New Trends in Mosque Architecture of Post Independence Nigeria: A Study of Regional Impacts on Kano Mosques (1960-2010)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effects of regional diversity on mosque architecture of Nigeria’s post-independence era with particular reference to Kano mosques.A historical survey was made on the evolution of mosque architecture right from its prototype structure based on the Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah built in the year 622CE. The research studied the foreign elements which were incorporated into the main mosque building. The research found that apart from minbar (pulpit) and mihrab (niche), the other main features of the mosque namely, the manarah (minaret) and qubbah (dome) were totally alien features. Both the dome and the minaret were originally Romano-Byzantine structures incorporated into the main mosque building at a much later period. The research discovered that both the Sasanian and Mughal influences took longer period before their complete incorporation into the mosque architecture. Furthermore, the research identified increased Islamic architectural influences on other building structures besides mosque such as palaces, city gates and other public buildings in the country. The study also found urban development as a key factor in the rapid construction of mosques in urban Kano and its outskirts, in addition to the increase in affluence as a result of the oil boom in Nigeria. The research concludes with a discussion of the position of the mosque between its forms, on the one hand, and its functions, on the other. This is done against the background of over emphasis on the former over the latter in the contemporary Muslim world.