Art 266 - Module 4: Islamic

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Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Bustan (the Orchard), a poetic collection of experiences and aphorisms by Saadi, c. 1257. This artwork is related to this statement.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

But it is the organization of the Edirne mosque's interior space that reveals Sinan's genius.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

For his pictorial record of that frightening day, Basawan chose the moment of maximum chaos and danger—when the elephants crossed the pontoon bridge, sending boatmen flying into the water.

Imam Mosque (Shah Mosque) : The ceramists who produced the cuerda seca tiles of the murqanas-filled portal to the Imam Mosque had to manufacture a wide variety of shapes with curved surfaces to cover the hall's arches and vaults; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

For the entrance portal in this artwork, the ceramists had to manufacture a wide variety of shapes with curved surfaces to sheathe the complex forms of the muqarnas-filled pointed half dome. The result was a technological triumph as well as a dazzling display of abstract decoration.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In each column, another arch placed above the first arch. A second story arcade.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

In fact, there were numerous Western philosophers and Catholic priests residing in Delhi at the pleasure of the Emperor. This artwork is a representation of this.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In its form, construction, and decoration, this artwork is firmly in the Late Antique tradition of the Mediterranean world.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Meaning: All mihrabs, wherever they are, indicate the direction of Mecca. Does this one? The Arabic.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The painting depicts the episode of Akbar and Hawai, a wild elephant that the 19-year-old ruler had mounted and pitted against another ferocious elephant.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The only certainty is that this shrine is not a mosque, as is popularly thought.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The original temple was destroyed in 516 bce. The Roman emperor Titus destroyed the rebuilt temple in 70 ce.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork rises from a huge platform known as the Noble Enclosure, where in ancient times the Hebrews built the Temple of Solomon.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork symbolizes a portal to Mecca.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork was built by Umayyad Caliphate

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork was created by Abd al-Malik

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork was created by Basawan and Chatar Muni.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

This artwork was created by Sinan

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork was inspired by the Anastasis Rotunda of Constantine's Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artwork was signed by Bihzad

This artwork was starting construction on 1611 and completed in 1630

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork's exterior has been much restored. Tiling from the 16th century and later has replaced the original mosaics.

Kufic (Kufah, Iraq)

an early angular form of the Arabic alphabet found chiefly in decorative inscriptions. Highly ornamental

Qibla

the direction of the Kaaba (the sacred building at Mecca), to which Muslims turn at prayer.

Akbarnama, by Abul Fazl

the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor

Seduction of Yusuf

Details: Ink and color on paper, 11 ⅞″ x 8 ⅝″.

Cuerda seca

a type of polychrome tilework used in decorating Islamic buildings

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai

Details: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞″ x 8 ¾″.

Dome of the Rock

Details: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome.

Mihrab (vocabulary)

(Islam) a niche in the qibla wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca

Imam Mosque (Shah Mosque)

Details: The ceramists who produced the cuerda seca tiles of the muqarnas-filled portal to the Imam Mosque had to manufacture a wide variety of shapes with curved surfaces to cover the hall's arches and vaults.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din

Details: Wool and Silk 34' 6″ x 17' 7″.

The Great Mosque

Details: adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood

Shaykh Safi al-Din

1252-1334; ancestor of Shah Ismail who founded the Saffaviya Sufi order; Safavid empire is named after him

Mosque (Great Mosque)

A Muslim place of worship

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

A Stilabeg (Mispronounced word), would be at the base of the column. a place where the arch springs upward.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

A clerestory around the base of the dome allowed for light to penetrate the space. Sinan the Great adapted this design to his mosques, inspired by how earlier Muslim architects had retrofitted Hagia Sophia for use as a mosque after the fall of Constantinople. This is related to this artwork.

Minaret

A distinctive feature of mosque architecture, a tower from which the faithful are called to worship.

Arabic

A language that is the official language of several countries of North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the religion of Islam.

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

Madrasa

A school for the study of Muslim law and religious science

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

A stairway does exist, but the architect intentionally hid it from the view of anyone who approaches the memorial.

Caliph

A supreme political and religious leaders in a Muslim government; successor to Muhammad.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Abd al-Hamid Lahori (d. 1654), Shah Jahan's court historian, witnessed the construction of the Taj Mahal and wrote an extensive account of the building campaign in his Padshahnama (Chronicle of the Emperor).

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Abd al-Malik erected this artwork to mark the triumph of Islam in Jerusalem on a site sacred to Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The shrine takes the form of an octagon with a towering dome.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Abd'al Rahman's dynasty lasted three centuries, during which time the Umayyads presided over the golden age of Islamic culture (Al-Andalus) in Spain. This artwork was created around this time.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Abraham attempted a sacrifice. This is shown in this artwork.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

According to the historian Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Muqaddasi (946-1000), who was born in Jerusalem, the inspiration for this artwork was a neighboring Christian monument, the Anastasis Rotunda (FIG. 8-8C) of Constantine's Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

According to the tale as told by Jami (1414-1492), an influential mystic theologian and poet whose Persian text appears in blue in the white pointed arch of the composition's lower center, Zulaykha lured Yusuf into her palace and led him through seven rooms, locking each door behind him.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Against a lush vegetal background, Abd al-Malik's mosaicists depicted crowns, jewels, chalices, and other royal motifs—probably a reference to the triumph of Islam over the Byzantine and Persian empires. This is shown in this artwork

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Akbar also commissioned Abul Fazl (1551-1602), a member of his court and close friend, to chronicle his life in a great biography, the Akbarnama (History of Akbar ), which the emperor asked his painters to illustrate.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Al-Hakam II wished to emulate the great mosaic-filled monuments that his Umayyad predecessors had erected in Jerusalem and Damascus, and he brought the mosaicists and even the tesserae to Córdoba from Constantinople.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Al-Muqaddasi reported that Abd al-Malik judged the church to be so magnificent that it "dazzled Muslim minds," and therefore the caliph decided to construct an even greater shrine. What Church?

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Also dating to the caliphate of al-Hakam II is the mosque's extraordinary artwork, the area reserved for the caliph and connected to his palace by a corridor in the qibla wall.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Among the oldest ideas advanced is that what many believe are the traces of feet on the rock are God's footprints at the time of the creation of the world and that God will return to the same spot at the Last Judgment.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque

Details: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

An open courtyard or forecourt protected by a fortified wall enclosing all the mosque space; a fountain for ablutions in the courtyard and a garden (foretaste of Heaven); a minaret, a tall tower from which a cantor calls the faithful to prayer at the proper times.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Another early explanation is that the altar of the Temple of Solomon rested on the rock. This rock is part of this artwork.

