Arts Knowledge

Mosques and Minarets

Mosques

A mosque (in Arabic, Masjid) is the building in which Muslims worship Allah, their God. Throughout Islamic history, the mosque was, and still is, not only the place where Muslims attend the five daily prayers, but also the centre of the community and towns formed around this pivotal building.

All mosques have a mihrab, a niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca, the direction towards which Muslims pray.  Most mosques also have a minbar from which an Islamic scholar is able to deliver a sermon or speech.

Three facts you should know about mosques:

Men do not pray together with women, they have separate areas with separate entrances.

Most mosques have courtyards with pools and fountains, which originally supplied water for ablution before prayer.

Mosques are decorated with straight lines of geometric designs or verses from the Quran in Arabic calligraphy. There are no images of life or statues in mosques, in Islam this is forbidden.

Learn more on Islam and its architecture.

Minarets

In the remote past they served as guide posts for caravans moving on vast plateaus, thus they could find their routes in endless deserts and plains. Minarets were also built on seashores playing the same role as a lighthouse.

During Islamic period, mosques have started to be built in a more and more complex way, so minarets were “added” to them, built into or adjacent. From their top the Muslims could hear the muezzin’s call to prayer.

Minarets serve as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence as well. They can have a variety of forms, from thick, squat towers to soaring, pencil-thin spires.

Learn more on minarets.

Top Three Largest Church Buildings

Asian Architecture. Temples vs Pagodas

A temple is a place of worship, similar to a church for Christians or a mosque for Muslims. Is where Asian worshippers go to mediate and people of all walks of life can get spiritual knowledge. The architectural style varies greatly throughout Asia, but they are always built to face the East or South for better luck and designed to inspire inner and outer peace. 

Learn more about temples here:

Buddhist temples in Japan

Chinese temples

A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves built to have a religious function. The oldest pagodas were built of wood, but most that survived were built of brick or stone.

Some pagodas are solid with no interior, some hollow having no higher floors or rooms, but the interior might often contains an altar or a smaller pagoda, as well as a series of staircases for the visitor to climb to see the view from an opening on one side of each tier. Most have between three and 13 tiers (almost always an odd number) and the classic gradual tiered eaves.

Learn more about pagodas here.

Japanese Arts. Ikebana

Ikebana is an ancient Japanese custom, meaning "arranging flowers" or "making flowers alive"; it is also known as kadō, "way of flowers".

At the very beginning, the art of flower arranging had no meaning, was simply placing flowers in vases to be used as temple offerings without a specific structure.

The art came into existence only at the end of the 15th century. As a little curiosity: Ikebana has always been considered a dignified accomplishment. All of Japan's most celebrated generals notably practised flower arranging, finding that it calmed their minds and made their decisions on the field of action clearer (source, Wikipedia).

Ikenobo School

Ikenobo is the oldest school of Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arrangement.

Originating over 550 years ago, Ikenobo is deeply intertwined with the Rokkakudo Temple in Kyoto, where Buddhist monks began offering floral displays to statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. So, Ikenobo is rooted in a profound spiritual philosophy that views arranging flowers as a meditative path of self-cultivation, harmony, and reverence for nature.

At the core of Ikenobo is the belief that every plant possesses its own unique character and voice, be it a bud, a blossomed flower or a withered leaf.

Why I Love It:

Mindful Creation: Arranging flowers in the Ikenobo tradition requires slowing down, observing the natural curve of a branch or the tilt of a blossom, and listening to what the plant "wants" to express.

Celebrating All Stages of Life: It honours not just the peak bloom, but buds, leaves, and even withered parts—reminding us of life's natural cycles.

Finding Balance: Using space (ma) as actively as the flowers themselves teaches us the beauty of simplicity and breathing room.

Resources/Read more:

Wikipedia

Ikenobo School and Its Styles
Karaku - Official Ikenobo Store

Arizona Community 

Ohara School

The Ohara School was founded in late 19^th century by Unshin Ohara, a period when Japan was opening its doors to Western culture.

Till that time, traditionally, Ikebana arrangements were strictly vertical, designed for traditional architectural alcoves. However, with the influx of vibrant Western garden flowers, Unshin Ohara sought a way to capture the sweeping beauty of natural scenery.  

Instead of a tall, narrow vase, the Moribana style, the main branch of this school, utilises wide, shallow containers (suiban) where flowers are "piled up" to mimic natural growth.

Alongside Moribana, there is Heika style, arrangements in tall vases, and Hana-isho style, which harmonises with modern, everyday living spaces.  

Sources/Read more:

Wikipedia

Ohara School. California Centers. Classes & Courses

 Ohara Center, Tucson, Arizona State

Ohara Center, Columbus, Ohio State

Sogetsu School

The Sogetsu School was founded in 1927 by artist Sofu Teshigahara with a radical philosophy: Ikebana is a creative art. He believed that traditional schools had become too rigid, trapping an evolving art form in static rules. His antidote was a wonderfully inclusive creed: Sogetsu Ikebana can be created "Anytime, Anywhere, by Anyone" using any material.   

This meant stepping away from the exclusive use of traditional flowers and containers. Sogetsu practitioners might use weathered branches, rusted iron, plastic, glass, or massive, soaring bamboo installations alongside fresh blossoms.   

The school teaches that an arrangement should reflect the unique heart, mind, and personality of its creator. No two people are alike, and therefore, no two Sogetsu arrangements should be alike either.  

Resources/Read more:

Wikipedia

Ikebana International. San Francisco Bay Area, California

Eclipse Ikebana. Mount Martha, Victoria, Australia

The Sogetsu Kaikan, Sogetsu Foundation Headquarters, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo.

Ikebana vs. Western Tradition

Two different cultures on how they interpret beauty, space, and our relationship with the natural world.

When we think about arranging flowers, two vastly different philosophies immediately come to mind. On one hand, there is the exuberant, abundant Western tradition, which celebrates nature through a lens of fullness, symmetry, and vibrant color. On the other hand, we have Ikebana, the ancient Japanese art of flower arrangement, which views arrangement through a lens of minimalism, line, and mindfulness. 

The Western Tradition - Abundance and Celebration

The Western style of floral design is all about mass and symmetry aiming to fill a space with a riot of color, fragrance, and texture, celebrating nature at the peak of its bloom. 

The focus is placed on color harmony, the overall shape (often rounded or pyramidal), and creating a lush, opulent display where individual stems blend into a cohesive whole.

It is a festive vibe, welcoming, and sensory. It’s designed to impress and brighten rooms and halls with sheer vitality.

Ikebana - Minimalism and Space

Ikebana is far more than celebrations and home decor; it is a disciplined, meditative art form with roots in Buddhist traditions which honours every part of the plant, not just the blossoms, but the stems, leaves, and even withered branches. It emphasises asymmetry, empty space, and the passage of time.

It is a contemplative vibe, tranquil, and architectural. It invites the viewer to pause and appreciate the quiet elegance of a single, perfectly placed stem.

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While Western traditions look at flowers as a bounty to be gathered, Ikebana treats them as living sculptures to be deeply listened to. Whether you prefer the dramatic, garden-fresh romance of a Western centrepiece or the quiet, breathing space of a classic Ikebana arrangement, both traditions remind us of the profound joy of bringing the outdoors inside.