HISTORY OF ARTS AND INTERIOR DESIGN (ISLAMIC ART)

Shahadah

Muslim profession of faith

Salat

Ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day

Zakat

Alms or charity tax to benefit the poor and the needy

Sawm

Fasting during the month of Ramadan

Hajj

PIlgrimage to Mecca

Metalwork

Crafted elaborate boxes, basins, jugs, bowls and incense burners decorated with arabesques, inscription and other highly stylized plant forms

Tin-glazed

Influenced by the Chinese white and porcelain stoneware

Luster-painter / Lustreware

An oven glaze finish containing copper and silver or other materials that give the effect of iridescence

Sgraffito Ware

A form of decoration made by scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting colour

Mosque / Masjid

A place to prostrate, principal place of worship

Jami Masjid

Neighborhood or big mosque, or congregational mosque

Mihrab

A niche in the wall of a mosque, at the point nearest to Mecca, toward which the congregation faces to pray.

Madrasah

A theological school generally arranged around a courtyard

Sahn

Courtyard

Haram

Covered area in front of qibla wall

Dikka

Tribune raised upon columns from which the Koran is recited

Maqsura

An enclosure in a mosque which includes the praying niche

Minbar

Raised platform for ceremonial announcement

Iwan / Ivan

Open-fronted vault facing a court

Minaret

Tower from which a call to prayer is made

Qibla Wall

Axis oriented towards Mecca

Bab

Gateway

Musalla

Central area for prayer

Harem

Women's or private chamber of a house or palace

Selamlik

Men's or guest's quarters

Minaret

A high point from which to make the call to prayer (adhan), a traditionally decorative feature of most mosques

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

Characterized by multi-patterned ceramic exterior facings, an octagonal structure topped with a glittering dome. Believed to be the place from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven during his Night Journey to heaven. The oldest Islamic monument

Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain

Known for its prayer hall, comprised of double arcades with which the lower arches are of horseshoe form, voussoirs of white and red brick

Taj Mahal, India

White splendored tomb was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his favourite wife, Arjumand Baru Begum, known as Mumtaz Mahal. It is surrounded by four minarets

Great Mosque, Iraq

Largest mosque ever built, has a cone-shaped minaret, encircled by an outer ramp on the form of a spiral

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The center of the Islamic wold, birth place of the Prophet Muhammad

Ka'aba

The focal point of Mecca, thee "House of God" believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, pilgrims circle the Ka'aba seven times and may also touch or kiss its cornerstone, the Black Stone

Alahambra, Spains

A richly decorated and elaborate palae