Allah

Arabic word for "God", the supreme god of Islam

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Architects usually designed domes with an extravagant margin of structural safety that has since served them well in earthquake-prone Istanbul and other Turkish cities.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Architects usually designed domes with an extravagant margin of structural safety that has since served them well in earthquake-prone Istanbul and other Turkish cities. (Vivid demonstration of the sound construction of the Ottoman mosques came in August 1999, when a powerful earthquake centered 65 miles east of Istanbul toppled hundreds of modern buildings and killed thousands of people, but caused no damage to the centuries-old mosques.) This artwork is a representation of this statement.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Architectural structuring in this artwork is very similar to the old eighth century forms

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Ardabil shrine was a place of pilgrimage, and the shrine was remodeled and enlarged several times over the centuries. This artwork was found in this.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Ardabil, near the Western shore of the Caspian Sea, was known as the center of silk and carpentry. This is represented in this artwork.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

As a gift Shah Tahmasp sent Humayun home to Delhi with two master Persian painters from the Court Painting Workshop, trained by Bihzad.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

As already noted, verses from the Koran appeared in the mosaics of the Colossal head in Jerusalem and in mosaics and other media on the walls of countless later Islamic structures. This is represented by this artwork.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

At Herat, Bihzad illustrated the sultan's copy of Bustan (The Orchard) by the Persian poet Sadi (ca. 1209-1292).

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

At the time the Ottomans were establishing their empire in Turkey, Iran underwent a period of political upheaval until the arrival of the forces of Timur in the late 14th century (see Luxury Arts ). This artwork was created around this time.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Babur's successor Humayun, lived in exile for a time at the Persian court of Shah Tahmasp until he could return to India in 1555.

Taj Mahal

Details: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Basawan was also a master of vivid gestures and anecdotal detail. Note especially the bare-chested figure in the foreground clinging to the end of a boat; the figure near the lower right corner with outstretched arms, sliding into the water as the bridge sinks; and the oarsman just beyond the bridge who strains to steady his vessel while his three passengers stand up or lean overboard in reaction to the surrounding commotion.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Basic elements of a Mosque: a large covered gathering place for communal prayer, ideally large enough to hold the entire community; common early mosque forms were hypostyle halls with rows of columns holding up a flat roof.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Begun in 784 by Abd al-Rahman I and enlarged several times during the next two centuries, this artwork (Spanish, "mosque") eventually became one of the largest mosques in the Islamic West.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Bihzad dispersed Sadi's text throughout the page in elegant Arabic script in a series of beige panels.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Bihzad gave the figures in this artwork movement.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Bihzad is famous of developing the art style of this artwork.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Bihzad is referred to as the Persian of modern Afghanistan.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Bihzad's apprentices later worked for the Mughal court in India and introduced his distinctive style to South Asia.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Bihzad's painting of the story highlights all the stylistic elements that brought him great renown: vivid color, intricate decorative detailing suggesting luxurious textiles and tiled walls, and a brilliant balance between two-dimensional patterning and perspective depictions of balconies and staircases.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

By his time, Ottoman builders almost universally employed the basic domed unit, which could be multiplied, enlarged, or contracted as needed. Thus the typical 16th-century Ottoman mosque was a creative assemblage of domical units and artfully juxtaposed geometric spaces. This artwork is a representation of this statement.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Christian churches were also borrowing Roman architectural forms. This artwork was built by stones from Roman buildings.

Medina

City in western Arabia to which the Prophet Muhammad and his followers emigrated in 622 to escape persecution in Mecca.

Mecca

City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Consistent use of arabesque patterns to create a sense of celebration of the deity in this artwork.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Context: After an earthquake in the late 19th Century the carpets were sold; the carpet in London was purchased on the advice of William Morris in 1893. What happened to the second carpet?

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Context: Akbar's court was a place of freedom of philosophical discussion and inter-religious tolerance. Christian missionaries who were at court brought illustrated books and engravings with them from Europe as gifts; from an examination of these Indian Mughal artists became aware of European techniques of illusionism and used them in their paintings when they liked.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Context: Deemed by all the finest architectural achievements of Mughal India.

Context: Example of the wealth and command of talent available to the Shahs of Islamic Persia.

Mosque of Selim II

Details: Dome-covered square prayer hall.

Mihrab

Details: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3″ x 7' 6″ high.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque

Details: Highly decorative multiobed arches.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Context: First Sulieman the Magnificant, then his successor Selim II, used architecture to make statements of hegemony and political power. In the context of Islam, mosques of this size and location served important secular and economic as well as religious functions: schools (madrasa), hospitals, charity distribution centers, markets, etc.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

Context: Mali, located along the floodplains of the Niger River, lies along important trade routes between North and West Africa, which explains how a Tunisian mosque form comes to be built in Djenne.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Context: Originally located within a theological school (for men); several mihrabs from the same building are found in museum collections other than the MET.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Context: Patronizing and supporting artists' workshops was an important activity of Persian rulers. The artist, Bihzad (1460-1535), was one of the most famous painters of his time; it is his students who will go to India to found a painting workshop at the court of the Mughals.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Context: The Umayyad Caliphate at Cordoba was a beacon of learning and intellectual activity in the arts and sciences, producing great philosophers, logicians, astronomers, and keepers of Greek classical wisdom. Jewish philosophers, like the great Maimonides, were equally respected in Al-Andalus.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Context: The mosque was partly converted into a Christian cathedral after the fall of Cordoba in the 13th Century.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Context: The strong political overtones of this building equal its aesthetic success and are as alive today as they were in the 7th Century: the placement of the Dome of the Rock at the top of the citadel known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the site of the once great Temples of Solomon (destroyed by the Babylonians) and the 2nd Temple (destroyed by the Romans - see the Arch of Titus in Rome, 7-41), the western foundation wall of which is known as the "Wailing Wall," a place of lamentation.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Covering the rich blue background are leaves and flowers attached to delicate stems that spread over the whole field.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Crowning the Islamic shrine is a 75-foot-tall double-shelled wood dome, which so dominates the elevation as to reduce the octagon to functioning visually merely as its base. What shrine?

Cuerda seca tiles are polychrome and can bear complex geometric and vegetal patterns as well as Arabic script more easily than can mosaic tiles. They are also more economical to use because vast surfaces can be covered with large tiles much more quickly than they can with thousands of smaller mosaic tiles. These tiles were used in this artwork.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Curiously, none of the inscriptions in this artwork refer to the rock within the shrine, even though the rock is key to the meaning of the building.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Córdoba was the capital of the Spanish Umayyad dynasty. In this artwork, 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horseshoe-shaped arches.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

Djenne's qibla wall faces Mecca, as do all qibla walls, but the mosque's facade is unlike that of any other Islamic shrine.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Each tile is glazed with multiple colors of firing.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Eventually, the site of this artwork was thought to be the location of Adam's grave and the spot where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Finally, exploding from the margins, as if the scene is breaking out of its borders, is a unique feature of Iranian manuscript painting.

