Lead Architect: Waleed Arafa
Construction: Yusuf Arafa
Photos: Essam Arafa
Basuna Mosque
Year
2019
Location
Sohag, Egypt
Scope
Design and Build
Status
Completed
Project Description
The project located in a hot, dusty, noisy & densely populated plot in the center of the Basuna Village, 500 KM south of Cairo aimed at responding to religious, social, economic & spiritual functions & concerns. It was a chance to restore the mosque as a community center open for all instead of being dedicated to an exclusive portion of the population, adult Muslim males, for 2-3 hours daily; the time required for the 5 daily prayers. Introducing spaces open for women, children & non-Muslims was meant to restore the role of the first mosque of the prophet in Madina.It was also meant to be a symbol of reviving the village's pride & sense of confidence, having given Egypt many prominent people, but suffering from neglect today. The villagers demanded an icon, however, the architect thought this must be achieved in sync with the architectural legacy of the village & at as low costs & low maintenance costs as possible. The building consists of 3 levels. The ground floor hosts the main prayer hall with two entrances, one from the main street with outdoor ablution on the side and another entrance from the Rahaba that also welcomes ladies who do not mind praying in the same space as men. The same level also features the Imam's room connected to the pulpit.
Project Description
The lower ground floor hosts the multi-purpose hall, capable of serving 200 people, from both genders who can access the space from 2 separate entrances, to accommodate the seasonal increase in the number of worshipers, as well as offering space for a number of diverse functions as determined by the NGO that will be operating the space, such as temporary clinics, classrooms for continuous learning, after school activities & receiving outsider guests for dinners & the villagers’ social gatherings. This level also hosts sanitary & ablution services; 6 toilets & ablution points for males & 2 of each for females. There is also a 16㎡ storage to accommodate the movable furniture needed to facilitate the changing functions of the multi-purpose hall. The third level is a mezzanine dedicated exclusively to 45 female worshipers. The mosque features a single minaret standing next to the main entrance & street 28.7m high. It is the only minaret in the village & it was a direct demand of the villagers as a symbol of pride. The roof is covered with 108 pendentive domes that function mainly as skylights and wind catchers. The roof also features an entrance dome made of intersecting arches built of red brick & a central dome with an oculus that is covered during summer with a soft translucent fabric to dim down the strong sunlight, while allowing the interior to connect with the exterior during winter. The roof allows for natural ventilation, illumination & rain-water collection
