Islamic Art

Art of the Muslim World

Artistic Expressions

• Architecture

• Arts of the book

• Art of the object- metal work and textiles

Surface Decoration

• Calligraphy

• Arabesque designs

• Geometric designs

Islam in a Nutshell:

• 610 - Muhammad visited by angel Gabriel

• Told to spread the final messages from God (Allah)

• Revelations formed the basis of the religion Islam (“Submission to God’s will”)– Followers/believers are Muslims (“those who

have submitted to God”)

Koran( Quran):

• Book where the word of God is recorded• Arabic was the uniform script used

wherever Islam spread• According to Islam, figurative or

representational imagery is prohibited• Scribes develop calligraphy-art of

writing• Koranic Arabic -very decorative

– Used to decorate Islamic religious art– Prayer rugs, mosques, Koran pages

Beginning of Islam

• 622- Muhammad flees from Mecca to Medina (Hijra) = Official beginning of Islam

• 632- Prophet Muhammad dies and series of caliphs succeed him – Abu Bakr 633-634– Umar 634-644– Uthman 644-656– Ali 656-661

• Followers of Ali= Shiites• Sunnites recognize all four caliphs as “rightly

guided”

• 7th cent- Muslim armies conquered much of Persian Empire, Egypt, Syria, Palestine

• 8th cent- conquered India, N. Africa, Spain and reached into France

Spread of Islam

Faith:

• Emphasis is on the believer’s direct, personal relationship with God through prayer

– No ceremonial paraphernalia required

– No priest, Pope required

Five Pillars:

1. Affirmation (Shahada)-

• “There is no God but God (Allah) and Muhammad is his messenger”

2. Prayers (Sala or Salat)

• Muslim required to pray towards mecca 5 times a day

• Obliged to honor his faith at all times of the day

• Gesture of cleanliness (makes prayer valid); gesture of prayer on prayer rug

Five Pillars:

3. Alms (Zakah)

• Obliged to give alms to the poor on a stipulated scale according to income = religious tax

4. Fasting (Sawm)

• Ramadan (occurs when Muhammad received his first revelation)

• Abstain from eating, drinking, smoking or having sex from sun-up to sun-down

Five Pillars:

5. Pilgrimage (Hajj)

• Once in one’s lifetime, the physically fit and financially able must make a pilgrimage to Mecca

• Profound spiritual experience, unites community in unity around Islam

• Strengthen Muslim identity

Early Architecture

• Muhammad instructed Muslims to live simply, not to waste resources on elaborate architecture

• Orig. mosque was simple mud brick structure

• Despite the Koran’s scripture against elaborateness-Islamic rulers built and surrounded selves with luxuries to show off wealth

Islamic Mosque

• Qibla wall- wall inside mosque that was oriented toward Mecca

• Imam- Leader of collective worship

• Minbar- Pulpit where Imam stood

• Mihrab- niche in qibla wall; designated which wall faced Mecca

Dome of Rock, Jerusalem, 687-692

Interior Dome of Rock

Great Mosque of Damascus, Syria, early 8th

cent.

Interior Great Mosque of Damascus

Great Mosque, Corodoba, Spain, 785-86

Dome of Great Mosque

Malwiya minaret of Great Mosque, Samarra, Iraq

Calligraphy:

• Reverence for the Koran as the word of God and association with act of writing= holy act, glory of Islam

• Was considered a glorious act to reproduce Koran’s sacred words and make them beautiful

• Arabic is already fairly decorative writing-lends itself to decorative variations

Calligraphy:

• Scribes- holy occupation

– Long period of training, learn secrets of inks and paints, proper ways to sit, breath, manipulate tools

• Usually only consonants are used in Kufic Arabic, scribes would indicate vowels with red/yellow symbols to help recitation

Koran Page

Later Islamic Art:

• 9th cent- Abbasid caliphate (dynasty) began to disintegrate

– Power in Islamic world became fragmented

• 1492- Islamic control in Spain succumb to Christian forces

• 14th cent- Muslim Turks seize parts of Anatolia

Later Islamic Art:

• Ottomans (Turks)- push westward creating Ottoman Empire

– Seize W. Persia, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, W. Arabia, N. Africa, E. Europe

– 1453 Ottomans capture Constantinople (rename Istanbul) end Byzantine Empire

• Islam remains dominant unifying force during these years

– Later Islamic art is Mostly regional phenomenon

Muqarnas Dome, Hall of Two Sisters, Palace of Lions

Madrasa- mosque of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, Egypt

Plan, Four-Iwan MosqueMadrasa- mosque Sultan Hasan, Cairo, Egypt

Mosque of Selim, Turkey, 1570-74

Compare:Mosque of Selim vs. Hagia Sophia

Interior of Mosque of Selim, Turkey

Taj Majal, Agra, India

Islamic Art

• Calligraphy- reflects role of Koran in art and architecture

• Arabesque- abstract scrolling floral designs

• Geometric patterns- repeating shapes which create own design

Mosaic Mihrab, Madrassa Imami, Persia (Iran) c. 1354

Griffin, 11th Cent., Bronze

Carpet from funerary mosque of Shaykh-al-Din?, by Maqsud of Kashan

Summary

• Islamic art describes more than just art for the Religion

• Regional and period influences; yet still maintain recognizable quality.

• Characteristics of Islamic art:

– Calligraphy

– Arabesque designs

– Geometric patterns