– 1.1 Rashidun Caliphate 2.

Styles
– 1.2 Umayyad Caliphate 2.1 Persian style
• 1.2.1 Moorish 2.2 Azerbaijani architecture
architecture
2.3 Turkistan (Timurid)
– 1.3 Abbasid Caliphate
architecture
• 1.3.1 Fatimid 2.4 Ottoman architecture
• Architecture 2.5 Indo-Islamic architecture
• 1.3.2.Saljuked 2.6 Sino-Islamic architecture
• Ayyobid & Zanqid 2.7 Indonesian-Malay
• 1.3.2 Mamluk architecture
architecture
2.8 Sahelian-Islamic
• 1.3.3. Ottoman architecture
architecture
2.9 Somali-Islamic architecture
2.10 Interpretation
 HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Umayyad
2. Abbasids
3. Fatimid
4. Seljuk
5. Zinced
6. Ayyubid
7. Mamluk
8. Ottoman
• Religious and civic architecture were
developed under the Umayyads, when new
concepts and new plans were put into
practice. Thus, the “Arab plan,” with court and
hypostyle prayer hall, truly became a
functional type with the construction of the
Umayyad Mosque, or the Great Mosque of
Damascus (completed in 715 by caliph Al-
Walid I).
The Abbasid dynasty (750 A.D.- 1258) witnessed •
the movement of the capital from Damascus to
Baghdad, and then from Baghdad to Samarra. The
shift to Baghdad influenced politics, culture, and
art. The Great Mosque of Samarra, once the largest
in the world, was built for the new capital. Other
major mosques built in the Abbasid Dynasty
include the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, Abu Dalaf
in Iraq, the great mosque in Tunis. Abbasid
architecture in Iraq as exemplified in the Fortress of
Al-Ukhaidir (c.775-6) demonstrated the "despotic
and the pleasure-loving character of the dynasty"
in its grand size but cramped living quarters.
• The Great Mosque of Kairouan (in Tunisia), considered
as the ancestor of all the mosques in the western
Islamic world, is one of the best preserved and most
significant examples of early great mosques. Founded
in 670 AD, it dates in its present form largely from the
Aghlabid period (9th century). The Great Mosque of
Kairouan is constituted of a massive square minaret, a
large courtyard surrounded by porticos and a huge
hypostyle prayer hall covered on its axis by two
cupolas. The Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq,
completed in 847 AD, combined the hypostyle
architecture of rows of columns supporting a flat base
above which a huge spiraling minaret was constructed.
• The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul also influenced
Islamic architecture. When the Ottomans
captured the city from the Byzantines, they
converted the basilica to a mosque (now a
museum) and incorporated Byzantine
architectural elements into their own work
(e.g. domes). The Hagia Sophia also served as
a model for many Ottoman mosques such as
the Shehzade Mosque, the Suleiman Mosque,
and the Rüstem Pasha Mosque.
Rashidun Caliphate
Rashidun Caliphate (632-661) was the first state
to use Islamic Architecture, sought the first use
of Islamic Forts, Administration systems (Dar al-
Imara) and the first foundation of Islamic cities
(Basra, Kufa and Fostat).
Umayyad Caliphate
Umayyad Empire (661-750), in the Umayyad era
many new elements were included to the
Islamic architecture: Minarates, Arabisque,
Mosaic, Luxury palaces.
Moorish architecture
Construction of the mosque
was based on the house of the Omayyad
Prophet Muhammad in
Medina ,which had many Mosque
functions: it was a place for
personal and collective prayer,
religious education, political
meetings, administration of
justice, and relief of the ill and
homeless
The prayer hall consists of
three aisles, supported by
columns in the Corinthian
order .It was one of the first
mosques to have such a shape
and this way, the visitors could
see the Mihrab, the alcove
indicating the direction of
Mecca (the qibla), and each
other more easily
 Umayyad