For the entrance portal, the ceramists had to manufacture a wide variety of shapes with curved surfaces to sheathe the complex forms of the muqarnas-filled pointed half dome. The result was a technological triumph as well as a dazzling display of abstract decoration.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

For this miniature portraying the young emperor Akbar bringing an elephant under control, Basawan chose the moment of maximum danger. The episode is an allegory of Akbar's ability to rule.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Form: A page of illustration from a book owned by the Sultan Husain Mayqara.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Form: A special space was set aside in front of the mihrab for the exclusive use of the caliph, who entered directly from his palace through a corridor in the qibla wall. The space was articulated by a new, more complex form of horse-shoe arches with multiple lobes and the illusion of intersecting arches above and below. The mihrab was replaced with an elaborate, deeply recessed niche decorated with gold tesserae arabesques and calligraphy, and covered with a high dome characterized by octagonal lobes and supported by 8 crossing ribs.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Form: Although it has the appearance of a mosque, it is a mausoleum where the wife of Shah Jehan (Jahan), who died giving birth to her 14th child, is entombed. Shah Jehan's tomb was eventually placed there as well. The ground plan of the mausoleum is octagonal resting on a square. The proportions are close to 1:1, height equals width.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Form: Book illustration on paper (Mughal "miniature") with watercolor (gouache).

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Form: Hand woven, over 25 million tiny knots; Textile, of wool and silk threads.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Form: Hypostyle hall: enlarged several times over the centuries. Unusual double arches necessitated by the short height of the columns and capitals obtained as recycled building material from pre-existing Roman and Christian buildings. Unusual "horse-shoe" shaped arches that became emblematic of Muslim architecture.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

Form: Resembles the Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia (9th Century) located across the Sahara Desert on Africa's Mediterranean coast, with its large fortified courtyard and a flat roofed prayer hall (See Chapter 10:10-7 and 8. Compare. The material is baked mud or adobe.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Form: The form, a domed structure supported by pillars and arches is Roman. Islamic architects borrowed it because it was a common, rational, functional architectural form close at hand.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Form: The mosque design is new and deliberately derived from the earlier design of the Byzantine church of Holy Wisdom, Hagia Sophia, which was built in the 6th Century in Constantinople/Istanbul. (See Chapter 9 - Byzantine Art).

Form: The mosque form from Iran are unique; they comprise several distinct features: iwan - a vaulted space that opens on one side of the courtyard; there are usually 4 placed in the center of each side of the courtyard; they are articulated by pishtaq - a rectangular flat frame surrounding the opening in the form of a pointed (ogival) arch and the interior surface of which is often broken up by muqarnas - three-dimensional beehive like cells that may be further faceted, and which create visual interest and light effects in the bright sun. The interior and exterior surfaces are covered with glazed ceramic tile work called cuerda seca (dry cord). There are also often reflecting pools in the central courtyard.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Form: Typical Iranian mihrab: pishtaq and ogival (pointed) arch opening. The form has been removed from a madrasa (theological school) in Isfahan. Exquisite example of the skill and workmanship of Iranian tile makers and installers.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Four carefully related minarets and two flanking triple-domed structures—one a mosque, the other probably a madrasa (religious school)—enhance and stabilize the soaring form of the mausoleum.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Friday, the holy day, is the day when you need to pray in this artwork.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

From the 16th century, this artwork became the preferred version of the mosque.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

From the eighth century, the islam had a strong foothold in Spain. This artwork was created around this time.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Height, width, and masses relate to one another in a simple but effective ratio of 1:2, and precise numerical ratios similarly characterize the complex as a whole. The forecourt of the building, for example, covers an area equal to that of the mosque proper.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

His builders expanded the prayer hall, added a series of domes, and constructed imposing gates on the complex's eastern ( FIG. 10-12 ) and western facades.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In 961, al-Hakam II (r. 961-976) became caliph. A learned man who amassed a library of 400,000 volumes, he immediately undertook major renovations to the mosque.

In Iran, the Safavids (r. 1501-1732) ruled the ancient Persian domains formerly under the control of the Abbasids, Seljuks, and Timurids.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

In the 1530s Shah Tahmasp commissioned a pair of carpets for the interior from the master carpet designer, Maqsud of Kashan (whose signature is on the carpets).

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

In the 16th century, churches were converted into mosques.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In the West, the horseshoe arch quickly became closely associated with Muslim architecture. This is shown in this artwork.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

In the last room, she threw herself at Yusuf, but he resisted and was able to flee when the seven doors opened miraculously.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

In the qibla wall, the many rows of protruding wood beams further enliven the walls but also serve a practical function as perches for workers undertaking the essential recoating of sacred clay on the exterior that occurs during an annual festival.

In this artwork in Isfahan, Safavid tiles cover almost every surface.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In this artwork, Columns were created from material recycled from Roman structures.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In this artwork, Each arch has an alternating red and cream color

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In this artwork, Horseshoe shaped arch creates the possibility of a taller arch.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In this artwork, the columns are flat stone pavement.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

In this artwork, upside down pyramids sit on top of the Corinthian capitals where the arch begins to spring

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Indeed, some of the masterworks of Arabic calligraphy are not in manuscripts but on walls. This Madrasa Imami artwork, like the earlier version in the winter prayer hall of Isfahan's Friday Mosque, exemplifies the perfect aesthetic union between the Islamic calligrapher's art and abstract ornamentation.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Isfahan, the former Seljuk capital, was, in fact, under siege in 1354 when the Madrasa Imami was constructed. Its artwork is an early masterpiece of Iranian ceramic tilework.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

Islam lived side by side with native religious practices and figurative artwork in terracotta that we will encounter in the final module: Africa. This is part of the context of this artwork

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

It is a prime example of Islamic experimentation with highly decorative multilobed arches.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Kashan is one of the most famous carpet making centers in all of Persia. They continuously make carpets to this day. This artwork is related to this.

Taj Mahal

Location: Found in Agra, India

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din

Location: Found in Ardabil, Iran

Maqsura of the Great Mosque

Location: Found in Córdoba, Spain

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque

Location: Found in Córdoba, Spain

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai

Location: Found in Delhi, India

The Great Mosque

Location: Found in Djenne, India

Mosque of Selim II

Location: Found in Edirne Turkey

Seduction of Yusuf

Location: Found in Herat, Afghanistan

Imam Mosque (Shah Mosque)

Location: Found in Isfahan, Iran

Mihrab

Location: Found in Isfahan, Iran

Dome of the Rock

Location: Found in Jerusalem, Israel

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Maqsud must have been the artist who supplied the master pattern to two teams of royal weavers (one for each of the two version of this artwork).

