"The Friday Mosque: Architectural Splendor and the Polemics of Representation in Pre-Modern Muslim Societies" with Dr. Ruba Kana-an

Abstract:  This paper re-thinks the common perception of the Friday mosque as the “architectural monument par excellence.” The talk discusses the historical development of Friday mosques in the pre-modern Muslim world and the relationship between these architectural monuments and the ways in which contemporaneous Muslim jurists discussed and legislated for Friday prayer. By so doing, it questions the current art historical approach that mainly focuses on materiality and patronage while failing to take due consideration of the legal understanding of the functional as well as symbolic nature of the Friday mosque.

Ruba Kana’an (DPhil, Oxford) teaches Islamic art and architecture at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research and publications focus on the intersections between art, artists, art production, and law in Muslim contexts. Her experience spans the worlds of academia, museums, architectural practice, and community-based art education.