David Macaulay’s Mosque reminds me of the childhood pleasure of discovery without sacrificing valuable lessons and important technical detail.

The book follows the fictional construction of a grand mosque and the development of its surrounding campus, or kulliye, from 1596 to 1600 and shortly beyond. The premise of the book is informed by mosque construction in Istanbul between 1540 and 1580 under the direction of Mimar Sinan, an important Ottoman architect and engineer who designed and constructed hundreds of buildings throughout the empire.

The fictional mosque depicted in this book serves two purposes: to provide an intimate prayer space for worshipers and to showcase the enormity and strength of the Ottoman Empire and its devotion to Islam. The book guides the reader through the process of designing, building, and inaugurating the mosque and its structures using Macaulay’s unique hand-drawn illustrations.

Macaulay is comprehensive in his illustration of mosque design. He demonstrates the three traditional sources of inspiration for Islamic architecture: the Qur’an, natural vegetation and flora, and complex geometry. He also uses the language of the time and location, such as imaret (soup kitchen) and minbar (pulpit), and provides a helpful glossary. To describe a process in its original language is a necessary and valuable nuance.

Intended as a children’s book, Mosque introduces many elemental Islamic principles, such as the five pillars, and explores the religious significance of the mosque’s design and interior adornment. For example, the qibla is explained to illustrate why prayer spaces face in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, and the process of carving scripture into slabs of stone is shown to demonstrate the importance of the Qur’an not just as a source of guidance but also of enrichment, inspiration, and beauty.

Importantly, this book should not be construed as a representation of all mosques. While mosques around the world share many of the same principles, their construction processes and designs are inevitably influenced by culture, geography, time, resource availability, finances, and need. Macaulay’s fictionalized mosque is rooted in mid-16th century Ottoman mosque design, and the culmination of the project should be appreciated within that context.

Among many other books, Macaulay is the author of The Way Things Work and The New Way Things Work, the latter of which I grew up with and have fond memories reading with my parents. I encourage you to add this book to your collection.

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