Islamic architecture

Islamic architecture, a part of the Islamic studies, is the entire range of architecture that has evolved within Muslim culture in the course of the history of Islam. Hence the term encompasses religious buildings as well as secular ones, historic as well as modern expressions and the production of all places that have come under the varying levels of Islamic influence.

It is very common to mistake Persian Architecture for Islamic Architecture and thus advisable to read both articles.

Classification of Islamic architecture

Islamic architecture can be classified according to

Chronology
Geography
Building Typology

Elements of Islamic style

Islamic architecture may be identified with the following design elements, which were inherited from the first mosque built by Muhammad in Medina, as well as from other pre-Islamic features adapted from churches and synagogues.

Large courtyards often merged with a central prayer hall (originally a feature of the Masjid al-Nabawi).
Minarets or towers (which were originally used as torch-lit watchtowers for example in the Great Mosque of Damascus; hence the derivation of the word from the Arabic nur, meaning "light").
a mihrab or niche on an inside wall indicating the direction to Mecca. This may have been derived from previous uses of niches for the setting of the torah scrolls in Jewish synagogues or the haikal of Coptic churches.
Domes (the earliest Islamic use of which was in the eighth century mosque of Medina).
Use of iwans to intermediate between different sections.
Use of geometric shapes and repetitive art (arabesque).
Use of decorative Arabic calligraphy.
Use of symmetry.
Ablution fountains.
use of bright color.
focus on the interior space of a building rather than the exterior.

Interpretation

Common interpretations of Islamic architecture include the following:

The concept of Allah's infinite power is evoked by designs with repeating themes which suggest infinity.
Human and animal forms are rarely depicted in decorative art as Allah's work is matchless. Foliage is a frequent motif but typically stylized or simplified for the same reason.
Calligraphy is used to enhance the interior of a building by providing quotations from the Qur'an.
Islamic architecture has been called the "architecture of the veil" because the beauty lies in the inner spaces (courtyards and rooms) which are not visible from the outside (street view).
Use of impressive forms such as large domes, towering minarets, and large courtyards are intended to convey power.

Influences

A specifically Islamic architectural style developed soon after the Prophet Muhammad. From the beginning the style grew from Roman, Egyptian, Persian/Sassanid, and Byzantine styles. An early example may be identified as early as AD 691 with the completion of Qubbat al-Sakhrah (Dome of the Rock) in Jerusalem. It featured interior vaulted spaces, a circular dome, and the use of stylized repeating decorative patterns (arabesque).

The Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq, completed in AD 847, combined the hypostyle architecture of rows of columns supporting a flat base above which a huge spiralling minaret was constructed.

Persian architecture

One of the first civilizations that Islam came into contact with during and after its birth was that of Persia. The eastern banks of the Tigris and Euphrates was where the capital of the Persian empire lay during the 7th century. Hence the proximity often led to Islamic architects of early Islam to borrow, but in fact inherit the traditions and ways of the fallen Persian empire.

Islamic architecture in fact borrowed heavily from Persian architecture and in many ways can be called an extension and further evolution of Persian architecture.

Many cities such as Baghdad, for example, were based on precedents such as Firouzabad in Persia. In fact, it is now known that the two designers were hired by al-Mansur to plan the city's design were Naubakht, a former Persian Zoroastrian, and Mashallah, a former Jew from Khorasan, Iran.

Moorish architecture

Main articles: Mudéjar, Moorish Revival

Construction of the Great Mosque at Cordoba beginning in 785 AD marks the beginning of Islamic architecture in Spain and Northern Africa (see Moors). The mosque is noted for its striking interior arches. Moorish architecture reached its peak with the construction of the Alhambra, the magnificent palace/fortress of Granada, with its open and breezy interior spaces adorned in red, blue, and gold. The walls are decorated with stylize foliage motifs, Arabic inscriptions, and arabesque design work, with walls covered in glazed tiles.

