Islamic architecture
Jerusalem is the home to major holy sites of three different religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The Dome of the Rock sits atop Temple Mount, as referred to by Jews or Haram al-Sharif as referred to by Muslims in Jerusalem. Built by the Umayyad caliph, Abd al-Malik between 687-692 shortly after the death of Mohammed, the Dome of the Rock is one of the oldest Islamic buildings still standing. It was built during a time of political turmoil, so the Dome of the Rock may have been a way for the Caliph to assert his dominance during civil war. The building was a tribute to the triumph of Islam.
The Dome is not a mosque to which it is often incorrectly referred. The center of the dome is home to the rock that is believed
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to be the place where Abraham prepared his son Isaac for sacrifice. Islamic tradition teaches that the Rock is also the place of Mohammed’s journey to Heaven. Surrounding the rock are two ambulatories and an octagonal exterior wall. The columns were covered with elaborate mosaics that connect the Dome of the Rock to the mosaics of the Late Antiquity and Byzantine time periods. Other aspects of the dome reflect the relative time period of its construction, like the domed octagon which resembles the church, San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy of the early Byzantine era. The mosaics, following in the tradition of Islamic art, do not depict any human or animal figures, rather vegetative scrolls and motifs, vessels and winged crowns. Many of the religious architecture of art of the Islamic world do not contain any iconography, but many private art collections did, so there was no official rule forbidding the use of human or animal figures. Muslim worshippers may enter the shrine to pray, but the Dome of the Rock is part of the bitter conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis, so entrance is strictly controlled. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/islamic-art-early/a/the-dome-of-the-rock-qubbat-al-sakhra Funerary art of Asia When archaeologists discovered Lady Dai in her tomb, she was surprisingly well preserved; it appeared that the Chinese, like the Egyptians, mummified the dead.
Found on top of her coffin was the Funeral Banner of Lady Dai Mawangui, China. Lady Dai lived during Han dynasty around 168 BCE, a time of great cultural and economic changes in …show more content…
China. The intended function of funeral banners is unknown, but historians agree that the banner was significant to the belief in the afterlife.
The banner is organized in four horizontal registers. The top area represents heaven, the middle-human realm, the bottom- the underworld. In the highest register, two men guard the gate to the heavens. Below the human realm, the artist depicts an underworld filled with land and sea creatures. The human realm depicts Lady Dai accompanied by her servants surrounded on either side by looming dragons as she continues into the afterlife, and below the afterlife it shows her body as her mourners grieve her death. In the human realm, the servants and the mourners are painted on top of each other to create depth in the two scenes.
The Funeral Banner of Lady Dai demonstrates the importance of the afterlife in Chinese religious practices. Protected in her tomb, Lady Dai is assured a comfortable spot in the afterlife. The banner also shows the importance of continuity of the life of the dead through ancestor veneration. Her lavish tomb and the vessels and artwork that were buried with her show the wealth of the Han
dynasty. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/han-dynasty/a/funeral-banner-of-lady-dai-xin-zhui Political/dynastic tribute In the center of Beijing squared off by red walls and yellow tiles lies the Forbidden City. Originally built during the Ming Dynasty in 1420 as a way to solidify the emperor’s power, the compound remains a symbol of the strength of China. After overthrowing the government Zhu Di, the Chenzu emperor moved the capital of his empire to Nanjing, present day Beijing. In 1911 the city was overthrown and became a museum honoring the China’s past. The Forbidden City like the name suggests is a city within a larger city. Only the Imperial family was allowed into the city, and they rarely left. The layout of the compound reflected Confucian theology of orderliness so that even the rooms reflected the importance of social roles and order. The building followed the instructions from the book Treatise on Architectural Methods or State Building Standards (Yingzao fashi) which outlined rules for construction of buildings based on a social hierarchy. The rooms were each constructed based on the particular ritual that would occur inside of them. In a sense the compound was a way of bestowing order onto the empire. The Forbidden City was central to all political proceedings throughout the Ming dynasty. The outer court was for public proceedings, and the inner court was the domestic spot for the imperial family. https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/japan-art/a/todai-ji
One of the most defining features of both the Pantheon and Jesse Hall is the larges domes that sit atop their structures. When the Pantheon was created, there was no dome ever created to the scale or size of the one that tops the building to this day. The dome itself sits on a drum like structure that supports the structure. The top is not completely curved like many other domes today. A stepped dome is used near the bottom and begins to curve more towards the top where the oculus sits. This oculus allows any sort of element into the building including sunlight, rain, and snow. The Pantheon, being a space of religious worship when originally created used the dome for many different purposes. In Understanding Architecture, extra contributor David Wat...
