ISLAMIC PATTERNS AND INFLUENCES

BY Prof. SEEMA NAVEEN

BYZANTINE AND GREEK Dome of Rock Pantheon
INFLUENCE:
• Mosaic to decorate surface
• Half dome for the alcove
• Clerestory windows
PERSIAN INFLUENCE:
• Tudor arches
• Gardens
• Ornamentation
• Structural systems
• REPITITION
• PROPORTION AND ORDER
• CONCEPT OF UNISON
• BEYOND THE INDIVIDUAL

3 PRINCIPLE FORMS
• CALLIGRAPHY – Word of God (Revelation)
• ARABESQUE – Natural decorative elements
• GEOMETRY – Foundation (underlies Life itself)
WORLD AT A GLANCE
INDIA BEFORE ISLAM - 979AD
ISLAM COMES TO INDIA
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HINDU AND ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
Parameters for
Hindu Architecture
Comparison
Initially had only garbha griha; expanded to
including a mantapa, ardhamantapa and tank for
ablutions
Evolution
Dark and small spaces for individual worship
Individual exploration and worship
Trabeate Construction; pillars, beams and lintels
Technique
Mud used for cementing purposes, large stones
were held together by iron clamps
Purpose Worship
Sculptures and carvings of human figures, lotus
Ornamentation
flowers, deities, etc.
Usually a monotone of stone or wood, grey, black,
Composition
brown, depending on the stones available
Structural columns decorated with sculptures
Structure
Viharas or vimanas, gopuras, shikharas
Taboo
Islamic Architecture
Had a central nave structure (Dome of Rock);
expanded to including the sahn, liwan, maqsura and
minarets
Large open and lighted spaces for community
worship
Congregational prayers and community worship
Arcuate construction; Squinches, pendentives,
arches, Domes
Extensive use of Lime and mortar for construction
Worship, burial and community space
Carvings in calligraphy, geometrical patterns,
arabesques, mosaic tiles.
Used vibrant colour schemes of white, red and
green, sandstone and marble used to the maximum
Introduction of gardens (Charbagh concept) around
tombs
Insistence on emphasis on structural forms
Minarets, kiosks (chhatris) and half domed double
portals
Idol worship and ornamentation with human figures
 TRANSLATIONS
CULTURAL CONFLUENCE
Raag Darpan, Mahabharata, Rajtarangini,
Muslim influence on Hindi, Sindbad, books on medicine,
grammar, rhetoric and style Panchatantra, Fatwah-i-Jahangiri, Thugug
Nama, Bhagvad Puran, Atharva Veda, etc.

Urdu, the most volatile and lyrical language, was born of linguistic synthesis having
Persian script and resemblances with Hindi language and style.

NEW CONCEPTIONS

Pahari School of painting Basoli, Thumri, Khayal, Qawafi

Chamba and Jammu groups and Raga Dhrupad
THE DELHI SULTANATE
• The Delhi Sultanate was the name coined for Delhi-based
Muslim kingdoms that ruled over large parts of India for
320 years (1206 – 1526).
• In 1192 AD, Delhi officially came under the Muslim rule
for the first time
• Rajput ruler Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated at the second
battle of Tarain
• Delhi became an important political and cultural centre in
the India and in Islamic world.
• Five dynasties ruled over Delhi Sultanate sequentially, the
first four of which were of Turkic origin and the last was
the Afghan Lodi.
THE SLAVE DYNASTY
• Qutb-ud-din-Aibak founder of the Slave dynasty
• Was a slave in the army and was appointed Governor by Mohammed Ghuri
• Declared independence and assumed power after the death of Mohammed Ghuri in 1206
• Succeeded by nine Slave kings
• Qutb-ud-din-Aibak and son-in-law Shams-ud-din Iltutmish were the most active patrons of
architecture
• Their buildings lay foundation of the Islamic style
• Consolidated power by erecting buildings on the captured Hindu stronghold Lal Kot Fort built by
Tomar Rajput ruler, Anangpal in 739 AD and Qila-Rai-Pithora, Prithviraj Chauhan's city, the Rajput
king, whom Ghori's Afghan armies had earlier defeated and killed, at the Second Battle of Tarain
• One large temple in the centre dismantled and its foundations used for construction of the first mosque
– Quwwat-ul-Islam (Might of Islam)
• Dismantled 27 Hindu and Jain temples and used material for building the mosque
• Later in 1195AD, a screen of arches added to the west side façade (maqsura – originated in Medina) to
screen the cloisters composed of pillars in the Hindu style.
• Mosque was added to by other sultans, including Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Ala ud din Khilji as well as
the British.
 THE SLAVE DYNASTY

