WEEK 11 (Islamic Architecture)

what are the key periods of the Islamic architecture?

  • The Quran was revealed to the Prophet (610–632)

  • Period of the “Rightly Guided Caliphs” (632–661)

  • Umayyad Dynasty (661–750)

  • Abbasid Dynasty (750–1258)

  • Andalusian Umayyads (756–1031)

  • Beni Ahmer (1031–1469)

where is the location of the Islamic architecture?

  • Middle East, North Africa, Spain, and South Asia

How old is the Islamic architecture?

  • 1400 years old

what is the Mosque of Prophet Muhammad?

  • Located in Saudi Arabia, Madinah

  • Was the first mosque to be built

  • Has many columns + a Qibla wall

  • Has a courtyard for people to come and listen to the prophet in

  • Was simple and made of (mud brick)

where was the location of the Umayyad dynasty?

  • (661–750)

  • centered in Damascus, Syria

  • was the major dynasty among the rest

  • building types (Mosque + Palaces)

  • ex: (Al Aqsa Mosque + Dome of the Rock + the Great Mosque of Damascus + The Great Mosque of Kairouan + Qusayr Amra + Al Mshatta Palace + Al Mafjar Palace)

what is the Al Aqsa Mosque?

  • 705-709

  • located In Palestine Al Quds city

  • Third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina.

  • First qibla (direction of prayer) before it was changed to Mecca

  • Located in the same side of Dome of the Rock

  • Its plan is rectangular and it has a Mehrab

  • Silver-colored dome

  • Early expansions gave it fifteen aisles and a central dome BUT later reduced to seven aisles

  • Several minarets built across different dynasties (Umayyad, Mamluk, Ottoman)

what is the Dome of the Rock?

  • 687-692 (7 years of construction)

  • Located In Palestine Al Quds city

  • Octagonal base surrounding a central circular core

  • windows are made of Stain Glass in the openings

  • has 12 columns

  • Has a Golden dome sits on a drumㅍ supported by 16 piers and columns

  • Built over the Foundation Stone (Noble Rock) which is sacred in Islam

what is the Great Mosque of Damascus?

  • 705 - 715 built by Caliph al-Walid

  • located in Syria, Damascus

  • Built on the site of a Roman temple and later a Christian Basilica

  • it’s interior looks like an aqueduct

  • Rectangular plan

  • Large courtyard

  • Central dome over the mihrab (called the Dome of the Eagle)

  • Three minarets:

    • Minaret of the Bride (the oldest)

    • Jesus Minaret

    • Qaitbay Minaret

  • Represents Islam’s continuity with earlier civilizations

what is the Great Mosque of Kairouan?

  • 670-726

  • located in Tunisia, Kairouan

  • Hypostyle plan

  • Square minaret about 30 m tall

  • Was a temple THEN changed to a mosque

what is the Qusayr Amra?

  • 711-715

  • located in the desert of Jordan

  • Small desert palace and bathhouse

  • Consists of a hall, audience chamber, and bath complex

  • Famous for its extensive wall paintings and frescoes

  • has paintings of naked figuers too (NOT religous based)

what is the Al Mshatta Palace?

  • 8th century (1300 years old)

  • located in Jordan, Ammar

  • it’s 5 meter high

  • Square enclosure plan

  • Divided into three longitudinal strips

  • rectangular Central courtyard with a pond in the center

  • Reception hall wing + Residential suites

  • now largely housed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin

  • It has Mythical Figures (an animal body with an eagle head)

what is the Al Mafjar Palace?

  • 8th century (1300 years old)

  • Located in Palestine

  • also known as (Hisham's Palace)

  • Large complex (approx. 265 m across) enclosed by outer walls

  • Divided into three main areas:

    • Two-storied palace with residential suites

    • Mosque with courtyard

    • Bathhouse and audience hall with domes and barrel vaults

  • Forecourt with monumental fountain at the eastern side, emphasizing luxury and ceremonial use

  • Main gate centrally located on the south and flanked by tower

where was the location of the Abbasid dynasty?

  • (750–1258)

  • centered in (Baghdad, Iraq)

  • building types (Mosque +Cities)

  • ex: (City of Baghdad + Great Mosque of Samerra +Ibn Tolon Mosque + the Great Mosque of Cordoba)

what is the City of Baghdad?

  • 762

  • located in Iraq, Baghdad

  • was founded by Abbasid Al Khalifa Al Mansoor

  • also called (Madinat al-Salam) the city of peace

  • Circular plan

  • Four gates

  • At the center there’s the Caliphal Palace (Golden Gate Palace) + the Great Mosque

what is the Great Mosque of Samerra?

  • 846

  • Located in Iraq, Samarra

  • Built when Samarra became the capital city after Baghdad

  • Rectangular plan

  • Surrounded by a massive brick wall

  • Large courtyard

  • the most famous feature is the spiral minaret (Malwiya) which was 52 m tall (around 20 floors Hight)

  • Built as a helical ramp around a cylindrical core

what is Ibn Tolon Mosque?

  • 879

  • Located in Egypt, Cairo

  • Hypostyle plan (large rectangular enclosure)

  • Extensive use of pointed arches and brick piers

  • Famous for its spiral minaret, inspired by the Mosque of Samarra

what is the Great Mosque of Cordoba?

  • 785 - 987

  • Located in Spain, Cordoba

  • Hypostyle hall

  • Courtyard are planted with orange trees

  • Famous double arches: lower horseshoe arch topped by a semicircular arch

  • Over 850 columns

  • In the 13th century, after Córdoba’s Christian conquest, a cathedral nave was inserted into the mosque

  • Today it is a mosque-cathedral

  • the largest mosque in the Islamic West