Psicologia USP
On-line version ISSN 1678-5177
Abstract
RAFFAELLI, Rafael. Jung, Mandala and Islamic Architecture. Psicol. USP [online]. 2009, vol.20, n.1, pp.47-66. ISSN 1678-5177.
This article intends to reflect on the origins of the Jungian concept of mandala. The autobiography of Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, and his work Psychology and Alchemy are utilized to trace that origin. According to Barbara Hannah, biographer of Jung, a mosque in Cairo (Egypt) was of utmost importance for the formulation of this concept. Probably, this temple is the Mosque Ahmad Ibn Tulun. The relationship between the Islamic architectural symbolism inspired by Sufism and the psychological conceptions of Jung is analyzed.
Keywords : Jung, Carl Gustav, 1875-1961; Mandala; Islamic Architecture; Mosque Ahmad Ibn Tulun; Sufism.