The document provides an overview of Islamic architecture from 700 AD onwards. It discusses the key architectural elements inherited from the first mosque built by Muhammad and adapted from other traditions. The four principal early Islamic architectural styles that emerged are discussed - Umayyad in Syria/Palestine known for horseshoe arches and stone construction; Persian style with blue-tiled domes; Abbasid in Iraq introducing courtyard plans; and Fatimid in Africa using squinches and decorative elements. Later Moorish styles in Spain/Morocco incorporated voussoir arches, muqarnas, and tilework. Key buildings highlighted include the Dome of the Rock, Great Mosque of Cordoba, and the Alhambra.

1. LECTURE-2
LEARNING LEVEL-1
Focused study of history of Islamic Architecture while exploring
factors affecting it and the study of key features of Islamic
architecture.
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE – 700AD & ONWARDS
AN OVERVIEW

2. History
Encompasses both secular &
religious buildings from the
beginning of Islam to present day,
influencing the design & construction
of structures within the sphere of
Islamic Culture.
Islamic Buildings
The principal Islamic buildings types
are: the Mosque, the Tomb,
the Palace and the Fort. From these
four types, the vocabulary of Islamic
Architecture is derived and used for
buildings of less importance such as
public baths, fountains and domestic
architecture.

3. BEGINNINGS
• Islam was born in 7th century AD.
• Arabic people were mostly nomadic
and rarely used to live in mud
houses.
• There are few buildings dating from
era of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) .
• The home of the Prophet
Muhammad is considered the first
place to be used for Muslim worship.
• The first proper separate mosque
built was in first year of hijrah. It is
called the Masjid-e-Quba and it is
entirely re- constructed.
632-661 AD
Diagram re-construction of house of the
Prophet (SAW) Medina-Saudi Arabia
• A large Courtyard .
• Hypostyle (roof supported by columns),
surrounded by long rooms supported by
columned arches.
• Building material was palm tree leaves,
stems and mud mortar

4. • Greek word meaning “under columns”
• Having a roof supported by Pillars, typically in several rows.
• Not specific to Islam but used extensively in a mosque’s prayer
hall which had to be a large room
HYPOSTYLE PLANS

5. HYPOSTYLE
Contemporary Hypostyle Hall
Hypostyle Hall
(Mosque Cordoba)

6. • One example of a proper
separate area for worship is the
Jawatha mosque ‫مسجد‬
‫جواثا‬
) ) in
Saudi Arabia.
• This is the earliest mosque of the
world which has retained its
original form, although very little
of the structure remains intact
today.
• It was built in the 7th year of
hijrah near Dammam city.
• The material for construction
was mud-brick and arched
openings were used in design. The Jawatha mosque-Saudi Arabia

7. KEY ELEMENTS OF ISLAMIC STYLE
Islamic architecture may be identified with the following design
elements, which were inherited from the first mosque built by
Muhammad (SAW) in Medina, as well as features adapted from
churches and synagogues.
1. Minarets or towers
2. Mehrab or niche on an inside wall
indicating the direction of Mecca
3. Arch (horseshoe, point & scalloped)
4. Domes and cupolas
5. Use of geometric shapes and
repetitive art (Arabesque)
6. Use of decorative Arabic calligraphy
7. Ablution fountains & Bright colors
8. A Four-Iwan plan to create Balance
and symmetry
9. Courtyard or Sahn
10.Formal Landscape (Beauty of veil)

8. FOUR-IWAN HALL

9. FOUR-IWAN HALL
Great Mosque of Isfahan

10. ISLAMIC DECORATVE ELEMENTS

11. THE CALIPHATES
• The Islamic architectural styles are
exclusively named after the
reigning caliphates of the
respective eras.
• For example Umayyad, Abbasid
Fatimid and ottoman architectural
styles are named after and
followed in the Umayyad, Abbasid,
Fatimid and Ottoman dynasties
respectively.
• These design styles are a mix of the
regions which were conquered by
the Muslims along with the original
simple style of the native Saudi
Arabian architecture.
EMERGING ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
632AD ONWARDS

12. • Umayyad's
• Islamic Architecture in Palestine
• Persian (Iran)
• Abbasid (Iraq)
• Fatimid (Afro-Islamic)
• Moorish (Spain & Morocco)
• Ottoman (Turkish)
• Indo Islamic (Mughal)
• Modern Islamic Era

