The Role of Conceptual Art in the Design of Contemporary Mosques in Khorasan: An Approach to Modernization and the Maximum Engagement of the Cultural AudienceApproach Audience

Shajie Gisour, Mahdi; Heidari, Ahmad; Mirzaei, Reza

doi:10.22034/ijumes.2026.2045668.1268

The Role of Conceptual Art in the Design of Contemporary Mosques in Khorasan: An Approach to Modernization and the Maximum Engagement of the Cultural AudienceApproach Audience

Document Type : Case Study

Authors

Mahdi Shajie Gisour

Ahmad Heidari

Reza Mirzaei

Department of Architecture, Bi.C., Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran

10.22034/ijumes.2026.2045668.1268

Abstract

Given contemporary cultural, social, and technological transformations, rethinking the design of Islamic mosques especially in the Khorasan region, with its rich heritage of religious architecture has become an undeniable necessity. This research aims to present a conceptual framework for employing the elements of conceptual art in the design of contemporary Khorasan mosques in order to enhance the spiritual experience and attract cultural audiences, particularly the younger generation. The research method is qualitative and descriptive–analytical with a mixed (qualitative–quantitative) approach, drawing on library study, field observation and imaging, and semi-structured interviews (with twelve designers and users), together with the comparative analysis of four notable examples of religious architecture in Khorasan: The Goharshad Mosque (Mashhad), the Jameh Mosque of Neyshabur, the Akbariyeh Cultural Complex (Birjand), and the Hazrat Zahra Mosque (Mashhad). The findings show that integrating the components of conceptual art light, form, time, and participation with traditional architecture, while preserving Islamic identity, enhances the sensory, spiritual, and cultural connection of the audience with the mosque space and provides a basis for renewing the cultural functions of these spaces; moreover, this connection is realized more strongly in the redesigned contemporary examples than in the historical ones. Finally, the research proposes that designing mosques with an interactive, multisensory approach in which conceptual art becomes a shared language between tradition and contemporaneity can be a creative response to the spiritual and cognitive needs of contemporary societies.

Graphical Abstract

The Role of Conceptual Art in the Design of Contemporary Mosques in Khorasan: An Approach to Modernization and the Maximum Engagement of the Cultural AudienceApproach Audience

Highlights

· Light transforms visual perception into spiritual experience across all four mosques.

· Minimalist design creates meaningful spatial emptiness as a contemporary spiritual tool.

· Participation mediates between the physical space and the visitor's spiritual experience.

· Conceptual art bridges tradition and modernity in Islamic mosque design.

Keywords

Conceptual art

contemporary mosque

cultural engagement

Khorasan

spiritual experience

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