Islam Page 1

SLIDE – Map – spread of Islam Islam = submission to God. Muslim = a believer in Islam Islam rose in popularity in the 7th century in the Arabian Peninsula Prophet Muhammad succeeded in uniting the warring clans of Arabia under Islam Before this, they had been mostly independent nomadic groups. After it was founded, Islam spread fast to a wide area To much of N. Africa, Middle East, & SE Asia. Islamic art draws from the religion itself - And from the cultural traditions of its diverse followers. Islam discourages the use of figurative images, unlike Christianity & Buddhism. Instead we see lots of geometric patterns & scrolling vines – These motifs are called “arabesques” (from Arabia). Stylized animal and plant forms are a strong part of the Persian tradition. A few figural images developed in areas with a strong figural tradition (Mostly in areas that had been under control of the Roman or Byzantine empires) Islamic art is mostly a combination of pure abstraction & organic form. Abstraction frees the mind from thinking of material things, Opens the mind to a divine presence, which fits with ideals of Islam. Islamic artists excelled in surface decoration using repeated pattern So their art has a timeless feel.

SLIDE - Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem. 687 - 692. The only art forms held in high esteem by Arabs were architecture and poetry. Islamic architects adapted freely from Roman, Christian, and Persian models, Including basilicas & the peristyle house. This is the oldest standing Islamic sanctuary. Not a mosque or church, but still a VERY sacred space The 3rd holiest site in Islam after Mecca & Medina. 1st is Mecca, Muhammad’s birthplace (Pilgrimage site) 2nd is Medina - where Muhammad went When rulers of Mecca ran him out Houses a rock formation where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jews, Christians & Muslims all treat the site as holy. All associate the site with the creation of Adam & the temple of Solomon. Supposedly happened on this spot, but recent research indicates wrong location. Another Jewish association – where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Built by Syrians, trained in the Byzantine tradition. It is a central plan - “octagon within an octagon” Unlike Byzantine models, the exterior is very opulent, decorated with tiles. *Handout page 346. Islam Page 2 SLIDE - Frieze, detail of Palace Mshatta. One Islamic group (Umayyad Caliphs) were dessert people. They built gorgeous palaces and hunting retreats at the edge of the desert. Some were quite opulent & luxurious. This is one of the later places at Mshatta (Near Amman, Jordan). It was begun in 740, never completed, but is still impressive. Square plan, 470’ x 470’; Outer walls & gates were guarded with towers. Wall was decorated with a frieze 16’ high. Divided by triangular compartments with rosette designs in high relief. There are intricate carvings of birds & animals in low relief (but not on the mosque side - forbidden). Two facing lions drink from an urn, and the tree of life grows from it.

SLIDE - Great Mosque, Prayer Hall, Cordoba. Spain. 961 - 965. Mosques are places of Muslim worship. This one is a large rectangular enclosure Divided by a courtyard & single prayer hall, Laid out so worshippers face Mecca when the Pray. Qibla wall designates the direction of Mecca, and has a niche, called a mihrab. This mosque was build by the Umayyads (an Islamic group) They fled into Spain & established themselves. They were great patrons of the arts This is one of the finest surviving examples of Islamic architecture in Spain. Built on the site of a demolished Christian church, and kept expanding. The pattern in the arches is almost disorienting. There are 2 tiers of arches, which increase the open space and the air circulation. They use horseshoe arches (any arch more than a half-circle) Commonly used by the Visigoths. They ruled Spain before Islamic groups came in.

