The Islamic World Overview ● 622-756 ● 1453-1924 ○ Muhammad abandons Mecca for Medina 622 ○ The Ottomans capture Constantinople in 1453 and ○ The Umayyads, the first Islamic dynasty, build the Dome develop the domed central plan mosque of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Great Mosque in ○ Timurid book illumination flowers under shah Tahmasp Damascus ○ Safavid artisans perfect the manufacture of cuerda seca ● 756-1453 and mosaic tiles ○ THe Abbasids produce the earliest Korans with Kufic calligraphy ○ The Spanish Umayyad dynasty builds the Great Mosque in its capital at Cordoba ○ The Nasrids embellish the Alhambra with magnificent palaces ○ The Fatmid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk dynasties in Egypt are lavish art patrons http://www.vox.com/a/maps-explain-the-middle-east https://youtu.be/ymI5Uv5cGU4?t=5m Early Islamic ● Muhammad 570-632 ● https://youtu.be/TpcbfxtdoI8 ● As quickly as Christianity, Islam spread throughout Arabia, palestine, syria iraq and egypt 10 years after Muhammad's death in 632. ● Islamic Art was brought to India, Middle East, Africa, and Europe. ● Most notably Spain. Arabs overthrew the Visigoths led by Abd al-rahman and set the capital up at Cordoba, Islam was entrenched in spain until 1492 during the spanish inquisition. ● Early Islamic ● Before Muhammed, many in Mesopotamia worshiped gods from the Mesopotamian period, were separate small tribes, and nomadic traders ● Not big players on the stage before, in an area between the Byzantine Empire and Sasanian Empire (Persian). ● Muhammed became a central figure in uniting millions under a new religion, that did not have the early problem that Christianity had in waiting for the prophet to return. ● 640. Muslims ruled syria, palestine and iraq, ● 651, Ended 400 years of rule of sasanian control of iran ● 710 all north africa under control ● 711 ruled spain, 732 into parts of france and began to directly oppose Charles Martel and the Franks. Grandfather of Charlemagne ● Early Islamic ● Muslims Flourished in Cordova until 1031 starting their decline until the end in 1492. ● Caliph is a religious steward (leader) of a Caliphate. A Caliphate is an area of land that has a Caliph. ● Islamic forces were responsible by conquering the byzantine empire in 1453. ● Military dominance alone cannot explain this phenomena. Spread of the religion, openness to trade, the proximity of two wealthy empires in the Byzantine and Sasanian empires allowed for a rapid expansion. Technology moved from east to west. With culture, academics, and technology being placed in this region of the world and allowed for this civilization to rapidly expand. Early Islamic ● Jerusalem (638 under Islamic Control) ● Dome of the Rock 687-692, the first great islamic building. ● Not a mosque, rather a triumphal structure commemorating the triumph of Islam ● Places a Third religion in the holy city along with Judaism and Christianity. ● Placed in the tradition of Late Antique Mediterranean architecture. A central plan. ● A dome sits on top of a ring of columns supporting it. An octagonal structure surrounds and encloses the space. ● ● Jerusalem (638 under Islamic Control) ● Dome of the Rock 687-692, the first great islamic building. ● Not a mosque, rather a triumphal structure commemorating the triumph of Islam ● Places a Third religion in the holy city along with Judaism and Christianity. ● Placed in the tradition of Late Antique Mediterranean architecture. A central plan. ● A dome sits on top of a ring of columns supporting it. An octagonal structure surrounds and encloses the space. ● 75 foot tall double shelled wood dome, which dominates the elevation to reduce the octagon to function as a base. ● Interior/Exterior are examples of Mosaic tilework, ceramics were fired with single color glazes in a kiln and placed on the wall. ● Later Cuerda seca (dry cord tile work were introduced. ● https://youtu.be/ps-MXtxIh6o (curda seca Example) ● Early mosaics were of small pieces, then Cuerda seca allowed for intricate tiles be produced that were bigger, polychromatic and less expensive to clad on a structure. Early Islamic ● The great mosque Damascus, Syria 706- 715 ● Umayyad Caliphate transferred their capital from Mecca to Damascus in 661. ● Caliph al-Walid purchased a Byzantine Church dedicated to John the Baptist, and formerly a Roman Temple to the god Jupiter. They demolished the structure, but kept the walls to build the new mosque. ● Used the original blocks, columns, and capitals. ● Used pier arcades similar to roman aqueducts ● Minarets are earliest examples in Islamic architecture and are modified from two roman bell towers (minaret- tower that calls followers to worship) Early Islamic Great Mosque Damascus Interior shows the salvaging of Roman and Byzantine components to rebuild the new mosque. Reminiscent of early Basilica, timber trussed roof, two tiered arcade with corinthian capitals. Early Islamic Detail of mosaics in the courtyard arcade Great Mosque, Damascus Syria ● Extensive glass mosaics covered the walls and arcades. Artists depicted palace villas, trees, and gardens besides rivers ● Early Islamic mosaics owe much to Byzantine Roman, and early Christian artwork. ● No