Sustainable Development and Planning XI 383

IMPACT OF ISLAMIC VALUES AND CONCEPTS

IN ARCHITECTURE: A CASE STUDY OF
ISLAMIC COMMUNITIES
ALI SAEED BOKHARI1, MAHMOUD TAREK MOHAMED HAMMAD2 & DJAMEL BEGGAS3
1
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Al Baha University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Architectural Engineering, Al Azhar University, Egypt
3
Department of Architecture, University Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria

ABSTRACT
Islamic teachings include principles and applications that directly influenced local Islamic architecture
in the past. The principles of privacy, humility, and hospitality are fundamental to these religious
guidelines and have had a major impact on the design of Muslim homes, as well as on the regulation of
space and social behaviour in these homes. However, Muslims today are very distressed by the recent
political and social changes, as well as contemporary ideologies, which are not compatible with Islamic
cultural values, and that led to the emergence of some architectural models that contradict Islamic
principles and values. This paper reviews the impact of Islamic cultural values on the shape, features,
and elements of housing and the relationships between these elements in many Islamic cities with
varying environmental conditions. The results of the research showed that religious values are the main
pillars of local architecture and that the essence of the architectural product of Islamic societies is the
Islamic concept. Despite the different architectural composition and its diversity in Islamic countries as
a result of the different environmental conditions surrounding them, there is a common denominator
for the diversity of architectural formations and it is the stability of the Islamic concept. The researchers
concluded that awareness of Islamic concepts and values while taking into account the changing
circumstances surrounding contemporary designs, is important to express the local Islamic identity in
ways that meet the needs of modern society.
Keywords: Islamic religion, local Islamic architecture, privacy, Islamic cultural values, Islamic cities,
contemporary architecture, social change, Islamic identity.

1 INTRODUCTION
Islamic architectural imperatives are relatively fixed and change little across time and space,
but the form that architectural design takes is variable. Islamic architecture reflects
environmental constants, resulting in a distinctive architectural philosophy for different types
of buildings. This research investigated architecture in terms of Islamic principles, rather than
Islamic architecture in general. The aim was to identify Islamic values and devise
construction standards that incorporate these values while meeting the life contemporary
requirements.
Islamic law, customs, and traditions in Arab society have played a major role in
influencing the built environment. Two important relationships in monotheistic Islamic
society – a person’s relationship with God and a person’s relationship with his brethren –
affect the structuring of society and obviously have an impact on the design of Islamic houses.
The aim of Islamic architectural design is to balance family privacy with social cohesion by
organising the interfaces between private and public space.
Islam has laid down principles and rules for an individual’s relationship with society,
dictating his or her lifestyle, interactions, and etiquette. This has been reflected in the form
and features of residences and the relationships between these features, because the home in
Islam is a place of sanctity and privacy [1].

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384 Sustainable Development and Planning XI

Studying the construction of housing in a specific spatial context necessitates a study of

the relevant society. Societies, with their different cultures, cannot satisfy their urban needs
in the same ways, since societies have specific trajectories of change. Traditional building in
the Middle East and North Africa is based on religious values, social relations, and
communication between neighbours, focusing on protecting the rights of neighbours and
observing religious requirements.

2 THE EFFECT OF ISLAMIC CONCEPTS ON ARCHITECTURE

IN ISLAMIC SOCIETIES
The essence of architectural practices in Islamic societies derives from Islamic concepts, as
is obvious from the uniqueness of Islamic architectural styles and the stability of the concepts
governing Islamic architectural models. The philosophy underpinning architectural practices
in Islamic societies has been linked to two main factors, the first of which is the Islamic faith
as an enduring and stable source of cultural values and architectural concepts. The second is
the surrounding context, including cultural, climatic, social, political, and economic factors,
which may vary considerably. Consequently, the architectural designs in Islamic societies
differ from one place to another according to their specific contexts and their interaction with
the Islamic faith [2].

3 THIS ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE AS CULTURAL UNITY

Changing cultural visions affect architectural and artistic trends. Architecture is essentially a
cultural product, reflecting social values and expressing the culture that prevails in the
community; thus, changes in architecture represent an aspect of intellectual and cultural
transformation. This has led to many designs being influenced by the spirit of the times,
without reference to a specific cultural identity, and to the decline of local designs in the face
of Western cultural influences [2].