Omayyad
Mosque
Photo · Great Mosque of Damascus · Damascus, Syria
Haram entrance with gabled roofline and
mosiac clad wal
Window screen, west side of courtyard
Mosaic detail depicting Barada nd Umayyad
palaces with karma vines
DOME OF THE ROCK
• Moorish architecture
Construction of the Great Mosque at Cordoba (now a cathedral
known as the Mezquita) beginning in 785 CE marks the
beginning of Islamic architecture in the Iberian peninsula and
North Africa (see Moors). The mosque is noted for its striking
interior arches. Moorish architecture reached its peak with the
construction of the Alhambra, the magnificent palace/fortress
of Granada, with its open and breezy interior spaces adorned in
red, blue, and gold. The walls are decorated with stylized
foliage motifs, Arabic inscriptions, and arabesque design work,
with walls covered in glazed tile. There other, smaller, survivals
such as the Bab Mardum in Toledo, or the caliphal city of
Medina Azahara. Moorish architecture has its roots deeply
established in the Arab tradition of architecture and design
established during the era of the first Caliphate of the
Umayyads in the Levant circa 660AD with its capital Damascus
having very well preserved examples of fine Arab Islamic design
and geometrics, including the carmen, which is the typical
Damascene house, opening on the inside with a fountain as the
house's centre piece.
Qurtoba Mosque
Al Quairawan
Mosque
• Abbasid Caliphate
Abbasid Caliphate (750-1513), Islamic Architecture peaked in the •
Abbasid era, cities such as Baghdad, Damascus, Aleppo were of Break
Away Kingdoms:

Fatimid architecture •
• Bab al-Futuh gate built by Fatimid vazir Badr al-Jamali
In architecture, the Fatimids followed Tulunid techniques and used •
similar materials, but also developed those of their own. In Cairo,
their first congregational mosque was al-Azhar mosque ("the
splendid") founded along with the city (969–973), which, together
with its adjacent institution of higher learning (al-Azhar University),
became the spiritual center for Ismaili Shia. The Mosque of al-Hakim
(r. 996–1013), an important example of Fatimid architecture and
architectural decoration, played a critical role in Fatimid ceremonial
and procession, which emphasized the religious and political role of
the Fatimid caliph. Besides elaborate funerary monuments, other
surviving Fatimid structures include the Aqmar Mosque (1125)[14] as
well as the monumental gates for Cairo's city walls commissioned by
the powerful Fatimid emir and vizier Badr al-Jamali (r. 1073–1094).
the largest cities ever •
 Abbasids Great Mosque
Samarra
The Great Mosque of
Samarra was at one
time the largest
mosque in the world;
its minaret ,the
Malwiya Tower, is a
vast spiraling cone
Great Mosque
Samarra
Ibn Toulon
Mosque
 Fatimid
Al Azhar
Al Azhar
Al Azhar
The Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century led early Islamic architects •
to borrow and adopt many traditions and ways of the fallen Persian empire.
Islamic architecture thus borrows from Persian architecture and can be
some what called an extension and further evolution of Persian
architecture.

In Persia and Central Asia, the Tahirids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, and Ghurids •
struggled for power in the 10th century, and art was a vital element of this
competition. Great cities were built, such as Nishapur and Ghazni
(Afghanistan), and the construction of the Great Mosque of Isfahan (which
would continue, in fits and starts, over several centuries) was initiated.
Funerary architecture was also cultivated.

Under the Seljuqs the "Iranian plan" of mosque construction appears for •
the first time. Lodging places called khans, or caravanserai, for travellers and
their animals, or caravansarais, generally displayed utilitarian rather than
ornamental architecture, with rubble masonry, strong fortifications, and
minimal comfortSeljuq architecture synthesized various styles, both Iranian
and Syrian, sometimes rendering precise attributions difficult. Another
important architectural trend to arise in the Seljuk era is the development
of mausolea including the tomb tower such as the Gunbad-i-qabus (circa
1006-7) (showcasing a Zoroastrian motif) and the domed square, an
example of which is the tomb of the Samanids in the city of Bukhara (circa
943).[18]
 Seljuk
Aladdin Mosque
 Zinged
Great Mosque of
Nor al-Din`
Elevated view of the domed mausoleum
Mausoleum, dome
 Ayyubid
Firdaws Mosque
And Madras a
Detail of portal, showing carved stone
frame
door1Damascus, Great Mosque, north
 Ayyubid
Firdaws Mosque
And Madras a
Mamluk architecture •
The reign of the Mamluks (1250-1517 AD) marked a •
breathtaking flowering of Islamic art which is most
visible in old Cairo. Religious zeal made them generous
patrons of architecture and art. Trade and agriculture
flourished under Mamluk rule, and Cairo, their capital,
became one of the wealthiest cities in the Near East
and the center of artistic and intellectual activity. This
made Cairo, in the words of Ibn Khaldun, "the center of
the universe and the garden of the world", with
majestic domes, courtyards, and soaring minarets
spread across the city.
The architectural identity of Mamluk religious monuments stems from •
the major purpose that individuals erected their own memorials,
therefore adding a high degree of individuality. Each building reflected
the patron’s individual tastes, choices, and name. Mamluk architecture
is oftentimes categorized more by the reigns of the major sultan, than a
specific design. Interestingly, the mamluk elite were often more
knowledgeable in the art of buildings than many historians.[

Since the Mamluks had both wealth and power, the overall moderate •
proportions of Mamluk architecture—compared to Timurid or classical
Ottoman styles—is due to the individual decisions of patrons who
preferred to sponsor multiple projects. The sponsors of the mosques of
Baibars, al-Nasir Muhammad, Faraj, al-Mu’ayyad, Barsbay, Qaitbay and
al-Ghawri all preferred to build several mosques in the capital rather
than focusing on one colossal monument. Patrons used architecture to
strengthen their religious and social roles within the community.
 Mamluk
Sultan al-Nasir
Muhammad Ibn
Qala'un
 Mamluk

Sultan al-Nasir
Muhammad Ibn
Qala'un
 Mamluk
Sultan al-Nasir
Muhammad Ibn
Qala'un
SULTAN HASSAN MOSQUE
Interior view showing marble dado and mosaic frieze
Photo Minaret · Great Mosque of Damascus · Damascus, Syria
SULTAN HASSAN MOSQUE
Ottoman architecture •
The standard plan of Ottoman architecture was •
inspired in part by the example of Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople/Istanbul, Ilkhanid works like
Oljeitu Tomb and earlier Seljuk and Anatolian
Beylik monumental buildings and their own
original innovations. The most famous of
Ottoman architects was (and remains) Mimar
Sinan, who lived for approximately one hundred
years and designed several hundreds of buildings,
of which two of the most important are
Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul and Selimiye
Mosque in Edirne. Apprentices of Sinan later built
the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul and the Taj
Mahal in India.
Detail of the muqarnas semi-dome of the portal
The Ottomans mastered the technique of •
building vast inner spaces confined by seemingly
weightless yet massive domes, and achieving
perfect harmony between inner and outer
spaces, as well as light and shadow. Islamic
religious architecture which until then consisted
of simple buildings with extensive decorations,
was transformed by the Ottomans through a
dynamic architectural vocabulary of vaults,
domes, semidomes and columns. The mosque
was transformed from being a cramped and dark
chamber with arabesque-covered walls into a
sanctuary of esthetic and technical balance,
refined elegance and a hint of heavenly
transcendence.
 Blue mosque

Istanbul’s Blue Mosque is clearly based on the

Hagia Sophia.
Mehmet Aga’s 17th century structure rises 77
feet to the top of its central dome
 Ottoman
Sultanahmet
Mosque
 Ottoman
Sultanahmet
Mosque
AYA SOFIA
• Influences
• Specifically recognizable Islamic architectural style
emerged soon after Muhammad's time, inspired by
Islam with addition of localized adaptations of the
former Sassanid and Byzantine models, the
Germanic Visigoths in Spain also made a big
contribution to Islamic architecture. They invented
the Horseshoe arch in Spain and used them as one
of their main architectural features, After the
moorish invasion of Spain in 711 AD the form was
taken by the Ummayyads who accentuated the
curvature of the horseshoe.[
Art of Islam : Language and
Meaning
Detail from Mshatta (Early
Islamic mansion )
• The Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-
Sakhrah) in Jerusalem (691) is one of the
most important buildings in all of Islamic
architecture, marked by a strong
Byzantine influence (mosaic against a gold
background, and a central plan that
resembles that of the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, although the church itself was
renovated several times in the Islamic
period), but already bearing purely Islamic
elements, such as the great epigraphic
frieze. It featured interior vaulted spaces,
a circular dome, and the use of stylized
repeating decorative arabesque patterns.
The desert palaces in Jordan and Syria (for
example, Mshatta, Qasr Amra, and Khirbat
al-Mafjar) served the caliphs as living
quarters, reception halls, and baths, and
were decorated to promote an image of
royal luxury.
‫الزخرفة الخارجية‬
• Islamic belief in Aniconism and the doctrine of
unity (al-twahid) demanded a rich vocabulary
of abstract, geometric forms that translated
into the architecture of mosques.

