Towards a Globalised Islamic city : closer look on public spaces

The main purpose of this study is to identify and discuss the notion of public spaces in old Islamic cities. Knowing that ancient cities of the Islamic world have had valued qualities in terms of urban layouts, it is important to underline how public spaces contributed to this success. There may be a few studies of public spaces in old Islamic cities; compared with those of non-Islamic cities, they are minimal. This research focuses on developing archetypes of the most typical public spaces in old Islamic cities, describes each type, and provides examples from different regions. The research is initiated on previous studies about public spaces that work as the basis for the study of Islamic public spaces. It is important to define what a public space is and to identify what are the characteristics associated with public spaces in order to determine where public spaces were in old Islamic cities. A brief understanding is then provided of the Islamic city and its basic components based on historical documentations and literature where we zoom in to different types of public spaces. Islamic public spaces are identified according to the definitions and characteristics determined earlier then are equated to general public spaces. As a kind of validation and investigation at the same time, analysis is done on the current situation of public spaces in contemporary Islamic cities. Three case studies are selected that most resemble three types of Islamic public spaces and analysed thoroughly. The feedback from users is considered through surveys distributed among a number of residents and space. The role of authorities in developing and maintaining public spaces is investigated through interviews conducted with two members of the Public Parks Department in Ministry of Municipality & Urban Planning, Qatar. Results of both historical and contemporary cases are compared against the general notion of public spaces. The conclusion of the study is set in a way that combines all of the three aspects: public spaces, Islamic public spaces, and contemporary Islamic public spaces. Researchers and practitioners in the field of urban design and planning will be the ones who benefit most from this study, using it to guide their development and design of public space in contemporary Islamic cities.