4 SOCIAL VARIABLES AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF

ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS
Political and social changes, accompanied by technological advances and the progress of
contemporary scientific knowledge, have advanced the capabilities of European countries
and enabled them to dominate developing countries, leading to unbalanced relationships and
development between countries and the Euro centricity of architectural concepts. Several
Western architectural schools adopted theories that expressed the material values of the
Industrial Revolution, provided a framework for architectural designs, and aimed to simplify
architectural forms and elements. The Industrial Revolution supported this trend by
producing new building materials that depended on mechanised manufacturing and rapid
production [3].

5 SHIFTS IN ISLAMIC CONCEPTS

Religious concepts and beliefs in Islamic communities were the dominant elements of social
and human life until economic and technical changes occurred that affected the nature of
social and civil life. Islamic architectural models embodied the ideas and values of Islamic
society, but the advent of the Renaissance and the development of building materials led to
unexpected problems that could not be solved with traditional expertise; consequently,
architecture adopted ideas from other fields, such as science and art, importing utilitarian
aesthetic principles and leading to local Muslim architecture borrowing from the vocabulary
of Western architecture, trying to adapt it to the needs of Islamic society despite it failing to

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express Islamic cultural and social values. Architecture became a ubiquitous international
practice unrelated to the identity of Islamic societies [4].

6 INTELLECTUAL TRENDS INFLUENCING CONTEMPORARY

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

6.1 First trend: Rooting

“Rooting” involves returning to the “roots” of local architectural styles and architectural
traditions, taking inspiration from their vocabulary and patterns as a matter of conscience and
human creativity [5].

6.2 Second trend: Contemporary influences

This trend has been dominated by modern Western architectural schools; therefore, it reflects
the Western cultural trend that follows scientific methods and depends on advanced
technology. This trend does not take account of human and spiritual values; consequently, it
has led to the emergence of housing models that do not reflect the Islamic cultural identity or
the history and civilization of Arab Islamic communities.

6.3 Third trend: Contemporary originality

This approach recognises the imperative to adhere to local Islamic architectural principles as
a means of resisting the bias towards innovation imposed by global architecture in all its
forms and variants. This approach attempts to establish contemporary Islamic architectural
theories based on the revival of architectural traditions, respect for the Islamic heritage, and
the expression of Islamic values and cultural norms of social privacy [6], as shown in Fig. 1.

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 1: Illustrations of the various intellectual trends. (a) A rehabilitation project in Al-
Ain Heritage Village in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA); (b) An
Intercontinental Hotel in Egypt reflecting the influence of Western culture on the
Islamic community; and (c) The Al-Azhar (Mashiakhah) building in Egypt
illustrating a link with the Islamic heritage in contemporary design.

7 RELIGIOUS VALUES AS THE BASIC PILLARS OF ISLAMIC SOCIETIES

Religious values are the main pillars of civilized Islamic societies, guiding individuals’
behaviour towards others. Islamic societies accepted these values and non-commitment to
them violates accepted norms, which are the set of ideals, goals, beliefs, laws, mechanisms,
controls, and standards underpinning individuals’ and groups’ behaviours. Since Almighty
God is the source of these values, they determine the relationships of people in general: their

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relationships with Almighty God, with other people, and with the Universe. Religious values
are embodied in the physical and sensory aspects of local architecture, influencing the design
of homes according to Islamic principles. The preservation of privacy, respect for neighbours,
avoid rising in buildings, and separate living spaces for different household members all
contribute to ensuing privacy in Muslim houses. Religious values also concern the necessity
for asceticism, as evidenced by a lack of extravagance and wastefulness in the decoration of
buildings, palaces, and mosques, and a tendency towards simplicity and abstraction. The
Almighty said: ‫( ﻭﺍﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﺍﺫﺍ ﺍﻧﻔﻘﻮﺍ ﻟﻢ ﻳﺴﺮﻓﻮﺍ ﻭﻟﻢ ﻳﻘﺘﺮﻭﺍ ﻭﻛﺎﻥ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺫﻟﻚ ﻗﻮﺍﻣﺎ‬and those who, when
they spent, did not waste and did not recite, and there was strength among that). One
expression of these material values is the provision of religious buildings constructed for the
purpose of worship [4].
A contemplation of contemporary Islamic cities reveals that many religious values are
absent from their design, resulting in a sense of disintegration and isolation due to the transfer
and imitation of Western architecture that does not coincide with Islamic social values [7].
Indications of religious values are monuments and buildings as sources of beauty and
aesthetic pleasure, representing the simplicity and purity of the soul, and a commitment to
buildings that benefit people, rather than the construction of entertainment buildings for
activities prohibited in Islam [2]. Physical expressions of religious values are shown by the
following: respect for privacy, recognition of neighbours’ rights, equality, and simplicity and
abstraction.

