2. General characteristics- Islamic art is especially famous for
itsarchitecture.- There are very few paintings and
sculptures,because the Koran did not allow therepresentation of
Muhammad, Allah, people oranimals.- However, islamic art is very
fine. 3. Representative buildingsThe most important buildings were:
Palaces (for the caliphs) Mosques (temples for praying) 4. Palaces
They usually had gardens and fountains. This courtyard is the Patio
de los Leones of the Alhambra (Granada) 5. PalacesAnd these
gardensare the Generalifegardens, also inGranada 6. PalacesPalaces
consisted of two areas: - Public area (used for welcoming
theambassadors who went to visit the caliph)- Private area (the
residence area of thecaliph and his family) 7. Mosques Mosques were
the buildings for praying in public, especially on Fridays. This is
the umayyad mosque of Damascus. 8. Parts of a mosqueThe muezzin
called toprayer from theminaret.The Giralda in Sevillewas the
minaret ofthe old mosque. Themosque wasdestroyed, and nowthe plant
is occupiedby the catholic gothiccathedral. 9. Parts of a
mosqueSome minarets hadfunny shapes. Thisone is helicoidal, andits
in Samarra (Irak) 10. Parts of a mosqueAfter going through adoor,
we find acourtyard or patio.There is an ablutionfountain which
isused for ritualwashing and spiritualpurification beforeprayer.
11. Parts of a mosqueThe prayer hall is acovered area withcolumns.
Muslimspray here.This is the interior ofthe Crdoba mosque. 12.
Parts of a mosqueThe quibla is the wallmuslims face whenthey
pray.The quibla isorientated towardsthe holy city ofMecca. 13.
Parts of a mosqueThe mihrab is a smallniche in the quiblawhere the
Koran iskept. 14. Parts of a mosqueThe mimbar or pulpit.The imam
(themuslim priest) leadsprayers from here. 15. Pics of a few
important mosques 16. Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem 17. Mosque of
Cairo, Egypt 18. Cordoba mosque, Spain 19. Blue mosque, Istambul
20. A summary of the parts of a mosqueMimbarMinaretCourtyard (with
an ablutionfountain)Prayer hallQuiblaMihrab 21. Decoration of
islamic buildings 22. The interiors of islamic buildings were
richly decorated 23. Decoration Muslims used arabic calligraphy
symbols as decoration. Usually, they sculpted verses from the
Koran. 24. Callygraphy decoration 25. Decoration They also
decorated the walls with beautiful vegetal designs called
ataurique. 26. DecorationOr geometric designs 27. Decoration
Sometimes, the materials they used were notvery rich: simple
bricks, plaster, etc. But they also used noble materials, like
glazedtiles or hard wood like oak or birch (especiallyfor the
mimbars). 28. Decoration (glazed tiles) 29. Archs 30. Different
types of archs 31. Archs Lobulated arch 32. ArchsA horseshoe arch,
themost typical islamicarch. 33. Domes 34. Domes Mocrabes (as if
they were forming stalactites) 35. Domes Caliphal crossing
dome.
