ARCH 214A: World History of Architecture- Final Exam Terms

Kaa’ ba

A sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims believed that Ibrahim and his son, Ismail, constructed the Kaaba

Haram

Arabic term meaning forbidden or unlawful

Friday mosque

A historic congregational mosque located in Isfahan, Iran; one of the largest and most important monuments of Islamic architecture in Iran

Qibla

The direction of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca where Muslims turn for prayer

Mihrab

A niche in the wall of a mosque or religious school that indicates the direction of Mecca (qibla), which Muslims face when praying

Minbar

A pulpit in the form of a staircase on which the prayer leader (Imam) stands when delivering a sermon after Friday prayer; usually situated to the right of the Mihrab

Minaret

A tall slender tower of a mosque with a balcony from which people are called to prayer

Horseshoe arch

Arch commonly found in Islamic architecture that is characterized by their rounded shape that resembles the curve of a horseshoe

Charbagh

A Persian and Indo-Persian quadrilateral garden divided into parts by water channels

Candi

An ancient stone building used for worship, or for storing the ashes of cremated Hindu or Buddhist kings and priests; single room temples on a raised base + staircase and a pyramid like structure on top

World of desires

The lowest division of the three realms; inhabitants are ruled by desires such as hunger and sexual craving

World of forms

Plato’s theory that the physical realm is only a shadow, or image, of the true reality of the Realm of Forms

World of formlessness

The highest division of the three realms; a realm free from the bonds and limitations of matter

Khmer

An empire/state of Southeast Asia (largely in Cambodia) that lasted from about 802 CE to 1431 CE

Rice paddy

Terraced farming that supposedly originated in China

Baray

Ancient rectangular artificial reservoirs that were used to store excess water delivered during the summer monsoon; water could be later distributed to paddy fields between the main temple area around Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap Lake

Charlemagne

The king of the Franks and Emperor of the Holy Roman empire 742-814; expanded the reform program of the church, strengthening its power structure

The Carolingian Renaissance

A period of cultural and intellectual revival during Charlemagne’s reign; flowering of architecture, alliance with the Catholic Church, and revival of the Roman Empire

Monasteries

A building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks, or nuns; escape from temptation of the earthly world

St. Benedict

Formalized the concept and practice of Christian monkship in 6th century; depicted holding rules and farming staff

Medieval universities

A corporation organized during the Middle Ages for the purposes of higher education; teaching approach was influenced by Aristotle (logical thinking); translate from Arabic to Latin

Romanesque

Style of architecture; key features: thick walls (piers) to hold up structure rather than arches, columns, vaults

Pilgrimage Church

Popular destinations or a spiritual tourism of sorts for medieval travelers

Relic

The mortal remains of a saint or a holy figure; ranges from Christianity to Buddhism

Buttress, Flying Buttress

Exterior support projecting from the face of a wall; usually on the side of churches

Tympanum

The semicircular area enclosed by the arch above the lintel of an arched entranceway

Crossing dome

The junction of the four arms of a cruciform (cross-shaped) church; can be surmounted by a tower or dome

Triforium

A narrow passageway situated in the middle height of the Gothic interior wall; separates the arcade from the balcony

Gallery

A type of balcony that overlooks the nave (the open part of the church where people sit)

Rose window

Decorated circular window, often glazed with stained glass; distinguishing characteristic of many traditional and early Gothic churches

Centering, Pointed Arch

An arch with a pointed crown meet at an angle at the top of an angle; also known as a two centered arch (intersection of two circles)

Radiating chapels

Small, semi-circular chapels arranged around the apse of large church; ex: Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France

Ambulatory

Continuation of the aisled spaces on either side of the nave; walking/processional space

Chevet

Eastern end of a church, typically having a surrounding ambulatory that open onto a number of radiating apses or chapels; French Gothic architecture

Gothic

Style of architecture originated in Europe’s Middle Ages; key features: vertical proportions, pointed arches, external buttressing, and asymmetry

Abbot Suger

A 12th century French clergyman who created Gothic architecture; commissioned by King Louis VII to renovate Saint-Denis

Umayyad

A large Basilical plan with three parallel aisles and a perpendicular central nave leading from the mosque’s entrance; ex: The Dome of the Rock, the Great Mosque of Damascus

Abbasid

Identified as typical of “Islamic” architecture; key features: foliate decorations on arches, pendant vaults, muqarnas vaults and polychrome interlaced spandrels

Spandrel

The roughly triangular area above and on either side of an arch

Intrados

The under or concave face of the solid structure of an arch

Muqarnas

A form of decorative vaulting in Islamic architecture; subdivided into niche-like cells that have no load-bearing function

Shahada

The Arabic term for the declaration of faith in one God (Allah) and his messenger; the first pillar of Islam

T-mosque

A mosque with the arches being perpendicular to the back wall rather than parallel (forms the shape of a T); consists of a large courtyard and prayer spaces

Maqsura

An enclosure, box, or wooden screen near the mihrab or the center of the qibla wall in a mosque

Spolia

Stones taken from an old structure and repurposed for new construction or decorative purposes

Squinch

An architectural element used to make the transition from a square space to a circular or polygonal base for a dome

Mansa Musa

The ruler of the kingdom of Mali from 1312 CE to 1337 CE; Mali was one of the richest kingdoms of Africa; developed cities like Timbuktu and Gao into important cultural centers

Lalibela

The best-known Zagwe emperor who ruled at the beginning of the 13th century; known for building the monolithic rock-hewn churches at the Zagwe capital

Greek Cross

A simple cross with equal length arms; as a type of central plan, it was frequently used in Early Christian churches and can be found in the later Byzantine empire down to the 14th century

Eunuch

Men employed in the Middle East and Chine as either guards and servants in harems or women’s quarters, or as chamberlains to Kings

Literati

Scholars in China and Japan who were interested in poetry, calligraphy, paintings, etc.

