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Experiential Architecture in Al-Andalus Less than one hundred years after Muhammad’s death in 632, Islam spread across the known world like a wildfire, from the banks of the Indus River to the Pyrenees in Spain. Part of the reasons why the new religion was able to expand at such a meteoric rate was its power to unify preexisting cultures with the teachings of the new religion through the beautiful vocal nature of the Quran. Architecture was another element that was deployed to exalt both the political and religious greatness of the Islamic empires as “there is no essential difference between spiritual and secular art in Islam” (Burckhardt 208). Throughout the periods of expansion and of permanent existence of the Islamic empires, architecture encompassed many of the ideals that the new nation offered. It was adaptable to distinct cultures, remained true to its original roots, and drew upon its vast cultural resources to come up with new ways to express itself. One of the regions where we can see this trend take place is Andalusia. Influenced by Sufi practice, Islamic architecture in …show more content…
For example, mosques and other praying sites always faced Mecca. The qibla in the Great Mosque of Cordoba is an exception because it faces Baghdad however, praying sites in the gardens of the Alcazar in Granada do face Mecca. Despite that difference, the mosque in Granada has a rectangular shape and is divided into a courtyard and the praying hall just like most mosques which derive their shape from Muhammad’s home. “The courtyard was an integral part of the Mosque, for it contained the fountains for washing the face, hands, and feet for the ritual purification before prayer.” (Burckhardt 10) and the minaret which brought cities together at the time of prayer. This standardized layout across the Islamic world provides a unifying structure for its people and the
The spread of the Islamic faith throughout the eastern world occurred due to the presence of Muslim cities. Iba Jubayr, a Spanish Muslim traveler and geographer, loves the city of Damascus as the type of paradise on earth (Doc 1). Among many Muslim cities, Damascus is a center of the Islamic faith and greatly contributed to the spreading of the Islamic faith. The Umayyad Caliphate based the Islam core in Damascus and the city’s power reached its highest point. Though Iba Jubayr provides a sufficient observation upon Damascus, his opinions were hidden due to his occupation. Being a traveler and geographer, Iba Jubayr was exposed to many various environments, some harsher than others. As a result, Jubayr’s opinion may have been wrong because a city that is nice such as Damascus can easily be viewed as a paradise on earth when compared to an extremely poor and suffering city. Even though Jubayr’s opinion is incorrect, Damascus is still an important element in the spreading of
Although Cordoba’s Mezquita and Rome’s Pantheon share similar architectural qualities, each of these buildings has their own unique characteristics. Cordoba’s Mezquita is an Islamic religious architecture where the community comes together for their daily prayers. Rome’s Pantheon is a temple used as place to display all the gods. A unique feature of the mosque is that some of the arches are horseshoe-shaped, a quality possibly originated from earlier Mesopotamian
Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas Publishers, 2009. Print. Necipoglu, Gulru. Muqarnas, Vol 25: Frontiers of Islamic Art and Architecture.
Write an essay on Moorish architecture in Spain, explaining the various materials used and the stylistic elements, giving the name of at least one city in Spain that is a center of this art. List the various cultural, ethnic and religious elements that are combined in this art. - One city greatly known for its Moorish art and architecture is Grenada. Grenada is special because its art is a result from a blend of Roman architecture and Muslim religious architecture. Some examples of this can be seen in its buildings and mosques that use arches and elaborate patterns and lines usually made of tile, ceramic, and paint because of the fact that in the Muslim religion images cannot be depicted to represent the religion or God; this Muslim influence is mixed in with the use of columns and mosaics from the
...Red Palace. The Christians began to incorporate some Islamic styles with their own traditional styles and formed the Mozarabic. This style was forced North while the Moors stayed in the South. There is a major difference in the style of architecture, the main concentration of Christian architecture being churches, while the main focus of Islamic architecture was also churches, but just as importantly, defense structures.
When walking around a city, you may notice that the architecture and art look similar to other works. Many of these designs have changed along the course of history and time whilst others have not. The designs that many people still see in society and day to day living is from two of the many cultures of the old civilizations, Roman and Islamic. The art and architecture forms from the Islamic and Roman cultures have many comparisons and contrasts between them. They, the Islamic and Roman nations, have both adopted from other cultures and have made their own discoveries in the art and architecture worlds. The Roman and Islamic architecture and art vary drastically from each other and yet have varying comparisons between the two.
The general structure of the Suleymaniye mosque mirrors that of many Islamic mosques, but Sinan's work shows that it can remain a unique piece of architecture. The mosque is designed around a central axis. The length is running from north to south while the width spans east to west. This is appropriate for the purpose of the building, where Muslims must face the cardinal direction of Mecca during prayer (Freely 124). Sinan further emphasizes the north and south direction by place two short pillars on the north end and two taller ones on the south end (see Image 2) (Nelipoglu 212). Looking at the plan of the Suleymaniye we see a definite presence of geometry (see Image 3). The mosque is made up of spherical and rectangular shapes, as well as series of arches along the facades. The main, central dome is further magnified by the surrounding half domes. This draws the attention towards the center (Goodwin 35). The dome becomes the spiritual focus, representing God's "unity without distinctions" (Freely 128). Sinan focused on a harmonious connection of the dome to the rest of the mosque to further emphasize its spiritual representation (Cansever 65). Sinan also strived for the Islamic belief of uninterrupted space between man and God. In his floorplan (see Image 3), he works to build the interior space with few obstructions as possible. Any existing obstruction was placed so that its transition was experienced gradually.
