AFTER DAWN

AFTER DAWN by Hassanah

Solace You give

To the restless in me

Comfort I receive

In the milieu of Your peace

Of all the open spaces I have been, none has been more ingrained in my memory like the musallah (Muslim prayer area) at my student hostel as a final year architecture student. Queen Amina Hall was definitely not the most beautiful female hostel in the University of Lagos and I initially disliked the boring structures and old walls. But the open spaces with well maintained vegetation right from the entrance to the courtyards gave me mixed feelings about this place. This was a clear contrast to the built structure that bounded them.

For the one year I called this hall home, I loved praying, resting and thinking in this simple yet beautiful prayer area. It was an elevated concrete slab used for public gathering especially the 5 Muslim daily prayers.
Waking up in the morning just after dawn, staring into the quiet empty blue sky gave me a sense of serenity I haven’t experienced since them. This poem, despite it being short, perfectly encapsulates how I felt and still feel about this space. Enjoy!

As light seeps in

against the dawn

The crickets and aves

and humans alike

soon will rise

With their voices

tearing away

the stillness and quiet

to welcome a new song

A new day

-hassanah

The design and construction of places of worship have usually been elaborate and intricate. Personally, I think they give a different appeal unlike the small and simple spaces like that of my former student hall.

Praying and visiting the Lagos Central Mosque gives another perspective of a space which serves the same purpose but on a grander scale. My essay on this building attempts to describe and articulate my feelings and architectural characteristics and my personal connection to this historic place.