Art of the Islamic World PGS 146-159, 481-483
(The rise and spread of Islam), Islamic Architecture, Luxury Arts, Mughal Empire, Safavid/Ottoman Empires
The Rise and Spread of Islam
Important: swiftness of Islam’s spread.
Caliphates of Damascus (Umayyads) and Baghdad (Abbasids)
Features: builders on a grand scale
Policy: adopt and adapt
Absence of figural representation in religious monuments, exceptions in secular
Dome of the Rock
Importance: first great Islamic monument
Patron: Caliph Abd al-Malik b. Marwan
Location: Jerusalem
Influence: Roman-Byzantine
Decoration: Umayyad mosaic and later Ottoman tiles, calligraphy
Motifs: natural, abstract, geometric
Jami Kairouan
Plan: Hypostyle
Importance: oldest preserved mosque
Influence: Arcaded forecourt (Roman), atrium (Christian)
Abbasid Jami Samarra
Patron: Caliph al-Mutawakkil
Importance: largest in the world
Minaret: ‘al-malwiyya’ spiral
Andalusia: Jami Cordoba
Patron: abd al-Rahman I
Importance: center of European and world culture
Plan: Hypostyle, double-tiered horse-shoe shaped and lobed arches
Feature: light, airy, rhythm
Islamic experimentation: Dome: over mihrab, on octagonal base with ribs
Andalusia: Al-Hambra Palace (Red Palace)
Patrons: Nasrid dynasty
Function: royal residence and tower
Court of the Lions: fountain with 12 marble lions
Decoration: carved stucco, calligraphy, abstract motifs
Jami Isfahan
Patrons: Abbasids, later Seljuks
Plan: hypostyle (qibla iwan is largest)
Importance: 1st 4-iwan plan, later becomes standard Persian mosque plan
Safavid Madrasa Imami Mihrab
16th-17th c. Iran and Turkey: golden age of Islamic tile work and ceramic
Tile and ceramic function: as a veneer over bricks to cover entire buildings
Feature: Union between abstract and calligraphy
Motifs: geometric, abstract, floral
Luxury Arts
Abbasid 9-10th c Quran
Importance: masterpieces of Islamic calligraphy
Format: loose sheets in boxes or bound into books
Popular script: Kufic
Mamluk Mosque Lamp
Material: decorated fragile glass with enamel paint and calligraphy
Patron: Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad
Format: hung from chains, conical neck, 6 handles, inside a small glass container with oil and wick
Timurid ‘Bustan’ Manuscript
Patron: Timur in Central Asia
Theme: secular
Format: full page narration, figures, vivid colours, decorative details, balanced perspective
Safavid Ardabil Carpet
Carpet production was a national industry
Feature: 25 million knots!
Mughal Akbarnama (History of Akbar)
Patron: Emperor Akbar
Format: full page miniatures (small-sized paintings), bold composition, diagonal lines
Material: watercolour on paper
Purpose: book illustrations or loose pages in albums
Mughal Portrait of Emperor Jahangir
Importance: evidence of courts connection with international ambassadors, kings, and Europe
Influence: European art
Mughal Taj Mahal
Patron: Shah Jahan
Purpose: Mausoleum to his wife
Ottoman Suleymaniyya Complex
Patron: Sultan Suleyman
Plan: jami, 2 mausoleums, 4 general madrasas, 2 specialised madrasas, Quran school, hospital, hostel, public kitchen, caravanserai, hammam, small shops
Feature: mass of domes with 4 slender minarets
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