Islamic Art - Abbasid Secular Art

Baghdad, Iraq (Left image is a view of the street, right is above the whole city)

Period & Date: 762-777, Abbasid

Place: Iraq

Patron: Al-Mansur

• The circular city plan is a traditional Islamic urban ideal, as the mosque and the palace are featured in the center. This shows the importance of both sites to the culture as well as combining the ruler (secular) and the mosque (religious) into one idea through the architecture’s form (Palace was more central than the mosque)

• Four streets at each cardinal direction (with entrances in the outer wall) cut through the covered sections of the city, quartering it evenly. The streets has barrel vaults above them. The entrances are more symbolic than they are for defense.

• The city draws a lot of inspiration from previous Islamic architecture such as Damascus and Firuzabad, but was built from the ground up in a style that is distinctly Abbasid.

Drawing of automaton rider with lance on the Green Dome

Period & Date: 762, Abbasid

Place: Baghdad, Iraq

Patron: Al- Mansur

• Was originally located on the green dome on top of the palace in the circular city of Baghdad

• The armed equestrian rider represents military power & force, as well as relates to imagery of the Mongols who would also embody military force by using armed riders

• The lance in the sculpture could move (kind of like a weather vane), symbolizing that the power of the ruler/military would respond to any trouble in the city

Ukhaydir, Iraq

Period & Dates: 778, Abbasid

Place: Iraq

Patron: isa ibn Musa

• Much larger than Umayyad palaces

• Fired brick (sturdy!) was used for vaulting, mortar and stucco was used which breaks down easier. There was not much stone in the region

• Functioned as a fortress, yet still decorated with blind niches and an Iwan (reminiscent of Taghi Khusrau?)

Ukhaydir (DETAIL: great hall, looking toward the entrance & view of the court of honor side of the entrance), Iraq

Period & Dates: 778, Abbasid

Place: Iraq

Patron: isa ibn Musa

• Clay has a long history of being used in Mesopotamia, this structure continues the trend

• Large, open interior aligns with Islamic tradition of congregation spaces (think mosque courtyards)

• Pointed arches are very indicative of Islamic architecture, as opposed to rounded European arches

• Functioned as a shelter for many different walks of life, including traders who were a crucial part of the economy

Jawsaq al Khaqani, Iraq

Period & Dates: 836, Abbasid

Place: Samarra, Iraq

Patron: al-Mu'tasim

• Huge compound: “Moved from a city in the shape of a palace (Baghdad) to a palace the size of a city”

• Image is of the (likely main) gate

• baked brick, pointed arches, Iwan-like receding vaulted space are very indicative of Islamic architecture.

• Different from Umayyad structures due to the lack of decorated fortress walls (such as Mshatta)

• Brick walls are covered with plaster/stucco and carved

Stucco Styles: Samarra Style A

Period & Date: 836, Abbasid

Place: Samarra, Iraq

Patron: al-Mu'tasim

• Stucco has been used before in the Islamic world, but this site cements stucco carvings as a feature of Samarran architecture

• Style A: Hand carved,

• vegetal, but there are abstracted designs as well such as lobed medallions and geometric patterns

• Somewhat representational, such as the vase in the image on the left

Stucco Styles: Samarra Style B

Period & Date: 9th c., Abbasid

Place: N/A

Patron: N/A

• Style B: Free-hand carved,

• way less representational, mostly geometric patterns and designs.

• Polygons, abstracted shapes

• All space is filled by either design or dot

Stucco Styles: Samarra Style C

Period & Date: Late 9th c., Abbasid

Place: Egypt (top right image)

Patron: N/A

• NOT hand carved, created by using wood-carved molds that you could repeat over and over

• Curved lines and spirals necessary for the repeating patterns. Results in WAY LESS vegetal/representational designs, and instead becomes a visual meditation (but not zero, see top left image is bird & leaf.)

• Becomes the ubiquitous style for houses, palaces, etc