The project aims to study the mosques on the Malabar coast of India
in the period that ranges from the initial spread of Islam in this region
to the late 19th century. The research promises to be extremely
innovative since the production in question has been generally
neglected by studies and only some of these structures have been
published. From a scholarly perspective, these mosques are of great
interest for a variety of reasons: some of them are among the oldest
mosques in India; their construction would appear to be connected to
the first communities of merchants settled in the region and generally
they display a unique style borrowed from other Muslim regions and
fused with elements drawn from local vernacular and temple
architecture. A full and exhaustive understanding of the monuments
in question, from both a stylistic point of view and in terms of the
context in which they were erected and developed, would have a
remarkable impact on our knowledge of both art-historical scenarios,
in the region and in the Islamic world, and socio-religious scenarios,
enabling us to understand patronage patterns, socio-cultural
dynamics and exchanges across the Indian Ocean. The research
would also contribute to preserve these monuments against
increasing attempts to destroy or alter them: only by understanding
their development over the centuries will it be possible to grasp the
redefinition of their patrons’ identity and of the religious communities
associated with them.