REINTERPRETING THE MADRASA: A PROTOTYPE MODEL FOR CONTEMPORARY COLLEGE DESIGN IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD

Abstract

The link between higher education success and a nation's growth is inseparable. In the Islamic world, and the MENA region in particular, many countries are grappling with insufficient funds, rapid urbanization, and conflicts, which directly affect the ongoing need to build and rebuild higher education facilities. This situation presents an opportunity to reconsider the long reliance on imported models for such facilities and to design more appropriate college buildings that better reflect their users' cultural identity. Historically, the madrasa served as the most influential institution of higher learning in Islamic cities. Its institutional prominence gradually diminished with the advent of modern educational reforms, including those initiated by Muhammad Ali in Egypt in the 1850s. In this process, madrasa was perceived as outdated, a view that overlooked its potential to inform contemporary architectural practices. This thesis proposes a critical reinterpretation of the madrasa as a generative architectural typology by providing a prototype model for contemporary college design in the Islamic world. By implementing a mixed qualitative methodology, combining historical inquiry, comparative case study analysis, and design-based synthesis, the study approaches the madrasa from its recurring spatial, formal, and environmental values. It explores their contemporary adaptation and relevance within college design standards, moving from historical replication to a relevant application by creating an adaptable prototype and tailoring it to the urgent reconstruction needs of Gaza, Palestine. The design proposal creates an integrated college model organized around a central courtyard. It reimagines the iwans as interaction spots and uses the forms as both a wayfinding tool and an environmentally responsive method. These principles have proved relevant to Gaza's need for safety, feasibility, phasing, and community interaction within their higher-education buildings. The significant lessons from the madrasa typology can serve as tools to benefit the higher education context by encouraging intellectual exchange, extending educational benefits to the community, and reducing operational costs. These benefits reiterate that revisiting traditional typologies can help address present-day challenges.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Islamic Studies