The Hagia Sophia was constructed first and it was meant as the main church of the Byzantine Empire. It is said that they built the Hagia Sophia in only 5 years, while it took nearly a century for the Notre Dame cathedral to be completed. While it did have what some would consider an extremely short construction time, they did have many issues with the dome. It nearly collapsed more than a few times. Once the builders and architects figured a plan to keep it stable, one on looker said, ”it is as if the Dome is suspended from Heaven itself”. The Dome of the rock was constructed for Christians, Jews, and Muslims but was to attract new followers to Malik’s Islamic brotherhood. The project for the construction had many issues, not only with the Dome itself, but also with revolts that would postpone construction for years. Once completed, many followers believed that Jerusalem was the third holiest place in the world due to Muhammed’s journey to Heaven in order to talk to God. The art within the Hagia Sophia was beautiful Mosaics and paintings of the Virgin Mary with Jesus. These were meant to represent how holy the building was. When the Muslims claimed the Hagia Sophia they did not want to destroy it due to beliefs so they renovated the building. They did this by breaking down images of humans and animals due to their belief that no images of figures
It shows the influence of cultural context. Unlike Qin warrior, the Japanese placed Haniwa on the top of the grave mound. According to the Gardner’s Art through the Ages, the variety of figure types suggests that haniwa functioned not as military guards but as a spiritual barrier protecting both the living and the dead from contamination. It is very clear that haniwa is treated as a door which separates people from the living and the dead.
In his essay, “Upon This Rock,” John Jeremiah Sullivan details his journey as he explores the biggest Christian-rock festival in Pennsylvania-Creation- and encounters Christians whom he centers his attention on for the duration of the festival. Darius, Jake, Josh, Bub, Ritter, and Pee Wee, the six Christian youth Sullivan meets, explain to Sullivan the situations that prompted them to follow a religious path. The boys explain that “half of their childhood friends had been murdered- shot or stabbed over drugs or nothing”; (Sullivan 21) in turn, they found Christianity as a means for “God [to take] all that anger and stuff […] away” (Sullivan 21). Eventually, Sullivan reveals that he was once a born-again Christian, an Evangelist; however, he
... burial places. Not only did it provide these individuals with an eternal essence, it was a demonstration of their wealth and taste. These burial practices are cultural dedications that engage with society. Though are not all the same, they provide the same type message. This message is in regard to the heavy presence of power at a certain time. The society of elites engages in the world, competes with each other and in this generates a sense of control. Creating tombs and spaces for themselves ensures them that their mark on the world lasts forever even when their body doesn’t. It is religious in that it provides space for someone who has died and ascended yet it is symbolic of the spirit where the individual can back to the high ether and be where the gods live.
Chang, Kwang-chih 1968 The Archeology of Ancient China Yale University Press, New Haven & London
The first symbol was a tall, bronze ladder that was narrow and stretched all the way to Heaven. The ladder represents the path that everyone must climb in order to get to Heaven. On the ladder are iron implements, all of which were various weapons, and that if you were not careful, you would be "torn to pieces" (2). The iron implements were the tools that were used to torture people, especially in the arena where the Christians were killed. One could also see the implements as obstacles that people face while trying to live a good life and get to Heaven. The dragon found at the bottom of the ladder is representative of the temptation of the devil (2). When the dragon put his head down and Perpetua stomped on it, it showed that she had power over the devil and that she was able to resist his temptations. The huge expanse of garden symbolizes Heaven. The white-haired man milking his ewes and dressed like a shepherd is referring to God watching over all his people like a shepherd watches his flock. The thousands of people dressed in white are either representing the angels and saints in Heaven or the thousands of believers that have died before and now live in Heaven. Finally, in her vision, Perpetua is given a small morsel, and she accepts it with both hands, and the people say "Amen". These actions symbolize those of Eucharist and that she was receiving the Body of Christ. After this had happened,
Beginning as early as the Shang dynasty, we have found evidence of the Chinese honoring and paying respect to their ancestors. The process of divination used turtle carapace or ox scapula in order to find out if their ancestors wanted certain rituals or sacrifices done. Evidence of honoring the deceased has also been found in tombs during the Shang dynasty. Lady Fu Hao’s tomb is a prime example of this, since hundreds of artifacts were buried with her, obviously denoting respect for the dead or that t...
