The introduction provides a broad theoretical overview of the definition of a masjid as both an ambiguous space and a space distinct from the structural genre of the mosque. To this end, the masjid is defined as a space created through spiritual performance, and this definition is fleshed out over the course of this chapter through a series of targeted discussions. The first discussion addresses Islam’s long and diverse history on the continent and the histories, identities, and realities that have emerged over the course of its 1500-year existence on the continent. In this context, the idea of multiple “Islams” comes to the fore, focusing on the diverse identities Islam has come to occupy for different individuals and communities over time and space. This has resulted in multiple, diverse iterations of masjid space that are embedded in the specifics of their diverse contexts.

The fourth chapter focuses on contemporary mobility paradigms and the ability of masjid space to travel and evolve in response to changing conditions of being. The case studies in this chapter push discussions of masjid space beyond considerations of three-dimensional form to accommodate the realities of individuals and groups on the move. The first case study focuses on the car rapides transport buses in the city of Dakar, which in many ways act as mobile masjids capable of transporting sanctification throughout the city. The second case study in this chapter follows the development of airport prayer spaces on the continent, whose spiritually ambiguous identities allow them to shift character in response to the bodies that inhabit them. The third case study in this chapter focuses on the emergence of virtual space, specifically the growing online terrain of the holy city of Touba (Senegal), which is increasingly operating beyond its geographic borders by expanding itself as a conceptual “territory” into a global digital environment. These case studies move masjid space beyond a tangibly rooted form toward privileging its reality as a flexible, mobile, and sometimes immaterial terrain that is able to realize itself beyond established hierarchies of physical presence.

The first chapter uses the lens of intersectionality to explore three different case studies involving masjid space on the continent. The first case study focuses on the development of spaces such as the Open Mosque (South Africa), which actively provides a space where men and women can engage equitably in performative spirituality. The second case study continues this discussion with the Al-Fitre Foundation, which is currently the continent’s first openly LGBT+ congregation and moves beyond gender-equitable sites to promote spaces for Muslims whose sexual identity does not conform to that traditionally interpreted by Islamic doctrine. The third case study addresses the destruction of Timbuktu’s masjid landscape by extremist group Ansar Dine in 2012 towards demonstrating that just as masjid spaces can empower identity, they can also disrupt, intervene, and even destroy it, given its function as a spatial text that articulates the specific sociopolitical character of its context.

The third chapter continues discussions of conservation and preservation in the form of contemporary environmentalism and eco-criticism. To this end, the three case studies in this chapter address how masjid space functions as an expression of the relationship between man and the natural environment, and thus not only complement the natural world but actively work to maintain it. The first case study focuses on the kramats of Cape Town, South Africa and their utilization of a “natural aesthetic” that positions nature as something to be celebrated, venerated, and preserved. The second case study addresses the Djenne mosque in Mali, which not only deploys historical building technology toward creating a fundamentally environmentally friendly structure, but also potentially utilizes a biomimetic adaptation of the West African termite mound, whose superior heating, cooling, and organizational systems provide an excellent model on which to base a functional space. The final case study introduces Tanzania’s first “eco-mosque” as a prototype for the application of ecologically and spiritually responsible living in rural, low-income areas. Collectively, these case studies privilege the idea of masjid as a fundamentally eco-friendly spatial concept that can manifest in diverse forms and spaces.

The physical setting for Ahmad-i Jam’s shrine is sketched. The shrine lay in the middle of a perilous tract of Greater Iran (Iranshahr), one that witnessed the crisscrossing of armies from Europe and Asia. Paradoxically, while post-Mongol Khurasan lay in ruins, the shrine’s first major edifice was erected in 633/1236. Consequent to Ilkhanid-, Kartid-, and Timurid-period benefactions, an eclectic architectural ensemble characterized the shrine, which became a shrine complex. The architectural contours were frozen (ca. 844–46/1440–43). Recent developments – facilitated partly by the Islamic Republic of Iran – have “unfrozen” the architectural contours. The architectural ensemble and the administration of Ahmad-i Jam’s shrine are described.