Islam Architecture Flashcards

Islam An Arabic term meaning “submission to God’s will,” it is used to describe the religion based on the Qur’an and Muhammad’s teachings. Muhammad (570-632) According to Islam, Muhammad begins receiving divine messages from angel Gabriel in 610. He leaves his hometown of Mecca in 622, returns in 630 Qur’an (Koran) Seen as direct word of God as revealed to Muhammed through the angel Gabriel. In this way it differs from the Old Testament and New Testament Seen as direct word of God as revealed to Muhammed through the angel Gabriel. In this way it differs from the Old Testament and New Testament -shahada (avowal of faith) -prayer (five times daily) -alms -fasting during Ramadan -hajj shahada -(avowal of faith) the act of bearing witness to God’s unity is the basic act of Muslims prayer -(five times daily) the format of the prayer comes from the teachings of Muhammad; purity of the body and place of prayer is required alms a certain percentage of income is given to the needy fasting during Ramadan refraining from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual activity from dawn to sunset during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at least once for all Muslims who have the means to do so ulama -leaders in Islam -they perform no tasks that cannot be performed by any adult Muslim -means “the learned” and these figures preserve and maintain knowledge mosque -place of communal prayer -term derived from the Arabic masjid, meaning place of prostation -often the focal point of a complex that includes hospitals, madrasas (religious schools), shelters for travelers, and other buildings -In addition to providing a place for prayer, mosques typically serve as educational centers jami -Large communal mosques -often called Great Mosques or Friday Mosques Elements of Mosque -minaret (distinctive architectural features that are generally tall spires with onion-shaped or conical crowns) -courtyard -covered prayer hall -minbar (a speaker's stand in the mosque where the leader of prayer stands to deliver sermons) -qibla (is the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during salah) -mihrab (a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla) Al-Andalus: Islam on the Iberian Peninsula Expansion of the Islamic Caliphate -Umayyad Dynasty: 661-750; capital at Damascus. After Abbasids capture Damascus, an Umayyad prince flees to Spain and begins the Islamic age there. -Abbasid Dynasty: 750-1258; capital at Baghdad Islam and the Mediterranean circa 1000 Al-Andalus was the Arabic name for areas on the Iberian peninsula (an area including modern-day Spain and Portugal). From the 7th century until 1492, Islamic rulers controlled parts of this region Great Mosque. Cordoba, Spain -(8th century, major additions through 10th century; cathedral from 1513) Great Mosque. Cordoba, Spain Major Additions -Stacked arches allow higher ceiling, more complex space Area in front of mihrab. Great Mosque. Cordoba, Spain -(added by al-Hakam II in 10th century) -Elaboration of structural elements into decoration View towards mihrab. Great Mosque. Cordoba, Spain -(added by al-Hakam in 10th century) -Passages from Qur’an become focal point on qibla -Mosaics were uncommon at this time; their use refers to Damascus and time of Umayyad glory Alhambra. Granada, Spain (13th-14th centuries) -Granada begins as a hilltop fortress, becomes the capital of the Nasrids in the 13th century -The Alhambra comprises many gates and palace complexes Court of the Myrtles (Comares), Alhambra. Granada, Spain -Hall of the Ambassadors visible beyond -In most Islamic buildings, there are no representations of humans. Ornament is based on geometry, plant forms, and calligraphy Court of the Lions, Alhambra. Granada, Spain -courtyard where fountain of lions is found -An evocation(summoning) of the charbagh(Persian style garden layout) paradise garden, or a more general refinement of secular attitudes towards the land Palace of the Lions, Alhambra. Granada, Spain -comprised the private chambers of the royal family Plan of Comares (Myrtle) and Lions Palaces -Organization is based on rectangular courtyards and rooms, but not on an overall geometric or regular plan muqarnas -is a type of corbel (stone jutting out wall to carry weight) used as a decorative device in traditional Islamic and Persian architecture Hall of the Abencerrajes, Alhambra. Granada, Spain -w/ muqrarnas vault Hall of the Ambassadors. Alhambra. Granada, Spain -Inscriptions from the Qur’an reinforce the image of a celestial canopy: -Blessed is He in Whose hand is the kingdom, and He has power over all things . . . Who created the seven heavens one above another; you see no incongruity in the creation of the Beneficent Allah; then look again, can you see any disorder? Generalife, Alhambra. Granada, Spain -gardens separate the country house from the Palace and Alcazaba -country estate of the king of Granada West Africa -By the 1200s, Arab traders had established trade routes along the eastern coast of Africa, spreading Islam along with commerce. In west Africa, the Mali Empire flourished through its control of gold mines West Africa: the Great Mosque of Djenné. Mali (ca. 1240 and later) - The Timurids in Central Asia -Timur (1336-1405; also known as Tamerlane) established an empire in western and central Asia. Timur’s clan was of Mongol origin but had become Turkicized and had adopted Islam Gur Emir. Samarkand, Uzbekistan (ca. 1400) -The mausoleum for Timur shows the distinctive dome, iwan, and pishtaq, all of which will influence later builders in Iran, India, and other Islamic areas Gur Emir. Samarkand, Uzbekistan cont. - Registan. Samarkand, Uzbekistan (begun early 15th c.) -Registan, at the heart of Samarkand, is a place of public executions that was redeveloped by Timur’s grandson Ulugh Beg. He sponsored the first of the three madrasas and developed Samarkand as a center of education 3 Madrasas (frm left to right in pic): Ulugh Beg madrasa, Tilla Kari madrasa, Shirdar madrasa Ulugh Beg Madrasa. Samarkand, Uzbekistan (begun 1417) This building became the model for the other two madrasas, both of which were built in the 1600s The Ottomans in Anatolia The Near East and Mediterranean in 1173 -In 1071, the Seljuk tribes invaded Anatolia and established a Turkish presence The Ottomans and the Mediterranean in the late 1400s In 1453, the Ottomans conquered Constantinople and became the strongest empire in the eastern Mediterranean and southeastern Europe. Constantinople, which had been the capital of the Byzantine Empire, was renamed Istanbul The Ottomans and the Legacy of Constantinople Hagia Sophia. Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey (532-37) The Hagia Sophia was the great challenge and inspiration for builders of mosques in Istanbul. It was remodeled as a mosque, with minarets added Suleymaniye Mosque. Istanbul (1550-57). Sinan -Sinan was born a Christian peasant but raised as a Muslim. He entered the infantry and trained as an engineer. He became architect and engineer to Suleyman the Magnificent -A contemporary of Palladio, Sinan may have known of Palladio’s treatise; Venice and Istanbul were closely linked by trade and diplomacy Comparison of Suleymaniye mosque and Hagia Sophia plans respective -The sultanate mosques embody the desire to recreate the city as a religious and political capital (cf. Rome and Sixtus V) Suleymaniye mosque inside - Madrasa, Suleymaniye Mosque. Istanbul (1550-57). Sinan -Mosque complexes typically contain various other functions, notably schools -The Suleymaniye complex also contains tombs Selim Mosque. Edirne, Turkey (1568-75). Sinan Sinan’s final major work and the culmination of efforts to rationalize and unify the spaces and structure of a domed mosque The Safavids in Iran After the fall of the Timurid Empire in 1506, the Safavid Dynasty took power in Persia (modern Iran). Safavid architecture was heavily influenced by the buildings of the Timurids Isfahan Shah Abbas made Isfahan the capital in 1598, and the city developed as a series of connected spaces and monuments Charbagh. Isfahan, Iran The charbagh garden has four quadrants separated by water channels; it develops from ancient Persian gardens but takes on new meanings through its associations with passages from the Qur’an: see slide one Maydan-I Shah. Isfahan, Iran (1590-1602 -Beginning with Shah Abbas, the Safavids developed the Maydan-I Shah as a monumental commercial, religious, and political center more than 500m long. Major buildings include the Masjid-I Shah (Royal Mosque) and Ali Qapu -Masjid-I Shah in background, Ali Qapu to right. Ali Qapu functions as a gate to the palace and also a site for audiences and assemblies. Its position on the Maydan-I Shah emphasizes the presence of the ruler