2. MUSLIM ART
Muslim art was very conditioned by the
first pillar of Islam…
Can you remember which
was this 1st pillar?
3. The 1st pillar of Islam is…
FAITH: there’s no God but Allah
and Muhammad is its prophet.
This implied that idolatry was forbidden, so
they couldn’t make representations of human
figures that represented deities (holy beings).
Therefore, the MAIN ARTISTIC
ACHIEVEMENTS WERE IN ARCHITECTURE.
5. Horseshoe arch Polylobed arch
(arco de herradura) (arco polilobulado)
• Different kinds of arches supported by columns or
pillars
6. • Use of different types of domes (byzantine influence!):
7. • Very modest exteriors but very decorated interiors
(marble, tiling, plaster or wood). Motifs:
Arabesque
(floral designs)
Latticework
(interlaced geometric figures)
Epigraphs
(inscriptions from the Koran)
8. a) Mosques (Mezquita)
Minaret: tower from
which the muezzin
used to call Muslims
to prayer five times a
day.
Courtyard (2): open space
surrounded by a portico. In its
center there is usually a
fountain for the ablutions,
where the attendants perform
their ritual cleansing before
prayer.
Prayer room (1): covered area with columns & arches.
- Kiblah (3) wall that faces Mecca towards which prayers are directed.
- Mihrab (4) small niche or room where a Koran was kept.
9. Fountain in the courtyard: a Muslim practising the ritual of
the ablution before entering into the prayer room.
16. b) Palaces
- Where caliphs lived
- Two parts:
• Public area: throne, meeting rooms…
• Private area: where the caliph and his family lived.
- They had beautiful gardens with fountains