Warner, Marina. The Dragon Empress: Life and times of Tz'u-hsi, 1835-1908, Empress Dowager of China. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972.
The grandeur with which Egyptians regarded their funerary customs does not come without explanation. They delighted in tying the occurrences of the natural world with supernatural dogma, and their burial practices exemplified this deluge of religion. A special deity was even attributed to cemeteries and embalmers: Anubis (Fiero, 46). Due to this deep sense of religion, a fixation with the afterlife developed within their culture. The Egyptian afterlife, however, is not synonymous of heave, but, rather, of The Field of Reeds, a continuation of one’s life in Egypt meant “to secure and perpetuate in the afterlife the ‘good life’ enjoyed on earth” (Mark 1; “Life in Ancient Egypt” 1). The pursuit of this sacred rest-place prompted the arousal of intricate Egyptian funeral rituals.
The Zhou Dynasty was the next influential time period in early Chinese history. During this era, the ideas of the Shang were built upon. The supreme being in the previous period, Shang-di, became more of an idea than a figure. Shang-di became Tian. Tian was considered a sort of heaven place. This place handed down the right to rule to the leaders, called “mandate of heaven” and was also the source of bl...
First, create three levels on a sturdy platform.The bottom layer represents the underworld, the second signifies the Earth, and the top layer symbolizes heaven. Next, coat each layer with colorful table cloths such as blue, purple, or orange. These colors display a vibrant environment for the spirits. Then, hang papel picado above and around the altar to portray the long Mexican heritage. The designs of papel picado consist of birds, floral patterns, and skeletons. These figures welcome the spirits to their familiar surroundings. Once each layer is assembled, the next step is
Monuments such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and San Vitale in Ravenna, perform a great importance in Byzantine and Islamic architecture. Both of these structures did not exclusively represent the main place of worship, but most importantly as a symbol of achievement and growth within the current times of construction. Starting in 524, under the influence of Orthodox bishop Ecclesius, the development of San Vitale was to represent the achievements of the emperor Justinian. Julius Argentarius was the sponsor for this structure and it was dedicated by Bishop Maximian in 547. The Dome of the Rock is built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in 692 with the help of Abd al-Malik with the suspected intention to symbolize Islams influence in Jerusalem and its involvement in a highly Jewish and Christian supremacy. Although separated by over 100 yrs, both of these domes share multiple similarity's including a projected confidence of their originating culture.
However the original plans had called for the construction of a dome which was lacking for its final completion the dome was to constructed based on the classical roman dome structure the pantheon the challenge was the technical knowledge to construct such a dome have been lost to centuries resulting in incomplete construction the artist phillip Aubrey Lasy was chosen to build the dome following a series of competitions to find a winning and construct final settlement. A dome is essentially an arch in round and scaffolding is used to support the way to the growing dome until the keystone can be put in place allowing for it be on its
During the Umayyad Caliphate era 661 AD – 750 AD, as far as the Byzantine impact on early Islamic architecture is concerned, the Byzantine artistic heritage formed a fundamental source for the new Islamic art, especially in Syria and Palestine. There are considerable Byzantine influences which can be detected in the distinctive early Islamic monuments in Syria and Palestine, as on the Dome of the Rock 691 AD in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. While the Dome of the Rock gives clear reference in plan - and partially in decoration - to Byzantine art, the plan of the Umayyad Mosque has also a remarkable similarity with 6th- and 7th-century Christian basilicas, but it has been modified and expanded on the transverse axis and not on the normal longitudinal axis as in the Christian basilicas. This modification serves better the liturgy for the Islamic prayer. The original mihrab of the mosque is located almost in the middle of the eastern part of the Qibla wall and not in its middle, a feature which can be explained by the fact that the architect might have tried to avoid the impression of a Christian apse which would result from the placement of the mihrab in the middle of the transept. The tile work, geometric patterns, multiple arches, domes, and poly-chrome brick and stone work that characterize Islamic and Moorish architecture were influenced to some extent by Byzantine