The document provides information on several Islamic architectural sites. It discusses the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, built in the late 7th century over the site where Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven. It then summarizes details about the Great Mosque of Cordoba, the Registan complex in Samarqand, and several other mosques throughout the Islamic world, including their architectural features, historical significance, and artistic elements like tilework. The document showcases the rich architectural heritage of Islamic religious structures.

2. Qubbat as-Sakhrah
“Dome of the Rock”

3. Dome of the Rock
•Built from 688 to 691
AD by the Umayyad
caliph Abd al- Malik.
•Oldest Islamic
monument that stands
today and one of the
most beautiful.
•Believed to be built
over a sacred stone
from which the Prophet
Muhammed ascended
into heaven during his
night journey.
•Shown in this picture is
the sacred rock inside
the Dome of the Rock

4. Dome of the Rock
The inscription you see
here around the
octagonal part of the
Dome of the Rock tells
the story of
Muhammad's ascension.
These are actual verses
from the Qur’an.
The gold dome was
actually made of gold
when it was first built.
It has been replaced by
copper, then aluminum.
As it stands now it has
been covered with gold
leaf, a donation from the
late King Hussein of
Jordan.

5. Dome of the Rock
 One of the most interesting things
about the location of The Dome of
the Rock is that it is sacred to many
different religions. “To the Jewish
people it is Ir Ha-Kodesh (the Holy
City), the Biblical Zion, the City of
David, the site of Solomon's
Temple, and the eternal capital of
the Israelite nation. To Christians it is
where the young Jesus impressed
the sages at the Jewish
Temple, where he spent the last
days of his ministry, and where the
Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the
Resurrection took place. Also
greatly venerated by the Muslims, it
is where the prophet Muhammad
ascended to heaven. “

6. Great Mosque of Cordoba

7. Great Mosque of Cordoba
The Umayyads were
conquered in 750 but a
remaining survivor who
fled Africa to settle in
Spain established
himself as the provincial
ruler, or emir, with the
help of fellow Muslims.
The Great Mosque of
Cordoba was begun in
785, built by Umayyad
conquerors on the site
of a Christian church
built by the
Visigoths, the pre-
Islamic rulers of Spain.

8. Great Mosque of Cordoba
 Here is a picture of the
front view of the Al-
Hakam II’s
mosque, reserved for
his royal highness, and
the rich mihrab of the
Mosque of Cordoba.
Note the elaborate
double arches.

9. Samarqand: The Registan

10. The Registan
Detail of a dome Detail of a minaret

11. The Registan
 Registan means “sandy place”
 The Registan sits in the center of the Timurid city of
Samarqand.
 It was built over a period of 230 years, beginning with the
Sultan Ulugh Beg in 1417.
 The Registan is made up of three madrasahs:Ulugbek
Madrasah (1417-1420), the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619-1636)
and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646-1660). Madrasah is a
medieval Moslem clergy academy.
 As in all Islamic architecture, take notice of the splendid
attention to detail that emphasizes their creativity and
dedication. I am especially fond of the blue towers in these
next pictures.

12. Here is a picture of the Tillya -Kori Madrasa. This is
where students were trained.

13. The Registan
This is a picture of a mosque Here is a picture of the Sher-Dor
within the Tillya-Kori Madrasah Madrasah, built in the 17th century.

14. The Friday Mosque at Zavareh, Iran

15. Friday mosque at Zavareh
 The Friday Mosque at Zavareh was built in a
single campaign by the Seljuks in 1135. It is a
typical Persian structure, with four iwans
facing each other and a courtyard.
 The Seljuks got their name from Seljuk, who
converted his nomadic Central Asian Turkish
tribe to Islam.
 The courtyard in this mosque displays the
fine brickwork in use in Iran during the Seljuk
period.

16. Friday Mosque at Zavareh
A corner squinch that makes a
transitional part from the square room The shallow Mihrab of the Friday
to the round dome. Mosque, Zavareh
A complicated formation of bricks More than half of the stucco decoration
carries out also a decorative role based with foliage and calligraphy has been lost.
on the principle of arch.

17. Friday Mosque at Zavareh
It was under the Seljuks
that the Persian
mosque with four
iwans developed its
classic form. The Friday
mosque at Zavareh is
thought to be the first
known dated mosque
constructed according
to a four iwan plan.
Later mosques, like the
next one I am going to
show, the Friday
Mosque in
Isfahan, were all built
using this design.
Shown here is the
western portal to the
Zavareh Mosque.

18. Friday Mosque in Isfahan

19. Friday Mosque in Isfahan
 The Friday Mosque at Isfahan was
constructed during the end of the 11th century
by Isfahani architects, who got their designs
from the Seljuks of Iran. This mosque uses the
four iwan style, the northern one of which
has a simple pointed tunnel vault, but the
other three have apses covered with
muqarnas, or honeycombs. This technique
grew out of the study of the resistance of
brick arches carried out in Seljuk Iran.