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Maqsud of Kashan's enormous Ardabil artwork required roughly 25 million knots. It presents the illusion of a heavenly dome with mosque lamps reflected in a pool of water filled with floating lotus blossoms.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Maqsura: a space in between the screen.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Meaning: Abd'al Malik's intention was to erect a magnificent structure to announce his conquest of Jerusalem and to rival the nearby Christian monument, Emperor Constantine's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. He succeeded.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Meaning: As a floor covering it brings beauty to the floor; as a design, it suggests a rectangular pool of water whose surface is covered with floating blossoms and which reflects the high ceiling above it with a central dome and hanging lanterns.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Meaning: Famously, the building is an act of loving devotion by a grieving husband; a monument to love. It is said that the four towers (which resemble minarets) are like poles supporting the blue tent of the sky.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

Meaning: Ingenuity of craftspeople everywhere. Power to build.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Meaning: Speaks to the incredible quality and imagination of the Spanish Muslim architects and designers.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Meaning: The Akbarnama, was composed by the court scribe Abul-Fazl in Persian. It is a day to day record of the life and activities of Akbar, with an emphasis on his heroic deeds and unsurpassed abilities. Here we see Akbar bringing a rogue elephant under submission. Akbar commissioned illustrations from the painting workshop of over 40 resident artists, and two native Indian artists, Basawan and Chatar Muni, clearly great masters collaborated on this example, with Chatar Muni providing the under sketch and Basawan the color.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Meaning: The Great Mosque of Cordoba is a symbol of the original ecumenism of Islam; rather than replacing Christianity with Islam they each worshipped in the same building until the Muslims bought the Christians out. The beauty and the intended aesthetic effects are always for the glory of Allah.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Meaning: The original story comes from the Hebrew Scriptures, also known as the "Old Testament."

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Meaning: This artwork is considered the culmination of Ottoman architecture.

Meaning: Unsurpassed technical skill in the creation and application of ceramic glazed tiles to curved surfaces.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Monumental tombs were not part of either the Hindu or Buddhist traditions but had a long history of Islamic architecture.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Moreover, they used recycled stones and pillars from Roman buildings to create this shrine.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Most architectural historians regard this artwork as the climax of Ottoman architecture.

Shah Jehan

Mughal ruler; built the Taj Mahal, which is a tomb for his wife.. "Erected to the memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, it was the culminating work in the life of the emperor."

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Muhaqqaq, a more cursive and flowing form of script is seen along the outer frame of the pishtaq, and in the framed rectangular phrase set low into the interior back wall of the niche.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Shah Jahan, died of childbirth.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Muslim conquest and rulers choose the holiest place to the jews in Islam, Temple mountain, and built their Sacred Temple there. What sacred temple?

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Name

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Name

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Name

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Name

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Name

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Name

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Name

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Name

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Name

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

Name

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

No human or animal figures appear, as befits an artwork intended for a mosque, although they can be found on other Islamic textiles used in secular contexts, both earlier and later.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

One clue to the meaning of the shrine comes from the original mosaics.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

One of the full-page illustrations, or so-called miniatures (see " Indian Miniature Painting "), in the emperor's personal copy of the Akbarnama was a collaborative effort between the painter Basawan, who designed and drew the composition, and Chatar Muni, who colored it.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

One of the most ambitious examples of adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) architecture in the world is Djenne's shrine, originally built in the 13th century by the first Djenne king to convert to Islam, and reconstructed in 1906-1907. (The mosque had been razed in 1830 by a Muslim ruler who judged its size and lavish decoration to be offensive to the tenets of his faith.)

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

One of these styles, known as Muhaqqaq, fills this artwork's outer rectangular frame.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

One page represents a story in both the Bible and the Koran—the seduction of Yusuf (Joseph) by Potiphar's wife, Zulaykha.

The Great Mosque

Period: 1100 CE - 1500 CE

Mosque of Selim II

Period: 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Seduction of Yusuf

Period: 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din

Period: 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai

Period: 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Taj Mahal

Period: 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Dome of the Rock

Period: 661 CE - 750 CE

Maqsura of the Great Mosque

Period: 661 CE - 750 CE

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque

Period: 661 CE - 750 CE

Imam Mosque (Shah Mosque)

Period: 750 CE - 1732 CE

Mihrab

Period: 750 CE - 1732 CE

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Persian painters use mouse hairs to develop their artworks. This artwork is a representation to this.

Polychrome tiles have other drawbacks. Because the ceramists fire all the glazes at the same temperature, cuerda seca tiles are not as brilliant in color as mosaic tiles and do not reflect light the way the more irregular surfaces of tile mosaics do.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The artist used both shading and highlighting to create three-dimensional forms.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Reserved for the caliph, this artwork of the Córdoba Mezquita connected the mosque to his palace.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

The artwork includes great position of patterns, use of calligraphy in an imaginative way, and great use of space.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Set into the light-reflecting marble walls of the Taj Mahal are inlaid precious and semiprecious stones. This pietra dura stonework enhances the impression that the huge structure is weightless.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Several events and functions of this artwork have been associated with the rock over time.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Sinan decided to take the idea of a domed structure, and extend the space of the prayer hall into the courtyard. The courtyard would have both water features and open gallery. This artwork is a representation of this statement.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Sinan designed a mosque with a massive dome set off by four slender pencil-shaped minarets (each more than 200 feet high, among the tallest ever constructed).

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Sinan perfected the Ottoman architectural style. By his time, Ottoman builders almost universally employed the basic domed unit, which could be multiplied, enlarged, or contracted as needed.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Sinan perfected the Ottoman architectural style. This artwork is a representation of this statement.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Sinan proudly proclaimed this artwork as his masterpiece.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Sinan's vision found ultimate expression in this artwork at Edirne, which had been the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1367 to 1472 and where Selim II (r. 1566-1574) maintained a palace.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

The artist transformed the architectural surface into a textile surface—the three-dimensional wall into a two-dimensional hanging—weaving the calligraphy into it as another cluster of motifs within the total pattern.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Style: A beautiful, seamless hybrid of several cultural forms associated with Islam. The building is treated like an inlaid jewel box: the marble surfaces are inlaid with exquisite floral and geometric arabesques (like those at Isfahan) in precious stones of different colors. The long reflecting pool doubles the impact of the building, which changes color in the light. What features of the architecture can you trace back to other Islamic buildings we have seen?

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

Style: A hybrid style that combines the naturalism of Indian painting with the abstraction and birds-eye- perspective of Persian painting, and even some European influence in the illusion of distance. Can you see how seamlessly the combination works to create a scene of great action and dynamism?

