Arabian architecture is a type of building that has been utilised on the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years. It is a type of Islamic architecture in which huge open spaces are created using arches, domes, and vaults.
The Dome of the Rock is a stunning example of Islamic design. Throughout its 3000-year history, Arabian architecture has changed dramatically. One of the most distinguishing features of Arabian architecture is that it is founded on the principle of direct contact with the outside world, with no airtight or watertight chambers. The Arabian Peninsula's architecture is a mash-up of several styles. There have been no indigenous architectural schools in the peninsula, although Persian, Ottoman, and European architecture have all impacted building styles.
The following are some examples of different styles:
- Princely mansions erected by several emirates use post and lintel construction.
- In Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Ottoman domes may be seen (UAE).
- Mud brick was used for inter-dwelling building (like in other regions of the Near East), but it was also utilised for defensive walls around cities and villages.
- Throughout Oman, arches built of palm tree trunks supported on stones may be observed.
- In Oman's Dhofar area, a unique type of wind tower known as a "Gurgun" ("Mistress") may be found.
Oil was found in eastern Arabia in the late nineteenth century. The Gulf lacked the connection between architectural education and professional practise that existed in Europe and America. However, following World War I, a new generation of trained native architects arose to work on structures that functioned halfway between those erected by Western engineering corporations and traditional dwellings built according to indigenous norms.
In 1951, Mahmud al Malawi returned to Bahrain after studying at De La Salle College in Lebanon and working with American architect Wallace Erskine. When he died in 1956, he left a modernist legacy that has endured to this day. Al-Malawi built the first residential building in the Gulf by an Arab; it was the first house on the west end of Juffair (now Manama), Bahrain.
Sheikh Ali Khalifa Al Thani, who subsequently became the Emir of Qatar, unveiled the first totally native-designed building in the Arabian Peninsula. Construction on the project began in 1964 and was planned by Qatari architect Mahmoud Bin Ahmed Al Attiyah. Ramzy Ramzi and Associates, Engineers & Constructors International (UK), and Atiyeh & Associates were among the construction firms engaged (UAE).
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