8 THE CONCEPT OF PRIVACY

Privacy means singularity or decline, which is the opposite of generalisation, on a personal
level (i.e. awrah), and it implies the ownership of a private, secure residential sanctuary; quiet
communication; and respecting the privacy of others. The Islamic religion has many
principles that protect and preserve an individual’s private life. Privacy has been categorised
as personal, psychological, and/or exclusive, involving the separation of a person from his or
her social environment. Islamic ideas of privacy are based, for example, on the prohibition
against looking into others’ homes. Privacy in Islamic society means balancing the privacy
of individuals and groups, but it should not prevent social communication and does not mean
total isolation and separation from society. Privacy should be a means to facilitate
communication within a framework of religious controls and community behaviours. Some
studies have indicated that privacy is a phenomenon linked to a person’s way of life and
related customs and traditions; hence, sociologists have paid attention to privacy as it relates
to the relationship between individuals, linked to specific criteria such as gender, age,
customs, and traditions [4].

9 DETERMINANTS AFFECTING PRIVACY

9.1 Activities

The activities that take place inside a residence require spaces with different purposes, but
the relationship between these activities varies according to accepted notions of individual
privacy and community interaction. Different activities may be practiced in a single space or
a separate space may be allocated for each activity. This means that privacy, for a designer,
involves making decisions about the creation of places and spaces that fit the activities of
individuals and groups and provide them with visual and acoustic comfort [2]. Such design
depends on the appropriate orientation and organisation of spaces that suit people’s purposes;

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in other words, privacy efficiently enables movement and usage while respecting existing
social mores.

9.2 Individuals

Individuals in a house, and their relationships to privacy, can be divided into groups, such as
undesirable outsiders and desirable outsiders (e.g. guests and servants). In Islamic societies,
there is a separation between men and women, as well as between boys and girls. Privacy
is also ensured by asking permission to enter homes; for example, a child who
reaches adulthood no longer enters his parents’ home without asking permission at
appropriate times [8].

9.3 Levels of privacy in Islamic houses

Privacy in a Muslim house is divided into three levels:

First – Privacy at a general level includes privacy in public spaces, such as in residential
neighbourhoods; on main roads; in commercial areas; and in open, green areas. In these
spaces, the level of available privacy is at its lowest and communication between individuals
should only be through sight and hearing [9].
Second – Privacy at a semi-general level includes privacy in areas that are in general use
in residential neighbourhoods, where contact is through speaking and looking, facilitating a
measure of intimacy and affection that leads to a sense of social affinity and affiliation to a
locality.
Third – Personal privacy is the highest level of privacy. At the individual level, a person
in a house should have the personal privacy to carry out certain activities that require his
presence separately from others. Privacy at the family level means providing sufficient
privacy for the family to carry out its activities without being monitored by others.

10 CASE STUDIES
The case studies for this research comprised important models that represent the architecture
of Islamic societies in KSA, Egypt, Algeria, and Yemen as shown in Table 1. Each of these
countries has unique environmental conditions, but all are subject to the directives and
principles of Islamic law, which have been adopted from the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s
Sunnah. The architectural styles differ in these countries, according to their unique
geographical and cultural conditions.

11 TYPES OF ACOUSTIC PRIVACY IN ISLAMIC HOUSES

The concept of privacy in architecture is related to the availability of space for a person to
fulfil the requirements of his or her daily life in appropriate social and psychological
conditions and with complete freedom. Privacy, in relation to architecture, means providing
various spaces that meet different needs and requirements, appropriately and flexibly. These
needs differ from one society to another, because they are affected by cultural, religious,
social, and psychological factors. Achieving privacy in design does not mean complete
separation or complete isolation, which have adverse psychological effects on humans. The
aim is to achieve the required degree of privacy to ensure adequate insulation [9], as shown
in Fig. 2.

