ISLAMIC ART

Lecture 3B: Mosques

Early Islamic Architecture

Early Islamic Arts

THE DOME OF THE ROCK: SACRED GROUND FOR JEWS, CHRISTIANS, AND MUSLIMS

• Located on the Temple Mount, site

where Abraham was asked by God

to sacrifice Isaac.

• Also where the angel Gabriel

accompanied Muhammad to heaven

where he prayed with Abraham,

Moses, and Jesus (and others).

• The Dome of the Rock was built as

shrine and also to represent the

Islamic conquest of Jerusalem and

the Jewish and Christian faiths.

AERIAL VIEW OF THE DOME OF THE ROCK, JERUSALEM, 687–692.

DOME OF THE ROCK (LEFT),MOSAIC REPRESENTATION OF THE MARTYRIUM

OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER AS IT LOOKED IN THE 6TH

CENTURY,, SAN VITALE IN RAVENNA (527-546) (BOTTOM RIGHT).

Early Islamic Architecture: Byzantine Influence

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INTERIOR OF THE DOME OF THE

ROCK, JERUSALEM, 687–692.

INTERIOR OF SAN VITALE,

RAVENNA (ABOVE)

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EARLY BYZANTINE MOSAIC OF

CHRIST FROM THE HAGIA SOPHIA

• Mosaics of “living

light”…they

appear to glow, to

dance, to have life

in them!

MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE

• Mosque: Place of prayer

• Quibla: direction of prayer towards Mecca

• Mihrab: decorative niche in the quibla wall; focal point of mosque

• Minbar: pulpit

• Minarets: towers used for the call to prayer

MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE

• Mosque: Place of prayer

• Quibla: direction of prayer towards Mecca

• Mihrab: decorative niche in the quibla wall; focal point of mosque

• Minbar: pulpit

• Minarets: towers used for the call to prayer Qibla Wall with Mihrad and Minbar,

Sultan Hasan Madrase-Mausoleum-

Mosque Complex. 1356-1363.

The Mihrab comes from a tradition of having circular areas to attract

the attention of the faithful.

MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE

• Mosque: Place of prayer

• Quibla: direction of prayer towards Mecca

• Mihrab: decorative niche in the quibla wall; focal point of mosque

• Minbar: pulpit

• Minarets: towers used for the call to prayer

Minbar from the Kutubiya Mosque in Marrakesh,

1125-1130. Wood and ivory.

MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE

• Mosque: Place of prayer

• Quibla: direction of prayer towards Mecca

• Mihrab: decorative niche in the quibla wall; focal point of mosque

• Minbar: pulpit

• Minarets: towers used for the call to prayer

MALWIYA MINARET OF THE GREAT MOSQUE, SAMARRA, IRAQ, 848–852.

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ARAB PLAN MOSQUE (HYPOSTYLE)

• Earliest mosques have a prayer hall and enclosed courtyard.

• Hypostyle architecture: roof of a hall supported by rows of columns. Technology invented by the Egyptians and used in Christian Churches.

• Great Mosque of Damascus early example. 318 by 512 feet. Accommodates thousands of worshippers.

Aerial view of the Great Mosque,

Damascus, Syria, 706–715.

Ground-level view of the Great Mosque, Damascus (L)

Exterior of Sta. Maria in Trastevere, Rome (R)

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DETAIL OF A MOSAIC IN THE

COURTYARD ARCADE OF THE GREAT

MOSQUE, DAMASCUS, SYRIA, 706–715.

Great Mosque at Samarra, Iraq (Islamic, 848–852 CE).

THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOBA (LATER

CONVERTED INTO A CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL),

STARTED 786.

"Sacred for lovers of

art, you are the glory

of faith, You have

made Andalusia pure

as a holy land!"

~poet Muhammad

Iqbal

You have made Andalusia pure as a holy land!"

• 865 Columns in all of

jasper, onyx, marble, and

granite.

• Made from pieces of a

Roman temple that had

occupied the site.

You have made Andalusia pure as a holy land!"

Hypostyle Hall in the Great Mosque

of Cordoba.

• Horseshoe arch shape

used for mihrab.

• Inspired by Visigothic

architecture.

• Dome uses pointed

arches that will become

a prominent feature of

Gothic art in France.

THE QUR’AN • Writing was considered

unimportant in Arab lands prior to Islam.

• However, the message of God given to Muhammad was too precious not to preserve word for word.

• Writing became sacred; the words themselves became beautiful objects.

• Earliest versions had large print so several people could read at once.

Folio from a Qur’an on vellum,

9th century. Fig. 2.13

Folio from the "Blue Qur'an," Fatimid period

(909–1171), second half of 9th–mid-10th century

Tunisia, probably Qairawan

Gold and silver on indigo-dyed parchment

Folio from a Qur'an manuscript,

Seljuq period (1040–1196), ca. 1180

Eastern Iran or present-day

Afghanistan

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on

paper

AFTER LECTURE 1B YOU SHOULD BE

ABLE TO….

• Identify the major features found in all mosques.

• Explain the importance of the Dome of the Rock in form and function and identify Byzantine influences.

• Discuss the architectural forms at the Great Mosque at Cordoba in detail.

• Describe how a Qur’an page is decorated.

• Identify the types of media that Islamic artists were known for throughout the western and non-western worlds.