I believe Islamic architecture and art to be the most beautiful in the history of the world. The Islamic people’s propensity for building staggeringly dazzling monuments and the colors and geometric design employed in Islamic architecture make this culture’s ability to capture one’s imagination a true wonder.

Islamic Art and Architecture

Qubbat as-Sakhrah“Dome of the Rock”

Dome of the Rock•Built from 688 to 691 AD by the Umayyad caliph Abd al- Malik.

•Oldest Islamic monument that stands today and one of the most beautiful.

•Believed to be built over a sacred stone from which the Prophet Muhammed ascended into heaven during his night journey.

•Shown in this picture is the sacred rock inside the Dome of the Rock

Dome of the RockThe inscription you see here around the octagonal part of the Dome of the Rock tells the story of Muhammad's ascension. These are actual verses from the Qur’an.

The gold dome was actually made of gold when it was first built.It has been replaced by copper, then aluminum. As it stands now it has been covered with gold leaf, a donation from the late King Hussein of Jordan.

Dome of the Rock

One of the most interesting things about the location of The Dome of the Rock is that it is sacred to many different religions. “To the Jewish people it is Ir Ha-Kodesh (the Holy City), the Biblical Zion, the City of David, the site of Solomon's Temple, and the eternal capital of the Israelite nation. To Christians it is where the young Jesus impressed the sages at the Jewish Temple, where he spent the last days of his ministry, and where the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection took place. Also greatly venerated by the Muslims, it is where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. “

Great Mosque of Cordoba

Great Mosque of CordobaThe Umayyads were conquered in 750 but a remaining survivor who fled Africa to settle in Spain established himself as the provincial ruler, or emir, with the help of fellow Muslims.

The Great Mosque of Cordoba was begun in 785, built by Umayyad conquerors on the site of a Christian church built by the Visigoths, the pre-Islamic rulers of Spain.

Great Mosque of Cordoba

Here is a picture of the front view of the Al-Hakam II’s mosque, reserved for his royal highness, and the rich mihrab of the Mosque of Cordoba. Note the elaborate double arches.

Samarqand: The Registan

The Registan

Detail of a dome Detail of a minaret

The Registan

Registan means “sandy place” The Registan sits in the center of the Timurid city of

Samarqand. It was built over a period of 230 years, beginning with

the Sultan Ulugh Beg in 1417. The Registan is made up of three madrasahs:Ulugbek

Madrasah (1417-1420), the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619-1636) and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646-1660). Madrasah is a medieval Moslem clergy academy.

As in all Islamic architecture, take notice of the splendid attention to detail that emphasizes their creativity and dedication. I am especially fond of the blue towers in these next pictures.

Here is a picture of the Tillya -Kori Madrasa. This is where students were trained.

The Registan

This is a picture of a mosque within the Tillya-Kori Madrasah

Here is a picture of the Sher-Dor Madrasah, built in the 17th century.

The Friday Mosque at Zavareh, Iran

Friday mosque at Zavareh

The Friday Mosque at Zavareh was built in a single campaign by the Seljuks in 1135. It is a typical Persian structure, with four iwans facing each other and a courtyard.

The Seljuks got their name from Seljuk, who converted his nomadic Central Asian Turkish tribe to Islam.

The courtyard in this mosque displays the fine brickwork in use in Iran during the Seljuk period.

Friday Mosque at ZavarehA corner squinch that makes a transitional part from the square room to the round dome.A complicated formation of bricks carries out also a decorative role based on the principle of arch.

The shallow Mihrab of the Friday Mosque, ZavarehMore than half of the stucco decoration with foliage and calligraphy has been lost.

Friday Mosque at ZavarehIt was under the Seljuks that the Persian mosque with four iwans developed its classic form. The Friday mosque at Zavareh is thought to be the first known dated mosque constructed according to a four iwan plan. Later mosques, like the next one I am going to show, the Friday Mosque in Isfahan, were all built using this design. Shown here is the western portal to the Zavareh Mosque.

Friday Mosque in Isfahan

Friday Mosque in Isfahan

The Friday Mosque at Isfahan was constructed during the end of the 11th century by Isfahani architects, who got their designs from the Seljuks of Iran. This mosque uses the four iwan style, the northern one of which has a simple pointed tunnel vault, but the other three have apses covered with muqarnas, or honeycombs. This technique grew out of the study of the resistance of brick arches carried out in Seljuk Iran.

Isfahan Friday MosqueElevated view of courtyard, showing southwest iwan at right and southeast iwan at left. The minaret of the Ali Mosque is visible in background        

On the right is a detailed view of mosaic tile decoration on the right flank of southwest (qibla) iwan. On the left is a view looking west of southwest dome and iwan with paired minarets.

