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Islamic Art and Architecture

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Motivation

“God is Beautiful and Loves Beauty” “God likes that when you do anything, that you do it excellently.”

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The Essentials of Islamic Art

Islamic art seeks to portray the meaning and essence of things, rather than just their physical form.Aniconic.Geometry.Arabesque.Calligraphy.

Writing has high status in Islam Writing is a significant decoration for objects and buildings Books are a major art-form

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CalligraphyArabic Language and the Qur’an and it was written in Arabic script.Nations Adopted Arabic script as the Islam spread overseas.

Farsi Hawsa Malay Turkish Urdu

Arabic script was chosen to record history, science and to decorate Mosques and palaces.

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The Act of Writing

Criteria:

Semantics (communication/message) Aesthetics (style and form)

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Development

Abu Ali Muhammad Ibn Muqla‘ (d. 940), is credited with developing the first script to obey strict proportional rulesLater, Dots were used to set proportional rules

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Styles

There are different styles for writing Arabic calligraphy:

Ruqaa Naskh Farsi Thuluth Muhaqaq Old Kufi

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Commonly used Scripts

Kufi

Thuluth

Diwani

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Applications

Architecture

Arabesque

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Applications

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Applications: Qur’an

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Applications: hadith

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Applications: Poetry

“I yearn for the bread of my mother, her coffee, and her touch” Mahmud Darweesh

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Influence

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Arabesque

Repeating floral or vegetal patterns are utilized for aesthetical effect

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Geometry

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Features of Islamic Architecture

Dome

Mihrab (Prayer Niche)

Minaret

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Domes

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Domes

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Mihrab

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Minaret

The main function of the minaret is to provide a vantage point from which the call to prayer is made (adhan). Provide a visual cue to a Muslim community.In the past Minarets also function as air conditioning mechanisms: as the sun heats the dome, air is drawn in through open windows then up and out of the minaret, thereby providing natural ventilation.

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Minaret

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Minaret

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Conclusion Qur’an and hadith are influential sources of inspiration for Islamic creativity.

Its main aim of Islamic Art is to represent Divine beauty.

Islamic Art and Architecture are a representation of a Muslims’ belief and aesthetical taste.