Throughout history, the spaces of sacred buildings have benefited from inspiring patterns of light. In this context, the present study aims to analyze how daylight pervades the sequential spaces of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan, Iran, one of the most well-known mosques, during the day. The spaces of the mosque present several appearances of daylight, controlled during different time intervals. Photographs of the spaces taken with the help of a camera depict the different daylight penetrations from outside to inside the mosque, categorized into different episodes. The observation of daylight penetrations in each episode reveals that building orientation, fenestration, reflection, and daylight variability are the major factors to analyze daylight in sequential spaces. Based on the analyses, the results of the current article present the major findings to establish a framework that can help design other mosques and buildings with similar spaces.
AkkachS. (2005). Cosmology and architecture in premodern Islam: An architectural reading of mystical ideas. Albany: State University of New York Press.
2.
ArelH. S.ÖnerM. (2017). Use of daylight in mosques: Meaning and practice in three different cases. Journal of Heritage Architecture, 1, 421-429.
3.
BeheshtiS. M. (2010). Iranian mosque: A place for believers’ ascension. Tehran, Iran: Rowzaneh.
4.
BlairS.BloomJ. (1994). The art and architecture of Islam. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
5.
BlairS.BloomJ. (2007). Iran: Safavid and Qajars. In HattsteinM.DeliusP. (Eds.), Islam: Art and architecture (pp. 504-520). Königswinter, Germany: H. F. Ullmann.
6.
BluntW. (1966). Isfahan: Pearl of Persia. New York, NY: Stein & Day.
7.
BurckhardtT. (2009). Art of Islam: Language and meaning. Bloomington, IN: World Wisdom.
8.
DamjanovskiV. (2014). CCTV: From light to pixel. Oxford, England: Elsevier.
9.
EbadS. (2013). Iranian mosques, the milestone of Islamic architecture: A case study of Shaikh Lotfollah Mosque. International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 7, 940-951.
10.
EsmiA.SaremiH. (2014). Mysticism and its impact on Safavid dynasty architecture (Mosque of Sheikh Lotfollah in Isfahan). Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 6, 333-339.
11.
GanslandtR.HofmannH. (1992). Handbook of lighting design. Braunschweig, Germany: ERCO.
12.
GherriB. (2015). Assessment of daylight performance in buildings: Methods and design strategies. Billerica, MA: WIT Press.
13.
GuthrieP. (2010). The architect’s portable handbook: First-step rules of thumb for building design (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
14.
HamdouniA. M. (2011). Art and architecture in the Islamic tradition: Aesthetics, politics and desire in early Islam. London, England: I. B. Tauris.
15.
HillenbrandR. (1986). Safavid architecture. In JacksonP. (Ed.), Cambridge history of Iran (Vol. 6, pp. 759-842). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
16.
HillenbrandR. (2015). The uses of light in Islamic architecture. In BloomJ.BlairS. (Eds.), God is the light of the Heavens and the Earth: Light in Islamic art and culture. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
HoffmanD. R. (2010). Seeking the sacred in contemporary religious architecture. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press.
19.
HoomaniradM.TamlehH.TahbazM. (2013). Natural light and spiritual space in Sheikh-Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan. Journal of Traditional Islamic Art, 1, 43-60.
20.
HuttA. (2009). Iran. In MichellG. (Ed.), Architecture of the Islamic world: Its history and social meaning (pp. 251-258). London, England: Thames & Hudson.
21.
JahanshahiS. (2015). The collection of mosque patterns with light hierarchy approach to perception space of architecture (Case Study: Ganjalikhan Mosque and Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque). Journal of Scientific Research and Development, 2, 174-180.
22.
KreuzE. (2008). Light in sacred buildings. In StegersR. (Ed.), Sacred buildings: A design manual (pp. 60-67). Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser.
23.
MedvedS.ArkarC. (2006). Applied lighting technologies for urban buildings. In SantamourisM (Ed.), Environmental design of urban buildings: An integrated approach (pp. 146-173). London, England: Earthscan.
24.
MichellG. (1978). Architecture of the Islamic world. London, England: Thames & Hudson.
25.
NasrollahiN.ShokriE. (2016). Daylight illuminance in urban environments for visual comfort and energy performance. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 66, 861-874.
PirniaM. K. (2006). Stylistics of Persian architecture (Persian Ed.). Tehran, Iran: Sorush-e Danesh.
28.
PopeA. (1965). Persian architecture. London, England: Thames & Hudson.
29.
RayS. F. (2000). Camera exposure determination. In The manual of photography: Photographic and digital imaging (9th ed., pp. 310-335). Oxford, England: Focal Press.
30.
RaynhamP. J. (2012). The SLL code for lighting. London, England: The Society of Light and Lighting.
31.
RuckN.AschehougØ.AydinliS.ChristoffersenJ.CourretG.EdmondsI.. . . SelkowitzS. (2000). Daylight in buildings: A source book on daylighting systems and components. Berkeley, CA: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
32.
SaadatD.SiamakM.RezaiH.BahariA. (2015, September7-8). The investigation of light role in Islamic–Iranian architecture case study: Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque. Paper presented at the International conference on architecture, structure and civil engineering, Antalya, Turkey.
33.
SteinB.ReynoldsJ. S.GrondzikW. T.KwokA. G. (2006). Mechanical and electrical equipment for buildings (10th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
