Download Islam Notes - Franklin Township Public Schools

Islamic Art
Key Vocabulary
Islam
Mosque
madrasa
mausoleum
Caliph
Great mosque
maqsura
Kufic
muqarnas
I.
Muhammad
mihrab
Quran (Koran)
imam
hajj
minaret
colonnettes
finial
Muhaqqaq
Dome of the Rock
gibla (qibla)
mosaic tilework
arabesque
Friday mosque
iwan
calligraphy
sultan
cuerda seca tilework
MUHAMMAD AND THE BIRTH OF ISLAM
A. Muhammad
1. Early life (570 – 610)
 Orphaned at the age of six
 Bright and little schooling
 Became a trader and business manager for Khadiya, a wealthy
businesswoman 15 years older than he.
 When Muhammad was 25, he and Khadiya married
2. An incredible vision and visitor
 Muhammad took great interest in religion and often spent time
alone in prayer and meditation
 At the age of 40, Muhammad’s life was changed overnight by a
vision that came to him while he meditated on Mount Hira just
outside of Mecca.
 “While I was asleep, with a coverlet of silk brocade whereon was
some writing, the angel Gabriel appeared to me and said, ‘Read!’ I
said, ‘I do not read.’ He pressed me with the coverlets so tightly
that I thought it was death. Then he let me go, and said, ‘Read!’ So
I read aloud, and he departed from me at last… I went forth until,
when I was midway on the mountain, I heard a voice from heaven
saying, ‘O Muhammad! Thou art the messenger of God, and I am
Gabriel.”
3. Prophet in Mecca, 613 – 622
 Muhammad became convinced that Allah was the one God
worshipped by Christians and Jews.
 Muhammad also became convinced that he was the last and
greatest of Allah’s prophets

By 613, Muhammad began to preach publicly in Mecca. But the
polytheistic people gave him a lukewarm reception. His teachings
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of the oneness of God angered them and they persecuted him and
his followers.
4. The Hegira (Hijra, emigration) marked a turning point
 In 622, Muhammad accepted an offer from the people of Medina
to come and teach them.
 This migration or Hegira marks the start of the Islamic era.
 Muhammad soon won great political influence.
 His new religion became known as Islam which means “surrender
to God.” Believers became known as Muslims, “the surrendering
ones.”
5. Return to Mecca, 630
 In 630, Muhammad triumphantly returned to Mecca.
 Muhammad went to the Kaaba and exultantly declared, “Truth
has come and falsehood has vanished.” He then destroyed the idols
in the Kaaba, allowing only the Black Stone to remain.
6. Death, 632
 Muhammad began to think of spreading Islam beyond Arabia
 However, in 632, at the age of 62, he died having transmitted the
revelations of God in their entirety.
B. The Expansion of Islam, 632 – 751
The swiftness of the Islamic advance is among the wonders of world history.
SEE MAP IN GARDNER on page 342
1. West to the Pyrenees
a. Conquered Spain in 711
b. Advance stopped at the Battle of Tours in 732
c. Note that it would take the Spanish over 700 years to drive the
Muslims out of Spain. This reconquista would be finally completed
in what famous year?
2. East to the Indus River, 751
a. A large part of India was conquered by Muslims known as the
______________. They ruled India from 1526 – 1757.
b. Muslims thus make up a significant part of India.
c. Eventually, many India Muslims migrated to the northern part of
the British colony of India forming their own country
________________, which means “Land of the Pure.”
d. Modern Afghanistan is also a predominantly Muslim nation.
e. Modern India is predominantly _________________.
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3. The Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Turks
a. The Turkish tribes migrated from the steppes of Asia and were
used as mercenaries by the Persians and Arabs.
b. The two major Turkish tribes, the Seljuks and Ottomans,
converted to Islam.
c. The Byzantine Empire put up a stubborn resistance but could not
withstand the advance of first the Seljuk Turks and then the
Ottoman Turks.
d. Constantinople finally fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. The
Ottoman Turks transformed ____________________, the great
Byzantine church built during Justinian’s reign into a mosque and
added four ____________ around the corners.
C. The Koran
Compiled after Muhammad’s death
Divided into 114 suras or chapters
Arranged from longest to shortest
Written in Arabic. Only the Arabic version is considered the true
word of God.
5. Composed in calligraphy, as the faithful wanted to display it in a
beautiful script that could also be written on walls and in the book.
6. Most written in Kufic, a script named after the city of Kufah.
7. Kufic is quite angular, almost forming right angles.
1.
2.
3.
4.
D. Five Pillars of Islam
1. Faith – “I testify there is no god but God, and Muhammad is His
prophet.”
2. Prayer - _______ times a day
3. Alms to the needy
4. Fasting during the holy month of ____________________
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca is called the ____________________
In Mecca
 The Sacred Mosque – the marble walled precincts of the Sacred
Mosque can hold half a million worshippers.