13. THE UMAYYADS - SYRIA
• The Rashidun caliphate was the first state
to use Islamic architecture (632-661 AD)
followed by the Umayyad caliphate.
• They are spread throughout the greater
Levantine countryside in what today
extends into Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and
Palestine.
• Damascus (Syria) was the capital.
• Specifically recognizable Islamic
architectural styles emerged soon after
that, inspired by the former Sassanid
(Persian) and Byzantine models to evolve
a mix style of the two.
• Introduction of dome, mehrab, minaret.
• Evolution of the horseshoe arch after
conquest of persia.
UMAYYAD ARCHITECTURE
661-750
Dome
Pinnacle
Minaret

14. Compare to this Roman Arch
HORSE-SHOE ARCH

15. THE UMAYYADS - SYRIA
• Stone was the main building
material initially, most common
being limestone and basalt.
• Second main building material
was mud block. They are known
for their low cost and fast
construction.
• The construction method used
with both brick and stones was
barrel and cross vault.
• Third form of material used for
construction was the mud used
to build mud huts called cupolas.
• Later eras are marked by refining
of materials plus techniques
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
Mud blocks houses
Mud cupola houses

16. • Built in the Umayyad reign also called
the Al-Aqsa it is the oldest surviving
Islamic building.
• The dome first appeared in Islamic
architecture with the construction of
the dome of the rock.
• A near replica of the existing Church of
the Holy Sepulcher and other Christian
domed basilicas situated nearby.
• Its design was that of a ciborium,
which is an inverted cup shaped
covering symbolic of a Christian's holy
cup.
• Muslims later symbolized it as the
vault of heaven.
DOME OF ROCK
JERUSALEM-OCCUPIED PALESTINE
691 AD

17. THE WHOLE AL-AQSA MOSQUE COMPLEX
-TEMPLE MOUNT

18. MASJID AL-AQSA
• A Pier is a thick portion of a wall or column which supports an arch.
• Piers are the load bearing portions between the openings of this dome.
• Octagonal base
• Circular wooden dome of 2m diameter, rested on drum of 16 piers & columns.
• Surrounding this circle is an octagonal arcade of 24 piers & columns.
• Outer façade is again octagonal with each part measuring 60ft with a height of
36ft.
• Both dome and façade contain windows.

19. PERSIAN STYLE
PERSIA/IRAN
• Invasion of Islam in Persia was in 7th
century AD by Muslims.
• Benefited Muslims with vast wealth of
architectural innovation developed
over the centuries, from the great
roads, aqueducts and arches of
the Romans, to
the Byzantine churches
and Persian horseshoe domes and
pointed arches and
Byzantine mosaics.
• The Muslims first utilized native
architects to build mosques, and
eventually developed their own
adaptations.
• Characteristic blue tiled domes.
The Shah Hassan Mosque-Iran

20. THE ABBASIDS - IRAQ
• This empire was expanded from Iraq
to Egypt chiefly.
• Introduction of courtyard plan inside
mosques.
• They evolved distinctive styles of their
own, particularly in decoration of
their buildings.
• The Abbasids had to erect mosques
and palaces, as well as fortifications,
houses, commercial buildings and
even facilities for racing and polo
matches.
• The layout of the city of Baghdad was
laid in circular pattern.
ABBASID ARCHITECTURE
750-945 AD
The spread of Abbasid empire

21. THE GREAT MOSQUE OF SAMARRA
SAMARRA-IRAQ
851 AD
• A Courtyard plus hypostyle plan.
• It is built of brick.
• A free standing conical minaret
• It’s minerat, the Malwiya Tower, is a spiraling 55m high and
32m wide with a spiral ramp that recalls the ziggurats.

22. THE FATIMIDS-AFRICA
• A parallel caliphate of the Abbasid
caliphate in Africa.
• Introduction of squinch.
• Hypostyle plans
• Inventive, more in decoration than
in broad architectural concept.
• Expanded streets and canals.
• A mix of Abbasid, byzantine and
Coptic (Egyptian Christians)
construction styles.
FATIMID ARCHITECTURE
909-1167 AD

23. SQUINCH
• A squinch in architecture is a construction filling in the upper angles of a
square room so as to form a base to receive an octagonal or spherical dome.
• Another solution of this structural problem was provided by the pendentive.

25. MOORISH ARCHITECTURE
• Moorish architecture is an
architecture of western part
of North-Africa and the Iberian
peninsula that began during the
Muslim conquest of the region.
• Mainly influenced the
construction techniques of
countries like Spain, Portugal and
Morocco.
• Some characteristic elements
include voussoirs, muqarnas,
Domes, courtyards, and
decorative tile work etc.
SPAIN
8th-14th AD
(Fig 1) Muqarnas (Fig 2) Tile work

26. • Each stone is called a voussoir compressing
the other stone.
• The strength of a voussoir arch depends on
how the stones are packed together to allow
the internal forces to flow.
• All load is transferred to the spring stone
below and hence to a firm ground.
The Moorish voussoir arches
VOUSSOIR ARCH