Even after the compeletion of the Reconquista, Islamic influence had a lasting impact on architecture in Spain. In particular, medieval Spaniards used the Mudéjar style, an imitation of Islamic design. One of the best examples of the Moors' lasting impact is the Alcázar of Seville.

Timurid architecture

Timurid architecture is the pinnacle of Islamic art in Central Asia. Spectacular and stately edifices erected by Timur and his successors in Samarkand and Herat helped to dessiminate influence of the Ilkhanid art in India, thus giving rise to the celebrated Moghol school of architecture. Timurid architecture started with the sanctuary of Ahmed Yasawi in present-day Kazakhstan and culminated in Tumir's mausoleum Gur-e Amir in Samarkand. The style is largely derived from Persian architecture. Axial symmetry is characteristic of all major Timurid structures, notably the Shah-e Zendah in Samarkand and the mosque of Gowhar Shad in Meshed. The double domes of various shapes abound, and the outsides are perfused with brilliantly colored

Turkish architecture

The architecture of the Turkish Ottoman Empire forms a distinctive whole, especially the great mosques by and in the style of Sinan, like the mid-16th century Suleiman Mosque. The Ottomans achieved the highest level architecture in the Islamic lands hence or since. They mastered the technique of building vast inner spaces confined by seemingly weightless yet massive domes, and achieving perfect harmony between inner and outer spaces, as well as light and shadow. Islamic religious architecture which until then consisted of simple buildings with extensive decorations, was transformed by the Ottomans through a dynamic architectural vocabulary of vaults, domes, semidomes and columns. The mosque was transformed from being a cramped and dark chamber with arabesque-covered walls into a sanctuary of esthetic and technical balance, refined elegance and a hint of heavenly transcendance.

Fatemid Architecture

Al-Hakim Mosque 990AD-1012AD, renovated by Dr.Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (Head of Dawoodi Bohra community) and Al-Jame-al-Aqmar built in 519H/1125AD in Cairo, Egypt features with its Fatemi philosophy and symbolism and bring its architecture vividly to life.

Mughal architecture

Another distinctive sub-style is the architecture of the Mughal Empire in India in the 16th century and a fusion of Persian and Hindu elements. The Mughal emperor Akbar constructed the royal city of Fatehpur Sikri, located 26 miles west of Agra, in the late 1500s.

The most famous example of Mughal architecture is the Taj Mahal, the "teardrop on eternity," completed in 1648 by the emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal who died while giving birth to their 14th child. The extensive use of precious and semiprecious stones as inlay and the vast quantity of white marble required nearly bankrupted the empire. The Taj Mahal is completely symmetric other than the sarcophagus of Shah Jahan which is placed off center in the crypt room below the main floor. This symmetry extended to the building of an entire mirror mosque in red sandstone to complement the Mecca-facing mosque place to the west of the main structure.

Bibliography

The Art and Architecture of Islam: 650 - 1250, by Richard Ettinghausen and Oleg Grabar, Penguin USA, 1987. Indo-Iranian Socio-Cultural Relations at Past, Present and Futur, by M.Reza Pourjafar, Ali A. Taghvaee, in - Web Journal on Cultural Patrimony (Fabio Maniscalco ed.), vol. 1, January-June 2006

External links

Fons Vitae - Islamic Architecture of Cairo
Islamic Art Network - Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation
http://www.osmanlimedeniyeti.com Many articles about the Ottoman Turkish Mosques and Mosque architecture (in Turkish)
Discussion of Islamic architecture
http://www.3dkabah.com A 3D model of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, with pictures and videos
Photographs from Lahore's Mughal period walled city
Great Mosque of Sammarra
Watch "Isfahan the Movie" on QuickTime Player to see superb example of Islamic architecture.
Islamic Architecture org.
Gallery of Islamic Architecture
Article, "What is Islamic Architecture?"
Article, "The Mosque of Two Pillars at Georgetown University"