 The Kaaba is the holiest site in the holiest city of Islam (Mecca)
 Five times a day the muezzins call, and each time roughly one
quarter of the earth’s population prostrates itself toward Mecca
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
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and the Kaaba. These daily prayers unite Muslims in a community
of faith.
Fifty feet high made of granite
What is inside the Kaaba?
o Basically empty.
o Was likely originally the site of a spring
o Perhaps was a temple to pre-Islamic gods
o The walls are marble and have inscriptions from the Koran
on them.
The Black Stone
Set within the southeast corner of the Kaaba
Said to have been presented by the Angel Gabriel
Muslims attribute no special properties to the Black Stone,
saluting it only because the Prophet did so on his final pilgrimage
The Kiswa (Textile covering of the Kaaba)
o Takes over 100 weavers and artisans one year to create
o Contains 2,500 feet of cloth
o Weighs two tons!
o A portion of the total weight is pure gold used to embroider
both the frieze that circles the top of the Kaaba and the veil
which drapes over the Kaaba’s single door
E. Islam and Art
1. Like Judaism, Islam discourages the making of images that might be
worshipped as idols.
2. Muslim artists thus concentrated their creative energies on the
development of nonfigurative forms, not only delighting the eye, but
leading the mind to the contemplation of God.
3. Muslim artists excelled at CALLIGRAPHY and ARABESQUES
a. CALLIGRAPHY – handwriting designed to be beautiful. See
Gardner 13-16 for an example.
b. ARABESQUE – literally “Arab-like.” A flowing intricate pattern.
Often using floral and geometric patterns. See Gardner 13-25 for
an example.
c. ABSENCE OF THE HUMAN FORM informs almost all Islamic
art.
d. Vivid, colorful patterning wraps walls like textile. Rich mosaic
ornamentation.
i.
Not significant difference between interior and exterior
walls.
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4. Muslim architects and artists borrowed and transformed design,
construction, and ornamentation principles from Byzantium and
Middle East
5. Basic Features of the Islamic Mosque (SEE PAGE 345 in Gardner’s)
Muslim religious architecture is closely related to Muslim prayer, an
obligation laid down in the Koran for all Muslims.
a. Qibla – a prayer wall oriented toward Mecca. PURPOSE: Helps
solve the question of the location of Mecca in relationship to the
mosque.
b. Mihrab – a niche, often highly decorated, set into the qibla wall.
Purpose: uncertain, may represent the spot from which
Muhammad used to lead prayer in his home, which is considered
the model for mosques. The mihrab also signifies to worshippers
which wall is the qibla and thus the direction of Mecca.
c. Minaret – a tall tower attached to a mosque. May differ in shape
(See the Malwiya minaret of the Great Mosque in Samarra, Iraq
Gardner 347). Number of minarets vary from culture to culture.
Ottoman architects usually included four tall, slender minarets
around the corners of their mosques. PURPOSE: A muezzin
(Muslim crier) climbs to the top of a minaret to call out for
Muslims to pray five times a day.
d. Minbar – a pulpit near the qibla wall. PURPOSE: Location from
which a Muslim imam (religious leader) addresses the
congregation.
e. Hypostyle prayer hall – room filled with columns. PURPOSE: The
hypostyle hall of a mosque is used for communal prayer. Muslims
can prostrate themselves, facing the qibla wall and pray together.
f. Maqsura- precedes mihrab. Generally reserved for ruler or his
representative.
g. Great mosque or Friday mosque – congregational mosque for
communal worship for Friday noon prayer. Friday is the Sabbath
(holy day of rest) for Muslims. Mosque, comes from Arabic
“masjid” which means a place or prostration. Any place can be a
mosque for private prayer.
II. EARLY ISLAMIC ART AND ARCHITECTURE
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1. The Dome of the Rock
A. Basic facts
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Domed octagon
Completed in 692
Dome is 60 feet across
Dome is 75 feet high
Dome was originally covered in gold which was removed.
Today, it is covered in aluminum.
It is not a mosque; it is a pilgrimage site. Al-Aqsa Mosque is
adjacent to the Dome of the Rock for prayer.
Design probably based on Constantine’s Church of the Holy
Sepulchre (domed rotunda: see Santa Costanza).
B. Wonders of the Dome of the Rock
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Caliph Abd al-Malik wanted a building that would “dazzle the
minds” of Muslims and thereby distract them from the
Christian buildings in Jerusalem.
Calligraphy
Arabesques
Carpets
The Dome
C. The Rock
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Sacred site surrounded by 16 arches which came from
different churches, which were destroyed by the Persian
occupation of Jerusalem in 614
The site from which Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac
The site of the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s Temple. Do you
know what was contained inside the Holy of Holies?