Worship hall

Maqsura
Ashoka Pillar

Cloisters

Courtyard

Entrance
False domes and arches – new building style constructed
with the help of the Hindu artisans and masons who
worked on verbal instructions – without knowledge of
the technique
QUWWAT-UL-ISLAM MOSQUE
QUTB MINAR
• Qila Rai Pithaura was one of the seven historical
cities of Delhi when captured by Aibak. But it
was not a strategically important political centre
• Aibak elevated Delhi to its key position of India
• Wanted to build a monumental structure to
proclaim the might of Islam and his growing
power and omnipotence
• Commissioned the building of the Qutb Minar –
originally 238ft in height – Pivot of Justice,
Sovereignty and Faith
• Marked the eastern extent of the spread of Islam
and simultaneously at Selville, Spain, Yusuf I
built the Giralda to mark the Western extent of
the Mohammedan world
• Initially built outside the mosque complex as was
the style in the Middle East
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
PLAN OF QUTB MINAR

Seen from any point of

view the 20tb Minar as
a whole is a most
impressive conception,
the vivid colour of its
red sandstone, the
changing texture of its
fluted stories with
their overlay of
inscriptional bands,
the contrast between
the alternating spaces
of plain masonry and
rich carving, the
shimmer of the
shadows under the
balconies, all combine
to produce an effect of
marked vitality.... -
Percy brown
PLAN AND ORNAMENTATION
• Tapering tower – originally 238ft in height, 46ft in diameter at
the base tapering upto 10ft at the summit
• Each stage has a different pattern – lowest having wedge
shaped flanges, second has circular projections, third having
star shaped plan while the fourth stage is simply round
• From the entrance begins a stairway that stops at a balcony at
every stage, ends up in a platform on the uppermost storey
• Most elegant feature of the minar is its balconies and the
design for the support system
• Took shape of stepped battlements called the kanjuras
(influenced from the Assyrians), embellished with stalactite
bracketing under the balconies that transferred the weight to
the main structure
• Detailed out as a set of miniature arches and alcoves patterned
with a network of honey combing
ARAHI DIN KA JHOMPRA
• Built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1200 A.D. at Ajmer, on a levelled terrace probably used previously as a
ground for a fair for 2 1/2 days
• Twice the size of the Delhi mosque, built using materials from temples around
• Three pillars from Hindu temples are placed one above the other to achieve the height of the cloisters
which is 20'.
• Tall stairway in four flights reaching up to front portico with a minaret on each side.
• A screen was added across the front of the sanctuary by Iltutmish. Above the main arch over the
parapet are two minarets. The arches are of the 4 centered type.
• The smaller arches are of the multi-foil pointed style, inspired by Arab sources.
• The rectangular panel is seen in the spandrel of each arch, a feature seen in ancient Arabian mosques.
ARAHI DIN KA JHOMPRA
SULTAN SHAMS-UD-DIN ILTUTMISH
• Successor of Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruled from AD 1211 to 1236
• Has four notable works to his credit: Addtion of the screen /
façade to Ajmer mosque; Extension of Quwwat-ul-Islam; Tomb
of his own son (Sultan Ghari); and his own tomb
• Tried to implement the four centred arch as was used in the
Islamic world, and hence arches in the Arahi-din ka Jhompra
were less curved
• Main difference is in the ornamentation, that was changed
from floral carvings to conventional patterns of stylised and
mechanical order – more a strict application of the Koranic
prohibition.
• Introduced the tomb architecture that was hitherto unknown to
the architecture of India – a walled structure with a cenotaph in
the centre in an isolated location – regarded as a shrine for the
family members to pray on certain occasions
• Also introduced the design of squinches in the tombs and
mosques
EXTENSION OF THE QUTB COMPLEX
• Iltutmish extended the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque by adding another cloister around the existing one
symmetrically
• Earlier complex had not included the Qutb Minar
• The extension was created in a way that it encompasses the Qutb Minar as well
• The Qutb Minar was also completed in Iltutmish’s reign
SULTAN GHARI – SULTAN OF THE CAVE
• TOMB OF NASIR-UD-DIN MUHAMMAD -
Built by Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish as a tomb for
his son in A.D. 1231 near Delhi.
• First example of a tomb building in India.
• The structure is raised on a high plinth with a
massive portal on the east.
• The cenotaph is an underground chamber,
giving the structure its name.
• The structure is built in the manner of a walled
enclosure.
• The enclosure is contained within a massive
masonry arcade.
• The exterior is built of grey granite with
circular bastions projecting from each corner
of the square.
• Within the enclosure is a courtyard 66' square.
SULTAN GHARI – SULTAN OF THE CAVE
• In the center of the courtyard is an octagonal platform which forms the roof of the tomb chamber.
• Two pillared arcades in white marble are built on the eastern and western sides. The western arcade
resolves into a mosque chamber for private
prayers.