Sultan Hasan Madrasa-Mausoleum-Mosque Complex

Sultan Hasan Madrasa-Mausoleum-Mosque Complex

This mosque was commisioned by the young sultan Hasan during a three year period (1356-1359) “without even a single day of idleness” .

It is known for its grandeur and innovative architectural components, but money was no object: the project was financed by the estates of victims of the bubonic plague that had devastated Cairo from 1348-1350.

The mosque was designed to include schools for all four of the Sunni schools of thought: Shafi’I, Maliki, Hanafi, and Hanbali.

Here is a picture of the mihrab in the prayer hall

The main iwan- notice the Mamluk glass oil lamps. There were hundreds of these placed throughout the complex and cast a brilliant light.

Sultan Hassan Madrasa-Mausoluem- Mosque complex

Interior detail of the mausoleum, showing stalactite wooden pendentives with gilt and painted decorations. Notice the Quranic inscriptions written in Kufic style.

Entrance portal, Hanafi madrasa. This entrance showcases ablaq masonry, which is interlocking pieces of marble block.

Mamluk Glass Oil Lamps

Mamluk Lamps

Mosque lamps were created for practical use as well as for decoration. Lamps had Qur’anic inscriptions on them. The Arabic inscription on the neck of the lamp on the previous slide quotes from a very famous verse in the Qur'an (xxiv.35), in which the light of God is likened to the light from an oil lamp.

The Mamluks were prodigious patrons of the arts who created lamps such as the one on the previous slide.

According to the inscriptions on the lower part of the lamp, it was commissioned "By order of the most noble authority, the Exalted, the Lordly, the Masterful, holder of the sword, Shaykhu al-Nasiri,"

Mosque Lamps'God is the Light of the heavens and the earth;the likeness of His Light is as a niche wherein is a lamp(the lamp in a glass,the glass as it were a glittering star)kindled from a Blessed Tree,an olive that is neither of the East nor of the Westwhose oil wellnigh would shine, even if no fire touched it'(Arberry, 1955, pp. 50-51)

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the West, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it Light upon Light! God doth guide whom He will to His Light God doth set forth Parables for men: and God doth know all things.

Miri Arab Madrassah in Bukhara

Miri Arab Madrassah in Bukhara

This madrassah was constructed in the time of the Shaybanids in the 16th century. The tombs of Ubdaidallah-Khan and Miri-Arab are in one corner of the building; the other three corners house classrooms.

There are particularly beautiful arrangements of tile mosaics on surfaces surrounding the iwans.

Detail of tile mosaics on walls of Miri Arab Madrassah.

Miri- Arab Madrassah

The pishtaq of the Nadir Divan Beghi Madrasa in Bukhara displays confronted images of the simurgh, the mythical Persian bird that symbolizes eternal life. The tile mosaics here are among the masterworks of polychrome faience.

Sultanahmet Mosque

Sultanahmet Mosque

Better known as the Blue Mosque. I love this particular structure because it is so vast and it seems to reach out and speak to you with its sweeping majesty. Notice the six minarets it has, very few mosques have that unique feature.

Blue Mosque

One thing about this structure that is so appealing is the cascade of domes that spill down from the great central dome.

Blue Mosque

The name “Blue Mosque” does not come from anything you can see on the exterior. It comes from the beautiful blue tiles inside…

Detail of blue tile work in the interior

Here is another shot of the inside of the domes. See how they also used the hanging lanterns that you seen previously in the show?

Lutfullah Mosque

I want to showcase some of the exquisite geometric tile work that can be found the the Lutfullah Mosque. Here is a picture of one of the outer wall panels of the Shaikh Lutfollah Mosque. Faience ceramic tiles make an arabesque of foliage and branches based on blue color. Beautiful, yes?

Lutfullah Mosque.

Here is an image that truly took my breath away. This is the passageway in the mosque . Three turnings of the narrow passage lead suddenly into the enormous worship hall. To be quite honest, I think I would get a little dizzy!

Works Cited

1. www.bibleplaces.com 2. www.sacred-destinations.com 3. Henri Stierlin. Islamic Art and Architecture. United

Kingdom.Thames and Hudson Ltd.,2002.

4.”Masterpieces of Islamic Architecture”. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/arc/ind/2_meisaku/53_lotfollah/lot_eng.

htm November 18,2011.

5.”Sacred Places”. http://witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/cordoba.html. D

ecember 1,2011. 6. “Legs of the Silk Road”.

http://romeartlover.tripod.com/Samarcanda.html December 5,2011.