[K.5] ISLAMIC ART (copy)

Islamic Arts

The arts of the Mohammedan countries

Shahadah

A pillar of Islam where you sincerely recite the Muslim profession of faith

Salat

A pillar of Islam where you perform ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day

Zakat

A pillar of Islam where you pay an alms or charity tax to benefit the poor and the needy

Sawm

A pillar of Islam where you fast during the month of Ramadan

Hajj

A pillar of Islam where you go on a pilgrimage to Mecca

Calligraphy

Works of writing using Arabic texts; most highly regarded and most fundamental element of Islamic art

Carpets

Primarily used to cover floors of mosques and houses also occasionally used as wall decorations

Metalwork

Muslim artisans crafted elaborate boxes, basins, jugs, bowls and incense burners decorated with arabesques, inscriptions, and others

Tin-glazed

Produced in Egypt and Iraq were influenced by the Chinese white and porcelain stoneware

Lustreware

A type of pottery with an over 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 color, typically done in plaster or stucco on walls, or in slip on ceramics before firing

Madrasah

A theological school, generally arranged around a courtyard

Arabesques

Form of artistic decoration characterized by intricate patterns of intertwining lines, often with floral or geometric motifs

Mosque

Known as a place to prostrate; A principle place of worship building used for Friday prayer

Jami Masjid

Known as the neighborhood mosque or big mosque

Mihrab

A niche in the wall of a mosque or other Islamic prayer space that indicates the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca

Sahn

Courtyard of a mosque

Haram

Covered area in front of the qibla wall

Qibla Wall

Axis oriented towards Mecca

Dikka

Tribune raised upon columns from which the Koran is recited and prayers are intoned by the Imam of a mosque

Maqsura

An enclosure in a mosque which includes the praying niche, made usually of an openwork screen; Originally meant for the sultan during public prayers

Minbar

Raised platform for ceremonial announcements

Iwan, Ivan

Open-fronted vault facing a court

Minaret

Tower from which a call to prayer is amde

Bab

Gateway of the mosque

Musalla

Central area for prayer is called place of prayer

Harem

A women’s or private chamber of a house or palacee

Selamlik

Men’s or guest’s quarters

Minaret

Originally used as a high point from which to make the call to prayer (adhan); Remain a traditionally decorative feature of most mosques

Great Mosque

The largest mosque ever built from Iraq; Has a cone-shaped minaret that is encircled by an outer ramp on the form of a spiral

Mecca

The center of the Islamic world and the birthplace of both the Prophet Muhammad and the religion he founded

Ka’aba

The focal point by Mecca, the House of God, believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and son, Ishmael, and which is covered in a golden-broidered black fabric

Alhambra

A richly decorated and elaborated palace and fortress in Spain

Taj Mahal

Built in 1630 by a grieving emperor, Shah Jahan, in honor of his dead wife Mumtaz Mahal; White marble structure combines Indian, Persian, and Islamic style of architecture with 4 minarets

Dome of the Rock

Oldest Islamic monument from Jerusalem; Design reflects a fusion of Byzantine, Persian, and Islamic architectural styles

Great Mosque of Cordoba

One of the oldest and most significant Islamic monuments in Spain; Known for its prayer hall with double arcades with horseshoe form and have voussoirs of white stone