Utilizing the techniques of Interior architectural elements of Mamluk architecture in modern architecture
Published in Social Sciences, Civil Engineering, and Arts & Humanities
https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=Y21hTjUAAAAJ&citation_for_view=Y21hTjUAAAAJ:Se3iqnhoufwCWhy Mamluk interior techniques still deserve a place in modern architecture
Whenever people talk about reviving Islamic architecture, the conversation usually settles on facades, domes, and minarets as the visible markers of style. But the deeper I went into Mamluk architecture specifically, the clearer it became that its real ingenuity lived indoors — in how light, color, and sound were deliberately managed inside the space itself.
That observation became the starting point of this research.
Looking beyond the monument Most studies of Mamluk buildings treat them as complete historical artifacts — their heritage value, their stylistic place in Islamic architectural history in Egypt. But the people who actually lived in these houses spent their time inside them, shaped daily by how much light entered through a particular opening, by the color of the wall in front of them, and by how quiet or lively a given hall felt.
The goal here was to understand which of these interior treatments were solving a genuine functional problem, and which of those solutions still hold up in contemporary design.
Discovering that ornament was often function first Looking closely at the interior elements of Mamluk architecture, one observation keeps repeating: what looks like pure decoration was frequently doing real environmental or social work.
The mashrabiya — that finely turned wooden lattice — didn't just soften and scatter incoming sunlight. It let air pass through at controlled volumes while keeping those inside unseen from the outside. The qamariya, a perforated gypsum or stone opening filled with colored glass, solved lighting and ventilation at the same time. And the shukhshaykha, the raised lantern-like opening at the top of long rectangular halls, gave those spaces a way to breathe without letting in outside noise or direct sightlines.
Learning from how these elements were actually managed Rather than treating these techniques as motifs to copy, it's more useful to look at the design problem each one was solving.
Ground-floor openings were sized around the courtyard as the main light source, with their proportions carefully calculated so halls wouldn't be flooded with harsh direct light that strained the eyes of anyone spending long hours inside. Upper floors, far more exposed to direct sun, were treated with tighter turned-wood screens to cut glare while still allowing enough light through. Even the color of the surfaces facing an opening, and the material of the courtyard floor itself, were factored in as variables affecting how much light bounced back into the interior.
Comparing what today's interiors need with what these solutions once provided One of the more revealing parts of this research was setting these historical treatments against what contemporary interiors still need: balanced lighting, privacy, and natural ventilation.
The comparison suggests that many of these solutions don't need full replacement by modern technology — they need reinterpretation. Gypsum-set stained glass, which once balanced daylight entry with privacy, has a direct modern equivalent in interior partitions, skylights, and glazed domes. And the practice of using warm colors in rooms that never receive direct sun is the same visual principle designers still lean on today to compensate for weak natural light.
What actually carries forward into contemporary design A few threads kept recurring throughout the research:
Reworking stained and colored glass — including newer variants like fused, sandblasted, and crystal-beveled glass — into interior partitions, skylights, and ceiling openings, rather than relying only on traditional gypsum framing.
Using the qamariya and shamsiya principle to control light and privacy at the same time, while updating their geometric shapes for contemporary spaces.
Applying the carving and engraving techniques used on gypsum surfaces to different materials, taking advantage of modern gypsum mixes that resist discoloration and weathering far better than before.
Treating the proportion and placement of openings as part of a building's overall composition, rather than designing each opening in isolation from the surrounding walls and ceiling.
Learning from low-tech acoustic treatments — thick walls, dense limestone, and orienting rooms around an internal courtyard — as a lower-cost alternative to mechanical sound insulation.
The goal isn't to literally reproduce Mamluk forms, but to understand the functional logic behind them and translate it using today's materials and techniques.
From analysis to application The most useful part of this research was moving from cataloguing these elements to real applications: a bank building facade in Muscat that reinterpreted Islamic geometric patterning in a contemporary language, the ceiling of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque where wall and ceiling ornamentation blend into one continuous composition with no hard boundary between them, and contemporary bedrooms and living rooms that use mashrabiya-inspired screens and colored glass in spirit rather than as a literal historical copy.
Where this could go next This research focused specifically on Mamluk architecture, but the underlying question reaches further. As interest in local identity within interior design keeps growing, there's real value in revisiting other historical periods not as a source of ready-made ornament, but as a set of environmental and social problems that were already solved with real intelligence worth studying again.
Because after looking closely at these elements, one conclusion is hard to avoid:
What defined Mamluk architecture most wasn't its exterior facade — it was the quiet, deliberate care built into its interiors, designed for the people who actually lived inside them.
Personal Data
§ Name: Sahar Ezz EL Arab Ramadan Said .
§ Position: Associated professor in Architecture department,
in Higher Technology Institute in 10th of Ramadan.
§ Department: Architecture Department.
§ Contact: saharezz_1@hotmail.com .
§ Mobile No: 01152262151 .
Specilization
§ General Specialization: Decor department.
§ Specific Field : Interior Architecture .
Academic Positions.
· Associated professor in Architecture department in Higher Technology Institute in 10 th of Ramadan (Interior Architecture courses+architecture courses) from first term in 2019 till this date 16-12-2021 .
· Lecture in Architecture department in El Shorouk High Institute of Engineering (Interior Architecture courses+architecture courses) from 2017 - 2019.
· Lecture in Architecture department in Tebes High Institute of Engineering ( Interior Architecture courses+architecture courses) from 2014-2017.
Activites and Experiences.
