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CULTURE
• Muslims developed a very original culture as a result of mixing oriental and classical elements from the conquered people with their own culture: the religion and the Arabic language.
ORIENTAL CULTURE
CLASSICAL CULTURE
ARABIC CULTURE
Chinese – Indian - Persian Greek - Roman
ISLAMIC CULTURE
CULTURE
• The Muslim expansion brought oriental inventions to the West:
–Paper.
–Gunpowder.
– The compass.
– The astrolabe.
CULTURE
• Muslims translated Latin and Greek texts to Arabic (Archimedes, Euclid, Aristotle…)
• They also contributed to important advances of their own science: – Algebra (Al Khwarizmi).
– Medicine (Ibn Sina or Avicena).
– Chemistry.
– Philosophy.
– History.
– Literature (The Thousand and One Nights).
ISLAMIC ART: ARCHITECTURE
• It was the most important form of artistic expression. Main characteristics:
1. Basic materials (wood, brick) were covered with other materials (tiles, plaster) to give the impression of greater richness.
2. There was a lot of decoration.
3. They used a variety of elements in architecture.
Elements of Islamic architecture: ROOFS
Different kinds of VAULT and DOME:
MUQARNA VAULT: Decorated in the form of stalactites or honeycomb.
CALIPHAL VAULT: composed of intersected ribs* that don’t pass through the centre.
SEGMENTED DOME: Divided into sections, similar to the sections of an orange.
* Rib: nervio.
Elements of Islamic architecture: ARCHES
They used many types of arch:
SEMICIRCULAR ARCH
STILTED SEMICIRCULAR ARCH: a semicircular arch slightly leghtened at the bottom.
POLYLOBED ARCH: made of small semicircles.
HORSESHOE ARCH
Elements of Islamic architecture: DECORATION
Mainly to cover the interior of buildings:
EPIGRAPHY: texts from the Koran, poems, etc. (in Arabic).
ARABESQUE*: floral and plants designs.
TRACERY**: geometrical patterns and shapes. Usually made with ceramic tiles.
* Arabesque: Arabesco, ataurique. ** Tracery: also known as “interlacing design”
THE MOSQUE
• Buildings where muslims meet to pray.
• The mosque has to face towards Mecca.
• Mosques consisted of various parts: – Minaret.
– Courtyard (sahn).
– Prayer room (haram).
– Qibla.
– Mihrab.
– Macsura.