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TRANSCRIPT
ISLAMIC ART
Lecture 3B: Mosques
Early Islamic Architecture
Early Islamic Arts
THE DOME OF THE ROCK: SACRED GROUND FOR JEWS, CHRISTIANS, AND MUSLIMS
• Located on the Temple Mount, site
where Abraham was asked by God
to sacrifice Isaac.
• Also where the angel Gabriel
accompanied Muhammad to heaven
where he prayed with Abraham,
Moses, and Jesus (and others).
• The Dome of the Rock was built as
shrine and also to represent the
Islamic conquest of Jerusalem and
the Jewish and Christian faiths.
AERIAL VIEW OF THE DOME OF THE ROCK, JERUSALEM, 687–692.
DOME OF THE ROCK (LEFT),MOSAIC REPRESENTATION OF THE MARTYRIUM
OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER AS IT LOOKED IN THE 6TH
CENTURY,, SAN VITALE IN RAVENNA (527-546) (BOTTOM RIGHT).
Early Islamic Architecture: Byzantine Influence
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INTERIOR OF THE DOME OF THE
ROCK, JERUSALEM, 687–692.
INTERIOR OF SAN VITALE,
RAVENNA (ABOVE)
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EARLY BYZANTINE MOSAIC OF
CHRIST FROM THE HAGIA SOPHIA
• Mosaics of “living
light”…they
appear to glow, to
dance, to have life
in them!
MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE
• Mosque: Place of prayer
• Quibla: direction of prayer towards Mecca
• Mihrab: decorative niche in the quibla wall; focal point of mosque
• Minbar: pulpit
• Minarets: towers used for the call to prayer
MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE
• Mosque: Place of prayer
• Quibla: direction of prayer towards Mecca
• Mihrab: decorative niche in the quibla wall; focal point of mosque
• Minbar: pulpit
• Minarets: towers used for the call to prayer Qibla Wall with Mihrad and Minbar,
Sultan Hasan Madrase-Mausoleum-
Mosque Complex. 1356-1363.
The Mihrab comes from a tradition of having circular areas to attract
the attention of the faithful.
MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE
• Mosque: Place of prayer
• Quibla: direction of prayer towards Mecca
• Mihrab: decorative niche in the quibla wall; focal point of mosque
• Minbar: pulpit
• Minarets: towers used for the call to prayer
Minbar from the Kutubiya Mosque in Marrakesh,
1125-1130. Wood and ivory.
MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE
• Mosque: Place of prayer
• Quibla: direction of prayer towards Mecca
• Mihrab: decorative niche in the quibla wall; focal point of mosque
• Minbar: pulpit
• Minarets: towers used for the call to prayer
MALWIYA MINARET OF THE GREAT MOSQUE, SAMARRA, IRAQ, 848–852.
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ARAB PLAN MOSQUE (HYPOSTYLE)
• Earliest mosques have a prayer hall and enclosed courtyard.
• Hypostyle architecture: roof of a hall supported by rows of columns. Technology invented by the Egyptians and used in Christian Churches.
• Great Mosque of Damascus early example. 318 by 512 feet. Accommodates thousands of worshippers.
Aerial view of the Great Mosque,
Damascus, Syria, 706–715.
Ground-level view of the Great Mosque, Damascus (L)
Exterior of Sta. Maria in Trastevere, Rome (R)
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DETAIL OF A MOSAIC IN THE
COURTYARD ARCADE OF THE GREAT
MOSQUE, DAMASCUS, SYRIA, 706–715.
Great Mosque at Samarra, Iraq (Islamic, 848–852 CE).
THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOBA (LATER
CONVERTED INTO A CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL),
STARTED 786.
"Sacred for lovers of
art, you are the glory
of faith, You have
made Andalusia pure
as a holy land!"
~poet Muhammad
Iqbal
You have made Andalusia pure as a holy land!"
• 865 Columns in all of
jasper, onyx, marble, and
granite.
• Made from pieces of a
Roman temple that had
occupied the site.
You have made Andalusia pure as a holy land!"
Hypostyle Hall in the Great Mosque
of Cordoba.
• Horseshoe arch shape
used for mihrab.
• Inspired by Visigothic
architecture.
• Dome uses pointed
arches that will become
a prominent feature of
Gothic art in France.
THE QUR’AN • Writing was considered
unimportant in Arab lands prior to Islam.
• However, the message of God given to Muhammad was too precious not to preserve word for word.
• Writing became sacred; the words themselves became beautiful objects.
• Earliest versions had large print so several people could read at once.
Folio from a Qur’an on vellum,
9th century. Fig. 2.13
Folio from the "Blue Qur'an," Fatimid period
(909–1171), second half of 9th–mid-10th century
Tunisia, probably Qairawan
Gold and silver on indigo-dyed parchment
Folio from a Qur'an manuscript,
Seljuq period (1040–1196), ca. 1180
Eastern Iran or present-day
Afghanistan
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on
paper
AFTER LECTURE 1B YOU SHOULD BE
ABLE TO….
• Identify the major features found in all mosques.
• Explain the importance of the Dome of the Rock in form and function and identify Byzantine influences.
• Discuss the architectural forms at the Great Mosque at Cordoba in detail.
• Describe how a Qur’an page is decorated.
• Identify the types of media that Islamic artists were known for throughout the western and non-western worlds.