This document discusses the origins and development of Islamic art and architecture from the 7th century onwards. It examines early Islamic structures like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Great Mosque of Damascus, noting their derivation from pre-Islamic Near Eastern traditions. Key architectural elements of mosques are defined, and the spread of Islamic architecture across regions like North Africa, Spain, Turkey, Iran and India is chronicled. Specific art forms like calligraphy, tilework, carpet weaving and metalworking that flourished under Islam are also explored.

1. 1 Gardner’s Art Through the Ages:The Western Perspective Chapter 10 In Praise of Allah: The Art of the Islamic World

2. 2 The Islamic World

4. Understand the near Eastern artistic traditions that shape original forms in the art of Islam.

5. Understand and cite architectural developments and the terminology of Islamic religious, funerary and other structures.

6. Examine the media, techniques and designs that are specific to the art of Islam, particularly in the ‘luxury’ arts.

8. Understand the near Eastern artistic traditions that shape original forms in the art of Islam.

9. Understand and cite architectural developments and the terminology of Islamic religious, funerary and other structures.

10. Examine the media, techniques and designs that are specific to the art of Islam, particularly in the ‘luxury’ arts.

12. 7 Figure 10-2 Interior of the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 687–692.

13. 8 Figure 10-3 Aerial view of the Great Mosque, Damascus, Syria, 706–715.

14. 9 Figure 10-4 Detail of a mosaic in the courtyard arcade of the Great Mosque, Damascus, Syria, 706–715.

15. 10 Figure 10-5 Plan of the Umayyad palace, Mshatta, Jordan, ca. 740–750 (after Alberto Berengo Gardin). [Key: 1. Entrance gate; 2. Mosque; 3. Small courtyard; 4. Large courtyard; 5. Audience hall.]

18. 13 Figure 10-8 Plan of the Great Mosque, Kairouan, Tunisia, ca. 836–875.

20. 16 Figure 10-10 Mausoleum of the Samanids, Bukhara, Uzbekistan, early tenth century.

21. 17 Figure 10-11 Prayer hall of the Great Mosque, Córdoba, Spain, eighth to tenth centuries.

22. 18 Figure 10-12 Maqsura of the Great Mosque, Córdoba, Spain, 961–965.

23. 19 Figure 10-13 Dome in front of the mihrab of the Great Mosque, Córdoba, Spain, 961–965.

24. 20 Figure 10-14 Confronting lions and palm tree, fragment of a textile said to be from Zandana, near Bukhara, Uzbekistan, eighth century. Silk compound twill, 2’ 11” x 2’ 9 1/2”. Musée Historique de Lorraine, Nancy.

25. 21 Figure 10-15 SULAYMAN, Ewer in the form of a bird, 796. Brass with silver and copper inlay, 1’ 3” high. Hermitage, Saint Petersburg.

28. 25 Figure 10-17 Muqarnas dome, Hall of the Two Sisters, Alhambra palace, Granada, Spain, 1354–1391.

29. 26 Figure 10-18 Madrasa-mosque-mausoleum complex of Sultan Hasan (view from the south with the mausoleum in the foreground), Cairo, Egypt, begun 1356.

30. 27 Figure 10-20 SINAN, Mosque of Selim II, Edirne, Turkey, 1568–1575.

31. 28 Figure 10-22 SINAN, interior of the Mosque of Selim II, Edirne, Turkey, 1568–1575.

32. 29 Figure 10-23 Aerial view of the Great Mosque (looking southwest), Isfahan, Iran, eleventh to seventeenth centuries.

33. 30 Figure 10-24 Winter prayer hall of the Shahi (Imam) Mosque, Isfahan, Iran, 1611–1638.

36. 33 Figure 10-26 MAQSUD OF KASHAN, carpet from the funerary mosque of Shaykh Safi al-Din, Ardabil, Iran, 1540. Knotted pile of wool and silk, 34’ 6” X 17’ 7”. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

37. 34 Figure 10-29 MUHAMMAD IBN AL-ZAYN, basin (Baptistère de Saint Louis), from Egypt, ca. 1300. Brass, inlaid with gold and silver, 8 3/4” high. Louvre, Paris.

38. 35 Figure 10-30 Canteen with episodes from the life of Christ, from Syria, ca. 1240–1250. Brass, inlaid with silver, 1’ 2 1/2” diameter. Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

40. What do you think are the most impressive visual qualities of Islamic art?

41. What are some of the unique feature of Islamic mosques, mausoleums and madrasas?