The third great monotheism, Islam, began in 610 CE. The angel Gabriel is believed by Muslims to have appeared to a merchant named al-Amin ("the
Trusted One") on Mount Hira, a few miles north of Mecca, in Arabia. On this night, "The Night of Power and Excellence," he became Muhammad, the messenger of God. These revelations of Gabriel form the basis of the religion known as Islam ("submission to God's will"), whose followers are referred to as
Muslims ("those who have submitted to God"). There are around a billion
Muslims in the world today.
The art of Islam adheres to a very strict reading of the second commandment, in a similar way to both Judaism and Early Christianity. Indeed these three great religions share a great deal of the religious texts known to us as The Hebrew
Scriptures, The Bible, and in Islam The Koran ("recitations") which is a compilation of Muhammad's revelations, as well as the Old Testament, and parts of the New Testament of Christianity.. Transcriptions of this religious text are done exclusively in Arabic. The transcription of the Koran is considered to be a sacred, holy task and the writing of these transcriptions was developed into an art form known as Calligraphy . Since there is almost no imagery in Islamic art, it would become one of the most, if not the most, beautiful and highly developed ornamental art forms of human history, Calligraphy and extraordinary swirling pattern are the basis of this most delicate and ornate artistic traditions.
Arabesque , one name given to the highly developed pattern work of Islam would later influence the art of Spain during the Baroque period. Spain was an Islamic country for over 700 years beginning with the battle of Jerez de la Frontera in
711 and not ending until the departure of the last Caliphs in 1492. Our own numerical characters are derived from Arabic script even though Arabic peoples no longer use them.
The architecture of Islam is comprised mostly of Mosques and palaces. The
Mosque is thought to be a reflection of the atrium-like garden of the home of
Muhammad where he taught. Islamic architects were influenced by Early
Christian and Byzantine architecture, specifically in the use of polygonal forms, the focusing on the Cupola , or dome and drum, in the use of rich mosaic ornamentation which emphasized a flat or non-spatial reading of the surface.