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Style: A hybrid, part Byzantine, part Ottoman. The most important contribution is the way natural daylight is brought into mosque interiors, perhaps for the first time.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

Style: An adaptation of the Umayyad mosque forms with allowances made for differences and limitations of material.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

Style: Floral and geometric arabesque patterns; calligraphy (Arabic texts mainly from the Koran) are also used as ornament: kufic - an angular, rectilinear style of writing is seen in dark script on a white ground around the arch opening.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Style: Hybrid - the adaptation of existing architectural forms to custom and cultural traditions brought with to Spain with Islam; another unusual feature is the alternation of red brick and cream color stonework of the arches.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Style: It is a hybrid style, borrowing several elements of Roman architecture including the use of mosaics to decorate the surfaces of walls. Only the interior décor is original. Here the motif known as the arabesque is prominent, as well as the decorative power of Arabic calligraphic writing and the spiritual power of the holy word.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Style: Organization of the design is based on repetition, bi-lateral symmetry, radial symmetry.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Style: Unique and ingenious, gorgeous, glory expressed in precious materials.

Style: Unique and singular; every surface covered with décor in brilliant, cool colors.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Style: What is uniquely "Persian:" most obvious is the treatment of space, which can be dizzying, especially in the representation of interior spaces such as we have here in the scene of Joseph escaping from the clutches of Potifar's wife. It results from combining different viewpoints and interchanging static patterns that create a sense of flatness with a sense of 3-Dimensionality. Also typical are the brilliant, jewel-like colors and the way figures seem to "fly."

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

Tahmasp elevated artwork weaving to a national industry and set up royal factories at Isfahan, Kashan, Kirman, and Tabriz.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

Tamerlane is the founder of the Timurid Dynasty. This artwork was created within this dynasty.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The 13th C. Delhi Sutanate was first Islamic rule in India, but the greatest was the rule of the Mughals, founded by Babur in the early 16th Century after subordinating the local Rajput (Hindu) rulers.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The Agra mausoleum seems to float magically above the broad water channels and tree-lined reflecting pools punctuating the fountain-filled garden leading to it. Reinforcing the illusion of the marble tomb being suspended above water is the absence of any visible means of ascent to the upper platform.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The Delhi sultans had erected tombs in India, but none could compare in grandeur to the fabled Tomb at Agra. Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658), Jahangir's son, built the immense mausoleum as a memorial to his favorite wife, whose official title was Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631), or "Chosen of the Palace."

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The Greek architects who designed Hagia Sophia succeeded in placing a large dome over a large square space through the use of pendentives and squinches. This is related to this artwork.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The Mongol architect was fascinated by the iwan square

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The Muslim builders created rich and varied abstract patterns and further enhanced the magnificent effect of the complex arches by covering the walls with marbles and mosaics.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The Muslims captured Jerusalem from the Byzantines in 638, and the first great Islamic building was erected there between 687 and 692 by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik (r. 685-705). This artwork was created around this time.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The Ottoman empire lasted until WWII, This artwork is a representation of this.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The Ottomans developed a new type of mosque with a dome-covered square prayer hall. The dome of Sinan's artwork is taller than Hagia Sophia's (FIG. 9-5) and is an engineering triumph.

The Safavids installed the ceramic tile revetment on the walls, vaults, and minarets of the Seljuks' Friday Mosque at Isfahan and built this artwork in the early 17th century, which boasts some of the finest examples of Iranian cuerda seca tilework. These tiles were shown in this artwork.

Shahnama, by Firdawsi

The Shahnama, the Persian national epic poem by Firdawsi (940-1025), recounts the history of Iran from creation until the Muslim conquest. Tahmasp's Shahnama contains 258 illustrations by many artists, including some of the most admired painters of the day. It was eventually presented as a gift to Selim II, the Ottoman sultan who was the patron of Sinan's mosque at Edirne. The manuscript later entered a private collection in the West and ultimately was auctioned as a series of individual pages, destroying its integrity but underscoring that Western collectors viewed each page as an independent masterpiece.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The Umayyad ruler, Abd'al Rahman, escaped imminent assassination by rivals and fled first to North Africa and then to Spain in 750 CE, which had been under Arab rule since the early 8th Century. This artwork was created around this time.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The advantage of a large dome is that it commands attention from a distance, especially when covered with gold.

The art of ceramic tilework reached its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries in Iran and Turkey, when, for example, the Ottomans replaced the exterior mosaics of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem with glazed tiles. This is represented by this artwork.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The artist has multiple women create to create this artwork.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

The artist of this artwork is Bihzad

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

The artist of this artwork, Bihzad, was an orphan.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

The ceramist smoothly integrated the subtly varied decorative patterns with the framed inscription in the center of the niche—proclaiming that the mosque is the domicile of the pious believer.

The ceramists who produced the cuerda seca tiles of the muqarnas-filled portal to this building had to manufacture a wide variety of shapes with curved surfaces to cover the hall's arches and vaults.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The composition is a bold one, with a very high horizon and two strong diagonal lines formed by the bridge and the shore. Together these devices tend to flatten out the vista, yet at the same time, Basawan created a sense of depth by diminishing the size of the figures in the background.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The decoration of this artwork relates to the Arabisk; Arabisk is the floral pattern of divine shapes; Iconoclasm of islam.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The design consists of a central sunburst medallion, representing the inside of a dome, surrounded by 16 pendants.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The design of this artwork is meant to be a reflection of a mosque dome, and by extension, the mythical dome of heaven.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The designer—probably Ustad Ahmad Lahori (d. 1649), Shah Jahan's chief court architect—achieved this delicate balance between verticality and horizontality by strictly applying an all-encompassing system of proportions.

Iconoclasm

The destruction of religious or sacred images. In Byzantium, the period from 726 to 843 when there was an imperial ban on such images. The destroyers of images were known as iconoclasts. Those who opposed such a ban were known as iconophiles.

Ogival arch

The diagonal rib of a Gothic vault; a pointed, or Gothic, arch.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The dome of the Great Mosque in Cordoba rests on an octagonal base of arcuated squinches. Crisscrossing ribs form an intricate pattern centered on two squares set at 45-degree angles to each other. The mosaics are the work of the same Byzantine artists responsible for this artworks decoration.

The dome of this artwork is NOT based on Roman architecture.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The dome-on-cube shape of the central block has antecedents in earlier Islamic mausoleums and other Islamic buildings, such as the Alai Darvaza at Delhi, but modifications and refinements in the design of the Agra tomb converted the earlier massive structures into an almost weightless vision of glistening white marble.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The enormous weight of the elephants capsized the boats, but Akbar managed to bring Hawai under control and dismount safely.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The entire composition presents the illusion of a heavenly dome with lamps reflected in a pool of water full of floating lotus blossoms.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The essential meaning of this shrine, whatever the significance of the rock itself, is that it is an architectural tribute to the triumph of Islam, marking the coming of the new religion to the city that had been, and still is, sacred to both Jews and Christians.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The first Ottoman central-plan mosques date to the 1520s, but the finest examples are the designs of the most famous Ottoman architect, Sinan (ca. 1491-1588), who worked for one of the greatest Ottoman sultans, Suleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520-1566).