20. Isfahan Friday Mosque
Elevated view of courtyard, showing southwest iwan at right and southeast
iwan at left. The minaret of the Ali Mosque is visible in background

21. On the right is a detailed view of mosaic tile decoration on the right flank of
southwest (qibla) iwan. On the left is a view looking west of southwest dome and
iwan with paired minarets.

22. Sultan Hasan Madrasa-Mausoleum-Mosque Complex

23. Sultan Hasan Madrasa-Mausoleum-Mosque Complex
 This mosque was commisioned by the young
sultan Hasan during a three year period (1356-
1359) “without even a single day of idleness” .
 It is known for its grandeur and innovative
architectural components, but money was no
object: the project was financed by the estates of
victims of the bubonic plague that had
devastated Cairo from 1348-1350.
 The mosque was designed to include schools for
all four of the Sunni schools of thought:
Shafi’I, Maliki, Hanafi, and Hanbali.

24. Here is a picture of the mihrab in the prayer hall

25. The main iwan- notice the Mamluk glass oil lamps. There were
hundreds of these placed throughout the complex and cast a
brilliant light.

26. Sultan Hassan Madrasa-Mausoluem- Mosque complex
Interior detail of the mausoleum, showing stalactite Entrance portal, Hanafi madrasa. This entrance
wooden pendentives with gilt and painted decorations. showcases ablaq masonry, which is interlocking
Notice the Quranic inscriptions written in Kufic style. pieces of marble block.

27. Mamluk Glass Oil Lamps

28. Mamluk Lamps
Mosque lamps were created for practical use as well as
for decoration. Lamps had Qur’anic inscriptions on
them. The Arabic inscription on the neck of the lamp
on the previous slide quotes from a very famous
verse in the Qur'an (xxiv.35), in which the light of God
is likened to the light from an oil lamp.
The Mamluks were prodigious patrons of the arts who
created lamps such as the one on the previous slide.
According to the inscriptions on the lower part of the
lamp, it was commissioned "By order of the most
noble authority, the Exalted, the Lordly, the
Masterful, holder of the sword, Shaykhu al-Nasiri,"

29. Mosque Lamps
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of
His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp the
'God is the Light of the heavens and the earth; Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star Lit
the likeness of His Light is as a niche wherein is a lamp from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the
West, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce
(the lamp in a glass, touched it Light upon Light! God doth guide whom He will to
the glass as it were a glittering star) His Light God doth set forth Parables for men: and God doth
kindled from a Blessed Tree, know all things.
an olive that is neither of the East nor of the West
whose oil wellnigh would shine, even if no fire touched it'
(Arberry, 1955, pp. 50-51)

30. MiriArab Madrassah in Bukhara

31. Miri Arab Madrassah in Bukhara
 This madrassah was constructed in the time
of the Shaybanids in the 16th century. The
tombs of Ubdaidallah-Khan and Miri-Arab are
in one corner of the building; the other three
corners house classrooms.
 There are particularly beautiful arrangements
of tile mosaics on surfaces surrounding the
iwans.

32. Detail of tile mosaics on walls of Miri Arab Madrassah.

33. Miri- Arab Madrassah
The pishtaq of the
Nadir Divan Beghi
Madrasa in Bukhara
displays confronted
images of the
simurgh, the mythical
Persian bird that
symbolizes eternal life.
The tile mosaics here
are among the
masterworks of
polychrome faience.

34. Sultanahmet Mosque

35. Sultanahmet Mosque
Better known as the
Blue Mosque. I love this
particular structure
because it is so vast and
it seems to reach out
and speak to you with
its sweeping majesty.
Notice the six minarets
it has, very few
mosques have that
unique feature.

36. Blue Mosque
One thing about this
structure that is so
appealing is the
cascade of domes that
spill down from the
great central dome.

37. Blue Mosque
The name “Blue
Mosque” does not
come from anything
you can see on the
exterior. It comes from
the beautiful blue tiles
inside…

38. Detail of blue tile work in the
interior

39. Here is another shot of the inside of the domes. See how they also used the
hanging lanterns that you seen previously in the show?

40. Lutfullah Mosque

41. I want to showcase some of the exquisite geometric tile work that can be
found the the Lutfullah Mosque. Here is a picture of one of the outer wall
panels of the Shaikh Lutfollah Mosque. Faience ceramic tiles make an
arabesque of foliage and branches based on blue color. Beautiful, yes?

42. Lutfullah Mosque.
Here is an image that
truly took my breath
away. This is the
passageway in the
mosque . Three turnings
of the narrow passage
lead suddenly into the
enormous worship hall.
To be quite honest, I
think I would get a little
dizzy!

43. Works Cited
 1. www.bibleplaces.com
 2. www.sacred-destinations.com
 3. Henri Stierlin. Islamic Art and Architecture. United Kingdom.Thames and
Hudson Ltd.,2002.
4.”Masterpieces of Islamic Architecture”.
 http://www.ne.jp/asahi/arc/ind/2_meisaku/53_lotfollah/lot_eng.htm
November 18,2011.
 5.”Sacred Places”. http://witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/cordoba.html. D
 ecember 1,2011.
 6. “Legs of the Silk Road”. http://romeartlover.tripod.com/Samarcanda.html
 December 5,2011.