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Vernacular Muslim houses Table 1: Types of vernacular Muslim houses.

in KSA (Al ain Village)

Urban planning reflects security Design of houses comprises two or three

and defence purposes, built in a floors; the ground floor consists of a
compact form, and generally on large courtyard separated into areas for
hilly terrain. corralling animals.
Vernacular Muslim houses in
Egypt (Al Kharga Oasis)

Design of houses in general, consist

Urban planning is compact, and
mainly of three parts. The first one
reflecting security concerns, and
dedicated to guests the second used as a
achieves climate-efficiency
living area, consisting of a courtyard,
through shading and ventilation.
The third part contained the services.
Vernacular Muslim houses
in Algeria (Mzab Valley)

The residences in all the cities of The houses are very similar. Each one is
the Mzab valley surround the 100 m square, including two floors, and
mosque, and there are cohesive in the centre is the part of the room
dwellings among them. called the tizfari.
Vernacular Muslim houses in
Yemen (Shibam City)

The city is located on a hilltop and

has a pattern of intense planning. Houses in Shibam City are distinguished
it is surrounded by a wall for from other cities of Wadi Hadramou by
security purposes and there is only their heights, consisting of nine mud
one entrance to the city, called floors [11].
(dam) [10].

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Figure 2: The concept of privacy in a traditional historic house.

11.1 Visual privacy

Relates to the sense of sight and depends on distance and lighting. The ideal distance for
clearly seeing and recognising facial expressions ranges from 3 to 9 m. The ideal distance for
recognising the facial expressions of unknown people is 12 m, but for familiar people it is
24 m. Lighting plays a major role in visibility and it is evident that Islamic houses provide
visual privacy [12], as shown in Fig. 3.
Residential privacy is always guaranteed by separating residential areas from commercial
ones.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 3: Types of visual privacy. (a) Illustrates the courtyard that provides for a private
family life (Egypt); (b) Illustrates the high surrounding wall that ensures privacy
[13]; and (c) and (d) Illustrate the twisting entrance to prevent pedestrians from
seeing inside the house.

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In the village of Beni Miezab in Algeria, public activities take place only in the downtown
area of the settlement, near the marketplace. There is a hierarchical arrangement of outdoor
spaces, with houses generally opening into semi-private spaces or cul-de-sacs. The home is
considered to be a sacred place that should not be violated. It is a place for women to be
isolated from public and communal life and all women cover themselves when they go out,
to avoid strangers’ gazes. The measures used to ensure visual privacy are as follows:
 Houses are separated from public places and reached via narrow paths.
 Each house is arranged around an inner courtyard to provide a secluded area for private
family life.
 The walls surrounding the roof form barriers that are high enough to prevent eye contact
with neighbours.
 The roads are designated for both pedestrian and animal traffic. (By contrast, in the oasis
villages of Egypt, where there is greater privacy for pedestrians, animals remain on
farms).
 The streets are narrow and irregular and are covered by arches and palm branches to
ensure privacy, safety, thermal comfort, and durability.
 Privacy within the family depends on the separation of men and women, and women are
not supposed to meet any males except for close relatives. The housing in Mizab village,
for example, is separated into two distinct parts. The douiria (place of men) is where the
male guests are usually received and is often accessed from the taskift. This space in
Egypt is called the salamleq. The remaining space, reserved for women, is called the
haramlik, as can be seen in the Al Senari house in Egypt [14].
 There are two separate entrances: one for women and another for men.
 A high surrounding wall provides privacy, as does the high level of the outdoor windows.
 The twisting entrance of the main house prevents pedestrians from seeing what is inside
the house.

11.2 Auditory privacy

Involves providing appropriate sound insulation, inside and outside the house, to achieve the
required level of psychological comfort and enable activities to be conducted without
inconvenience or intrusion [5]. It also means that conversations cannot be overheard
internally or externally. Auditory privacy does not mean complete isolation from the
surrounding environment, but rather protection from undesirable noise, giving people the
freedom to express themselves and their emotions inside the house. Auditory privacy must
protect against levels of noise that can cause inconvenience and adverse health effects. The
measures used to achieve auditory privacy in Islamic houses are shown in Fig. 4.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 4: Types of auditory privacy. (a) Illustrates the orientation of private rooms towards
inner courtyards to achieve auditory privacy; and (b) to (d) Illustrate the use of
thick walls and natural materials to provide good sound insulation [15].

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Spaces can be classified according to people’s interactions and levels of noise: the
sleeping and reception rooms need to be quieter than those for children, and the kitchens and
living rooms are usually sources of noise. The measures used to ensure auditory privacy are
as follows:
 Natural materials are used for partitions and doors to insulate rooms from noise.
 The orientation of private rooms towards inner patios and courtyards protects against
external noise.
 Thick walls built of natural materials, such as timber waste and clay, provide good sound
insulation between units.
 Sleeping and living spaces are placed inside the house, away from noisy inner
courtyards.
 Trees and plants in courtyards help to reduce noise.

