Islamic Art c. 632 – 1620 C.E.

183: The Kaaba Mecca, Saudi Arabia Pre-Islamic monument: rededicated by Muhammad in 631 – 632 C.E.; multiple renovations. Islamic Granite masonry, covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread.

Kaaba is a cubical structure, fifteen meters tall and ten and a half meters on each side; its corners roughly align with the cardinal directions. The door of the Kaaba is now made of solid gold. The kiswa—the large cloth that covers the Kaaba. Kabba means cube in Arabic. A sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims pray five times a day these prayers were directed towards Mecca and the Kaaba rather than Jerusalem

Kabba means cube in Arabic. A sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims pray five times a day. Prayers were directed towards Mecca and the Kaaba rather than Jerusalem. Said to have been built by Ibrahim and Ishamel for God.

Muhammad’s birthplace and the site of the Kaaba, which is Islam’s holiest structure. Muhammad and his followers abandoned Mecca for a desert oasis eventually called Medina. In 630, Muhammad returned to Mecca with 10,000 soldiers. He took control of the city, converted the population to Islam, and destroyed all the idols.

185: Dome of the Rock Jerusalem 691 – 692 C.E. with multiple renovations Islamic, Umayyad Stone masonry and wooden roof decorated with glazed ceramic tile, mosaics, and gilt aluminum and bronze dome.

Carried out from the 8th – 20th centuries. Center of the old city, shares wall with other buildings. Public and commercial space. Mihrab – a niche in the wall of a mosque, nearest the Mecca, toward which the congregation faces. Oldest surviving Qur’an verses; first use of Qur’an verses in architecture.

Domed wooden octagon Columns taken from Roman monuments. Four iwans (vaulted portal opening) at the center is a large courtyard open to the air. Possibly the first use of what became the typical Iranina mosque plan with four vaulted iwans and a courtyard. Isfahan’s architectural plan became the standard in Iranian religious architecture. Hypostyle interior.

Dome soffits (underside) have geometric designs and icnlude an ocolus. Vaults offer lighting and ventilation. Interior – complex brick, stucco, tile- work.

186: Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh) Isfahan, Iran 700 C.E. with multiple renovations Islamic, Persian: Seljuk, Il-Khanid, Timurid and Safavid Dynasties. Additions and restorations in the 14th, 18th, and 20th centuries C.E. Stone, brick, wood, plaster, and glazed ceramic tile.

First great Islamic building. Muslims took the city form the Byzantines in 638 and erected the monumental shrine between 687 and 692 as an architectural tribute to the triumph of Islam. This marked the coming of the new religion to the city that was and still is sacred to both Jews and Christian. Islam took much of its teaching from Judaism and Christianity and its architects and artists borrowed and transformed design, construction, and ornamentation principles used in Byzantines and the Middle East.

The Rock was identified with the spot from which Muhammad journeyed to Heaven and in the same night returned to his home in Mecca. A holy place for Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Highest point in Jerusalem. Debate of original function and meaning. A large rock is at the center of the Dome of the Rock.

The Rock is enclosed by two ambulatories, an octagonal wall, a central colonnade. Colonnades – marble on lower registers, and mosaics on upper registers. Large central rectangular courtyard surrounded by a two-story arcade. Qibla iwan (rectangular hall space with 3 sides faces Mecca) is the largest and most decorative. Concentric aisles also enclose the rock. Earliest surviving examples of verses from the Qur’an (240 m).

Interior surfaces were originally decorated with marble at ground level and glass mosaics above. - Wall and ceiling mosaics. - Reflects artistic connection to Late Antiquity. - Vegetative scrolls, vessels, and winged crowns. No human figures or animals.