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artwork is a page of an open book: The Bustan of Sultan Husayn Bayqara.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The first of these artworks is by far the largest, one of a pair from Ardabil in Iran.

Pishtaq

The formal gateway to the iwan; The entry facade to Persian monumental religious complexes framing an iwan with slender minarets.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The formal roots of the design and decoration of this artwork are easily established, the meaning and purpose of the shrine are much more difficult to determine.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The founder of this artwork lived in the 14th century. This artwork honors him in the 16th century.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The gates are noteworthy for their colorful masonry and intricate surface patterns, especially in the uppermost zone, with its series of overlapping horseshoe-shaped arches springing from delicate colonnettes.

Akbar

The greatest of the Mughald Emperors. Second half of 1500s. Descendant of Timur. Consolidated power over northern India. Religiously tolerant. Patron of arts, including large mural paintings. Most illustrious sultan of the Mughal Empire in India (r. 1556-1605). He expanded the empire and pursued a policy of conciliation with Hindus.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The highest point of Mughal intellectual culture was achieved under the rule of Akbar the Great, whose reign corresponded with the great achievements of the Italian Renaissance popes and aristocrats.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The highest quality of material to produce this artwork is silk and wool.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The historian's account includes such details as the cost of construction, the dimensions of all features, and the number of stonemasons and other artisans employed, as well as comments on the symbolism of the mausoleum and its gardens.

Koran (Qur'an)

The holy book of Islam

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The interior focuses on the islamic religion, culture; This artwork can have a direct reference to the religion.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The interior of Sinan's Edirne mosque is a fusion of an octagon and a dome-covered square with four half-domes at the corners. The plan features geometric clarity and precise numerical ratios.

The interior of the Iwans of this artwork is filled with Tessellations, they look like Honeycomb shapes. They represent Niches that function as facets that represents the daylight.

The layout of this mosque is unique. The features are Iwan, rectangular structure; The idea of Iwan appears to be Persian.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The location of the Ardabil Shrine, where the founder of the Safavid Dynasty and a Sufi leader, who died in 1334, is laid to rest.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The lower arches of this artwork are horseshoe-shaped, a form perhaps adapted from earlier Mesopotamian architecture or of Visigothic origin.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The materials of this artwork were brought by the Constantinople.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The octagon, formed by the eight massive dome supports, is pierced by the four half-dome-covered corners of the square.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The mausoleum for Shah Jahan's favorite wife seems to float magically over reflecting pools in a vast garden. The tomb may have been conceived as the throne of God perched above the gardens of paradise.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The mihrab is a niche in the wall facing the direction of Mecca; this identifies the direction of prayer qibla visible on both the inside and outside of the mosque, often covered with a dome.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The mihrab is recessed into an apselike alcove deep enough to permit window illumination from three sides, making the brilliantly colored tile panels of its lower walls sparkle as if with their own glowing light. (In all, there are almost 300 windows in the Edirne mosque to flood the interior with sunlight.) This is shown in this artwork.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

The mosaic technique is masterful. Every piece had to be cut to fit its specific place in this artwork—even the tile inscriptions.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

The mosaic tile decoration on the curving surface of the niche and the area above the pointed arch consists of tighter and looser networks of geometric and abstract floral motifs.

The mosaic tilework of these twin minarets of this place dates to the Safavid dynasty. Highly skilled artisans prepared small tiles of several colors and then placed them in geometric patterns on the curved surfaces in this artwork.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The mosaics ringing the base of the dome inside the shrine are largely intact and suggest the original appearance of the exterior walls, today covered with 16th-century ceramic tiles.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

The mosque has a large courtyard in front of a roofed prayer hall, emulating the plan of many of the oldest mosques known (see " The Mosque ")—for example, the Great Mosques at Damascus in Syria and at Kairouan in Tunisia.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

The most famous Persian painter of his age was Bihzad, who worked at the Herat court before migrating to Tabriz.

Bustan by Sadi

The most famous Persian painter of his age was Bihzad, who worked at the Herat court before migrating to Tabriz. At Herat, he illustrated the sultan's copy of Bustan (The Orchard) by the Persian poet Sadi (ca. 1209-1292). One page ( FIG. 10-33 ) represents a story in both the Bible and the Koran—the seduction of Yusuf (Joseph) by Potiphar's wife, Zulaykha. Bihzad dispersed Sadi's text throughout the page in elegant Arabic script in a series of beige panels. According to the tale as told by Jami (1414-1492), an influential mystic theologian and poet whose Persian text appears in blue in the white pointed arch of the composition's lower center, Zulaykha lured Yusuf into her palace and led him through seven rooms, locking each door behind him. In the last room she threw herself at Yusuf, but he resisted and was able to flee when the seven doors opened miraculously. Bihzad's painting of the story highlights all the stylistic elements that brought him great renown: vivid color, intricate decorative detailing suggesting luxurious textiles and tiled walls, and a brilliant balance between two-dimensional patterning and perspective depictions of balconies and staircases. Bihzad's apprentices later worked for the Mughal court in India and introduced his distinctive style to South Asia (see " Humayun ").

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

The most famous Timurid manuscript painter was Bihzad. This page displays vivid color, intricate decorative detailing, and a brilliant balance between two-dimensional patterning and perspective.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The most important building project the Umayyad dynasty undertook at Córdoba was the erection of a great mosque on the site of a Visigothic church, thereby marking the triumph of Islam in Spain, as before in Jerusalem (see Architecture ). This artwork is a part of this building.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

The name Maqsud of Kashan appears as part of the design of the artwork illustrated here. He is the artist who made this artwork.

surah

The name for a chapter of the Qur'an

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The name of this artwork means "Crown Palace," and the mausoleum eventually became the ruler's tomb as well. It figures prominently in official histories of Shah Jahan's reign.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The niche in this artwork indicates the direction of Mecca

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The octagon shape dome on this artwork is based on the church of the crypt of Jesus is said to be located

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The plan of the main hall is an ingenious fusion of an octagon with the dome-covered square. The main hall of what?

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

The pointed arch framing this artworks niche bears an inscription from the Koran in Kufic, the stately rectilinear script employed for the earliest Korans. Many supple cursive styles also make up the repertoire of Islamic calligraphy.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The pointed arches in this artwork lead the eye in a sweeping upward movement toward the climactic dome, shaped like a crown.

