Mosque architecture is shaped by an interplay of diverse factors—including culture, history, religion, geography, ecology, politics, and economy. Therefore, a mosque cannot be regarded as a uniform or abstract structure, but must be understood as a phenomenological and interpretive entity emerging from the interactions among the architect, users, and environment. This makes the examination and understanding of the mosque’s architectural propositions essential, as it represents one of the most significant architectural, cultural, and identity-related symbols for Muslim communities.
This study adopts a fundamental and interdisciplinary research approach. A purposive sample of relevant literature from reputable academic databases (1998–2024) was collected and analyzed. The research first articulates an epistemological system and its associated concepts, drawing on philosophical and mystical sources. Subsequently, through the study and analysis of cognitive propositions related to mosque architecture, categories and elements were identified that contribute to a thematic explanation of mosque architecture grounded in this epistemological system. Data were analyzed using Attride-Stirling’s thematic analysis, leading to the development of a qualitative model after validation of the codings. In the second phase, to validate the qualitative model and produce the final research framework, the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was applied. A questionnaire based on the model was distributed to 395 specialists and experienced architects through simple random sampling; 389 responses were analyzed. The statistical results confirm that all hypothesized relationships and paths in the conceptual model are significant.
The findings indicate that the influence of the epistemological system on mosque architecture—and the manifestation of this influence across various architectural elements—results from a multi-layered cognitive interaction. A proper understanding of mosque architecture thus requires attention to all these cognitive layers. In other words, a mosque operates not merely as a place of worship or social gathering, but as a cognitive and interpretive phenomenon. Through analytical and comparative methodologies, this study proposes a paradigm for evaluating and designing mosques based on cognitive layering.
