VAHI Early Islam

Islam

Submission to God’s will

Arabesques

Complex geometric designs and scrolling vines characterizing Islamic art

Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

First great monument of Islamic art

Freizes depict the gardens of Paradise

Mosque

Place of worship where Muslims gather on Fridays for public worship

Maqsura

Enclosure in front of the mihrab for the ruler and other dignitaries

Mihrab

Identifies the Mecca facing qibla wall

Minarets

Tall towers from which the faithful are called to prayer

Minbar

Pulpit for the prayer leader

Qibla wall

Formed by three long aisles at the Great Mosque of Damascus

Great Mosque of Cordoba

Hypostyle hall comprised of horseshoe arches

Stylized vegetation

Glass/ceramic mosaics = byzantine

Kufic

Earliest form of Islamic calligraphy

Chinese porcelain

Influenced white Nishapur pottery

Iwan

Vaulted open room

Masijd-i Jami

Features four iwans arranged around an internal courtyard

Qibla iwan

Embellished by muqarnas at Masijd-i Jami

Alhambra palace complex

Seat of the Nasrids

Hall of the Abencerrajes

Star-shaped dome formed of muqarnas evoke a heavenly space

Court of Lions

Architectural focus on sunken gardens, fountains, water channels

Hagia Sophia

Inspired Ottoman architects like Sinan

Sultan Selim Mosque

Exemplifies architectural style of the Ottomans

Tugras

Monograms developed by the Ottomans to symbolize the authority of the sultan on official seals, coins, buildings, and documents

Glass lamps

Illuminated mosques in Egypt and Syria

Baptistery of St. Louis

Features figural designs created by inlaid brass

Carpets

Islamic art form best known/prized in Europe

Used for muslim prayer

Persian Timurid dynasty

Founded the great royal center of book production at Herat

Yusuf Fleeing Zulayhka

3D architectural features unlike court of gayumars

Features narrative scenes like baptistery of st louis

Court of Gayumars

Depicts idyllic reign of first Shah

Intended for the Safavid court

Nation-states

Political structure in Islam after dissolution of empires

Islamic Mosque and Cultural Center in Rome

Large domes reference prayer hall of Sultan Selim Mosque