Islamic Architecture

Architectural History
ACT 322
Doris Kemp
 Topics
 Islamic Origins
 Islamic Characteristics
 Islamic Public Buildings
 Mosques
 Madresahs

 Mausoleums
 Islamic Architecture:
Origins
 Islamic architecture gains its origins when the
Muslims began to build in conquered lands

 Byzantium
 Greece

 Egypt

 Middle East
 Islamic Architecture:
Characteristics
 Islamic architecture shares many forms and
structural concerns with Byzantine, Medieval,
and Renaissance architecture
 Islamic architectural characteristics
 Large interior spaces
 Domes and ceilings
 Arches and columns
 Walls and vaults
 Wall-like facades
 Islamic Architecture:
Characteristics
 A particular characteristic is the architectural
decoration
 Independent of structure
 Intricate patterns completely cover exteriors and
interiors
 Domes of various shapes

 Arch forms in the shape of a horseshoe are

uniquely Islamic
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 The most common types of Islamic public
buildings
 Mosques
 Madresahs

 Mausoleums
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Mosques
 Considered the most important building
 Serve as a gathering place for prayer, teaching, and
a town hall
 Its form has been very consistent through time and
place
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Mosques
 The earliest mosques were built to represent the
prophet Mohamed’s house
 A courtyard and covered area for prayer
 All mosques were axial and oriented towards
Mecca
 Mecca is Islam’s most holy site
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Mosques
 Dome of the Rock
 Located in Jerusalem
 c. 684 A.D.
 Built on the spot where
Muslims believe the
prophet Mohamed was
carried to heaven

Photo: Sullivan
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Mosques
 Dome of the Rock
 Features
 Octagonal format
 Vaulting
 Columns
 Piers
 Rich mosaic decoration
 Dome of gilded wood, considered a symbol of the power of
Islam
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Mosques
 Great Mosque
 Cordoba, Spain
 A culminating monument of the early Islamic period

 Features
 Double-tiered arches
 Possibly derived from the Roman aqueducts in Spain

 Dome featuring cross-bracings, interlacing arches, rich stucco,

and mosaic decorative overlays
 Led to a unique Islamic style
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Madresahs
 Theological colleges and schools of religion
 Usually attached directly to mosques

 Typical structure
 Four vaulted halls surrounding a center courtyard
 The largest side hall is known as the qibla
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Madresahs
 The four halls are usually surrounded
 Apartments
 Schoolrooms

 Exterior decoration usually only surrounds

openings and marks the roofline
 Unlike other public buildings where decoration starts at
the foundation and ends at the roof
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Mausoleums
 Memorials to holy men and rulers
 Usually centrally planed and domed

 The most famous Islamic mausoleum is the Taj

Mahal
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Mausoleums
 Mausoleum of the Taj
Mahal
 c. 1631 – 1648
 Located in Agra, India
 Built as a memorial by a
Muslim Indian ruler to his
wife

Photo: Sullivan
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Mausoleums
 Mausoleum of the Taj Mahal
 Features
 Assortment of motifs from Persian and Turkish sources
 Many gardens and water pools
 Inlaid stone patterns and Koranic inscriptions
 Lacy marble walls
 Large portals
 Extravagant domes
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings

Photo: Sullivan
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Other Features
 Materials
 Brick
 Local stone

 Marble

 Stucco
 Islamic Architecture:
Public Buildings
 Other Features
 Domes
 Used to cover prayer halls and other spaces
 Unique to Islam was the many shapes of the domes
 Round
 Octagonal
 Multilobed
 Star-shaped
 References
 Sullivan, Mary; http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/
 http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html
 Trachtenburg/Hyman; Architecture: From Prehistory to
Postmodernity
 Wodehouse/Moffett; A History of Western Architecture
Islamic Architecture
Architectural History
ACT 322
Doris Kemp