cpar - islamic colonial

• Islam was already well-entrenched in Southern Philippines
• Official Start of Islamic Colonial in Sulu was in 13th Century
• Arrival of Sayyid Abbubakar of Arabia in the 15th century that led to a significant turn of events
• First Event - Marriage of Sayyid Abbubakar and Princess Piramisuli
• Princess Piramisuli - daughter of Rajah Baguinda
• Rajah Baguinda - sultan of Sulu
• Second Event - Enthronement of Sayyid Abbubakar
• Enthronement of Sayyid Abbubakar - Sayyid Abbubakar replaced Rajah Baguinda as the Sultan of Sulu
• Third Event - Establishment of Sultunate of Sulu
• Establishment of Sultunate of Sulu - Sayyid Abbubakar established the sultunate of Sulu
• Fourth Event - Introduction of Holy Texts
• Holy Texts - refer to the Holy Book of the Muslim people
• Quran - Holy Book of the Muslim people
• Fifth Event - Building of the House of Prayer
• Mosque - House of Prayer
• Sixth Event - Building of Religious School
• Madrasa - religious school
• Madrasa facilitated teaching Arabic Writing in the 16th century
• Natives from Zamboanga
• Yakans from Basilan
• Teachers from Jolo, Sulu
• Other practitioners from nearby regions like Brunei
• Main Beliefs of Islam that Influence the Way Art is Made and Interpreted

  • Ummah
  • Tawhid
• Ummah - community of believers
• Tawhid - emphasizes the impermanence of nature and incomprehensible greatness of the divine being
• Professor Abraham Sakili - presented two aspects of reality
• Two Aspects of Reality

  • object perceived by the ordinary sense
  • the sense of nothingness, a space or a void empty of all things
• Mosques - covered with elaborate patterning in the form of reliefs to draw attention away from concrete object
• divine unity - expressed through abstract forms
• abstraction - neglects human form style
• Mihrab or niche and the Qibla Wall - oriented to the west
• All islamic buildings must be oriented toward Mecca
• Mecca - central point of Islam
• Qibla Walls - no anthropomorphic, mostly abstract forms and patterns
• niche - middle part of the Qibla wall
• Bulbous dome - all levels of cosmic existence and the central feature of the mosque
• Octagonal base - the spirit
• Four-sided main base - earth or the material world
• An area water for supply - function of ablution or cleansing
• gardens within the mosque compound or even outside home - evocative of paradise