The Islamic Architectural Art in Asia and Africa until the Ayyubid Period in Light of the Artistic Heritage, Environmental Factors and Mutual InfluencesAbdullah KAMEL MousaIntroductionIslam has urged Muslims to build on the earth. There are so many Quranic verses and Prophetic traditions that encourage the Muslim to build and that consider construction a means to get rewarded by God. Therefore, the Muslims have built so many religious buildings such as mosques, madrasas, zawiyas, khanqahs, ribats, tikiyyas. They have also built civil buildings including:a. Houses, palaces and ra'ab 'as (quarters).b. Buildings for social care, like sabils, kuttabs (religious schools), bimaristans (hospitals), hammams (public baths), watering troughs, pools, canals and arched bridges.c. Trading buildings: marketplaces, qaysariyyas (bazaars), hotels, khans, wakalas and shops.d. Industrial buildings: sewing halls, presses, mills and baking ovens.They built the military or defensive buildings: walls, towers, citadels, fortifications, ribats, trenches, bridges, etc.They erected the funeral buildings as darihs (mausoleums) and mashhads (shrines).Muslims were also urged to secure the funds needed for these buildings to fulfill the task required. So, endowments were made by Muslims to keep these institutions going and finance those working therein, including students, shaykhs, sufis, imams, khatib, Quran reciters, etc. The same goes for civil institutions, including those hospitalized patients, those who are responsible for sabils lodging the strangers in addition to feeding them beside restoring, maintaining and constructing such buildings as they are vital avenues Muslim countries in all continents have always been rich in religious and civil historical eras:"The Mosques of Allah shall be maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day; perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat and fear none but Allah. It is they who are expected to be on true guidance." (Quran, 9:It should be emphasized here that these buildings were available to everyone, Muslim and Non-Muslims. Hospitals, public fountains, baths, lavatories, pools, and other services were open to all, which shows how tolerant and benevolent the Muslims were in the Medieval Period.