SLIDE – Dome in the Great Mosque, Cordoba. Al-Hakem II made the Great Mosque the focus of his patronage. He commissioned costly & luxurious renovations that upset many of his subjects. Tried to stifle objections to the luxury & cost By having this inscription written on the mosque: “Thanks to God for helping to build this eternal place, making it more spacious for his subjects.” Among the renovations was this dome. It seems to float over a web of intersecting arches. Lush mosaics cover the entire surface - There are inscriptions, geometric motifs, and stylized vegetation patterns. Filled with brilliant color and gold. Islam Page 3

SLIDE - Textile with Elephants. Persia (Iran). 960. Dyed silk. 20” x 37” Silk textiles were a luxury item & a medium of economic trade. This fragment shows 2 elephants, each with a mythical griffin underneath. A caravan of camels (2 humped) moves up the side, linked with rope. Human depictions were discouraged by Islam, so there are no visible people. Paired animals mirroring each other - a common Islamic textile motif. Seems to be just the bottom half of a full textile because the inscription is upside down Like a mirror image. Complicated loom process, sophisticated. The Persians who made this had adopted Chinese silk technology

SLIDE - Frieze, detail of Palace Mshatta. One Islamic group (Umayyad Caliphs) were dessert people. They built gorgeous palaces and hunting retreats at the edge of the desert. Some were quite opulent & luxurious. This is one of the later places at Mshatta (Near Amman, Jordan). It was begun in 740, never completed, but is still impressive. Square plan, 470’ x 470’; Outer walls & gates were guarded with towers. Wall was decorated with a frieze 16’ high. Divided by triangular compartments with rosette designs in high relief. There are intricate carvings of birds & animals in low relief (but not on the mosque side - forbidden). Two facing lions drink from an urn, and the tree of life grows from it.

SLIDE - Koran Page. 9th century. Ink & gold on vellum. 7” x 10”. Muslims believe the Koran is the word of God, as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. This is one of the earliest Korans that has been preserved. Animals & human figures are inappropriate to use in the Koran To decorate the pages, they made the script as elegant and graceful as possible. An ancient Arabic proverb says, “The Purity of writing is Purity of the soul”. The very act of inscribing the Koran is considered sacred. Scribes required a VERY long training in order to be able to do this. Khufic (script developed in the city of Kufah) is read from Right to Left Many characters are connected with a baseline. You write only the consonant sounds Red & yellow dots to represent the vowels. Islam Page 4

SLIDE - Alhambra complex & Court of Lions, Palace of the Lions. Granada, Spain. completed in 1370. This palace typifies the luxury and beauty of Islamic palace architecture. Alhambra means “the Red”, named for the reddish stone it was made from. The Alhambra is a fortified hilltop palace complex Was the seat of the Nasrids (the last Spanish Muslim dynasty). When Christians took over the area, they didn’t destroy it They thought it was the epitome of luxury They treated it as a symbol of the Christian defeat of Islam in Spain. It was like a trophy to them. Christian monarchs restored and occupied it, because of its beauty. It’s a sophisticated pleasure palace, like paradise on earth. It is large, about a ½ mile long Includes government buildings, royal residences, mosques, Baths, stables, lush gardens, pools, fountains, etc. The palace was built by Muhammad V, (ruled 1362 - 1391) and Includes this magnificent courtyard There are 12 lions in the marble fountain. The palace has views of valleys and mountains - Yet all the windows still turn inward to the lush courtyard Was once planted with shrubs, flowers, and small citrus trees. Palace rooms above stick out over the courtyard, look down at the fountain & gardens.