• The mosque sanctuary has a central domed

nave with a foliated arch as mihrab and aisles
on either side. The whole is fronted by a
colonnade of marble pillars with bracket
capitals. Apart from the mihrabs, the entire
composition is of Hindu extraction.
TOMB OF ILTUTMISH
• Fitting culmination to the building art during the reign of
Iltutmish.
• Compact square structure of 42’ side, has 3 entrance ways and
the west wall has a series of 3 mihrabs
• Exterior is plain and unfinished, has finely inscribed patterns
only around the arches
• Inside the tomb forms a contrast with elaborate sculptures and
inscriptions on sandstone and marble walls
• Extracts from the Koran in various scripts are the main
highlight of the tomb
• Dome of the tomb was constructed in the indigenous way with
concentric rings of masonry, which ultimately collapsed due to
the large span – it could have collapsed due to self weight
• This was the phase of transition, where several methods were
adopted to raise the dome over square walls
• The method used in the tomb was known as the SQUINCH
TOMB OF ILTUTMISH
THE TOMB OF BALBAN – THE TRUE ARCH

• Structure of the tomb exceptional – landmark in

the evolution of style – the introduction of the
TRUE ARCH
• Consisting of a square domed chamber 38’
across, has an archway on each of its sides
• Each archway built in random rubble masonry
but showcases the scientific system of the
Romans – the radiating voussoirs with a keystone
• Indicated a step forward in structural evolution
THE RISE OF THE KHILJI DYNASTY
• Slave Dynasty declined gradually after the reign of Iltutmish & Balban
• No considerable development in style of architecture over a period of 60 years, except the tomb of
Balban – showcased the construction of the true arch
• The Slave dynasty overthrown by the Khaljis who were a sect of Afghanized Turkish men from the
village of Khalji, near Ghazni
• In 1290, Feroz Jallal-ud-din Khalji ascended the throne at the age of 70
• He was a pious Muslim and showed sympathy towards rebels and criminals
• Treacherously murdered by Ala-ud-din Khilji, who proclaimed himself ruler
• Annexed Ranthambhor, Gujarat and Chittor and warded of Mongol invasions
• Intensely pious and fiendishly cruel – his court attracted various luminaries like poet Amir Khusrao

ARCHITECTURAL CONTRIBUTION
• A megalomaniac, he ventured into many projects that were not achievable in one lifetime – required
generations of effort
• Left a legacy of incomplete projects, with only one completed one – Alai Darwaza
• Commissioned the extension of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and building Alai Minar, Alai Hauz and
the city of Siri all of which was left incomplete
EXPANSION OF THE QUWWAT-UL-ISLAM MOSQUE

• Expanded to 6 times the size of the original mosque

• Extended asymmetrically and had proposed 4 gateways, of which only Alai Darwaza was completed
• Commissioned the construction of the Alai Minar – twice the size of Qutb Minar
QUTB COMPLEX AT THE END OF THE KHILJI RULE
 ALAI DARWAZA
• Characterised by true arches and true dome
• Inscriptions in marble around openings
• Lotus bud motifs along the arches
• Exquisite inlaid marble decorations and
latticed stone screens for windows
• Plinth is beautifully carved with floral and
geometric patterns in both white marble and
red sandstone
 DOMES AND ARCHES IN ALAI DARWAZA
• The Alai Darwaza consists of a single hall
34½’ inside and 56½’ outside, with a dome
rising to a height of 47’
• The three doorways on the east, west, and
south are lofty pointed horse shoe shaped
arches with recessed corner arches
supporting a simple spherical dome
• The dome was constructed on highly
scientific principles.
• A series of squinches of pointed shape, one
recessed within the other, in the upper section
of each angle of the hall, changes the square
into an octagon, and then the octagon into the
circle of the dome with an interweaving
sixteen-sided shaft formed by a bracket at
each end of the octagon.
INFLUENCE OF THE SELJUKS