The Architecture of The Holy Mosque Makkah.

Folio. 232 pp., colour frontispiece portrait, profusely illustrated in 18 colour drawings, 86 colour & b/w plates, cloth in d/w, gilt lettering, Mint Condition as New, index, Hazar Publishing Limited, London, first edition, 1998. An analysis of the highly significant new project to extend, modernise and embellish the al-Masjid al-Haram at Mekkah, and its surrounding that started in 1991 to accommodate the large number of pilgrims. It is an interesting work for academics, architects, and engineers, and for all those interested in the history and evolution of Islamic architecture. It covers the history of the mosque under the Umayyads, Abbasids and Ottomans. The drawings show design features and ornamentation, elevations and sections of domes, floors and roofs. The specially commissioned photos show panoramic views and various features. The author Muhammad Kamal Ismail was design consultant to the project, while the editor Salma Damluji is an architect, academic, and specialist in Arab and Islamic architecture. Another similar volume was published dealing with the mosque of al-Madinah.…