SLIDE - Muqarnas Dome, Palace of the Lions. Allhambra. Stucco. There are 4 pavilions used for dining and live performances that open into the Court of the Lions. This one, the Hall of the Two Sisters, is a 2-story court designed as a winter music room. It had fabulous acoustics and is covered by a remarkable ceiling - a star-shaped vault formed by a honeycomb of 5000 clustered squinches (called muqarnas). Looks like architectural lace, as they catch and reflect the sunlight. It was made to symbolize the dome of heaven. In fact, the palace walls are inscribed with poetry that compares the ceiling to a night sky. *Handout page 352. Islam Page 5 SLIDE - Mosque of Selim (by architect Sinan). Edirne, Turkey. 1570. It was designed by the great architect Sinan, who He was born a Christian, but converted to Islam. Credited with more than 300 imperial commissions. He designed & built Koran schools, hospitals, bridges, and 124 mosques. He was a contemporary of Michelangelo. This mosque, designed for Selim II, is his crowning achievement, Completed it when he was in his 80’s. Central plan mosque, and the dome is 102 feet in diameter, larger than Hagia Sophia’s, which was Sinan’s inspiration for the design of this mosque. The exterior is very geometrically complex. Has 4 minarets, which are tall towers that call Muslims to prayer. They are 295 feet tall, and 12.5 diameter at the base. Only royal mosques were permitted multiple minarets like this More than 2 minarets was highly unusual – for very important mosques. Compare to Hagia Sophia - similar windows in dome. This is a true central plan though while HS is a little more basilica-ish This mosque lacks Hagia Sophia’s longitudinal pull. The Mosque of Selim was designed with the worshippers in mind. You can see the mihrab from nearly everywhere inside the mosque. Earthquakes in Turkey that toppled modern buildings, haven’t damaged Sinan’s buildings They are very structurally sound and very safe. Strong.

SLIDE - Great Mosque at Isfahan. Iran. 11th - 17th centuries. It was originally a hypostyle mosque. In the 11th century it was remodeled with 2 great brick domes, and in the 12th with 4 iwans & a monumental gate. Iwans are large rectangular vaulted halls with monumental large openings. This was a new type of mosque plan, the 4-iwan mosque. *Handout page 351. It gradually became the standard in Iranian mosque design. Iwans represent symbolic gateways between: the outside & inside, material & spiritual. The largest iwan is always the one with the qibla - and sometimes a dome. This is designed to let worshippers know which way to pray so they are facing Mecca.

SLIDE - Mosaic mihrab from Isfahan. 1354. Glazed tile. 11’ 3” x 7’ 6”. Mihrab - a recession or niche in the qibla wall. Qibla - the wall towards Mecca. One of the earliest examples of architectural ceramic decoration in Islamic art. There are organic patterns and geometric forms throughout the mihrab. Each piece of tile was cut individually by hand, including the lettering pieces. The lettering is a combination of decorated Khufic and cursive scripts. The outer inscription (cursive) and tells of the duties of believers and the heavenly rewards for the builders of mosques. The next row of lettering (Khufic) is made up of quotes from the Koran. The center panel says, “The mosque is the house of every pious person. Islam Page 6 SLIDE - Carpet. Persia. 17th century. Wool & cotton. 17’ 5” x 14’ 2” Carpets have always been the best-known Islamic art (magic carpets!) Carpets were originally a Persian art form. Muslims used them and brought them into other areas, In Muslim Spain, they even picked up a Spanish influence. They were economically and culturally important. Considered a status symbol in the Islamic world. Many were made in royal workshops Very highly prized in the Western World. Woven from cotton & wool, or silk & wool. Intricate, elegant designs. Many resemble gardens of paradise, and Some show a bird’s eye view of an enclosed park or garden Simple animal figures & birds. Carpets made specifically for a mosque though, would not have the animals No figures of any kind are allowed in the mosque.

SLIDE - Book page, “The Caliph Harun Visits the Turkish Bath”. Copy of 12th century original. Ink and pigments on paper. Islam emphasized the study of the Koran, Very high literacy rates among men & women in Islam societies. There were other books besides the Koran were available to read But they were costly because they were handmade. Illuminators made non-figural geometric designs for the Koran Did figures for other books. This scene is from a bath house.

SLIDE - Metalwork - Griffin, etc. Egypt. 11th century. Bronze. 42” high. Islamic metalworkers inherited metal technology of Roman & Byzantine predecessors. They applied this knowledge to new forms, Like incense burners and pitchers shaped like birds. This stylized griffin is unusually large, made from cast bronze. Decorated with incised feathers, scales, medallions, and circle pattern Has an Arabic style of writing, called Khufic, incised on it. The metal canteen is decorated with Christian themes that show the life of Christ. Proves that not only were Muslims were in contact with Christian world But were often commissioned by Christians to produce fine metal works for them.