Islamic Art
Islam is a monotheistic religion
originating with the teachings of
Muhammad, a 7th century Arab
religious and political figure.
The word Islam means
"submission", or the total
surrender of oneself to God. A
worshipper of Islam is a Muslim=
"one who submits (to God)".
There are about 1.6 billion
Muslims in the world today.
Islamic Art
Muslims believe that God
revealed the Qur'an to
Muhammad, God's final
prophet, and regard the
Qur'an and the Sunnah (words
and deeds of Muhammad) as
the fundamental sources of
Islam. Muhammad is not the
founder of a new religion, but
seen as the restorer of the
original monotheistic faith of
Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and
other prophets.
Islamic Art
Words to know:
Arabesque
Dome of the Rock
Great Mosque of Cordoba
Calligraphy
Kufic Script
Mihrab
Minaret
Mosque
Reliquary
Qibla Wall
hypostyle
Calligraphy is the most
esteemed, highest form,
of art in Islam
Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy
Lord and Cherisher, Who createdCreated man, out of a (mere) clot of
congealed blood:
Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most
Bountiful,Who taught (the use of) the pen,Taught man that which he knew not.
—Quran, sura 96 (Al-Alaq), ayat 1-5[10]
Much of Islamic art portrays abstract patterns and flowers.
The Quran, the holy book of Islam, includes verses forbidding the
worship of idols. Many Muslims interpret this as prohibition
against displays of the human figure.
Islamic artists then look to nonhuman subjects for their works,
such as calligraphy, abstract designs and flowers.
13-16, Koran page calligraphy, 10 c.
Vocation, Close to God
black ink, red vowels
vellum
Title in gold with palm tree finnial
Oldest extant Quran
Surah 18= The Cave
Praise be to Allah, Who hath
sent to His Servant the Book
Islamic Art
The Islamic Faith is based on the
‘Five Pillars’ of Islam:
Shahādah - Profession of faith
Salah – Prayer 5 times a day
Zakâh - Giving to the poor
Sawm - Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca
?
Although Muslims believe that Jesus
was a prophet, they reject the
Christian doctrine of the Trinity,
comparing it to polytheism. In Islamic
theology, Jesus was just a man and
not the son of God; God is
described in a chapter of the
Quar'an as "…God, the One and
Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He
begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
And there is none like unto Him."
13-1
The Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic
shrine (or reliquary) and a major
landmark located on the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem. It was completed in 691,
making it the oldest extant Islamic
building in the world.
Muslims believe that Mohammed
ascended to Heaven from the rock inside
of this Dome. The building is only open to
Muslims.
Jews believe that it was on this rock that
Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and
this stone may have once stood in
Solomon's Temple. Muslim tradition also
has it that it an angel will appear here
with a trumpet call to announce the Last
Judgment at end of the world.
13-1
Dome of the Rock
shows the magnificent
tile work done by
Suleiman the
Magnificent in 1545.
The Arabic inscription
is of verses from the
Qur'an.
CALLIGRAPHY=
Highest form of art,
Vocation to Allah
IMPORTANT NOTE!!
In the Islamic religion, it is
forbidden to worship other
Gods… Islamic art takes this
rule VERY seriously by
forbidding images of animals
or people (which could
represent Gods) in their
sacred buildings. For this
reason, art of Islamic Holy
places lacks figural
representations.
*
Instead, Islamic artists
created elaborate abstract
designs.
Columns, arches and ambulatory inside the Dome.
Arabesque designs
Textiles
Figure 13-7 Aerial view of the Great Mosque, Kairouan,
Tunisia, ca. 836–875.
13- 7 MOSQUE= Principal place of worship for Muslims
Kairouan= Pilgrimage destination Northern Africans
Rectangular plan, 125m long
Austere buttressed walls
One grand minaret, 115’
Nine gates
17 aisles, 414 columns
Columns reuse Roman/Byzantine
Minbar oldest in Islam
13-7
Minbar
Textiles, Prayer Rug
13-25 Mihrab
A mihrab is a niche in the wall
of a mosque that indicates the
qibla-- the direction of Mecca,
the direction that Muslims
face when praying. The wall
with mihrab= the "qibla wall."
Mihrabs are usually ornately
decorated and often designed
to give the impression of an
arched doorway or a passage
to Mecca.
Sayings of the Prophet
Muhammad are written in kufic
script on the borders of the
pointed arch of the niche.
Mihrab (prayer niche)
Glazed ceramic tile
15th-16th Century
ISLAMIC ART
Cincinnati Art Museum
Arabesques
The arabesque is an
elaborative application of
repeating geometric forms
that often echo the forms of
plants and animals.
Arabesques are an element
of Islamic art usually found
decorating the walls of
mosques.
13-20 Sinan
Mosque of Selim II
Edirne, Turkey, 1575
Ottoman Empire
Dome, central plan
Dome-square-octo
Many windows
Tall, thin, minarets
Multiple domed units
13-21
Commissioned by Selim II
Ottoman architect= Sinan
Central plan
Brilliantly lit interior
Inspired by Hagia Sophia
Huge dome with 4 tall minarets
Great Mosque of Cordoba (Spain)
Once one of the biggest mosques in the World, it’s now a Catholic Cathedral since the Spanish Inquisition.
Córdoba was capital of the Spanish Muslims (756-1031).
The Great Mosque of Córdoba (La Mezquita) was founded 785 CE.
It was added to and expanded over the next two hundred years to
make it the third largest structure in the Islamic world.
The prayer hall (23,400 square meters) is filled with almost 500
hundred slender columns and superimposed striped arches; a forest
sprouting from the marble floor.
Previously the site had been occupied by a Christian church
Before that, Córdoba was a provincial capital in the Roman Empire.
Great Mosque of Cordoba
(Spain) – 900-1,000 CE
Double horseshoe arches
bands of color
Light, airy interior
Hypostyle mosque
The Alhambra, 14c Moors in Spain
The Taj Mahal, Agra, India, 1653. ISLAMIC ART
Writings from the Qur’an in Thuluth Script
Burial tombs for Shah Jahan &
Mumtaz Mahal