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Mosques as monuments

An inter-Asian perspective on monumentality and religious landscapes

Bibliographic Data

ID2406347
AuthorsNatalie Koch (0000-0003-4064-4620, Syracuse University, corresponding author), Anar Valiyev (0000-0003-0625-5568, ADA University, Azerbaijan), Khairul Hazmi Zaini (0000-0001-8997-1951, Urban Brunei, Brunei)
Year2018
Volume25
Issue1
Pages183-199
Publication date2018-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCultural Geographies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1474-4740 • E-ISSN: 1477-0881
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1474474017724480
OpenAlexW2748683683
LanguageEN
Citations received5

This article examines monumental mosques and particularly those that are built to be and function more as monuments than as places for worship. We consider the role of monumentality in religious landscapes by way of six exemplary mosques in three different world regions - Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southeast Asia. Tracing their unique histories and the identity narratives inscribed in their built form, we stress three broader commonalities among these mosques-as-monuments: (1) each is the result of top-down, state-funded planning infused with strong nationalist or ideological symbolism, (2) each was designed to be an iconic architectural showpiece in the country's capital city, and (3) each represents a stark contrast to other places of worship within that national or regional context. In this unique comparative study, we use an interpretive approach designed to push the research on monuments and monumentality into new directions and new empirical contexts, and specifically to ask why and with what effect some religious sites are primarily monuments and only secondarily places of worship

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Capital (architecture · Context (archaeology · Geography · Identity (music · Ideology · Inscribed figure · Literature · Narrative · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Worship · Asian Studies and History · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law

  • ‘I have seen all places, but none can compare to you’

    Open Access•Silvia Omenetto•Sikh Formations•2026

  • Constructing an Islamic Nation

    Open Access•Annelle Sheline, Annelle R Sheline•Nationalities Papers•2019

  • Protecting Nation, State and Government

    Open Access•Sofie Bedford, Ceyhun Mahmudlu et al.•Europe Asia Studies•2021

  • Sovereign spectacles

    Open Access•Mu’izz Abdul Khalid, Hafizah Nor•Urban Studies•2025

  • Placing Islam

    Open Access•Timur Hammond, Timur Warner Hammond•Placing Islam•2023

Unique citing works5
Citations per year0,71
Citation span2019 - 2026 (8)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 5

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Open DOISci-HubOpen Access
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae