THE IMPACT OF ISLAMIC AND CUSTOMARY LAWS ON URBAN FORM DEVELOPMENT INSOUTHWESTERN SAUDI-ARABIA

Urban form and architecture, whether religious or secular, does not re ly only on principles of aesthetics to reflect its essence, but to a g reat extent reflects a society's religious and social demands. The art icle reviews Islamic law, shari(c)ah, and local customary laws, (c)urf ; and the influence they have had on the structural development of the urban form and architecture of the traditional highland settlements o f southwestern Saudi Arabia. Although living conditions in Saudi Arabi a are much changed today, the Islamic religion still plays a prominent role in everyday life. The paper argues that the architectural herita ge in traditional villages may provide a more satisfactory basis for c ontemporary community design than the concepts now being implemented s ince Islamic law continues to influence the organizational characteris tics of Saudi settlements. An analysis of physical elements shows how the principles underlying the structure of Islam and the tribal system are pertinent to each settlement's physical development. The conclusi on is that the urban form resulted as a response to the Shari(c)ah and (c)Urf to verify the basic need for defense, climate and the communit y's social structure. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.