Islamic Art & Architecture 2nd Half (Images)

Aleppo Citadel, Aleppo, Syria, 1180s

• Built by Ayyubids

• Largest and one of the oldest fortified castles of the west

• Entrance had 6 right turns

• One of the gates into the citadel, showing a muqarnas archway and ablaq stonework – alternating colored courses, with joggled voussoirs (stones that go around an arch) around the portal

• Fortified gate and bridge over moat resemble Roman aqueducts

Madrasa al-Firadaus, Aleppo, Syria, 1235-41

• Founded by a woman

• Special place in terms of its spiritual aura

• Courtyard is very geometrically thought out

• The mihrab niche in the mosque at al-Firdaus

  • Extraordinary stone inlay

    • Mamluks loved to do poly-hued interlaced stone inlay

Mausoleum of Qalawun, Cairo, Egypt, 1284-85

• Entrance to the Mausoleum: mosaic, carved stucco, wooden detail, etc.

  • (Funeral complex of one of the first Mamluk sultans)

  • Similar architecture to the west

  • Stonework in the Mausoleum of Qala’un, Cairo (1284-85) – first use of polychrome marble inlay in Mamluk architecture

  • Mihrab in the mausoleum – has spolia columns, uses joggled voussoirs and glass mosaic

Palace of Bashtak, Cairo, Egypt, 1334-39

• Two storied reception hall with gallery on second level for the women

• Pierced wooden window grills to screen the women from the men

• Upper floor windows like these helped circulate air and cool the palace (working with fountains and pools inside)

Sultan Hasan Mosque Complex, Cairo, Egypt, 1356-62

• Use of the 4-Iwan plan for the madrasa – coming from Syria and Iran

• Monumental entrance to the complex with muqarnas arch

Mausoleum of Sultan Qaitbai, Cairo, Egypt, 1472-74

Husain ibn Muhamad, Water Ewer, Damascus, Syria, 1259

Glass Goblet, Aleppo, Syria, late 13th century

Used enameling

Steel Mirror, Syria, c. 1330

Utilized damascene work

Page from Harari’s Maqamat, Cairo, Egypt, 1334

Wool Carpet, Cairo, Egypt, 1500

Prestige carpets, often used as tablecloths rather than on the floor to keep them clean