1. Islamic Art Vocabulary
Koran/Qu’ran
Hadj
Mosque
Qibla
Imam
Minbar
Mihrab
Minaret
Squinches
Crenellation
Muezzin
Moorish
Kufic

2. Islam 570 - Mohamed born into Quraysh tribe from Mecca
610 - he received divine orders to recite in praise of Allah
651- Recitations written down into the Koran
Pray 5 times a day facing Mecca, fast during Ramadan, make a pilgrimage to Mecca (for those who can), give alms
“There is but one God, Allah, and Mohamed is his prophet”
Began preaching a monotheistic religion-lost favor in Mecca
Went to Medina and gained followers to protect the faith
By 632-Islam dominated over half of Arabia
Moved further, quicker than Christianity-Constantinople attacked in the 670s but not conquered
Moved through Africa into Spain by 711
Stopped from invading France in 732 by Charles Martel
Constantinople conquered in by the Ottoman Turks
Sophisticated culture-inspired education and the arts
First universities in Europe
Advanced the studies of Math, Sciences, Astronomy, Philosophy, and Literature
Major artistic elements: calligraphy, vegetation, animals, decorative shapes including arabesques and scroll motifs
The hemispheric dome represents the celestial sphere of the sky
Religious works are not illustrated with the human form

3. Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 687-92
Umayyad Caliph Abd Al-Malik

4. Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 687-92

5. Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain, 8-10 centuries
Minaret

6. Abd-al-Rahman I
Enlarged in , 961, and 987
Crenellated/crenellation
Moorish

7. Interior of the Great Mosque of Cordoba
Repetition in decoration unifies the space emphasized democratic nature
Borrowed marble from earlier Roman structures
Becomes a Christian church in the 15th century
Hypostyle prayer hall

8. Maqsura, Mosque of Cordoba

9. Dome of the Great Mosque of Cordoba, 961-976
Mihrab
Qibla
Squinches
Emphasized the axis leading to the mihrab

10. Koran page, 9-10th century Kufic script
Emphasized the axis leading to the mihrab
Kufic script

11. The Ardabil Carpet, Iran, 1540
Hand knotted woollen pile, on silk warp and weft; asymmetrical knot, open to the left; 304 knots per sq. in

12. Malwiya Minaret of the Great Mosque, Samarra, Iraq, 848-52
Malwiya- “snail shell”
165 feet tall
Ascend the spiral ramp which increases in slope as the circumference gets smaller nearer the top.
Site for the call to prayer which is a chant