Overview:

The main focus of the Department of Islamic Architecture (major: architecture) is to qualify a new generation of architects to be aware of the architectural outlook, and to provide them with all the necessary skills, professions and crafts related to architecture. Given the close relationship between such crafts and the architectural environment, they are reckoned of high importance for architects, who are given the opportunity to get closer to them through direct learning.

Objectives of the Department:

The objectives of the Department of Islamic Architecture (major: architecture) stem from the principles of Shari'a, which prompt the Islamic Ummah towards hard work, through which to lead the entire world towards a brighter future: behaviorally, intellectually, scientifically, and technologically.

That said, the department takes as its primary objective producing a generation of architects with comprehensive architectural background, who show, in the meantime, strong commitment to the true Islamic teachings and principles. Another goal is to introduce the disciplines and specialties absent in the Kingdom's universities. That is to be added to alleviate pressure on such universities, and satisfy the increasing demand on that specific area, given the ever increasing number of students. Furthermore, the program aims at linking students to the environment where they live, and qualifying them to be good competitors to to fellow students from high-ranking national and international universities. Therefore, this program places particular emphasis on Quranic and Islamic studies relevant to engineering and architecture.

Key Objectives:

• To adhere to the Islamic viewpoint as an essence and comprehensive approach to building, and utilizing the architectural environment in a manner that realizes balance in satisfying human requirements;
• To assume world-scale leadership, by means of academic and scientific partnerships, towards building the knowledge society;
• To serve the local community of Makkah, by taking part in preserving the local natural and architectural environment, as well as developing it.

Objectives in Detail:

• To prepare a generation of architects and planners who are well aware of the Islamic principles so far as architecture as concerned. This generation shall be responsible for planning and designing cities and buildings.
• To promote the profession of planning and architecture throughout the Islamic countries, by calling for adopting and reviving the principles, objectives and concepts of Islamic architecture;
• To encourage and enhance research, writing and translation in the fields related to the Islamic architecture;
• To prepare a generation of environment designers who are capable of competition at the domestic and international work markets;
• To boost students' ability to meet the work market needs and requirements, by bolstering their educational attainment, and developing innovative solutions to address study-related problems;
• To adopt the academic accreditation approach, according to the nationally and internationally quality criteria, and develop mechanisms to apply, evaluate and foster quality;
• To serve society, by way of participating in preserving and developing the local environment, as well as suggesting the architectural innovations that would help realize this goal;
• To hone the faculty members' skills, and prepare the direct and supportive educational services;
• To enhance and tighten the institutional bond between the Department of Islamic architecture and the community, in order for the department to serve as a hub of specialized expertise in this domain, at both the theoretical and practical levels;
• To develop empirical research, and further academic cooperation and partnerships, with a view to upgrading research to the internationally approved standards;
• To make students the focal point of the learning process, for whose sake all development plans are set.