West and Central Asia

broken pediment

a pediment in which the cornice is discontinuous or interrupted by another element

Circumambulation

the act of moving around a sacred object or idol

Chahar Bagh

An Islamic quadrilateral garden layout based on the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in the Qur'an (honey, wine, water, and milk). The quadrilateral garden is divided by walkways or flowing water into four smaller parts.

Viswakarma

divine Buddhist architecture god that carved the Jowo Shakyamuni

Wencheng Gongzhu

Chinese princess believed to have brought Jowo Shakamuni to Tibet as part of her dowry to emperor Songsten Gampo in 641

Qibla

This wall in a mosque always faces Mecca.

Hajj (Pilgrimage)

The fifth pillar of the Muslim faith: visit Mecca at least once in your lifetime

Black Stone (al hajar al aswad)

originally sacred rock for gods before Muhammad, embedded in wall of Kaaba

Kiswa

embroidered fabric covering of the Kaaba, replaced yearly

Abd al-Malik

a Muslim ruler who became caliph in A.D. 685 and made Arabic the official language of government in all Muslim lands; built Dome of the Rock

Ibn Zubayr

Fought against and killed by Abd al-Malik in civil war. Claimed he was a caliph in Mecca and Medina.

Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount

mosque, under Islamic control, surrounding the dome of the rock

Petra, Jordan: Treasury and Great Temple

Dates: c. 400 B.C.E.-100 C.E.

Culture: Nabataean, Ptolemaic and Roman

Material: Cut rock

Bamiyan Buddhas

Dates: c. 400-800 C.E.

Culture: Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Gandharan

Material: Cut rock with plaster and polychrome paint

Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple

Dates: Believed to have been brought to Tibet in 641 C.E.

Culture: Lhasa, Tibet. Yarlung Dynasty

Material: Gilt metals with semiprecious stones, pearls and paint; various offerings

The Kaaba

Dates: redirected by Muhammad in 631-632 C.E.; multiple renovations

Culture: Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamic

Material: Granite masonry, covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread

Dome of the Rock

Dates: 691-692 C.E.; multiple renovations

Culture: Jerusalem, Israel. Islamic, Umayyad

Material: Stone masonry and wooden roof decorated with glazed ceramic tile, mosaics and gilt aluminum and bronze dome.

Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh)

Dates: c 700 C.E.: additions and restorations in the 14th, 18th and 20th centuries C.E.

Culture: Isfahan, Iran. Islamic, Persian: Seljuk, Il-Khanid, Timurid and Safavid Dynasties

Material: Stone, brick, wood, plaster and glazed ceramic tile

Iwan

in Islamic architecture, a vaulted rectangular recess opening onto a courtyard

Folio from a Qur'an

Dates: c. 8th to 9th century C.E.

Culture: Arab, North Africa or Near East. Abbasid Caliphate

Material: Ink, color and gold on parchment

Muqarnas

a honeycomb-like decoration often applied in Islamic buildings to domes, niches, capitals, or vaults. The surface resembles intricate stalactites

Quran (Koran)

Religious text of Islam

Sura

A chapter of the Qur'an

Bifolium

A sheet of writing support material, generally parchment, folded in half to produce two leaves.

Mushaf

a physical copy of the Qur'an

Kufic script

early form of Arabic script, characterized by angularity with uprights almost forming right angles at the baseline

Muhammad ibn al-Zain

artist of Basin (Baptistère de St. Louis)

Fleur-de-lis

a stylized lily composed of three petals bound together near their bases. It is especially known from the former royal arms of France, in which it appears in gold on a blue field. Also the symbol for the Mamluk Sultans

Shahnama (Book of Kings)

a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran.

Ferdowsi

Author of the Shahnameh, the Iranian national epic

Shah Tahmasp I

Patron of "The Court of Gayumars, Folio." In 1568, Shah Tahmasp I gave this to the Ottoman Sultan, Selim II

Sufism

An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God--divine love through intuition rather than through rational deduction and study of the shari'a. Followed an ascetic routine (denial of physical desire to gain a spiritual goal), dedicating themselves to fasting, prayer, meditation on the Qur'an, and the avoidance of sin.

Shia Muslims

Minority of people, believed that caliph should be a direct blood line of Muhammad

Sunni Muslims

Majority of the Muslims; believe successor of Muhammad can be an elected caliph.

Safi al-Din Ardabil

The Saint who began the Islamic sect of Sufi Islam in the town of Ardabil (which was named after him).

Basin (Baptistere de St. Louis)

Artist: Muhammad ibn al-Zain

Period:

Dates: 1320-1340 C.E.

Culture:

Material: Brass inlaid with gold and silver

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg, folio from the Great Il-Khanid Shahnama

Dates: c. 1330-1340 C.E.

Culture: Islamic; Persian, Il-Khanid Dynasty

Material: Ink and opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper

The Court of Gayumars, folio from Shah Tahmasp's Shahnama

Artist: Sultan MuhammadPeriod:

Dates: c. 1522-1525C.E.

Culture:

Material: Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

The Ardabil Carpet

Artist: Maqsud of Kashan

Period:

Dates: 1539-1540 C.E.

Culture: Safavid Dynasty, Iran

Material: Silk and wool