AP AH College Board Presentation Content Area #7 West and Central Asia 500 B.C.E.- 1980 C.E. Chapter 13- Islam & Some Buddhism • “Islam” = submission to God in Arabic • Arose in the early 7th century (Muslim calendar begins in the year 620 CE when Muhammad fled from Mecca to Medina- known as the year of the Hijra or flight (in Latin anno hegirae) • “Allah”- God’s name in Arabic • Muslims= believers in Islam • Muslim world’s political and cultural center was the Fertile Crescent • Muhammad- founder of Islam. Final prophet. Native of Mecca • Koran- Islam’s sacred book • Muslim Heritage Link • Summary Link • Periods of Islam Summary Five Obligations(Pillars) of Islam • Profession of faith in Allah • Must worship 5 times daily (while facing Mecca’s direction) • Give to the poor • Fast during the month of Ramadan • Make a pilgrimage to Mecca The reward for the Muslim faithful is Paradise Five Pillars Summary Link Modern Pilgrimage Video Link The Kaaba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Pre-Islamic monument; redirected by Muhammad in 631- 632 C.E. Multiple renovations • Granite masonry, covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread • Kaaba (cube in Arabic) is a square building elegantly draped in a silk and cotton veil • Holiest shrine in Islam • Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia • The Qur’an established the direction of prayer- towards Mecca and the Kaaba • All Muslims aspired to undertake the hajj (annual pilgrimage) to the Kaaba • Upon arrive in Mecca, pilgrims gather in the courtyard of the Masjid al-Haram around the Kaaba- circumambulate (tawaf in Arabic)- hope to kiss and touch the Black Stone embedded in the eastern corner of the Kaaba • Summary Link The Kaaba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Pre-Islamic monument; redirected by Muhammad in 631- 632 C.E. Multiple renovations • The Kaaba was a sanctuary in pre-Islamic times- housed the Black Stone and statues of pagan gods • Muslims believe that Abraham (Ibrahim in the Islamic tradition) and his son, Ismail (Isaac), constructed the Kaaba • Tradition holds that it was originally a simple unroofed rectangular structure • The Quraysh tribe rebuilt the pre-Islamic Kaaba in c. 608 CE with alternating courses of masonry and wood • Muhammad was driven out of Mecca in 620 CE. Upon his return to Mecca in 629/30 CE, the shrine became the focal point for Muslim worship and pilgrimage • Muhammad reportedly cleansed the Kaaba of idols upon his victorious return to Mecca, returning the shrine to the monotheism of Ibrahim The Kaaba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamic. Pre-Islamic monument; redirected by Muhammad in 631- 632 C.E. Multiple renovations • Black Stone is believed to have been given to Ibrahim by the angel Gabriel and is revered by Muslims • Only Muslims may visit the holy cities of Mecca and Medina today • Today, the Kaaba is a cubical structure • 15 meters tall and 10.5 meters on each side- corners roughly align with the cardinal directions • Door is now made of solid gold (added in 1982) • Numerous changes to the Kaaba and its associated mosque- good reminder of how often buildings are renovated and remodeled either due to damage or the changing needs of the community • ARCHNET Link Umayyad. Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem. Islamic. 691- 692 C.E. • Stone masonry and wooden roof decorated with glazed ceramic tile, mosaics, gilt aluminum and bronze dome • Multiple renovations- patron the Caliph Abd al-Malik • One of the most iconic images of the Middle East • Sits atop the Haram al-Sharif (highest point in old Jerusalem)- golden color Dome and Turkish Faience tiles dominate the cityscape of Old Jerusalem • One of the earliest surviving buildings from the Islamic world • Original function and meaning is still debated • One of the first Islamic buildings ever constructed • Built by Abd al-Malik, probably the most important Umayyad caliph, as a religious focal point for his supporters • Summary Link Umayyad. Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem. Islamic. 691- 692 C.E. • Located on the Haram al-Sharif, an enormous open-air platform housing the Al-Aqsa mosque, madrasas, and several other religious buildings • Holy site for Christians, Jews, and Muslims • Temple Mount, site of the Jewish second temple which the Roman Emperor Titus destroyed in 70 C.E.- Roman temple was later built on the site • Rock is believed to be the location where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Ismail (Issac in the Judeo/Christian tradition) • Today, Muslims believe that the Rock commemorates the night journey of Muhammad (journeyed to heaven and met other prophets such as Moses and Christ, witnessed paradise and hell and finally saw God enthroned) Folio from a Qur’an. Arab, North Africa, or Near East. Abbasid. c. 8th- 9th century C.E. • Qur’an fragment, in Arabic, before 911, vellum • Sacred text of Islam- divine revelation to the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic • Qur’an means recitation • The 114 suras (chapters) of the Qur’an were compiled into a textual format, organized from longest to shortest, only after the death of Muhammad • Arabic, the