Transcript Islam - HCC Learning Web

Islam:
-c. 610 CE an Arab merchant, al-Amin, begins receiving revelations from God (Allah)
outside Mecca; becomes Muhammad (“messenger of God”)
-these messages form foundation of Islam (submission to God’s will); followers called
Muslim (“those who have submitted to God”)
-Muhammad's recitations recorded after his death in the Qur'an (“recitation”)—holy
book
-c. 622, Muhammad preaches from home in Medina, establishing model for 1st mosque
(“place of prostration”)
-c. 630, Muhammad returns to Mecca and establishes Islam’s spiritual center there
-part of 5 pillars of Islamic belief require prayer facing Mecca 5x per day and a
pilgrimage to Mecca in the Middle East
-Mixing of pilgrims from around the world at Mecca helped contribute to Islam’s eclectic
artistic style
The Kaaba, Mecca
aniconism; avoidance of figural imagery
arabesques: scrolling vines
-After Muhammad’s death, four caliphs (successors) took over the leadership of Islam
-the 4th caliph, Ali, provoked a power struggle and was assassinated; his followers are Shiites
-Shiites regard Ali as the only “rightly guided” successor to Muhammad
-other Muslims recognize all caliphs as “rightly guided” successors and are called Sunnis
Timeline:
c. 661 – 750; Umayyad dynasty ruled from Damascus in Syria
c. 750 – 1258; Abbasid dynasty ruled from Bagdad in Iraq
c. 750 – 1031; Umayyad rule continues from Cordoba, Spain
c. 1055 – 1194; Sajuq rulers unite Iran and Iraq; hold rule in Anatolia until late 1200s
c. early 1200s; Muslim world splintered by invading Mongol Genghis Khan
c. 1300s; Ottomans take over; conquer Constantinople in 1453 ending Byzantine
empire
c. 1492; Muslim rule in Spain ends
c. 1918; end of Ottoman empire in Near East
Islamic Architecture
Aerial view of Haram
Al-Sharif, (the Dome of
the Rock) Jerusalem
-completed 692
Dome of the Rock
-built to house the rock that is believed to be the site of the Jewish 2nd temple
-1st great monument in Islamic art; announces the arrival of that tradition in Jerusalem
-there, Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to the presence of God
Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem (interior)
-piers and columns alternate around the central
box, holding the rock
-text is used around the frieze inside, and under the
dome—oldest surviving written Qur’an verses and
1st use of writing in monumental architecture;
common for Muslim architecture from now on
Hypostyle Mosque
-most early mosques originally built on simple, hypostyle plan with
alternating rows of aisles and columns; easily expandable
-qibla wall: wall of the mosque nearest to Mecca (direction of prayers)
-qibla walls are indicated by the mihrab niche (a depression in the wall
based on the tradition of niches holding scrolls or sacred statues in other
religions)
Interior of the prayer hall at the Great Mosque in
Cordoba Spain
-Cordoba in Spain is the location of the capital of
western Islamic leadership after the early Umayyad
dynasty was overthrown by the Abbasids (who ruled
from Bagdad in Iraq for 500 years)
-this mosque is one of the finest surviving examples of
Umayyad architecture
-built on site of an earlier Christian church
-the white stone and red brick voissoirs (alternating
colors) was adopted from Roman and Byzantine
precedents,
-columns are taken from variety of other older sources,
so they vary in height and style slightly
Prayer Hall, Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain
Begun 785–86
-prayer hall of Great Mosque shows
horse-shoe arches
-from Roman times, but become closely
associate with Islamic architecture
-muqarnas; an arch filled with stacked,
non-load bearing, vault-like niches.
-unique to Islam
Elements of Architecture: Arches and Muqarnas
Dome in front of the Mihrab, Great Mosque in
Cordoba; 965
-Great Mosque in Cordoba continued to be
built on after its initial beginning
-dome in front of the mihrab shows Islamic
interest in mathematics and geometry as a
source of artistic inspiration
-mosaics were made by a Byzantine master
who was sent by the emperor in
Constantinople; shows artistic exchange that
was emblematic of the Mediterranean region
Four-Iwan Mosque
-later mosque style developed in Iran
-features 4 iwans (huge barrel-vaulted halls
with wide arched entrances) that face each
other across a central courtyard
Courtyard, Congregational Mosque,
Isfahan, Iran
11th–18th century
-example of an earlier hypostyle
mosque that was built onto to create
an iwan mosque
-iwans added in 1100s
-tile around the courtyard is from the
1600s
-many changes made to the
mosque throughout the centuries
reflect its continuing importance to
its community
-mihrab from 1300s was in the mosque’s madrasa
(building for teaching Islamic theology and law)
-now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
-shows some of the finest early architectural ceramic
decoration in Islamic art;
-contrasting colors and dense pattern are typical of the
art form
Tile Mosaic Mihrab, from the Madrasa Imami, Isfahan
Glazed and cut tiles
11'3" X 7'6"
354
Iran.
