Wall L&E, Vol.34, No.3, 2026

Articles authors:

Elena V. Ermolenko

Elena V. Ermolenko, Ph. D. in Architecture. Associate Professor at Moscow Institute of Architecture (State Academy). She is a Member of the Presidium of the Moscow Union of Architects, Member of the Council of the Interregional Public Organization for the Promotion of Architectural Education (MOOCAO), Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Branch of the MOOCAO Moscow Art Institute, and the author of more than 70 scientific articles on modern architecture. Her research interests: contemporary architecture, urban planning, spatial organization of cultural institutions (museums, theatres, libraries, concert halls), as well as stylistic differences and innovations in the architecture of religious buildings

Abstract:

Based on the analysis of mosques built in the 21st century in Turkey, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Albania, Malaysia, Indonesia, Oman, and other countries, innovative architectural techniques for daylighting systems have been identified: placing the mihrab in the stained-glass structure, dissolving the qibla in light, replacing the mihrab with a stream of sunlight, and solid glazing of the mosque. The trend towards an increase in translucent structures and the "openness" of prayer halls to the outside world is shown. The interrelation of some of the studied techniques with the cultural and religious basis of Islam has been revealed, which makes it possible to "reconcile" innovation and tradition in mosque architecture. The results of the scientific analysis of daylighting systems in the latest mosques, presented as a theoretical systematic material, are important for designing architects, because they allow them to go beyond the design or technical solution to a more complex plane, the plane of human habitation of deep emotions associated with a sense of belonging to religion, to a centuries-old cultural tradition.

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Keywords

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33383/2025-037

Article in RUS:
Svetotekhnika # 5, 2025, pp. 4–10

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