Islamic Art

The Islamic Attitude to Images

• Aniconism: Avoidance of human/animal imagery in religious contexts.

• Rooted in fear of idolatry (worshipping images over God).

• Abstract, decorative styles (geometry, calligraphy) replace figural art in religious settings.

Early Islamic Buildings

The Kaaba

• Cubic structure in Mecca; most sacred Islamic site.

Dome of the Rock

• Islamic shrine on a Christian-Byzantine model.

• Features Byzantine mosaics, octagonal plan, central dome.

• Site of Muhammad’s Night Journey; first monumental Islamic building.

The Mosque

Common Elements:

• Congregational Mosque: Main Mosque that hosts prayers

• Iwan: A large, vaulted hall or space, walled on three sides and open on one

• Minbar: A pulpit from which the imam delivers sermons

• Minrab: A niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca

• Minaret: A tall tower is attached to a mosque, from which the call to prayer is announced.

• Muqarnas: A type of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture. It resembles a honeycomb.

• Multifoil Arch: An arch characterized by multiple circular or leaf shapes that are cut into its interior profile.

Type 1: Hypostyle Mosque

• Origin: House of the Prophet, Medina (7th century).

• Flat roof supported by columns.

• Examples:

  • Great Mosque of Damascus: Byzantine mosaics, Roman plan.

  • Great Mosque of Córdoba: double-tiered arches, horseshoe arches, ornate mihrab.

Type 2: Four-Iwan Mosque

• Iwan = vaulted hall open on one side.

• Plan includes four iwans around a central courtyard

• Great Mosque of Isfahan : developed over centuries, includes muqarnas and tiles.

Type 3: Centrally-Planned Mosque

• Dome-covered main space, often with surrounding semi-domes.

• Influenced from Hagia Sophia from Early Christian Art

• Example: Blue Mosque: large central dome, six minarets, interior tilework.

Islamic Mausolea

• Cemetery House

  Taj Mahal

  • White marble mausoleum

  • Features: symmetrical plan, iwan, central dome, garden symbolizing paradise.

Mudejar vs Islamic

Islamic Art

• Origin: Islamic world

• Religious: Built for Muslim worship and rule

• Key features: Calligraphy, geometry, arabesques, muqarnas

• Common structures: Mosques, palaces, mausolea

• Avoids human figures in religious spaces (aniconism)

Mudejar Art

• Origin: Christian Spain

• Cultural mix: Christian buildings made by Muslim artisans

• Combines: Islamic motifs + Christian forms

• Key features: Brickwork, horseshoe arches, tilework, wooden ceilings

• Found in: Churches, synagogues, palaces

• Decorative, not religiously Islamic

Key Characteristics of Islamic Ornament: Secular Art

• Geometry: Infinite, complex patterns reflecting unity and divine perfection.

• Arabesque: Flowing, vegetal patterns symbolizing paradise and growth.

• Calligraphy: The highest art form; often quotes from the Qur’an in Arabic script.

• Carpets/Rugs: The Ardabil Carpet, huge, symmetrical, spiritual in function.

• Tiles: Glazed ceramics for decoration in mosques and palaces.

• Muqarnas: Stalactite-like vaulting in domes and niches; architectural ornament that plays with light and shadow.

Secular Art: Illuminated Manuscripts

Art that is not based on religious themes

• Bahram Gur in a Peasant's House: Narrative scene from Persian epic.

• Bahram Gur Fights the Karg: Heroic Persian king battles a horned wolf; dynamic and richly colored.

• Reflects royal ideals, Persian influence, and secular storytelling.

Palaces

The idea of paradise garden

The Alhambra (Spain)

• Three Nasrid (the last Islamic dynasty to rule) palaces: Court of the Lions, Comares Palace, Mexuar.

• Features: intricate stucco work, muqarnas, calligraphy, and light/water reflections.

Topkapi Palace (Istanbul)

• Seat of Ottoman sultans; includes courtyards, pavilions, tiles, and gardens.

Chehel Sotoun (Iran)

• 17th-century palace with garden pavilion, mirrored hall, and reflecting pool.

Gardens

Role of Landscape and Water

• Water = spiritual purity and paradise.

• Gardens mirror Qur’anic descriptions of heaven.

Paradise Gardens

• Alhambra: enclosed, symmetrical, quadripartite garden.

• Chahar Bagh (Iran): cross-axial plan with water channels.

• Taj Mahal Gardens: integrates Chahar Bagh concept, frames mausoleum.