Architecture in multicultural communities : An analytical study of the impact of cultural diversity on churches through coptic era / Maha Aboubakr Ibrahim ; Supervised Sami Sabri Shaker , Sherine Mohy Eldine Wahba

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Engineering - Department of Architectural Engineering

Multiculturalism is a two-edged sword, with its negative and positive repercussions on society in general and on architect in particular. Since 30 years, researchers in the West have taken this approach to research and scrutiny to address its disadvantages. While the Egyptian society with its deep history has a long experience in this regard, and consequently its impact on the inherited architectural product. Hence the interest of this research focuses on a part that has been ignored from this history, the Coptic era and its architectural heritage of ancient churches. Through research into the nature of this society it has been shown that it is an interactive plural community, which has dynamic cycles to transform or reform its identity. The largest possible number of floor plans of the churches that were established from the 300 C.E. to the 900 C.E., were analyzed to determine the grammatical shape rules governing their formation so that their architectural language could be derived and the cultural roots of those bases were followed. It was found that architects of the time were able to simply and spontaneously interact with their inherited cultures and incoming cultural groups, and offer an architectural product that fulfills their needs, expresses their identity and deals with the tools of their time, avoiding a large part of the negativity of multiculturalism

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