1-Participated in many Exhibitions in Interior Architecture in the Faculty of Fine Arts 2020 -2021 (IN Zamelk in big halls in the faculty).
2-Shared in competition of furniture for Governorates of Egypt that was organized by Ministry of War Production in 2018 for making economy and multiuse furniture in Asmart Buildings followed to the government.
Research Interests.
-Lights- Desgin of Interior studios.
- Utilizing the techniques of Interior architectural elements of Mamluk architecture in modern architecture
BIO
§ DR Sahar Ezz EL Arab received her PHD in Décor Department (Interior Architecture) from Faculty of Fine Arts (Alexandria University in 2013.
§ worked as lecture in Teba Institute of Engineering (teaching Interior Architecture subjects in Architecture department) from 2014-2017&
shared in Control tasks in Teba Academy from 2014-2017.
§ moved to El Shorouk Institute of Engineering (teaching Interior Architecture subjects in Architecture department) from 2017 – 2019.
§ had many certifications in quality from Quality Assurance Authority In El Shorouk Academy in 2017-2018-2019, also worked as assistant director in Quality committee from 2017-2019, and an internal examiner in Quality of all departments in El Shorouk Academy in 2019.
§ works till this date 16-12-2021 in Higher Technology in 10th of Ramadan (teaching Interior Architecture subjects in Architecture department) as Associated professor and Department Quality Coordinator.
§ worked as Quality Coordinator in Higher Technology in 10th of Ramadan2020-2021, as prepared with her quality teams The ministry's annual file for the department, and all courses files of the department`s subjects
§ working in preparing the department program to Nars2018.
§ Worked as main responsible in control committee last second term and summer term last year 2020-2021in Higher Technology in 10th of Ramadan.
Qualifications.
§ 2013 phd degree in Decor department - Interior Architecture.
(The balancing between human behavior and residential interior spaces). faculty of Fine Arts (Alexandria University)
§ 2003 Master degree in Decor department - Interior Architecture. (Islamic Architecture and its effect on Interior architecture of modern house) .
faculty of Fine Arts (Helwan University) .
§ 1997 B.SC in Decor department - Interior Architecture. faculty of Fine Arts (Helwan University ) .
Academic Positions.
· Associated professor in Architecture department in Higher Technology Institute in 10 th of Ramadan (Interior Architecture courses+architecture courses) from first term in 2019 till this date 16-12-2021 .
· Lecture in Architecture department in El Shorouk High Institute of Engineering (Interior Architecture courses+architecture courses) from 2017 - 2019.
· Lecture in Architecture department in Tebes High Institute of Engineering ( Interior Architecture courses+architecture courses) from 2014-2017.
Activites and Experiences.
1-Participated in many Exhibitions in Interior Architecture in the Faculty of Fine Arts 2020 -2021 (IN Zamelk in big halls in the faculty).
2-Shared in competition of furniture for Governorates of Egypt that was organized by Ministry of War Production in 2018 for making economy and multiuse furniture in Asmart Buildings followed to the government.
Research Interests.
-Lights- Desgin of Interior studios.
- Utilizing the techniques of Interior architectural elements of Mamluk architecture in modern architecture
Publication (The most important researches )
1-The balance between subjective and objective in Interior design: In July 2016,(International Design Journal ),folder 6 .
2-Design Solutions for administration buildings: In July 2017, (International Design Journal ), folder 7 .
3-Using lights to enhance performance in studios of Interior design: In 2018 ,(Fourth Research Youth Conference ), Arts, Tourism and Antiquities Sector.
4-Utilizing the techniques of Interior architectural elements of Mamluk architecture in modern architecture : In 28-30 April 2018 ,(The third international conference for creativity and development in architecture, heritage, arts and literature - Alexandria ).
5-Standards for evaluating the compatibility of interior design of residential buildings With its inhabitants in terms of (mental health - physical)As goals for sustainability: In 13-15 December 2018,( First International Conference on Sustainability )- Environmental Efficiency for a Better Living.
6-Using Lights in the age of Globalization to achieve new aims in studios of Interior design: In 2018, International Conference of Innovation and Development in Architecture ,Arts and Literature – (International Design Journal ), folder 7 .
7-Grids as important elements for Good Design : In27 -28 February 2018, (First Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Applied Arts - October University).
8-Acontemporary vision of the Interior design of Architecture and Arts Academic Institutions in Egypt : In26 July 2020,( International Design Journal) .
9-Finding a correlation between the Interior Design and the Urban Character :2020 ,(Journal of AL Azhar University Engineering sector ).
10-Necessarry Consideration for drawing halls in Interior design studios: January 2021 ,( Journal of Architecture, Arts and Human Sciences published by the Arab Society for Islamic Civilization and Arts)).
11-Lights only to make a creative design:2020,1th ICEE2020 ( 1st International Conference on Engineering Education Present and Future 2020 )-Assuit university.
12-Guide for longevity and flexibility in Interior architecture ,Published: 28 April 2025,Volume 2, article number 46, (2025)-Springer Nature,Discover cities Journal
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44327-025-00066-2
13-A Special Equation between Visual Lightness and the Luxurious Impression of Interior Architecture through the New Classic,September 10, 2024,(Engineering and Technology journal )Online ISSN : 2456-3358
https://everant.org/index.php/etj/article/view/1527
14-Sustainable Development Interaction between Humans and the Interior Architecture:September 23, 2024,(Engineering and Technology journal ),Online ISSN : 2456-3358
https://everant.org/index.php/etj/article/view/1514
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