Islamic law for water and land management and its impact on urban morphology
Urban morphology and territorial landscape of Islamic cities were deeply affected by the Islamic law that regulated the ownership, distribution and use of water and land. Due to the climatic exigencies and the economy of subsistence that was mostly based on agriculture, water was a precious liqui...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2008
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.usm.my/34371/1/HBP18.pdf http://eprints.usm.my/34371/ |
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| Summary: | Urban morphology and territorial landscape of Islamic cities were deeply
affected by the Islamic law that regulated the ownership, distribution and use of
water and land. Due to the climatic exigencies and the economy of subsistence that
was mostly based on agriculture, water was a precious liquid that was treated with
special care. A sophisticated system of subdivision of shares was developed by
jurists from the succession law and right of ownership over a long history of daily
practices and cumulated body of legal opinions.
Consequently, the analysis of urban forms in Muslim cities cannot bypass the study
of these mechanisms that are found in books of jurisprudence, archives and courts
records and the people’s practices that are rooted in the local traditions and that are
still standing in some parts of the Muslim world.
The present study aims at presenting these mechanisms and shade light on their
physical impact in the Muslim cities. The complex geometry of land subdivision in
both urban and rural areas, and water irrigation system are analyzed through the
available maps and aerial views. Cities such as Blida, Kolea and Tamentit, Algeria,
provide sufficient documents for the study of this relationships between the Islamic
law and the urban form and thus, serve as case studies. The study aims at
presenting a good example of the interaction between human needs, faith and
spirituality, and laws of nature, and thus add a new dimension to the concept of
sustainability. |
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