12 RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS HAVE INFLUENCED ACOUSTIC PRIVACY

The teachings and principles emanating from the Holy Qu’ran and the Sunnah of the Prophet
are the main factors influencing the concept of privacy as a religious value. These principles
have affirmed the right of the family and the right of neighbours to build and live in private
homes, and their impact on privacy can be clarified [16] as follows:

12.1 Family rights

Islam has always been concerned with the rights of families in Islamic communities. God
instituted certain prohibitions, such as turning a blind eye, not looking upon the sanctity of
others, and not entering houses without permission. These prohibitions have been reflected
in the design of the entrances to Islamic houses, which are twisted or followed by an internal
space to block the view from outside. Family members’ routes go inward, but those of the
guests are excluded from those inner areas to prevent them from passing through the main
house. Measures to ensure family rights are as follows:
 The openings overlooking the inner courtyard are large, but external openings are small
and high to ensure privacy.
 The family room is private, cannot be entered without permission, and can only be
accessed at specific times; thus, for example, the bedrooms are secluded at the back of
the house or on the upper floors and the boys’ and girls’ rooms are separated when
children reach puberty. Almighty God said: ‫ﻳﻘﻮﻝ ﷲ ﻋﺰ ﻭﺟﻞ ﻭﺇﺫﺍ ﺑﻠﻎ ﺍﻻﻁﻔﺎﻝ ﻣﻨﻜﻢ ﺍﻟﺤﻠﻢ‬
59‫ ﺳﻮﺭﻩ ﺍﻟﻨﻮﺭ‬... ‫( ﻓﻠﻴﺴﺘﺄﺫﻧﻮﺍ ﻛﻤﺎ ﺍﺳﺘﺄﺫﻥ ﺍﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻣﻦ ﻗﺒﻠﻬﻢ‬if your children becomes an adult,
let them ask the permission as the ones before they ask the permission) [13], as shown
in Fig. 5.

12.2 Neighbours’ rights

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “whoever believes in God and the day of judgment
does not hurt his neighbour”. This was reflected in the following measures taken to ensure
neighbours’ rights:
 Directing the rooms inward onto courtyards, thereby reducing external openings,
blocking the view of neighbours, and providing privacy.

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Figure 5: Al Senari traditional house in Islamic Cairo, Egypt, is a model of a traditional

Islamic home and the design exemplifies the measures taken to ensure the
family’s rights and privacy. The openings overlooking the courtyards enable
guests to request permission to enter the house, which has a twisted entrance
[13].

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 6: (a) Illustrates the height of the roof walls providing privacy for neighbours;
(b) Illustrates how the entrances of the houses do not face each other, preventing
the possibility of extending the trunks of palm trees to the edge of neighbouring
walls; and (c) and (d) Illustrate the constructing of rooms across streets as a
measure taken at oases in Egypt [13].

 The height of the surrounding walls on the roofs, blocking the view of neighbouring
houses.
 Ensuring that the entrances of the houses do not face each other across external roads.
The relationship between neighbours’ houses prevents house owners from exploiting the
intervening street by extending the trunks of palm trees to the edge of neighbouring walls
to create a room called a tiarah in the Al-Olah village in KSA [15], as shown in Fig. 6.

12.3 The veiling of women

Islam urged the veiling of women from strangers’ eyes, as evidenced by the orientation and
use of al masrabiya in homes, as shown in Fig. 7.
Almighty God said: ‫ﻗﺎﻝ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻗﻞ ﻟﻠﻤﺆﻣﻨﻴﻦ ﺍﻥ ﻳﻐﻀﻮﺍ ﻣﻦ ﺍﺑﺼﺎﺭﻫﻢ ﻭ ﻳﺤﻔﻈﻮﺍ ﻓﺮﻭﺟﻬﻢ ﺫﻟﻚ‬
(30) ‫ﺍﺯﻛﻰ ﻟﻬﻢ ﺍﻥ ﷲ ﺧﺒﻴﺮ ﺑﻤﺎ ﻳﺼﻨﻌﻮﻥ ﺍﻟﻨﻮﺭ‬, (say to the believers that they should turn a blind
eye and keep their eyes lowered); hence, strangers should not look into people’s houses and
this has been reflected in the measures taken regarding external openings and twisted
entrances.

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(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 7: The Mashrabiya in traditional homes in Islamic countries ensures privacy. (a) Al
Ain Heritage Village, KSA; (b) Kharga Oasis, Egypt; (c) Shibam City, Yemen;
and (d) Islamic Cairo, Egypt.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 8: Types of minarets used in different countries to ensure privacy for the
neighbouring houses. (a) Mizab village, Algeria; (b) Bin Raqosh Palace, KSA;
(c) Old village, Yemen; and (d) Siwah Oasis, Egypt.

