Ari 201 Ch 9 Islamic Art

Death of Prophet Muhammad

632

Islam reaches Spain and Central Asia

700s

Abbasid dynasty supplants Umayyad dynasty

750

Otto I crowned Holy Roman Emperor

962

Cairo founded as the capital of the Fatimids

969

Seljuk Turkish Invaders begin rule

Mid 1000s

First Crusade warriors capture Jerusalem

1099

Mongols sack and destroy Baghdad

1258

Western Mongol rulers converted to Islam

Late 1200s

Almohad capital of Seville falls to kings of Castile

Early 1300s

Most of Muslim al-Andalus fallen to Christian Reconquest

Mid 1300s

Ottomans claim Constantinople as their capital

1453

Prince Ismail founds Safavid Empire in Iran

1501

Akbar the Great rules Mughal India

 1556 – 1605

Islam is based on

the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed (ca. 570-632)

Muhammed is said to have

received the word of Allah in a series of prophetic recitations (in Arabic the Qur’an) brought to him by the archangel Jibra’il (Gabriel).

Early Islamic art is derivative of

Graeco-Roman, Byzantine, Christian, and Sasanian art forms.

The earliest mosque

the dome of the rock, which dates to ca. 960 CE. It is their first building that used architecture to symbolise faith.

A hypostyle mosque

has a large qibla wall, which faces the direction of Mecca. A simple minbar, and an empty mihrab, in the Qibla

Qibla

The direction toward Mecca, which Muslims face during prayer. The qibla wall in a mosque identifies this direction.

Mecca

The holiest city of Saudi Arabia. The birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed

Minbar

pulpit

Mihrab

A niche, often highly decorated, usually found in the center of the qibla wall of a mosque, indicating the direction of prayer toward Mecca.

Minaret

A tower located outside the mosque to call the faithful to prayer by a muezzin.

Muezzin

man who calls Muslims to prayer from the minaret of a mosque. 

Sahn

the open courtyard on the exterior of the mosque

Dynastic history

The Umayyad dynasty in Syria was replaced by the Abbasid dynasty in Mesopotamia

750

The last prince from the Umayyad dynasty created an

Independent state in Córdoba, Spain, which included a typical hypostyle mosque.

Abbasid mosques were designed

for large congregations

Iwans

courtyards that became an architectural feature of mosques from the 12th century onwards.

From the twelfth century onward, the four-iwan courtyard

was a standard feature of mosques and madrasas.

Under the Fatimid dynasty

Egypt underwent a period of artistic revival. e.g. the construction of city walls for Cairo, the construction of several palaces, and two congregational mosques as well as smaller mosques throughout the city.

Muqarnas

An architectural design, composed of small nichelike forms. It was developed during the Fatimid dynasty and can be seen at the al-Aqmar Mosque in Cairo. It eventually became an iconic form of Islamic decoration.

Under the Fatimids, Islamic artistic influences on twelfth-century Italian architecture

can be seen in the port cities of Palermo, Salerno, and Amalfi.

Mongol rulers, known as Il-Khans, had converted to Islam

End of the 13th century – The artistic legacy of this dynasty continued under the Timurids.

During later periods, three major artistic centres under large Islamic empires

 the Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals. 

Ottomans

built mosques and the Topkapi Palace

Safavids

rivals of the Ottomans, developed distinctive artistic styles in book illustration, carpet making, and architecture.

Mughals

In India, the Mughals built several major monuments, including the Taj Mahal 

Kufic

One of the first general forms of Arabic script to be developed, distinguished by its angularity; distinctive variants occur in various parts of the Islamic worlds.

Muhammad Ibn Mahmud Al-Amuli

A Medieval Persian physician. He wrote Nafâ’is al-Funûn (The Beauty of Knowledge) which emphasizes the beauty and importance of writing.

Mosque

A building used as a center for community prayers in Islamic worship; it often serves other functions including religious education and public assembly.