Chapter 9: Islamic Art

Muhammad (570?-632)

The Prophet whose revelations and teachings form the foundation of Islam

Quran

the Islamic sacred text, dictated to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel

Calligraphy

decorative or beautiful handwriting

Arabesque

a flowing, intricate, and symmetrical pattern deriving from floral motifs

Kufic

a highly ornamental Islamic script

Tessellation

decoration using polygonal shapes with no gaps

Jali

perforated ornamental stone screens in Islamic art

Pyxis

a small cylinder-shaped container with a detachable lid used to contain cosmetics or jewelry

Shahnama, or The Book of Kings

a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Firdawsi between c. 977 and 1010 c.e

Qibla

the direction toward Mecca which Muslims face in prayer

Mecca and Medina

Islamic holy cities;

Mecca

is the birthplace of Muhammad and the city all Muslims turn to in prayer;

Medina

is where Muhammad was first accepted as the Prophet, and where his tomb is located

Minaret

a tall, slender column used to call people to prayer

Muezzin

an Islamic official who calls people to prayer traditionally from a minaret

Hypostyle

a hall that has a roof supported by a dense thicket of columns

Mihrab

a central niche in a mosque, which indicates the direction to Mecca

Muqarna

a honeycomb-like decoration often applied in Islamic buildings to domes, niches, capitals, or vaults

Iwan

a rectangular vaulted space in a Muslim building that is walled on three sides and open on the fourth

Madrasa

a Muslim school or university often attached to a mosque

Mausoleum

a building, usually large, that contains tombs

Minbar

a pulpit from which sermons are given

Squinch

the polygonal base of a dome that makes a transition from the round dome to a flat wall

Voussoirs (pronounced "vōō-swar")

a wedge-shaped stone that forms the curved part of an arch; the central voussoir is called a keystone

Hajj

an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that is required of devout Muslims as one of the five pillars of Islam

Muqarnes

an ornamental and intricate vaulting placed on the underside of arches

Sahn

a courtyard in Islamic architecture

Hypostyle mosque

no central focus, no congregational worship

Charbagh

a rectangular garden in the Persian tradition that is based on the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in the Quran

Prophet Muhammad

The _____’s powerful religious message resonated deeply with Arabs in the seventh century, and so by the end of the Umayyad Dynasty in 750 C.E., North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Spain, India, and Central Asia were converted to Islam or were under the control of Islamic dynasties.

Abbasid Caliphate

The Islamic world expanded under the ____, which ruled a vast empire from their capital in Baghdad.

Apprenticeships

____ were exacting, making students master everything including the manufacture of ink and the correct posture for sitting while writing.

* acanthus and split leaves
* scrolling vines
* spirals, wheels
* zigzags.

Favorite arabesque motifs

straightedge and compass

All of these designs, no matter how complicated, were achieved with only ______.

central point

Patterns seem to radiate from a _____, although any point can be thought of as the start.

geometric elements

Islamic mathematicians were thinkers of the highest order; ____ reinforced their idea that the universe is based on logic and a clear design.

Pyxis of al-Mughir

* Horror vacui.
* Intricately carved container made from elephant ivory.
* Container for expensive aromatics

Folio from a Qur’an, Arab

* The title of each chapter is scripted in gold.
* Kufic script; strong uprights and long horizontals.
* Illustrated is the heading of sura 29 (al-’Ankabūt, or “The Spider”) in gold.

Basin (Baptistère de Saint Louis)

* Designed by Muhammad ibn al-Zain
* Original use is for ceremonial hand washing
* Hunting scenes alternate with battle scenes along the side of the bowl.

The Ardabil Carpet

* Designed by Maqsud of Kashan
* Prayer carpet used at a pilgrimage site of a Sufi saint.
* Wool carpet, woven by ten people, probably men
* Wool pile of 5,300 knots per 10 cm. sq

Bahram Gur

He was an ancient Iranian king from the Sassanian dynasty. He represents the ideal king; wears a crown and a golden halo.

karg

is a kind of unicorn or horned wolf he fought during his trip to India.

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg

* Folio from the Great Il-Khanid Shahnama, Islamic; Persian


* The original story by Firdawsi was written around 1010.
* commissioned by a high-ranking Ilkhanid court official

The Court of Gayumars

* The original story by Firdawsi was written around 1010.
* Folio from the text called the Great Ilkhanid Shahnama or the Book of Kings, a Persian epic.
* Produced for the Safavid ruler of Iran, Shah Tahmasp I
* Whole book contains 258 illustrated pages.

The Kaaba

* Rededicated by Muhammad in 631–632


* Multiple renovations; granite masonry, covered with silk curtain, and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread
* been built by Ibrahim and Ishamel for God

Dome of the Rock

* Pilgrimage site for the faithful.
* Not a mosque; its original function has been debated.
* Meant to rival the Christian church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, although it was inspired by its domed rotunda.
* Erected by Abd al-Malik

Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh)

* Muslim mosque.
* Each side of the courtyard, or sahn, has a centrally placed iwan; may be the first mosque to have this feature.
* This mosque is nestled in an urban center; many gates give access.
* The mosque’s outside walls share support with other buildings.

qibla iwan

is the largest and most decorative in the great mosque; its size indicates the direction to Mecca.

Southern iwan

is an entry for a private space used by the sultan and his retinue; its dome is adorned by decorative tiles; this contains the main mihrab of the mosque.

Great Mosque (Umayyad Dynasty)

* The site was originally a Roman temple dedicated to Janus, then a Visigothic church, and then the mosque was built.
* Complex dome with elaborate squinches was built over the mihrab; it was inspired by Byzantine architecture.
* Kufic calligraphy on walls and vaults.

Alcazaba

* oldest section and is visible from the exterior.
* double-walled fortress of solid and vaulted towers ­containing barracks, cisterns, baths, houses, storerooms, and a dungeon.

Alhambra

* Small, low-bubbling fountains in each room contribute to cool temperatures in the summer.
* Inspired by the Charbagh gardens from Persia.
* Light, airy interiors; fortress-like exterior.
* Contains palaces, gardens, water pools, fountains, courtyards.

Court of the Lions

**Form**

* Built by Muhammad V between 1370 and 1391.
* Intricately patterned and sculpted ceilings and walls.
* Central fountain supported by 12 protective lions; animal imagery permitted in secular monuments.
* Parts of the walls are chiseled through to create vibrant light patterns within.

Hall of the Sisters

* Sixteen small windows are placed at the top of hall; light dissolves into a honeycomb of stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
* Perhaps used as a music room or for receptions.
* The hall was built by order of Mohammed V.

Mosque of Selim II

* Designed by Mimar Sinan


* Inspired by Hagia Sophia, but a centrally planned building.
* Open airy interior contrasts with conventional mosques that have partitioned interiors.

Taj Mahal

* Built as the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan’s wife; the shah was interred next to her after his death.


* Translated to mean “crown palace.”
* Grounds represent a vast funerary garden, the gardens found in heaven in the Islamic tradition.