ISLAMIC ART
KEY IDEAS
c. 800 CE, concurrent with Hiberno Saxon art, Byzantine art, Charlemagne crowned 800 CE
Mosque= principal place of worship for Muslims
-communal prayer, daily 5 times/day, Friday= Holy Day,
Muhammad= principal prophet, not divine, teachings preserve word of God
"There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God."
Koran= Holy Book which is supplemented by sunnas, moral sayings, exemplary deeds, code
Islam sponsored advanced scholarship and scientific inquiry-- translated Greco-Roman works
Calligraphy= most elevated form of art, decorates most surfaces
Purity of writing is purity of soul.
Five Pillars of Islam= 1.Recite There is no God but God . . . 2.Daily prayer 5 times, facing Mecca, Mosque on
Fridays 3.Ramadan (9th lunar holy month) fast daylight hrs. 4.Duty of almsgiving. 5.Pilgrimage to Mecca
BACKGROUND
570 CE Muhammad born in Mecca
610
While meditating in a cave on Mount Hira, Muhammad is visited by the angel Jibreel/Gabriel, who
orders M to recite. M begins to recite words, which he comes to believe are the words of God = Koran
613
Believing he has been chosen as God's messenger, Muhammad begins to preach what God revealed
622
Political leaders in Mecca find Muhammad's popularity threatening, so Muhammad moves his followers
from Mecca to Medina (2nd most holy city).
632
Muhammad dies and Abu Bakr, the first male to embrace Islam, is appointed caliph
Islamic faith expands rapidly, Middle East, North Africa, Spain
Muslims= those who submit to Allah's (God) will
Koran= Holy Book, recitations in 114 surahs (chapters)
Connections to Christianity and Judaism, Muhammad= Final Prophet (Not God)
ARCHITECTURE
Mosques oriented to Mecca
Qibla, mihrab, minbar, minarets, hypostyle, courtyard
Hypostyle mosque=
Great Mosque at Kairouan, Tunisia, #`13-7/Gardner
Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain, #13-11&12/Gardner
Central plan mosque= Mosque of Selim II at Edirne, Turkey (Ottoman), #13-20
PAINTING
Originally not part of Arab tradition
No depictions of Prophet, stricter= no humans, only small scale, usually with text
Refined, decorative patterns based on nature, brings one closer to Allah
OTHER ARTS
Textiles, tilework, small, portable items, not large-scale works, pictures combined with Arabic script
Arab culture was seminomadic, many objects portable, SEE: #13-15
VOCABULARY
Arabesques
Jali
Minaret
Calligraphy
Koran
Minbar
horseshoe arch
Mecca
Mosque
hypostyle hall
Mihrab
Qiblah wall
13-1 Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 690 CE
13-7 Great Mosque at Kairouan, Tunisia, 875
13-11 Prayer Hall at Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain, c.900
13-16 Koran page, Surah 18, The Cave, c.900, ink on vellum
13-20 Mosque of Selim II by Sinan, Edirne, Turkey, 1575
13-25 Mihrab, Madras Imami, Isfahan, Iran, 1350, glazed tilework
ALSO
The Alhambra (The Red One)
Granada, Spain, 1338 - 1390
Palace of Nasrid Dynasty
Sprawling palace/citadel, courtyards,
Fountains, arcades,
Fine example of Moorísh architecture
#13-7 = Muqarnas dome ceiling
ISLAMIC STUDY GUIDE
ISLAM, CHPT 13
1. The Great Mosque of Kairouan (13-7) is a typical hypostyle mosque. Draw a simple sketch of the plan from
#13-8 and label: forecourt, qibla wall, mihrab, minaret, prayer hall.
2. Define the five terms in #1 above:
Arabesqueforecourt quibla mihrab minaret prayer hall -
3. What new type of mosque was developed by the Ottoman Turks? How did it differ from the hypostyle
mosques favored in other Islamic countries? pp369-370
4. How and why does the plan for the Great Mosque, 13-7, differ from that of Chartres Cathedral (18-11)?
5. Why and how is Dome of the Rock (13-1) a holy place?
6. List 3 objects that were often decorated with Arabic calligraphy:
----
7. What is the relationship of calligraphy to Islam? Describe #13-16.
ISLAMIC ART NOTES