Islamic Art

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Islamic Art
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The Islamic World

• Islamic art includes art created after the 7th
  century in lands populated by Muslims. Unlike
  Western art, which focused on painting and
  sculpture, Islamic art emphasizes geometric
  design, largely because the holy book of Islam,
  the Koran, forbids the representation of the
  human form in holy sites. Thus, public art is
  rich in design.
• As the map shows that, at its height, Islamic
  influences spread throughout parts of Europe,
  Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

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Arabesques

• Arabesque is the term used for the decorative
  patterns widely used in Islamic art. Almost any
  material was used.
• The picture on the left shows glass tiles and the
  strong color often used. The picture on the
  right shows a small metalwork casket, or box,
  completely covered in pattern.
• The repetitive nature of the patterns was meant
  to show infinity, a subtle reference to God.

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Calligraphy

• Besides arabesques, calligraphy, or decorative
  printing, holds a central role.
• The alphabet used is Arabic, itself a complex and
  lovely script.
• Most of the writing is from the Koran, the
  Islamic holy book, although there are also
  proclamations.
• The picture here is from the Taj Mahal. The
  script actually gets bigger toward the top of the
  structure so it stays readable from the ground.

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Great Mosque of Damascus

• A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims.
• Over 1300 years old, this is the oldest known
  mosque. It is built on the site of even older
  Roman temples.
• The building took ten years to build. It has
  been badly damaged by fire and war over time and
  repeatedly rebuilt and updated. Parts of the
  original building still remain, however.
• This picture shows a detail of the entryway.

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Damascus

• This is a picture of the entire entry plaza.
  Notice how large the entry doors are compared to
  the people.
• The building is divided into a large courtyard, a
  massive prayer hall, and hundred of rooms
  originally used by visiting pilgrims.
• The mosque is in the middle of the modern city of
  Damascus, one of the oldest continually inhabited
  cities on earth.
• It is still used for worship. Its believed that
  John the Baptist, a Christian saint, is buried
  there.

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Courtyard and Prayer Hall

• Many of the pillars were taken from old Roman
  temples and are over 2,000 years old. Its an
  early sign of recycling!
• The prayer hall has a wooden roof, which was
  originally covered over with tiles. The wood
  made it vulnerable to fire. The rugs are for
  prayers.
• Notice the extensive carving on the
  pillars--includes both arabesques and
  calligraphy.

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Mosaics in the Mosque of Damascus

• This is a fragment of part of the original
  mosaics that were widely used in the mosque. It
  shows cities along a stream leading into
  Damascus.
• When first built, glass mosaics covered much of
  the interior of the mosque, although many have
  been lost in the 1300 years since it was built.

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Dome of the Rock

• The Dome of the Rock, located in Jerusalem in
  modern day Israel, is a holy site in Islam,
  Judaism and Christianity.
• The Dome on the Rock was built between 685 and
  681 AD and has been added to and modified through
  the centuries. It continues to be a major
  pilgrimage site for many of the world religions.

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The Dome of the Rock

• Its significance in Islam stems from the
  religious beliefs regarding the rock at its
  heart. According to Islamic tradition, the rock
  is the spot from where Muhammad ascended to
  Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel.
• In Judaism the location of the stone is venerated
  as the holiest spot on Earth, the site of the
  Holy of Holies during the Temple Period.
• In Christianity it is believed that during the
  time of the Byzantine Empire, the spot where the
  Dome was later constructed was where
  Constantine's mother built a small church,
  calling it the Church of St. Cyrus and St. John.
  It is believed to have been enlarged and then
  called the Church of the Holy Wisdom.

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Dome of the Rock

• On the left is an exterior view. The right shows
  a close-up of the windows.
• The dome is a typical feature on mosques, though
  they range from the simple to extremely ornate.
• The arabesques on the right show both the
  repetitive pattern and the intensive color often
  found in Islamic art. One of the goals of
  Islamic art was to replicate a feel of nature in
  the forms. Here, the greens and blues are
  evocative of nature.

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Dome of the Rock

• The left view shows the interior. In the center
  is the rock itself, while the surrounding pillars
  and arches help to define the space. Its
  heavily decorated with arabesques and
  calligraphy.
• The right view is the interior of the dome. The
  arabesques are created by glass tiles. The light
  color helps to lift the eye up in what is a
  fairly dark space.

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Alhambra Palace

• Originally a home of the Islamic rulers of
  southern Spain, the Palace was not a place of
  worship. The incredible workmanship speaks to
  the wealth and artistic taste of the rulers.
• Perched on a hill overlooking Cordoba, it was
  originally built as a fortress. You can get a
  feel of the size from this picture.

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Interior of Alhambra

• Part of the design of the palace was to take
  advantage of numerous interior courtyards,
  usually with flowing water.
• In the hot, dry climate of southern Spain, it was
  a luxury to have such spaces.
• The design is not unique to this time
  period--both Roman and Greek villas used the same
  design.

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Interior of Alhambra

• The palace is filled with numerous pillars--some
  purely decorative, others main supports for the
  palace. They are uniformly covered in arabesques
  and calligraphy.
• The sheer amount of decoration overwhelms the
  eye, even when no color has survived from what
  were probably originally colored surfaces.
• Again notice now the arabesques replicate nature
  by showing vines, flowers, and other natural
  forms, though in a stylized manner.

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Alhambra Interior

• This picture is taken from the ground to the
  ceiling in one hallway of the palace.
• Notice that the arch is covered with calligraphy.