27. • The Alhambra is basically a military
fortress comprising of a palace and
other structures.
• Resting on a 2430’ x 670’ area the
whole complex doesn’t have any proper
geometry and the building blocks are
staying at odd positions to each other.
• The Alhambra's most westerly feature
is the Alcazaba (citadel), a strongly
fortified position.
• The citadel is composed of walls and
pavements which are grouped
following an irregular pattern with
houses of different sizes but similar
structures.
THE ALHAMBRA
GRANADA-SPAIN
889-1333 AD

28. THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOBA
Location: Granada, Spain
• In the middle of the 8th
century the last of the
Umayyads escaped to Spain
and re-founded the dynasty
there. The Great Mosque of
Cordoba was begun in 785
and is famous for its rows of
double-tiered arches.
• The culture of Islamic Spain
reached its apex in Moorish
art and architecture.

29. MOORISH ARCHITECTURE
• Use of Islamic calligraphy in
decoration as opposed to the
pictures. The use of color also plays
a significant role in their designs.
Geometric patterns are also
commonly found in the architecture
of Morocco.
• Use of Riads as construction
elements and transitional spaces.
• A Riad is basically an opening in
ceiling which forms an open air
courtyard inside.
• A design in which all of the rooms
of a house open into the
central atrium space.
MOROCCO-NORTH AFRICA
8th-14th AD

30. MOORISH ARCHITECTURE
• The courtyard's open-air aperture
channels warm air entering into the Riad
which in turn passes over the water feature,
cools down, thus assisting in the convection
of heat to exit back through the Riad's open-
air aperture.
• Convection causes more warm air to rise,
drawing in cool air.
(Fig) A courtyard style house
MOROCCO
THE COURTYARD STYLE
(fig) cool air rush inside

31. THE OTTOMONS-TURKEY
• Ottoman architecture has been
described as Ottoman multi-ethnic
architecture synthesized with
architectural traditions of the
Mediterranean (byzantine) and the
Middle East (Iran).
• Seemingly weightless yet massive
domes.
• Harmony between inner and outer
spaces, with mosques being divided
into inner and outer courtyards.
• Articulated light and shadow thus
leading to a refined elegance and
heavenly transcendence.
13th-20th AD
The Selimiye mosque-Turkey

32. Pendentive
outer courtyard
(Fig) A similar Pendentive-style Dome
THE SELIMIYE MOSQUE
EDIRNE-TURKEY
1569-1575 AD
• Pendentives are triangular sections below a dome which
permits the dome to set on a square platform below.
• They distribute the weight of the dome to the four corners,
which further lowers it to the piers/columns below.
inner courtyard

33. THE INDO PAK CONTINENT
• Indo-Pak architecture is a combination of
native Indian and Islamic styles with
Persian and ottoman influences as the
Muslim rulers came form central Asia.
• Introduction of arches along with the
prevailing trabeate system.
• Monuments erected by sultan Aibak,
monuments erected by governors of
independent provinces, construction of
the Moguls.
• A major aspect of Mughal architecture is
the symmetrical nature of buildings and
courtyards.
THE MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE
16th-18th AD
Hiran minar monument-Sheikhupura

34. TAJ MAHAL
• Combining elements from
Persian, Ottoman as well as Indian styles.
• An area of three acres was excavated,
filled with stone & dirt to reduce seepage
• Instead of wood, a colossal brick scaffold
was constructed.
• Height of platform is 23 ft and it rests
above a plinth..
• The dome has a height of 115 ft
• Four minarets of 130 ft height, are
outside the plinth so in case of a
collapse, the towers would tend to fall
away from tomb.
The Taj Mahal-Agra
MAUSOLEUM COMPLEX
1632 AD

35. TAJ MAHAL-PLAN

36. TAJ MAHAL-LANDSCAPE
Charbagh pattern of gardening was used which originated from Persia
and arches were introduced monumentally.

37. SPATIAL CONCLUSIONS
The vocabulary of Islamic
architecture is basically derived
from four types of space styles:
• Mosque (Worship area)
• Mausoleum (A tomb)
• Palace (Residence)
• Kasbah (A fortress or citadel)
The basic symmetry was used to
design spaces like :
• Madrasah (School)
• Hammam (Public baths)
• Fountains (Ablution)
• Caravanserai (A roadside inn)

42. MOSQUE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

43. MOSQUE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

44. MOSQUE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

45. ACTIVITY
• You have a general view of how any building or structure
designed architecturally Islamic, looks like. For example take a
key Islamic building a “mosque”. Now, you have to write
separately all you can recall inside and outside of a mosque.
• Max time : 30 min

46. THANKYOU!