Islamic Arts

Principal Arts

Arts of the ObjectCeramicsMetalworkGlassWoodworkTextiles

ArchitectureTombsMosques

The Arts of the BookCalligraphyIllustration

Arts of the Object

Main Styles of Islamic Art

Geometric CalligraphicOrganic/FiguralMedallions

Geometric

Based on mathematical shapes

Calligraphic

Uses Arabic script as the focal point of a design

Marble foundation stone from Egypt

Organic/Figural

Identified by:Curving

linesHumans or

animalFlowers or

vines

Medallion

Central image that is more important than other elements of the design

Pop Quiz

Identify the Style

Which Style?

Geometric

Which Style?

Organic/FiguralCan you see the

bird?

Which Style?

Medallion Style

Which Style?

Calligraphic“Science, its taste

is bitter at the beginning but, at the end, sweeter than honey.”

Arabo-Andalusian Music

What to listen for: Timbre

Lute Improvisation Microtones

Quarter step above the previous note

Arabic music has 17 notes

Meter/Tempo

Lute

Architecture

Petra

Rock Tomb Hellenistic

similarities What movie?

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Frontal view of the Khaznet-Fir`awn (the Treasury of Pharoah), a second century A.D. rock tomb in Petra.

Three Styles of Mosques

Hypostyle Mosque

Prayer hall is formed of rows of columns

Usually multiple columns vertically

Dominant style in the early period Hypostyle Hall of the

Mosque of the Umayyad, Damascus

Central-Dome Mosque

Prayer hall's space is dominated by a central dome surrounded by smaller and lower semi-domes.

The Selimiyye Mosque in Edirne

Iwan Mosque

Prayer hall is an iwan, or up to four iwans, surrounding a courtyard.

Most popular type in the medieval period

Two of the Four Iwan of the Friday Mosque in Isfahan

Minaret, a tower from which criers call the prayers.

The Dome of the Rock(Qubbat al-Sakhra)

The Dome of the Rock(Qubbat al-Sakhra)

View of the interior of the Dome of the Rock, showing the inner ambulatory arcade.

Ka'ba in MeccaMasjid al-Haram

Center of worship and pilgrimage

The qibla towards which worshippers face when praying.

Arts of the Book

Calligraphy

Calligraphy – beautiful writingThe most revered form of artistic

expression in the Islamic worldWord of God in visual form

Characteristics of Calligraphy

Earliest form of Arabic script was called Kufic script.

• Pages from the Koran, Syria or Iraq. 9th century

• Ink, pigments, and gold on vellum, 8” x 11 ½”

Qur'an (Koran)

The red dots above and below the letters indicate accents

The medallion in the margin signifies a text division

Illustrations