prohibition against figural art in the Koran, but based on the Hadith (words, actions, and habits associated to Muhammad) shuns the representation of animals of any kind in sacred places. Early Islamic Great Mosque Kairouan, Tunisia 836- 875. ● Hypostyle design, Vast rows of columns holding structure up. ● Its original woodwork carving minbar (think a christian pulpit) is still in use today ● Vast think buttressing holds the walls up, (Buttressing are thick ribs on the exterior of a building that support the weight of the structure. ● Early Islamic Great Mosque Kairouan, Tunisia 836- 875. ● Hypostyle design, Vast rows of columns holding structure up. ● Terms ○ Qibla wall ( Direction prayer should be facing) ○ Mihrab-semicircular niche in the Qibla where prayer should be facing. Monumentalized in mosaics. Similar to an apse in a basilica ○ Mihrab Dome (ornamental dome in the direction of prayer) ○ Hypostyle prayer hall (huge formation of columns holding roof up similar to Egyptian) Early Islamic Great Mosque Kairouan, Tunisia 836- 875. ● Hypostyle design, Vast rows of columns holding structure up. ● Terms ○ Nave- central part of church/mosque, where congregation forms ○ Entrance dome. Dome that is above the entrance ○ Forecourt (outside courtyard) ○ Minaret (tower where prayer is led outside) Early Islamic Early Islamic Malwiya Minaret, Great Mosque, Samarra, Iraq 848-852 ● Spiral Minaret at Samarra is the most novel prayer structure in the Islamic world ● At the time of construction, the Samarra mosque was the largest in the world ● Malwiya (snail shell in Arabic) ● 165 ft tall ● This form inspired the Tower of Babel (ancient Babylon’s Ziggurat). ● The war in Iraq and subsequent civil conflict has led to this structure to suffer great damages ● https://youtu.be/Upmo5ufrXjo ● Early Islamic ● Mausoleum of the Samanids, Bukhara, Uzbekistan, 10th century ● A rare example of a monumental tomb. Muhammad had been opposed to elaborate burials but by the 9th-10th century, Abbasid caliphs were laid to rest in dynastic Mausolea. ● Constructed of baked bricks, domed capped cube form with sloping sides. ● Bricks were custom shaped to create a vivid and varied geometric surface pattern. ● Bricks on corners form drafted engaged columns. ● The brick dome rests on a brick squinch. Early Islamic Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain, 8th- 10th Century ● Abd al Rahman I escaped the Abbasid massacre in syria and fled to spain in 750, where arabs overthrew the visigoths in 711. The arab military governors accepted him as their overlord and he founded the Umayyad dynasty. ● Cordoba was the capital ● Became as important an islamic city as Baghdad, and spread civilizational influences on the Christian West. ● Early Islamic Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain, 8th- 10th Century ● The great mosque was erected on the site of a visigoth church. A show of triumph over spain. ● Became the largest mosque in the west. ● The interior hypostyle hall had 36 piers and 514 columns. Topped with a system of double tiered arches that carried a timber trussed roof. ● Lower arches horseshoe shaped, became a style associated with Islam in the west. ● Appearance of windblown sails. ● Early Islamic Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain, 8th- 10th Century ● 961 renovations to the mosque took place, and added a series of domes and monumental gates to the mosque. ● Colorful masonry and intricate surface patterns. ● Top, overlapping horseshoe arches springing from thin colonnettes. Early Islamic Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain, 8th- 10th Century Masqura- an area reserved for the caliph and connected to his palace by a corridor in the qibla wall. Highly decorative multilobed arches shows islamic architectures experimentation with highly technical geometric forms. Early Islamic Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain, 8th- 10th Century Dome in front of the mihrab. ● The same decorative effect also inspired the dome. Dome rests on an octagonal squinch. Crisscrossing ribs form an intricate pattern centered on two squares set at 45 degree angles to each other. Byzantine mosaic artists were employed to do the mosaic work of this complex during the 900’s. ● https://youtu.be/7YvNMDy_h3g ● Early Islamic Friday Mosque, Isfahan, Iran 11th to 17th century. ● Hypostyle hall type mosques were built throughout the centuries.. But different types of plans were developed. ● Originally a hypostyle plan, Friday mosque was ● Large Iwans were built (vaulted spaces opening up into the courtyard) ● Iwans were considerably intricate and adorned with stones mosaics and ceramics ● Early Islamic Iwan, Friday Mosque, Isfahan, Iran. Iwan example. Early Islamic Pyxis of al-Mughira, Cordoba Spain 968, Ivory. ● Centers of production of ivory art forms were usually for courts of muslim caliphs and sultans. ● Spanish Umayyad ivory pyxides (cylindrical boxes with a hemispherical lid) ● Featured motifs of royal power and privilege, Hunting motifs were common, this pyxis was decorated with a wide assortment of animals and hunters. Early Islamic Sulayman (artist signature) ewer in the form of a bird, 796. Brass with copper and silver inlay.