mihrab
minbar
Qibla wall with mihrab and minbar, Sultan Hasan Madrasa-Mausoleum-Mosque Complex;
1356–63
Church of Hagia Sophia;
532–37
Centrally-Planned Mosque
Mosque of Sultan Selim, Edirne; 1568–75; Turkey
Interior, Mosque of Sultan Selim
Court of the Lions, Palace of the Lions; Alhambra, Granada
1354–9; Spain
-ceiling is carved stucco
-uses squinches
-square room rises to an 8-point star
pierced by 18 windows that culminate in
a burst of carved muquarnas (small
niches)
-shapes are visible, but not really
discernable; like the heavens
Muqarnas Dome, Hall of the Abencerrajes, Palace of the Lions, Alhambra;
Built between 1354–91
Calligraphy: art of fine hand lettering
-since the Qur’an is the word of God, it must be recorded carefully, with devotion and
embellishment
-developed into an impressive art form in the Islamic world and was the most highly
regarded craft
-outstanding calligraphers received public recognition for and signed their work
-writing used on buildings, metalwork, textiles and ceramics, in addition to books and
documents
-Arabic; language of the Qur’an and a powerful unifying force within Islam; universal
language from 8th through 11th centuries among scholars in the Islamic world and in
some Christian lands
-written from right to left (not left to right, like us)
-earliest example of calligraphy on buildings is inside the Dome of the Rock in
Jerusalem
Page from the Qur'an in kufic script
Black ink pigments, and gold on vellum; 8⅜ X 11⅛“; 9th century
naskhi: ornamental form of calligraphy
said to have been given to scribes in a
vision
-shows kufic headings in a background of
scrolling vines;
-actual text (a medical treatise) written
horizontally and vertically in naskhi
Attributed to Galinus
Arabic manuscript page
1199
-during Ottoman empire artists
developed imperial ciphers (tugras)
which combined the ruler’s name and
title with the motto “eternally
victorious”
-made a monogram used to denote
the authority of the sultan and of those
officials who were also granted an
emblem
-tugras appeared on coins, buildings,
and official documents
-drawn in black or blue with 3 long
vertical strokes to the right of 2
concentric teardrops
Illuminated Tugra of Sultan Suleyman; Ink, paint, and gold on paper;
20½ X 25⅜“; c. 1555–60
-decorative foliage patterns fill the
space; later decorations become more
naturalistic and even spill outside the
lines
-blue and white floral decoration may
show influence from blue and white
Chinese pottery
Textiles
-important means of disseminating the Islamic artistic style throughout the rest of the world
-silks highly sought after
Textile with elephants and camels; Dyed silk; largest fragment 20½ X 37“; pre 961
-many works of Islamic art show influence of
garden forms
-such carpets brought the beauty of nature
indoors
-written accounts indicate that elaborate patterns
appeared on carpets as early as the 600s
-carpets are famous examples of Islamic art,
though few survive from before the 1500s b/c they
were destroyed from use
-this Turkish carpet; Ushak style: infinite
arabesques swirl around the main quatrefoils
-Muslims also use small rugs for prayer, so rug
making has been a necessity in Islamic culture
Medallion Rug, variant Star Ushak style; Wool
10‘ 3" X 7‘ 6 ¼“; 16th century
Two women weaving, Turkey
-fine carpets had as many as 2400 knots per sq
inch
-women pictured work between September and
May and might make 5 carpets—tying up to 5000
knots/day
-modern rugs have about 40-50 knots/sq inch
Technique: carpet making
Manuscripts
-art of book production flourished from
the 1st century of Islam
-books made for secular and religious
purposes
-emphasis on the study of the Qur’an
meant there was a high level of literacy
among both men and women
-non-figural, geometric and botanical
designs created for Qur’ans led to
intricate and lovely designs for books
Qur’an frontispiece (right half of twopage spread)
Ink, pigments, and gold on paper
24 X 18"
c. 1368
Kamal al-Din Bihzad; The Caliph Harun Al-Rashid
Visits the Turkish Bath; Ink and pigments on paper
approx. 7 X 6“; c. 1494
The Portrait of Khusrau Shown to Shirin; Ink, pigments, and gold on paper
9⅞ X 6¾“; c. 1494
From a copy of the 12th-century Khamsa (Five Poems) of Nizami.Herat, Afghanistan
Other luxury wares/portable goods
-Islamic artists excelled in creating
small luxury goods
-this bowl, called Samarkand ware
because of the region (now
Uzbekistan) where it was originally
made
-covered in white slip to imitate prized
Chinese porcelain
-shows kufic calligraphy around the
outside rim;
-used popular sayings like this one that
said “knowledge: the beginning is bitter
to taste, but the end is sweeter than
honey.”
Bowl with kufic border
Earthenware with slip, pigment, and lead
glaze
diameter 14½“; 9th–10th century
-later ceramic work, like this jug, shows
incredible sophistication with new
materials
-exemplifies pierced, double wall
fritware ceramics made by Islamic
artists
-glaze is lusterware; made of metal
oxides that have the lustrous
appearance of burnished metal
The Macy Jug
Composite body glazed, painted
fritware and incised (glaze partially
stained with cobalt), with pierced outer
shell
6 ⅝ X 7 ¾“
1215–16
Metalwork
Pen Box; Brass with inlaid silver, copper, and black
organic material; height 2", length 12⅝", width 2½"
1210–11
Griffin; Bronze; height 42⅛“; 11th century
Islamic Mediterranean, probably Fatimid, Egypt
-during the 13th and 14th cent, glass workers
in Syria, Egypt and Italy developed new
thinness in glass ware through blowing and
molding techniques
-Islamic artists in Egypt especially excelled in
the application of enameled surface
decoration in gold and various colors
-this image shows a glass lamp that would
have hung in a mosque and been lit from
within by oil and a wick—hung from chains
through the handles
-mosques required hundreds of lamps and
there were hundreds of mosques
Mamluk glass oil lamp
Glass, polychrome enamel, and gold
height 12“; c. 1355
Syria or Egypt
the 411