12.4 Turning a blind eye (turning the gaze away)

Relates to the principle of neither harming nor receiving harm from others, which prevents
the muezzin from ascending to the top of the minaret and looking down upon the
neighbouring houses. The use of a symbolic minaret for one of the mosques near the houses
in Bin Rakosh in KSA prevents anyone from seeing the surrounding roofs, as shown in
Fig. 8.

12.5 Simplicity and abstraction

Using local materials such as stone, clay, and wood for construction may simply relate to
people’s artistic taste and ideas of aesthetic harmony; however, it is also a way of
guaranteeing that functional elements meet environmental requirements and climatic
conditions [5].
 Simplicity was apparent in the building of the Shabam House in Yemen, where the
construction with stone and bricks raised the foundations above the ground to a height
of 1 m in order to support the outer walls and protect those on the ground floor from
erosion and disintegration. Ash or clay was used to hold the stones together and the top
part of the wall was coated with two layers of clay mixed with straw and sand. The walls
were then lightly plastered with a limestone or ash and the roofs were constructed from
lengths of timber, set at regular intervals and covered with a layer of palm fronds and

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clay. According to one study, the thickness of the walls on the ground floor of the
Shabami house is roughly 2 m, decreasing as the building increases in height [16].
The simplicity of construction techniques is evident in one of the traditional villages in
Dhafir, in KSA, which used tree trunks to support the roof and staircase, as shown in Fig. 9.

12.6 Safety and security

Safety and security were reflected in the pattern of urban planning at a time when such
concerns were paramount; thus, buildings were built in a compact form and located on
hilltops to ensure the greatest possibility of defence.
Measures taken inside houses afforded families privacy, safety, and tranquillity under
their own control. They also provided protection from sun and rain and met social
requirements, as shown in Fig. 10.

13 CONCLUSION
This paper constitutes one of only a few pioneering studies that have examined architecture
in Islamic societies. It is thus an important step towards rediscovering the diversity of Islam’s
architectural forms and the stability of Islamic concepts. The research provided a review of
the literature regarding Islamic values and their role in the design of traditional Muslim
homes by considering the concept of privacy and the principles that are related to it as
neighbour’s rights, equality, simplicity, and abstraction. Similarities and differences were
identified in the architecture of different Islamic countries and cultures in the Middle East:

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 9: Simplicity arising from the use of local construction materials and construction
techniques. (a) Al Zafeer village, KSA; (b) Al Zafeer village, Saudi; (c) Baharia
Oases, Egypt; and (d) Shibam City, Yemen.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 10: (a) and (b) Illustrate the pattern of urban planning reflecting security concerns,
with buildings built in a compact form and located on hilltops; and (c) and (d)
Illustrate the measures taken inside houses to ensure family privacy. (a) Al Ain
Heritage Village, KSA; (b) Siwa Oasis, Egypt; (c) Mizab village, Algeria; and
(d) Mizab, Algeria.

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specifically, KSA, Egypt, Yemen, and Algeria. The architectural examples of the different
Islamic societies presented in this research offer design solutions based on Islamic values and
principles, despite the different environmental conditions of these societies. The research also
considered the differences and similarities with regard to these values in KSA, Egypt, Yemen,
and Algeria, with a special focus on the principle of privacy, reflecting on its impact on the
design of houses in those countries.
Islamic values, which include privacy, families’ rights, neighbours’ rights, hospitality, and
similar, were practiced in all sectors of Islamic society in the past and are still practiced today,
despite the social changes that have occurred over time, and the need for them continues.
Religious and spiritual values have been the main pillars of local architecture in Islamic
societies; therefore, the revival of local architecture must be consistently aligned with these
values and their continuation linked to the development of technical capabilities and the
economic and social changes that occur in human communities.
The design of contemporary local architecture must be conducted in a way that combines
religious values with contemporary requirements and progressive developments so that the
designs reflect local identities in a balanced way. Architects can refer to and apply the values
and ideas of local culture and religion, taking into account current changing conditions, in
order to achieve a combination of local identity and contemporary character. Privacy is
considered an important Islamic value that affects the architectural void. It is practiced in all
Islamic societies, but every society has its own interpretation of its meaning and that the need
for it still exists in every time and place.

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WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, Vol 241, © 2020 WIT Press
www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line)