Site from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven
to see Allah
Muslims believe that on Judgment Day the angel Israfil will
blow his trumpet from the rock. All those worthy will then
ascend to Paradise from the rock.
D. The Third Holiest Site in Islam
2. Great Mosque, Damascus, Syria, 706 – 715
A. Umayyads moved capital from Mecca to Damascus in 661
B. Purchased and tore down a Byzantine church and build mosque
on site
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C. Many similarities to Roman and Early Christian architecture
i. Used salvaged material from previous structures
ii. Pier arcades like Roman aqueducts (pier = freestanding
masonry column).
iii. Minarets from pre-existing Roman towers
iv. Entrance to main prayer hall has pediment and arches.
v. Façade faces into courtyard like a Roman temple in a
forum.
vi. Note absence of zoomorphic (animal) forms in mosaic.
Probably created by Byzantine artists. Shows buildings
and landscapes common in Late Antique art. Note Late
Antique perspective.
3. Umayyad Palace, Mshatta, Jordan, ca. 740 - 750
A. Fortified palace similar to Diocletian’s fortress palace in Split.
B. Roman-like baths: a social activity that died out in Christian
world.
4. Great Mosque, Kairouan, Tunisia, ca. 836 – 875
A. Hypostyle plan, most closely reflects origins of mosque which was
based on Muhammad’s home in Medina.
B. Note that qibla does not have to be on short or long axis of plan:
just needs to face Mecca.
C. Minaret from Roman lighthouse. What other elements do you see
from Byzantium and Roman art?
D. Be able to label 1 – 8 of figure 13 – 8 in Gardner’s.
5. Malwiya Minaret, Great Mosque, Samarra, Iraq, 848 – 852
A. Malwiya = snail shell
B. Great Mosque is gone, only huge minaret survives.
C. Minarets have many variations.
D. Tall for political purposes. Shows that Islam has arrived in Tigris
valley (Mesopotamia)
E. Used to think it was a ziggurat.
F. Damaged in 2005 Iraqi war.
6. Samanid Mausoleum, Bukhara, Uzbekistan, early 10th C.
A. Dome on cube long career in Muslim funerary architecture.
B. Muhammad opposed elaborate funerary structures (unmarked
grave for him).
C. Obviously this changed for nobility and rich.
D. Each brick shaped for its place on structure to create surface
pattern
i. Bright sun creates vivid contrast of light and shadow.
ii. Engaged columns
iii. Blind arcades
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iv. Dome on squinches
7. Prayer hall of the Great Mosque, Córdoba, Spain, 8th to 10th centuries.
A. Begun in 784 and enlarged several times during the 9th and 10th
centuries
B. Hypostyle prayer hall
i. Hypostyle – a hall with a roof supported by rows of
columns
ii. 514 columns
iii. Double-tiered arches
iv. Topped by horseshoe shaped arches. Note: horseshoe
shaped arches are hallmark of Islamic architecture in
West.
C.
Maqsura is good example of multilobed arches.
D.
Dome in front of the mihrab. Rests on octagonal base with
arched squinches and crisscrossing ribs
E.
In 10th C. caliph al_Hakam II transported artists and
tesserae (stone or glass cubes to make mosaic) from
Constantinople to emulate monuments of his ancestors in
Jerusalem (family dynasty was forced out by war). This
brought Islamic/Byzantine art to Europe.
8. Luxury Arts
A. Wood is scarce in most of Islamic world. This means Western
style furniture is not used. Room function depends on rearranging carpets or cushions. Thus textiles, carpets, metalwork,
and books are the forms of luxury arts
B. Silk was imported from China over the “Silk Road.”
i. Silk fragment from Zandana, Uzbekistan.
ii. Silk is fragile and thus rare from antiquity.
iii. Colors faded
iv. Lions facing off in front of a palm tree. Zoomorphic OK,
not art for a sacred space
v. Roundels = tondi = circular frames
C. Sulayman, ewer (pitcher) in the form of a bird, 796
i. Really a statuette, too precious for utilitarian object
ii. Some attempt at creating feather patterns but also has
rosettes and medallions.
iii. Note that motifs can be varied with scale and technique and
can be repurposed independent of the surfaces they
decorate.
D. Koran page of surah 18 (The Cave), 9th or 10th C., on vellum
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i. Calligraphy was highly honored: “Purity of writing is
purity of soul.”
ii. Arabic script pre-dates Islam
1. Written right to left, vowels optional
2. Characters connected by baseline
3. Korans could be bound into books or stored as loose
sheets in a box.
4. Early texts written in Kufic
a. Angular with upright elements
5. No humans or animals decorate Koran
6. Note lots of people illustrate non-Koran texts. See
13-26 (Seduction of Yusef) and 13-27 (Court of
Gayumars).
