General, Mosques - Source #1
• Architecture was found in different types of
buildings with different functions like mosques,
caravansarais, madrasas, and mausolea
• Architecture was used to enhance the authority
of the ruler
• Different types of buildings were connected
with specific groups of interested parties at
different times in history
S – 253
Style – Source #1
• Mathematics and geometry were often
considered part of medieval architecture
aesthetic
• Epigraphy became an integral part of the
decoration of architecture
S – 253-254
Famous – Source #1
• (Maghribi historian) Ibn Khaldun’s work contains
insights concerning the relationship between
architecture and the state
• Ibn Khaldun emphasized that cities and other
monuments reflected the dynasties that created
them
• Alhambra (fortified castle) - Built during the latter
part of the Moorish period in Spain and at the
height of classical Islamic civilization
S – 253
Features (parts) of Mosques - Source #4
• Mosques generally have an open space covered or
uncovered facing toward Mecca, a minaret (a tower from
which the faithful are called to prayer), and a minbar
(raised pulpit from which an imam could address the
body or read the Koran, and a fountain nearby for
ablutions)
• Mosques were used for: a place of worship, shelter,
food, facilities for teaching, administration and burial
• Screened or grilled windows or blank walls facing the
street, and with entrances leading the stranger to a blank
wall with no view of the interior
S – 53
Features (parts) of Mosques - Source #4 (CONTINUED)
• Features courtyards with fountains, elaborately
decorated colonnades, surrounded by formal
and informal gardens, surfaces are intricately
laden with tiled geometry, elaborate stucco
calligraphy and arabesque fantasies
• Inside, houses face an open courtyard or
garden, sometimes with a fountain or pool,
family sitting areas outdoors in shaded areas
(especially found in Islamic Spain)
S – 53-54
Style – Source #4
• Discouraged in Islamic art: representations of
human and animals figures (thought to encourage
idolatry), creation of imitations of life forms (only
God can create)
• Arabesque – geometric designs as well as elaborate
floral designs, became the distinctive Arab
decorative motif
• Quotations from the Koran were thought to be the
most appropriate decoration for any building
S – 53
Style – Source #4 (CONTINUED)
• Islam emphasizes privacy, mosques and other
public buildings were normally decorated on
the inside, outsides were plain
• Islamic houses are turned inward, showing only
blank walls to the street
• Calligraphy, geometric and arabesque designs
are the distinctive characteristics of Islamic
architecture
S – 53
Famous – Source #4
• First mosque was the courtyard of
Mohammad’s house
• Alhambra – fortified castle
S – 53
Style – Source #7
• The concept of Allah's infinite power is evoked by
designs with repeating themes which suggest
infinity
• Human and animal forms are rarely depicted in
decorative art as Allah's work is considered to be
matchless
• Foliage is a frequent motif but typically stylized or
simplified for the same reason
• Arabic Calligraphy is used to enhance the interior
of a building by providing quotations from the
Qur'an
S-2
Style (CONTINUED) – Source #7
• Furthermore, the use of grandiose forms such as
large domes, towering minarets, and large
courtyards are intended to convey power
• Arabic calligraphy is associated with geometric
Islamic art (the Arabesque) on the walls and ceilings
of mosques as well as on the page.
• Arabesque - An element of Islamic art usually found
decorating the walls of mosques and Muslim homes
and buildings, the arabesque is an elaborate
application of repeating geometric forms that often
echo the forms of plants, shapes and sometimes
animals (specifically birds)
S-6
General – Source #7
• Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of
secular and religious architecture
• Principle architectural types are the mosque, the tomb,
the palace and the fort. Lesser importance, public baths,
fountains and domestic architecture
• Islamic architecture has been called the "architecture of
the veil" because the beauty lies in the inner spaces
(courtyards and rooms) which are not visible from the
outside (street view)
• Notable Islamic architectural types include the early
Abbasid buildings, T-type mosques, and the centraldome mosques of Anatolia
S-1
Famous – Source #7
• Built between 630 and 632, the holy sanctuary of Ka’ba
was rebuilt by a shipwrecked Abyssinian carpenter,
among the first major works of Islamic architecture
• Ka’ba was decorated with painting of Jesus, Mary,
Abraham, prophets, angels and trees, later doctrines
forbade the use of icons in architecture (humans and
animals)
• Dome of the Rock is a key example of Islamic
architecture
• Dome of the Rock featured interior vaulted spaces, a
circular dome, and the use of stylized repeating
decorative patterns (arabesque)
S-1
Famous (CONTINUED) – Source #7
• The Great Mosque of Samara in Iraq (completed in 847
AD) combined the hypostyle architecture of rows of
columns supporting a flat base above a huge spiraling
minaret
• The Hagia Sophia in Instanbul influenced Islamic
architecture
• Ottomans (Muslim) converted the basilica to a mosque
when they conquered Byzantium, incorporated
Byzantine architectural elements like domes
• Hagia Sophia served as a model for many Ottoman
mosques like the Shehzade Mosque, the Suleiman
Mosque, and the Rustem Pasha Mosque
S-1
Arab Plan (Hypostyle) Mosques – Source #7
• Arab-plan or hypostyle mosques are the earliest
type of mosques, pioneered under the Umayyad
Dynasty
• Arab-plan or hypostyle mosques are square or
rectangular in plan with an enclosed courtyard and
a covered prayer hall with a flat roof
• Courtyards served to accommodate the large
number of worshippers during Friday prayers
• Arab-plan or hypostyle mosques gradually fell out
of popularity because they were simple and had
limited opportunities for further development
S – 3-4
Elements of Islamic Style – Source #7
• Large courtyards often merged with a central prayer hall
• Minarets or towers
• Mihrab or niche on an inside wall indicating the direction to
Mecca.
• Domes and Cupolas.
• The use of geometric shapes and repetitive art (arabesque).
• The use of decorative Islamic calligraphy instead of pictures
which were forbidden in mosque architecture.
• The ablution of fountains The use of bright color.
• Focus both on the interior space of a building and the
exterior
S-6
Source #9 – Islamic Mosque Architecture (Parts of a Mosque)
• Minaret – slim tower rising from a mosque, may be square, round, or
octagonal and are usually covered with a pointed roof
• Prayer Hall – large open space, central area for prayer, contains little to no
furniture, contains copies of religious materials, and individual prayer rugs
• Prayer Rugs – provide a clean and cushioned area for worshippers to bow,
kneel and prostrate on the ground
• Mihrab – ornamental indentation in the wall of a mosque, marks the
direction of the qiblah, shaped like a doorway and decorated with tiles and
calligraphy
• Minbar - raised platform in the front area of a mosque, from which sermons
or speeches are given, includes a short staircase and is sometimes covered
with a small dome
• Dome - holds no spiritual or symbolic significance, and is purely aesthetic,
interior of a dome is usually highly decorated with floral, geometric and other
patterns
• Shoe Shelf – Muslims remove shoes to pray to keep prayer space clean, shelf
keeps shoes neatly organized
S – 1-2