“One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again.” These famous words by Renzo Piano hold great significance when defining architecture. Architecture is the core that identifies a people or civilization and portrays their image and culture to the rest of the world. Hence, the various architectural styles hold their own unique significance. My best-loved style is Islamic architecture. Islamic architecture, which dates back to the seventh century, is a very distinct yet influential style of architecture. It has successfully exerted an influence upon several architectural styles and has itself been shaped by numerous other dynasties. Its rhythmic methodology represents intellectual concepts of Islam through the use of repetitive geometric patterns, geometry, and calligraphy of Quranic verses.

Islamic architecture’s secular and religious monuments are identified as a well-defined style due to its use of vibrant colors and repetitive geometric patterns. The element of patterns isn’t made for the aesthetic gratification of the human eye but is used as a medium to represent God, direct the viewer to the fact that God is the only Superpower, and connect him with a higher state of consciousness. For example, the star patterns represent our cosmos and show a connection to the heavens and beyond, and plant patterns or floral designs showcase Paradise. This infinity of interlocking geometric patterns of triangles, squares, hexagons, and stars really fascinates me as to what simple shapes were used to extrude such exotic patterns with a deeper meaning.

Alongside this variation from other architectural styles, Islamic architecture is one of the few styles that is labeled by Islam’s monotheistic belief. It is a style that is based on the Islamic faith. These patterns and other elements help to create this variation as art gets used as a passageway to create a spiritual and universal connection with God because these Islamic structures contain Quranic verses to help create that connection.

The last thing that I find captivating is how these structures came into being. I was riveted to find that this style was created through influence. It has itself been affected by the particular dynasties of the Byzantine, Roman, and Sassanid and has also had an effect on many others. For example, the Christian Tower, which was part of Byzantine architecture, was inherited by Islamic architecture as a minaret. The Humayun Tomb’s dome has a bulbous shape that was brought to India from a Timurid tradition of Uzbekistan. This points a finger at the fact that trade played a vital role in shaping this style of architecture. This classified the architectural style itself as different Islamic dynasties influenced by different regions, and the foundations were built based on their geographical location.

In summary, these are the things that I am fascinated by about Islamic architecture: its interconnection with God and religion, the patterns through which this was achieved, and how these different styles came into being due to the influence of the environment and other dynasties.