Islamic Architecture

• Islamic Religion


  • Islam is the last of the three great religions of the Middle East
  • Essence: “There is only one GOD and Mohammed is his prophet”
  • Islamic precepts apply equally to all behaviour and all buildings
• Muslim Population Today

  • India/Pakistan/Bangladesh: 250-300 Million
  • Africa: 200 Million
  • Arab countries: 180 Million
  • Southeast Asia: 170 Million
  • Iran: 50 Million
  • Central Asia: 50 Million
  • China: 50 Million
  • Europe: 20 Million
  • North America: 6 Million
  • South America: 3 Million
  • Australia: 1 Million
  • Worldwide: over 1 Billion
  • Country with the MOST Muslims today: Indonesia
• Muslim Architecture

  • Both religious and secular buildings reflect design principles of Islamic culture
  • Include mosques, funerary monuments, private dwellings, and fortifications
• Almost 90% of Muslims are Sunnis, with Shiites/Shia as the second-largest group found significantly in Iran and Iraq
• Mecca is a city in Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Mohammed and spiritual center of Islam
• Muslim Architecture

  Defined as any construction based on the religious principles of Islam
• Moslem Thought

  • Codified in three works: Koran, Hadith, Law
  • Koran is regarded as revelation through the medium of the prophet Mohammed
  • Hadith is a collection of his sayings or injunctions
  • Law is extracted from the prophet’s instructions, tradition, and example
• In the year AD 610, a wealthy merchant named “The Trusted One” became Muhammad, the “messenger of Allah,” and established the religion of Islam, which means “submission to God’s will”
• Kaaba is a small cubical stone building in the courtyard of the Great Mosque at Mecca containing a sacred black stone and regarded by Muslims as the House of God, the objective of their pilgrimages and the point toward which they turn in praying
• Spread of Islam

  Associated with military conquest, racial movements, and displacement of established populations
• Both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. The differences between these two main sub-groups within Islam initially stemmed not from spiritual differences, but political ones
• Seljuk Architecture is much influenced by Persian Architecture
• The concept of Allah's infinite power is evoked by designs with repeating themes
• Use of impressive forms such as large domes, towering minarets, and large courtyards are intended to convey power
• Caliph


  The head of state of the Islamic community. A successor to the Prophet as military, judicial, and spiritual leader of Islam
• Almost 90% of Muslims are Sunnis. Shiites/Shia are the second-largest group
• Calligraphy is used to enhance the interior of a building by providing quotations from the Qur'an
• Mozarabic Style is characterized by the horseshoe arch and other Moorish features
• Mogul Architecture is typified by monumental palaces and mosques with highly detailed decorative work
• Human and animal forms are rarely depicted in decorative art as Allah's work is matchless
• Imam


  An Islamic leadership position. Imams may lead Islamic worship services, serve as community leaders, and provide religious guidance by Sunni Muslims only
• Types of Muslims

  • Sunnis
  • Shiites/Shia
• Moorish Architecture is characterized by the building of large mosques and elaborate fortress-palaces
• Ottoman Architecture is much influenced by Byzantine Architecture
• Names of Islamic Architecture


  • Arabic
  • Arabesque
  • Muhammedan
  • Moslem or Muslim
  • Islamic
  • Saracenic
  • Moorish
  • Seljur/Seljuh
  • Mugaha or Mogul
• Significant populations of Shia Muslims

  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Yemen
  • Bahrain
  • Syria
  • Lebanon
• Islamic architecture focuses on the beauty of the interior rather than exterior spaces
• Prominent Structures

  • Mosque
  • Jami
  • Masjid (Persia, India)
• Mudejar Architecture is characterized by a fusion of Romanesque and Gothic with Islamic elements
• Arches


  Structural elements varied in mosques, including round, pointed, and horseshoe shapes
• Mihrab


  A niche in the wall which points the worshipers toward Mecca
• Corbel (Muqarna)


  A block of stone projecting from a wall, supporting the beams of a roof, floor, or vault
• Minber


  A "pulpit" or a place from which a religious leader speaks to the people
• Architecture of the Mogul Dynasty, 1526-1857, is typified by monumental palaces and mosques with highly detailed decorative work
• Types of arches used in mosques

  • Two-centered pointed arch, four-centered or Persian arch, pointed horseshoe arch, round horseshoe arch, ogee arch, multifoil or cusped arch
• Minarets

  Towers of a mosque from which a person calls people to prayer five times a day
• Columns

  Ready-made columns were often utilized for colonnades of mosques, with variations in Spain and India
• Building Components

  Mihrab, Minber, Iwan, Bab, Chatri (India), Kiosk
• Stalactite


  Corbelling, a structural and ornamental device
• Shapes of Domes in Muslim Architecture

  • Spherical