The preparation of the multicolored cuerda seca tiles also requires greater care. To prevent the colors from running together during firing, the potters outline the motifs with cords containing manganese, which leaves a matte black line between the colors after firing.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

The qibla wall features soaring adobe towers and vertical buttresses resembling engaged columns that produce a majestic rhythm.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The rich mosaic ornamentation ringing the base of this artwork is largely intact and suggests the original appearance of the exterior walls.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The rock also later came to be identified with the place where Muhammad began his miraculous journey to Heaven (the Miraj) and then, on the same night, returned to his home in Mecca. This rock was included in this artwork

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The rock in the place where Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. What place? Where?

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The same desire for decorative effect of this artwork also inspired the design of the dome covering the area in front of the mihrab, one of the four domes built during the 10th century to emphasize the axis leading to the mihrab.

The Great Mosque : adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) and wood; found in Djenne, Mali; Djenne Culture; 1100 CE - 1500 CE

The shrine at Djenne resembles Middle Eastern mosques in plan (large courtyard in front of a roofed prayer hall), but the construction materials—adobe and wood—are distinctly African.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The silhouettes of those domes are comparatively insignificant when seen from the outside.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The structure was designed around the rock: the "footprint" of the central cylinder is a circle that exactly circumscribes the rock (which covers an underground cavern), and the entire shrine is a monumental frame for this presumably holy place.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

The style of décor is not unique to this artwork but can be found in a variety of forms, including textiles.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

The surface material of this artwork is tile work, made by a technique invented in Spain during the Umayyad Dynasty.

The tiles of this artwork were created by the Cuerda Seca technique.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The tomb itself is octagonal in plan and has typically Iranian arcuated niches on each side. The interplay of shadowy voids with light-reflecting marble walls that seem paper-thin creates an impression of translucency, further enhanced by the pietra dura inlay of precious and semiprecious stones in the stone walls.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The tomb's minarets hold up the canopy of that throne. In Islam, the most revered place of burial is beneath the throne of God.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The two-story system was the builders' response to the need to raise the roof to an acceptable height using short columns that had been employed earlier in other structures, both Visigothic and Roman.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

The typical 16th-century Ottoman mosque was a creative assemblage of domical units and artfully juxtaposed geometric spaces.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

The unification of calligraphic and geometric elements is so complete that only the practiced eye can distinguish them.

The use of glazed tiles has a long history in the Middle East. Even in ancient Mesopotamia, builders sometimes covered walls and gates with colorful baked bricks, as in Babylon's Ishtar Gate, datable around 575 bce. These tiles were used for this artwork.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

The vivid, colorful patterning wrapping the walls like a textile is typical of Islamic ornamentation. It contrasts markedly with Byzantine brickwork and Greco-Roman sculptural decoration. Which artwork is this referring to?

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The walls bear long inscriptions quoting passages from the Koran, and it appears that the architect conceived the mausoleum as the throne of God perched above the gardens of Paradise.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

The young ruler viewed the episode as an allegory of his ability to govern—that is, to take charge of an unruly state.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

These artworks come from the funerary mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din (1252-1334), the founder of the Safavid line.

These curved tiles go around the Minarets of this artwork.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

These mongols have adapted to Persian arts. This is represented in this artwork

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

These painters established a Painting Workshop at the Mughal Court that produced hundreds of illustrated book manuscripts and engravings of history, religion, and sciences.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artwork is a narrative painting. It represents a story that exists before this was developed.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This Christian rotunda bore a family resemblance to the roughly contemporaneous Constantinian mausoleum later rededicated as Santa Costanza in Rome. This artwork is related to this.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

This Iranian artwork is a masterpiece of mosaic tilework. Every piece had to be cut to fit its specific place in the design. It exemplifies the perfect aesthetic union of Islamic calligraphy and ornamentation.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This area forms a barrier against the public, only specific individuals can enter and pray

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This area is reserved for the ruler, mihrab

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork (excluding the minarets) is as wide as it is tall, and the height of its dome is equal to the height of the facade. The mausoleum is a unique and brilliant fusion of Islamic, Hindu, and Byzantine elements.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artwork breaks the frame of its original sketch, creating a perspective drawing.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork contains Inscriptions, mostly from the Koran, underscore Islam as the superior new monotheism, superseding both Judaism and Christianity in Jerusalem.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

This artwork features a use of calligraphic writing, on the border, Cufic style white outline, and center of the artwork.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork features an hypostyle hall, entitled to the Egyptians.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork follows the traditional charbagh ("four-plot") plan of Iranian garden pavilions, which symbolized the Koranic Garden of Paradise. Today, however, the mausoleum appears to stand at the northern end of the garden on the edge of the Yamuna River, rather than in the center of the formal garden, as it should in a charbagh plan. Originally, the gardens extended to the other side of the river, and this artwork did, in fact, occupy a central position.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork has 36 piers and 514 columns topped by a unique system of double-tiered arches that carried a timber roof (later replaced by vaults).

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork has a companion. It continues to exists.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

This artwork has four minarets.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork has profile views of lanturns hanging from the dome of the mosque.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork is Roman style. They recycled material from old roman buildings.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork is a Great prayer hall. The Mosque was converted into a church.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork is a central-plan structure descended from the Pantheon in Rome and Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, but it more closely resembles the octagonal San Vitale in Ravenna.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork is a direct connection of Persian painting and Mongols painting.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork is a domed central plan rotunda in the Late Antique tradition. At the center, below the dome, is the rocky outcropping later associated with Adam, Abraham, and Muhammad.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork is a prime example of Islamic experimentation with highly decorative multilobed arches (which are subsidiary motifs in the contemporaneous gate.)

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork is a screen of a multi lobed arch bed that forms a barrier intended to hold back ordinary people from the space.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork is a transformed version of Persian painting by Indian artists

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork is an Abstract representation of god.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artwork is an example of how Christians, Jews, and Muslims, notwithstanding their many differences, emerge from common sources and share many stories.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork is an imaginative display of the dome of heaven.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork is connecting to reflecting pools as part of the Safavid Dynasty

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork is created by Ustad Ahmad Lahori.

This artwork is created in the 17th century.

This artwork is dedicated to the founder of the Safavid Dynasty.

Taj Mahal: Detail of the pietra dura stonework of the area above the central niche of the facade of the Taj Mahal; found in Agra, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork is emulating marble into precious art form. This might be intentional to create a jewel box.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork is folio 22 from the Akbarnama (History of Akbar) by Abul Fazi.

