IslamitischeBegraafplaatsAmsterdamAcademievanBouwkunstArchiprix2005TEXT

 

 

ISLAMIC CEMETERY & MOSQUE AMSTERDAM *

* 1st Prize Archiprix 2005 Netherlands,
* Nominated for Archiprix 2007 International, Shanghai

 

More and more Islamic cemeteries are appearing in the Netherlands and Europe. Usually they are part of the already existing municipal cemetery and can only be recognized as Islamic by the graves and the inscriptions.
To stimulate the discussion on Islamic burials, a design for an Islamic cemetery with a mosque in the middle of a busy working-class neighborhood in Amsterdam Oud West was created as a case study.

Furkan Köse graduated cum laude from the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam with his project ‘Islamic Cemetery Amsterdam’.

The Islamic cemetery is situated in the Bos en Lommer district, adjacent to the Baarsjes district – a district in which Muslims are widely represented. The cemetery will have a place in the Erasmus park. Through this park two roads lead to the general Islamic cemetery. The park thus serves as an antechamber – a silent route – to the cemetery.

The cemetery is inspired by the hortus conclusus: an enclosed garden that refers to paradise and paradise gardens. Hortus conclusus is a layered concept. It literally stands for enclosed garden or enclosed court. But in addition to the relationship between nature – culture – architecture it also refers to security, embrace.

In the courtyard there is a large burial garden with space for about 2,000 graves with a funeral home on one side and a mosque on the other side that only serves the cemetery. The two routes and two buildings make it possible to have a funeral in both Dutch and Islamic tradition. The Islamic prayer for the dead takes place in the mosque. The funeral building offers possibilities for the family farewell, holding mourning meetings, washing, cleaning, also of the deceased, after which burial takes place on the field.
Introducing two routes, a “spiritual” one and a “family” one, creates the possibility for non-Muslims and children and women to be present at the funeral as well. It is quite new and unusual to introduce this; normally only men attend a funeral. Because this is a general Islamic cemetery, and the users come from different populations, each with their own idiom and cultural rituals, a fairly neutral architecture was chosen.The mosque does not look like a typical mosque with the characteristic minaret.
An exclusively Islamic cemetery is not a requirement; what is important is the certainty of observing customs, perpetual burial rights and that something of the culture is visible so that people can feel at home.

Despite the use of modern materials, the classical principle of the hortus conclusus is approached from the perspective of Muslim (architectural) history. The design refers to the gradual transition from open to closed spaces of the buildings and the garden, which also give a glimpse of the inner world through carefully placed openings and open up to the landscape, referring to Al-Batin (Hidden) and Al-Zahir (Manifest), two of the 99 names of Allah.

Ideal , interview Pauline Prior – De Groene Uitvaart

Köse sees this (both open and closed) cemetery with a mosque in a neighbourhood where many Muslims live as a good answer to the many ‘bottlenecks’ that currently exist in Islamic burials: at present the various components of the mourning ritual are spread out geographically (ritual washing often takes place in the hospital or a funeral home), perpetual burial rights are lacking in ‘normal’ cemeteries, and being buried in existing Islamic sections in general cemeteries without proper facilities is not preferred.
They are not considered worthy because these often give the feeling of being buried in the neighbors’ backyard.’

But then, isn’t it a utopia because perpetual graves are no longer issued in the Netherlands, and probably not at all in a place in the middle of town? And won’t residents regret that the little green space left in their neighborhood is being ‘petrified’? A fictitious plan, then? Or could it be realized as part of a new construction project?

Köse himself emphasizes the chosen location as one of the plan’s great qualities. “For one thing, it is very well situated socially geographically, in a neighborhood where a predominantly Muslim population lives. And it is easily accessible to others, near the highway. It has a clear address, is a recognizable location and, as a park, has wonderful qualities of which I have made grateful use. I found a balance between the autonomous character of the program and a desired interference in the urban fabric. This precondition for the site was seen as an interesting challenge by the thesis committee.”

“It was designed from an ideal perspective. The thesis plan is fictitious: a framing of this new task, because a ‘talking model’ would better address a discussion of the issues. My thesis concerns a subject-specific and social thesis translated into an image in order to initiate the discussion and find answers for the social issues coming up in the near future.

Because of the shifting perspective for a large group of immigrants from temporary to permanent settlement in the Netherlands, the need has arisen for a place where deceased Muslims can be buried with dignity. Our task is to provide an appropriate response to this development. How should we deal with the program and idiom of Islamic architecture in a Dutch context? In recent years Islam has been in a negative light. With this task I try to make a positive contribution to this discussion by giving an interpretation to the last step of the integration of Muslims in the Netherlands – Europe.”

 

Study: Thesis Academy of Architecture Amsterdam 2004
Location: Amsterdam West, Erasmus Park
Mentors: Tijmen Ploeg, Herman Zeinstra, Bruno Doedens, Machiel Spaan

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