TERMS
Mohammed - founder of Islam, considered to be last
and final of line of Judeo-Christian "prophets”
Koran (Quran) - Muslim holy book of relevations to
Mohammed
Caliphs
Iwans - a vaulted rectangular
recess opening onto a courtyard
Mecca - birthplace of
Calligraphy - highly stylized lettering, considered
the highest Islamic art form for its use in sacred texts
Qibla - wall oriented to Mecca
Mihrab - niche in Qibla wall
Minarets - slender towers adjacent to mosque in which
muezzin climb to call to prayer
Mosque - Islamic structure for religious gatherings
Minbar - form of pulpit
Muezzin - crier who calls faithful to prayers
Arabesques - geometric, floral, and vegetable patterns
Madrasa - school for law and religion
Horror vacui - aversion to undecorated or
unfilled space in an art or craft work.
SLIDES
Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 687 - 692
Detail of mosaic, Great Mosque, Damascus, c. 706 - 715
Facade of the Umayyed palace, Mshatta, Jordan, details of frieze, limestone,
16’ 7” 740 - 750
Plan of the Great Mosque, Samarra, Iraq ca. 848 - 852
Minaret of the Great Mosque, Samnarra, Iraq
Interior, Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain, 8th - 10th cent.
Vestibule, of the Mihrab, 961 - 965
Dome in front of the mihrab, 961 - 965
Court of the Lions, the Alliambra, Granada, Spain, c. 1354 - 91
Madrasa-mosque-mausoleuin complex of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, Egypt, begun 1356
Courtyard of the madrasa of Sultan Hasan, c. 1356 - 63
Mausoleum of Sultan Hasan, 1356 - 63
Taj Mahal, Agra, India, 1632 - 1647
De Materia Medica. from Arabic translation of Dioscorides, c. 1224
Bahram Gur and Princess Khwarezum in Turquoise Palace,
Laila and Majnun at School, from a manuscript of Khamsa of Nizami, 1524 - 1525
DJB Quick Notes
~ human and animal figuration prohibited in Islam, strictly adhered to in mosque areas
DJB In-Depth Notes
Most of the design elements of Islamic ornament are based on plant motifs,
which are sometimes intermingled with symbolic geometric figures and with human
and animal shapes. But the natural forms become so stylized that they are lost
in the purely decorative tracery of the tendrils, leaves, and stalks. These
arabesques form a pattern that will cover an entire surface,
be it that of a small utensil or the wall of a building. (This horror vacui
is similar to tendencies in barbarian art, although other aspects of Islamic
design distinguish it from the abstract, barbarian patterns.) The relationship
of one form to another in Islamic art is more important than the totality of
the design: the patterns have no function but to decorate. This system
offers a potential for unlimited growth, as it permits extension of the designs
in any desired direction. Most characteristic, perhaps, is the design's independence
of its carrier; neither its size (within limits) nor its forms are dictated
by anything but the design itself. (G9-305)