This artwork is formerly the Royal Mosque

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork is from the city of ardabil, Iran.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

This artwork is part of the Akbarnama.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artwork is related to the Mongol conquest.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork is signed by its designer, masqud of Kashan

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork is the Friday mosque of Cordoba.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

This artwork is the result of a fluid interpenetration of several geometric volumes that represents the culminating solution to Sinan's lifelong search for a vast yet unified interior space. Sinan's forms are clear and legible, like mathematical equations.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork reflects the golden age of Islamic art.

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork represents Corinthian capitals, created in the Greek architecture.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork represents Mosque lamps (appropriate motifs for the Ardabil funerary mosque) hang from two pendants on the long axis of this artwork. The lamps are of different sizes. This artwork is related to this.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artwork represents Persian miniature painting.

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artwork represents a story of poetry.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

This artwork represents the idea of Iconoclasm.

Mihrab: Glazed mosacic tilework, 11' 3" x 7' 6"; found in Isfahan, Iran; Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties; 750 CE - 1732 CE

This artwork's outermost inscription—detailing the Five Pillars of Islamic faith (see " Muhammad and Islam ")—serves as a fringelike extension, as well as a boundary, for the entire design.

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This artwork's secondary arches has additional columns

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artwork, almost 35 by 18 feet, consists of roughly 25 million knots, some 340 to the square inch. (Its twin has even more knots.)

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This artworks date, however, to 1540—two centuries after the construction of the mosque, during the reign of Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524-1576).

Seduction of Yusuf: Ink and color on paper, 11' 7/8" x 8' 5/8"; found in Herat, Afghanistan; Timurid Dynasty; 1370 CE - 1507 CE

This artworks style is in Islamic décor, calligraphic text is used not only for information, but as part of the design.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This building is a 3-religious site

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

This dome's height surpasses that of Hagia Sophia's dome.

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din: Wool and Silk 34' 6" x 17' 7"; found in Ardabil, Iran; Safavid Dynasty; 1501 CE - 1736 CE

This may be an optical device to make the two appear equal in size when viewed from the end of the carpet at the room's threshold.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This octagonal building, which is not a mosque, is the oldest Islamic structure in the world. Built by Umayyad Dynasty caliph, Abd'al Malik, it is a shrine covering a sacred rock from which Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven with the Angel Gabriel on the famous "Night Journey."

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This shrine enshrined a rock.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This soaring, majestic unit creates a decidedly more commanding effect than that of similar Late Antique and Byzantine domical structures.

Dome of the Rock: Shine taking form of an octagon with a towering dome; found in Jerusalem, Israel; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

This temple is located on Temple Mount

Imam Mosque (Shah Mosque)

Time Period: Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties

Mihrab

Time Period: Abbasid - Safavid Dynasties

The Great Mosque

Time Period: Djenne Culture

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai

Time Period: Mughal Empire

Taj Mahal

Time Period: Mughal Empire

Mosque of Selim II

Time Period: Ottoman Empire

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din

Time Period: Safavid Dynasty

Seduction of Yusuf

Time Period: Timurid Dynasty

Dome of the Rock

Time Period: Umayyad Caliphate

Maqsura of the Great Mosque

Time Period: Umayyad Caliphate

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque

Time Period: Umayyad Caliphate

The Great Mosque

Timeline: 13TH CENTURY (REBUILT IN 1906)

Seduction of Yusuf

Timeline: CA. 1488 CE

Carpet From Funerary Mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din

Timeline: CA. 1540 CE

Mosque of Selim II

Timeline: CA. 1568 - 1575 CE

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai

Timeline: CA. 1590 CE

Imam Mosque (Shah Mosque)

Timeline: CA. 1611 - 1638 CE

Mihrab

Timeline: CA. 1611 - 1638 CE

Taj Mahal

Timeline: CA. 1632 CE

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque

Timeline: CA. 661 - 750 CE

Dome of the Rock

Timeline: CA. 661-750 CE

Maqsura of the Great Mosque

Timeline: CA. 961 - 965

Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque: 36 piers and 514 columns support a unique series of double-tiered horshoe-shaped arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

Visually, these arches seem to billow out like windblown sails, and they contribute greatly to the light and airy effect of this artwork's interior.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Vivid demonstration of the sound construction of the Ottoman mosques came in August 1999, when a powerful earthquake centered 65 miles east of Istanbul toppled hundreds of modern buildings and killed thousands of people, but caused no damage to the centuries-old mosques.

Horseshoe arch

a round arch that widens before rounding off

Maqsura of the Great Mosque: Highly decorative multiobed arches; found in Córdoba, Spain; Umayyad Caliphate; 661 CE - 750 CE

When Abd'al Hakam II became caliph in 961 he undertook an extensive renovation of the mosque. Most noteworthy are the mihrab, the complex dome over the mihrab, and this artwork.

When builders use cuerda seca tiles to sheathe curved surfaces (vaults, domes, minarets), the ceramists must fire the tiles in the exact shape required—a daunting challenge.

Akbar and the Elephant Hawai: Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 1 ⅞" x 8 ¾"; found in Delhi, India; Mughal Empire; 1526 CE - 1857 CE

When the second animal fled in defeat, Hawai, still carrying Akbar, chased it to a pontoon bridge.

Mumtaz Mahal

Wife of Shah Jahan; took an active political role in Mughal court; entombed in Taj Mahal

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Working within this architectural tradition, Sinan searched for solutions to the problems of unifying the additive elements and of creating a cavernous centralized space with harmonious proportions.

Mosque of Selim II: Dome-covered square prayer hall; found in Edirne, Turkey; Ottoman Empire; 1281 CE - 1924 CE

Working within this architectural tradition, Sinan searched for solutions to the problems of unifying the additive elements and of creating a cavernous centralized space with harmonious proportions. This artwork is a representation of this statement.

Timur/Tamerlane

a Turco-Mongol conqueror and founder of the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia. Turkish descendent of Genghis Khan who rose to power in the Khanate of Jagadai and conquered a large area of central Asia between Northern India and Moscow

Muslim

a follower of the religion of Islam

Hypostyle hall

a large interior room characterized by many closely spaced columns that support its roof

Iwan

in Islamic architecture, a vaulted rectangular recess opening onto a courtyard

Maqsura

in some mosques, a screened area in front of the mihrab reserved for a ruler

arabesque

ornate design featuring intertwined curves; a ballet position in which one leg is extended in back while the other supports the weight of the body

Muqarnas

stucco decorations of Islamic buildings in which stalactite-like forms break a structure's solidity; a decorative architectural detail in Muslim/Persian art, honeycomb-shaped spaces resembling stalactites (facing downwards)

Muhammad

the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople, built by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian

Shah Tahmasp

the Safavid ruler who commissioned the Ardabil carpets, was also a great patron of books. Around 1525, he commissioned an ambitious decade-long project to produce an illustrated 742-page copy of the Shahnama (Book of Kings).

Art 266 - Module 4: Islamic

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