Islamic Art & Architecture 2nd Half (Vocab)

Madrasa

• an islamic “university,” begun as schools of religious law, but expanded to include philosophy, medicine, and theology

• the first one was founded by the Seljuks in the 1020’s

  • it had a standard 4-year course of study

Martisan

the hospital in a mosque complex

Waqf

the pious foundation that funded a mosque complex

Ablaq

a building technique using alternating courses of stone or brick in different colors

Joggled Voussoirs

the stones in Mamluk arches that are alternating color and interlocked with wavy edges

4-Iwan Plan

a mosque complex design using four iwans around a central courtyard to accommodate the different schools of the madrasa

Damascene

a complicated technique involving relief inlay of gold and silver onto steel that is then etched; developed in Syria, but the center of the industry is now in Toledo, Spain

Külliye

(Külliyesi) the Turkish term for a mosque complex, which regularly had the mosque, the tomb of the founder, and a madrasa, but could also include a hospital, a Turkish bath, a soup kitchen for the poor, a library, and student dormitories

Pendentive

an alternate solution for creating a circular space for a dome in a square room - it is a slightly curved, 3-D triangle in each corner of the cubic room

Cuerda Seca

a method for firing multi-colored ceramic tiles in which a greasy cord is placed between the two areas of color to prevent them from bleeding (the cord burns away during the firing process)

Squinch Net

An elaborate system of vaulting using squinches and transverse ribs, with the areas between the ribs are filled with muqarnas as well as the squinches

Turkish Triangles

a transformation of the curved space of the traditional pendentive into a fanlike set of long and narrow triangles built at an angle from each other

Zawiya

(Turkish: Zaviye) a hostel for traveling Sufi dervishes

Zaviye Mosque (T-Plan Mosque)

an Ottoman mosque plan that includes a porch, a vestibule, and a T-shaped interior with iwans

Imaret

a soup kitchen

Entrance Block

a monumental entrance that projects three-dimensionally from the facade of a mosque

Red Bole

a tomato color introduced into Ottoman (Iznik) ceramics in the mid 16th century

Saz

a design in Iznik ceramics using long, graceful serrated leaves

Golden Horn Ware

a type of Iznik ceramic using fine blue leafy spirals on a white ground (1520’s and 30’s)

Damascus Ware

Iznik ceramics using cobalt blue, turquoise, purple, and sage green, often incorporating Saz designs as well (1530’s to 1550’s)

Polychrome Ware

Iznik ceramics after about 1557, when the red bole was added and purple was dropped from the color palette