III.
Later Islamic Art
1. Alhambra (“the Red”), Granada, Spain. Palace-Fortress made of rose
stone in walls and towers.
2. Muqarnas dome, Hall of Two Sisters, Palace of Lions, Alhambra
i. Muqarnas: tiers of stalactite prismatic forms that make
surface seem permeable/lacelike. Catches light, makes
beautiful patterns; symbolize heaven/clouds?
3. Madrasa-mosque-mausoleum complex of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, Egypt,
begun 1356
i. Austere compared with Alhambra
ii. Mid 1200’s, East-Asian Mongols conquered much of eastern
Islamic world so capital of Islamic world moved from Baghdad
to Cairo.
iii. Rulers in Egypt were Mamluks. Mamluk rulers were called
sultans
iv. Mamluks built a lot
v. Sultan Hasan built madrasa complex for four schools of
Islamic law.
vi. Also included mosque, mausoleum, orphanage, and hospital.
vii. Has central courtyard with 4 vaulted iwans (a rectangular hall
or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end
entirely open). From design from Iranian mosques.
viii. Dome over mausoleum (see mausoleum of Samanids)
ix. Mausoleum behind qibla so prayers were also facing his tomb.
4. Sinan, Mosque of Selim II, Edirne, Turkey, 1568 – 1575
i. Turks, converts to Islam from central Asia, assaulted
Byzantine empire starting in 9th C.
ii. Ottoman dynasty, founded by Osman I, expanded from 13th to
15th C. and controlled vast areas of Asia, Europe, and North
Africa: Great world power.
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iii. Ottomans developed square prayer hall covered with dome like
Samanid mausoleum
iv. Converted Hagia Sophia from church to mosque, added
minarets.
v. Hagia Sophia had longitudinal axis. Ottomans preferred
central plan mosque
vi. Sinan the Great (1491 – 1588) designed Mosque of Selim II
1. Octagon formed by eight massive dome supports
pierced by 4 half-domes of square.
2. Fluid interpenetration, monumental unified interior
space that is clear and legible.
3. Follows recurring ratio of 1:2
5. Great Mosque, Isfahan, Iran, 11th to 17th C.
i. First time use of four iwans with dome in front of mihrab
ii. Became standard in Iranian mosques
iii. In four iwan mosques the qibla iwan is largest. Dome and size
orients worshipper to Mecca.
6. Winter prayer hall of the Shahi (Imam) Mosque, Isfahan, Iran, 1611 –
1638
i. Created with cuerda seca, dry cord, tiling technique. Large
tiles are made that conform to curves of walls are glazed and
fired. Need precision to fit wall. Limited colors not as
reflective as mosaic tiling but faster to install.
7. Mihrab from the Madrasa Imami, Isfahan, Iran, ca. 1354. Glazed
mosaic tilework, 11’ 3” X 7’ 6”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York.
i. Masterwork of calligraphy on archivolt, in apse and around
boarder.
ii. Boarder calligraphy is cursive style called Muhaqqaq. Details
5 pillars of faith
iii. Calligraphy and geometric design are unified and hard to
distinguish from one another.
iv. Made 3D form like a 2D hanging (carpet).
8. Luxury Item: MAQSUD OF KASHAN, carpet from the funerary
mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din, Ardabil, Iran, 1540. Knotted pile of
wool and silk, 34’ 6” X 17’ 7”. Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
i. Maqsud of Kashan designed carpet, designed his name into it.
ii. Whole composition represents central medallion represents the
dome of a mosque reflected in a pool of water with leaves and
flowers.
iii. Can see mosque lamps hanging from ceiling
iv. 25 million knots
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9. Luxury Item: MUHAMMAD IBN AL-ZAYN, basin (Baptistère de
Saint Louis), from Egypt, ca. 1300. Brass, inlaid with gold and silver, 8
3/4” high. Louvre, Paris.
i. Signed basin six times
ii. Used for washing hands in official ceremonies
iii. Central band depicts Mamluk hunters and Mongol enemies.
iv. Not intended as a baptism basin, but was held in such high
regard was used to baptize newborns in French royal family.
10. Luxury Item: Canteen with episodes from the life of Christ, from
Syria, ca. 1240–1250. Brass, inlaid with silver, 1’ 2 1/2” high. Freer
Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
i. Memento for Christian of his travels to Islamic lands
ii. Christian themes with scenes from Christ’s life. Madonna and
Child Enthroned in central medallion.
iii. High regard for Islamic craftsmen
iv. Inscribed in Arabic with promises of prosperity, eternal glory,
etc.
v. Artist thought to have used Syrian Christian manuscripts for
iconography.
vi. Fruitful interactions between Christians and Muslims in 13th
C. Syria.
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