Islamic Religious Architecture Notes

Regional Distinctions in Islamic Architecture

Wrap up the semester by examining regional distinctions in Islamic architecture, focusing on decorative schemes in Spain and Iran, building on discussions from Monday.
Identify familiar elements across mosques and variations based on location.

Revision of three ways to identify decorative schemas within Islamic religious architecture:
- Calligraphy
- Geometric
- Arabesque/Islimi

Iconoclasm: Debate over the worship of idols.
Shift from depicting idols (e.g., Christ, Mary) to depictions of nature (gardens, flowing water) in religious architecture.
Debate around the role of images in Christianity: symbolism vs. realistic figures.
Danger of images leading to the worship of false idols.

Calligraphy: Text-based art form; excessive to minimal forms; often tied to the individual (e.g., Sultan's signature).
- Example: Ottoman Tughra - signature of the Sultan used as a decorative scheme.
- Significance: Repetition signifies the Sultan's power and becomes an art form with its own decorative presence.
Geometric Patterns: Based on mathematical studies; mathematics seen as inherent in nature; can expand infinitely.
- Mathematics connects nature, religion, and geometric logic.
- Sacred geometries: Based on mathematical relations, infinitely applicable.
- Begins from mathematical theorems rather than depictions of landscapes.
- Abstraction begins from laws of theory (order, organization, rules).
Arabesque/Islimi: Vegetal forms of ornamentation.
- Vegetal forms (flowers, vines) are often interlaced.
- Highly abstracted ornamental style.
- Example: Lattice work with vegetal forms representing flowers.

Examples often combine calligraphy, geometric patterns, and arabesque.
- Interweaving of these schemas in decorative schemes.
- Seeing these interlinking forms working together in the way they're ornamented.

Mirab: Niches within walls marking the Qibla (direction facing Mecca).
- Development of direction of prayer towards Mecca and the Kaaba.
- Variation in shape (Byzantine-influenced archways).
Minarets: Towers from which the call to prayer is made.
- Different expressive forms and horizontal hierarchies.
- Purpose: Site for the call to prayer; visible urban gesture; sonic aspect.
- Vertical element in the city, symbolic and visible in the landscape.
Dome: Caps the most sacred part of the mosque.
- May be attached to the Qibla Wall or indicate a shrine.
Sahn: Courtyard, often used for ablutions.

Orientation shapes the way architecture is organized across religions.
- Apse marks the altar in churches, indicating directionality.
- Stupa: Circular orientation around the finial.
- Early Christian churches: Domestic spaces with less clear orientation.

Precedes the Ottoman Empire; influenced by the Byzantine Empire.
Symbolizes architectural transition when the Ottoman Empire conquered the city.
Ottoman ambition to recreate the glory of a previous empire (Roman Empire).
Large mosque compounds included religious schools, soup kitchens, and baths.
Military involvement in construction projects signifies architecture's importance.
Geopolitical location of Istanbul connects east and west, Europe and Asia.

Central live dome with a ring of windows produces a floating sensation.
Dome springs off an octagonal form with eight pylons.
Geometry of the dome relates to the square outline of the space.
Byzantine Christian influence in the two-toned brickwork.
Ottoman influence in the tile work (calligraphy and geometry).
Community spaces (shops, schools) connected to the mosque complex, fitting into the urban fabric.

Abbasid capital moved to Samarra in 836.
Included the caliph's residency and the mosque.
Largest mosque in the world for a time, holding up to 80,000 worshipers.
Rectangular brick wall and courtyard.
Minaret built like a desert fortress with a coiled form, reaching upward with an internal staircase.

Built under the Umayyad dynasty.
One of the oldest structures from the time of Islamic rule in Southern Europe.
Center for Arabic knowledge and a point of connection between Arabic and European cultures.

Identify the week in which the case studies come from.
Check the lectures and revise what was said about it and why it was important.
Incorporate the essays.
Cite all sources and include a bibliography. Every sentence has to be linked to a source.
Make a final edit and upload the document.

If both case studies come from the same module, keep the responses confined to that module. Do not expand to include unrelated details.
Refer to the essay provided in the prompt.
Close reading of the image is important, as questions may pertain to implicit details.

It is permissible to cite the lecture, but it is often more effective to verify information from a source external to the lecture when possible, in order to improve credibility.