(Figure 2) This complex included minarets that towered to the sky; the first objects seen from afar. The use of elaborate domes and half domes throughout the whole complex generates movement to the mosque from the exterior and interior. The windows allow for light on the inside, but also added to the exterior surface with various round arch windows. The complex encompasses various different elements such as the madrasa which was once an Islamic School now converted into a museum of Turkish and Islamic Art of Edirne. (Figure 3) Madrasa means the school of the Prophet. Here they would teach about religious law and Islamic theology. The complex also had a library for the madrasa to use and was typically attached to a mosque. Another aspect of the complex was the covered bazaar along the whole side of the mosque. Bazaars’ have a long history in the Ottoman Empire as being places of trade. The bazaar would be a market for people to come and shop. (Figure 3) Inside the walls there are several open areas and toward the mosque a central courtyard. (Figure 3) This central courtyard is important as a place of ablution and purification before entering the prayer hall. In the central courtyard there is a reservoir that allows for the purification (wudu) before salat (prayer). The architectural details of this complex are similar to the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, which also had a focus on various sized domes, pendentive structures and tall
Islamic Spain can be seen as one of the only societies that has grasped the importance of synergy and placed this notion above the typical need for absolute control. It is here where adherents of three religions coexisted and thrived culturally, economically, and intellectually. Two works explain the history of Islamic Spain, one being a documentary by Gardner Films, Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, and the other a book by Tamim Ansary called Destiny Disrupted: A History of The World Through Islamic Eyes. While both Ansary and Gardner Films explore the themes of Spain under Islamic rule, Gardner Films provides the viewer with a more thorough history of the region whereas Ansary remains brief and narrow with his narration. The documentary Cities of Light provides a view of Islamic Spain from its beginning to its very end.
The mosque is designed in the Neo-baroque style. Neo Baroque style is an architectural style of the late 19th century, also called the Second Empire Architecture in France. The mosque has a two story structure which was the sultan’s apartment; the sultan’s apartment is a ‘U’ shaped structure. Then there is the square shaped main structure which is the actual mosque and has the dome. This square shaped structure has the main chamber. The mosque has one dome and two minarets; each minaret has a single small balcony, reached by a flight of stairs. A minaret is a slender tower, minarets are part of the mosques, they have a balcony and usually summon to prayer is cried out from there. The entrance of the mosque is not very huge. On entering the mosque’s main chamber, the interior is so elegant and detailed that one cannot decide which part of the mosque should be observed first. There are magnificent crystal chandeliers hanging which are twinkling in the sunlit mosque. There are two rows of large windows through which the warm sunlight enters the mosque and illuminates the main area of the mosque. The light through the windows is refracted and has a
There are few things that actually do last. Legends, arts, beliefs, and architecture are among the few that actually do last. Architecture can be defined as a practice of constructing and designing a building project. However, the Islamic architecture has a distinctive range of both religious and secular styles that have been influenced by the Islamic culture. Furthermore, The structure of Islamic architecture that is used in mosques, tombs, palaces and fountains is unavoidable in sight. The relationship between early Islamic architecture and modern foundation of construction provides a penetrating overview of encompass of Islamic culture in Iran, Tunisia, India, and Turkey. However, Turkey was such a desirable region and preserved of the astonishing site of the structural design of the Ottoman Empire. Originally, the incredible mosques in Turkey have emerged from the wonders of Islamic art such as Suleimaniye Mosque. The sense of gorgeous decoration and quotations from the Quran on the mosque’s interior walls is typically Islamic. The marvelous design of the Ottoman architectural design persists its flourishing in the present day with a combination of luxury and modern art. One of the best examples in modern life is Zabeel Saray Hotel in Dubai, which has the perfect harmony between the old Ottoman architecture and modern luxurious hotel.
The creation of Al Andalus is a result of conflict within the Islamic Empire, between two families, the Abbasids and the Umayyad. The conflict arose when the Abbasids started a civil war with the Umayyad’s on the premise that the Umayyad’s where putting religion after conquest. After the Umayyad’s had been slaughtered the remaining survivor Abd al-Rahman I fled through northern Africa into southern Spain where he established himself as the ruler of the land that had once belonged to the whole Umayyad empire. In the particular the creation of Al Andalus, has at one point or another been referred to as a foundation of a utopian nation. Abd al-Rahman I chose the specific land to build the palace because of the terrain, it is set between a valley and a mountain range, looking out onto the valley so that it would be visible to all and at the same time as a political move. 1 This location helped in not only separating the royalty from the common people but also showed that they were grand and overlooking the city below. The steep inclines made for ideal security measures in case of an attack upon the city the palace would have been the last line of defense.
Pattern: There is a repetition of some decorations and columns of the same size as well as the repetition of Riwaq that surrounded the courtyard to make the architecture seem active. Variety: The use of different colors in the decorations also forms of different decorations create for this building variety that makes it attractive and distinctive to visitors. Unity: The shape of the minaret topped by the dome of the mosque, and the decoration of the Mihrab gives a unique form that distinguishes it from any mosque or other architectural building. Analysis of the elements according to the style of the art movement ( any psychological or historical connection) First, the great Mosque of Tlemcen has a pentagonal ground plan and from the outside of the mosque has a Hypostyle but the prayer house is rectangular shape, and decorated with some mosaics above the Mihrab and some verses of the Quran and Islamic sentences using the Kufic script inside and outside the mosque, especially on the Iwan.
One of the greatest cultural successes of Ancient Egypt was certainly in their architecture related with religion. Fumeaux mention, "Temples, tombs and pyramids - all have witnessed this earth for thousands of years. What better than to say that these architectural achievements show us that Egypt's greatest virtue lay in its architecture"[1]
Features of the mosques commonly include sahns which are courtyards for community prayers and mihrabs to indicate the direction in which a Muslim must pray. Other major features are the minarets and domes which announce prayers and symbolically represent the vault of heaven. Although both regions display distinguishable architectural techniques, the differentiating aspects are used to create a homogenous identity and represent cultural values,