language of the divine word of Islam, read from right to left • Consonants distinguished by lines or dots • A, U, and I are not normally written in Arabic, however, became standard to include vowels in the Qur’an (marked with red circles) • Summary Link • Morgan Library Link Umayyad, Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain. Begun c. 785- 786 C.E. • Stone masonry • Known locally as Mezquita-Catedral- one of the oldest structures still standing from the time Muslims ruled Al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia including most of Spain, Portugal, and a small section of Southern France) in the late 8th century • First a Roman temple, then church, then mosque • Prince Abd al-Rahman I escaped to southern Spain after his family (the Umayyads) were overthrown in Damascus • Attempted to recreate the grandeur of Damascus in his new capital, Cordoba • Summary Link Umayyad, Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain. Begun c. 785- 786 C.E. • Prince Abd al-Rahman I sponsored elaborate building programs, promoted agriculture, imported fruit trees • Building was expanded over two hundred years • Comprised of a large hypostyle (filled with columns) prayer hall, a courtyard with fountain in the middle, an orange grove, covered walkway circling the courtyard, and a minaret (now encased in a squared, tapered bell tower) Umayyad, Great Mosque Detail, Cordoba, Spain. Begun c. 785- 786 C.E. • Above the mihrab is a dazzling dome- built of crisscrossing ribs that create pointed arches all lavishly covered with gold mosaic in a radial pattern • Example of the Muslim world’s ability to brilliantly develop architectural styles based on pre-existing regional traditions Umayyad, Great Mosque Arches, Cordoba, Spain. Begun c. 785- 786 C.E. • Expansive prayer hall built with recycled ancient Roman columns- combination of two-tiered, symmetrical arches, formed of stone and red brick- supported a wooden roof • 36 piers and 514 columns • Lower arches- horseshoe shaped, quickly became associated with Muslim architecture (common in the architecture of the Visigoths ruling the area after the fall of the Roman empire and before the Umayyads arrived) Umayyad, Great Mosque Plan, Cordoba, Spain. Begun c. 785- 786 C.E. • Focal point in the prayer hall is the famous horseshoe arched mihrab (prayer niche) • Mihrab used in a mosque to identify the wall that faces Mecca • Mihrab in the Great Mosque of Cordoba is framed by an exquisitely decorated arch behind which is an unusually large space, the size of a small room • Gold tesserae (small pieces of glass with gold and color backing) create a dazzling combination of dark blues, reddish browns, yellows and golds that form intricate calligraphic bands and vegetal motifs that adorn the arch Umayyad, Pyxis of al-Mughira, 968 C.E. • Ivory • Pyxis- cylindrical box used for cosmetics • Was a gift to 18 year old al-Mughira, son of a caliph (coming of age present?) • 6 inches high • One of the best surviving examples of the royal ivory carving tradition in Islamic Spain (Al-Andalus was the land controlled by Muslims from 711 C.E. to 1492 C.E.) • Ivory was often gifted • Decorated with 4, 8-lobed medallions surrounded by figures and animals • Each medallion has princely iconography • Probably cut from the cross-section of an elephant’s tusk and adorned in highly specific, royal iconography • Traces of inlaid jade • Summary Link • Enclosed in Ivory Article Link Alhambra. Granada, Spain. Nasrid Dynasty. 1354- 1391 C.E. • Whitewashed adobe stucco, wood, tile, paint, and gilding • Distinct among Medieval palaces for its sophisticated planning, complex decorative programs, and its many enchanting gardens and fountains • Intimate spaces built at a human scale that visitors find elegant and inviting • Alhambra (red fort), built by the Nasrid Dynasty- the last Muslims to rule in Spain (1232- 1492) • Muhammad ibn Yusuf ibn Nasr (Muhammad I) founded the Nasrid Dynasty and secured this region in 1237- began construction of his court complex (the Alhambra) on Sabika hill the following year • Summary Link • Virtual Tour Link Court of the Lions- Alhambra. Granada, Spain. Nasrid Dynasty. 1354- 1391 C.E. • Exquisitely detailed structures with highly ornate interior spaces and patios contrast with the plain walls of the fortress exterior • Three original royal palaces: Comares Palace, Palace of the Lions, and Partal Palace- each built during the 14th century • Large fourth palace later begun by Christian ruler, Carlos V • Muhammad V built the celebrated fountain with a complex hydraulic system with a marble basin on the backs of twelve carved stone lions situated at the intersection of two water channels that form a cross in the rectilinear courtyard Alhambra- Hall of the Sisters. Granada, Spain. Nasrid Dynasty. 1354- 1391 C.E. • The Sala de las Dos Hermanas (Hall of the Two Sisters) in the Palace of the Lions on the northern end • Intricately carved system of brackets called “muqarnas” that hold up the vaulted ceiling • Residential apartment with rooms on the second floor • Large domed room decorated with carved and painted stucco in muqarnas forms with elaborate and varying star motifs Alhambra Plan.