Ming dynasty (1368- 1644)

Chinese dynasty that provided an interval of native rule between eras of Mongol and Manchu dominance; known for its advancement in literature, arts, architecture (building Forbidden City), etc.

Forbidden City

A massive palace complex built during Ming dynasty which served as imperial palace for almost 500 years

Qing dynasty (1644- 1912)

The final imperial dynasty in China; used traditional Chinese materials in addition to curving roofs, ornate columns, and symmetrical designs

Corn Cultures

Maize was an integral part of Mesoamerican culture and spirituality; greatly responsible for the initiation of formal agriculture and establishment of primitive societies

Anasazi

“Ancient outsiders”; They employed a wide variety of means to grow high-yield crops in areas of low rainfall

Chaco Canyon

The center of a pre-Columbian civilization flourishing in the San Juan Basin of the American southwest from the 9th to the 12th century CE; was a focus for ceremonials, trade and political activity

Kiva

A ceremonial building used by Ancestral Puebloan people; earliest are known from Chaco Canyon about 599 CE; usually round and partly underground

Sipapu

A small hole or indentation in the floor of a kiva; a place of connection and retreat from both the real and the spiritual worlds

Aztec, Mexica

The Mexica (also known as Aztec) people occupied territory in Mesoamerica, and the capital city Tenochtitlan was located in what today is Mexico City

Nahautl

The spoken language of the Aztec empire

Huitzlipotchli

The Aztec god of war and of the sun; often depicted as a hummingbird or an eagle in Aztec art and architecture

Tlaloc

The Aztec god of rain, water, and lightning

Chinampas

A small, stationary, artificial island built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes; the Aztecs were the first to develop it to a large scale cultivation

Loggia

A gallery or room with one or more open sides; used in a variety of ancient civilizations and later during the Italian Renaissance

Pietra Serena

The name given by masons and architects to the sandstones of the Macigno and Monte Modino Formations; most frequently used material in Florentine Renaissance architecture

Vitruvian Man

A drawing by Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1490); study of the human form, which is meant to be perfectly proportionate through the application of geometry and mathematics

Palazzo

A large imposing building (museum or a place of residence) especially in Italy

Piano nobile

The main floor of a Renaissance building (palazzo or palace)

“On the Art of Building (De re aedificatoria)” by Alberti (1452)

The first modern treatise on the theory and practice of architecture; cites the significance of beauty by mentioning the abundance of it in nature

Volutes

A spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column

Early vs High Renaissance (quattrocento vs cinquecento)

Early Renaissance artists would stress the perspective of a work while High Renaissance artists were willing to sacrifice technical principles to create more beautiful, harmonious pieces

Mannerism

A style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520; it was characterized by extreme sophistication, complexity, and novelty

The humanities

The history of the humanities can be traced to ancient Greece; during Roman times, the concept of the seven liberal arts evolved including history, art, grammar, etc.

“Lives of the Artists” by Vasari (1550)

A series of artist biographies written by 16th-century Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari; promotes the ideas of the artists as a scholar and Vasari’s work as of high status

“The Four Books of Architecture” by Palladio (1570)

A book that offers a compendium of Palladio’s art and of the ancient Roman structures that inspired him; first book is devoted to building materials and techniques and the five orders of architecture: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite

Council of Trent

A conference held by Catholic clergy; focused on defending and elaborating on Catholic doctrine, as well as answering the criticisms of members of the Protestant faith

Counter-Reformation

A process by which the Catholic Church attempted internal reform and renewed evangelization; a movement against the Protestant Reformation

The Baroque

A style of architecture, art and design that flourished in Europe in the 17th and first half of the 18th century; emphasizes dramatic, exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted, detail

Baroque Rome

Rome is the birthplace of the Baroque style; Gian Lorenzo Bernini transformed the city in the 17th century, ornamenting grand fountains, squares, and churches

Solomonic columns

A helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew

Global trade in the 16th century

The Portuguese had complete control of the African sea route; rapid increase in imports to Europe

Incas

A South American civilization that flourished in ancient Peru between c. 1400 and 1533 CE; they constructed finely- built and imposing buildings wherever they conquered, adapting to the natural landscapes with terracing, highways, and mountaintop settlements

Mendicants

A member of any of several Roman Catholic religious orders who assumes a vow of poverty; denied ownership of property and lives mostly off of alms

Atrio

Entrance hall, foyer, lobby

Atrial Cross

A distinctive element of Mexican colonial architecture; served as both a central point in the church and as a visual/moral guide to Christ’s crucifixion

Glyphs

A graphic symbol that looks like a character (seen in Sumerian and Egyptian languages)

Plateresque

Main architectural style in Spain during the late 15th and 16th centuries; characterized by an intricate detailed relief ornament that is generally applied to the surface of buildings for decoration

Syncretism

The blending of cultures and ideas from different places

Mestizo

People in the new colonial societies in Mexico and Peru who were mixed-race of Spanish and Native American descent

Mestizaje

Racial or cultural mixing

Mudejar style

An architectural style in the 12th century on the Iberian peninsula resulting from Jewish, Muslim and Christian cultures living side by side; characterized by the use of brick as the main material

Encomiendas

A system of forced labor imposed on indigenous workers by Spanish colonists

Haciendas

A large estate or plantation in Spanish colonial America

Ranchos

Large land grants given to individuals who had been loyal to the Spanish Crown

Retablo

A devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one derived from traditional Catholic church art

Law of the Indies

The entire body of law issued by the Spanish crown during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries for the government of its kingdoms (colonies) outside Europe