Artists reiterated these forms in complex •

decoration that covered the surface of every
work of art from large buildings, to rugs,
paintings and small sacred objects.
 "Al-Andalus The Art of Islamic Spain"
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1992
• Arabic calligraphy
also provided a
basis for
decorative forms.
Sacred Qu'ranic
writing evloved
into abstract
pattern,
enhancing Islamic
ornamentation
with both visual
and spirtual
symbolism.
This kind of geometric theme in architecture •
gracefully translates into smaller scale
ornamentation on later Islamic buildings of
the 10th -14th centuries, and echoes the
theme of unity in multiplicity. Arabic
embellishment is "qualitiative - not purely
quantitative... [and its geometry] has a
contemplative aspect. It is the art of
combining the multiple and the diverse with
unity.
• Arabic
calligraphy
occurs in two
styles: Kufic and
Cursive scripts
• Kufic script:
plain brick-like
rectangles with
calligraphic
patterns of
Arabic script.
[note 20]
These are often
seen on
architectural
surfaces.
Kufic script: plain brick-like rectangles with calligraphic
patterns of Arabic script
These are often seen on architectural surfaces
Cursive script: a fluid undulating script related to •
decorative vegetation and geometric interlacing.
Iron detail on door with floral ornaments and inscription
Arabesques are •
linear, and usually
employ vine and
plant motifs. An
ancient,
multicultural
form, it lends
itself easily to an
undulating
abstract line, as
well as signifying
nature, the tree
of life, or
paradise.
Geometric interlacing and complex polygons: •
Interlaced designs weave like a trellis and form
geometric, repeating shapes.
• Polygons:
The employment of complex regular polygons is the largest
class of pattern related to the geometry of interlacement.
[note 23] It builds from a regular figure inscribed in a circle.
This cell is then translated and the innate proportions and
internal symmetries of the original figure repeat infinitely
across the plane. The circle continues to guide the design,
but is "felt rather than seen." Islamic designs are perhaps
the most mathematically sophisticated patterns we know
of, and reflect the spiritual life of Islam. "Interlacement
represents the most.. direct expression of the idea of Divine
Unity underlying the inexhaustible variety of the world.”
• the construction of the last design based on
the division of the circle.
Conclusion: The striking achievement of •
Islamic art mirrors the consolidation of their
diverse conquests. Islamic artists envisioned
al-twahid, unity in multiplicity -- the Divine
Unity of Islam
Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range •
of both secular and religious styles from the
foundation of Islam to the present day,
influencing the design and construction of
buildings and structures in Islamic culture.
The principal Islamic architectural 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
lesser importance such as public baths, fountains
and domestic architecture.
dome of Selimiye Mosque in
Edirne, Turkey.

Si-yo-se-pol, Isfahan, Iran

Inside the Faisal Mosque in

Islamabad, Pakistan.
• 4 Architecture Forms and Styles of
mosques and buildings in Muslim
countries
–4.1 Forms
–4.2 Sehan
–4.3 Gardens
–4.4 Arabesque
–4.5 Calligraphy
• Architecture Forms and Styles of mosques and buildings in Muslim countries
• Forms
• Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. 210m high. A floor with room for
25,000 worshippers.
Many forms of Islamic architecture have evolved in different regions of the Islamic •
world. Notable Islamic architectural types include the early Abbasid buildings, T-
Type mosques, and the central-dome mosques of Anatolia. The oil-wealth of the
20th century drove a great deal of mosque construction using designs from leading
modern architects.
Arab-plan or hypostyle mosques are the earliest type of mosques, pioneered •
under the Umayyad Dynasty. These mosques are square or rectangular in plan
with an enclosed courtyard and a covered prayer hall. Historically, because of the
warm Mediterranean and Middle Eastern climates, the courtyard served to
accommodate the large number of worshippers during Friday prayers. Most early
hypostyle mosques have flat roofs on top of prayer halls, necessitating the use of
numerous columns and supportsOne of the most notable hypostyle mosques is
the Mezquita in Córdoba, Spain, as the building is supported by over 850
columns.[28] Frequently, hypostyle mosques have outer arcades so that visitors can
enjoy some shade. Arab-plan mosques were constructed mostly under the
Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties; subsequently, however, the simplicity of the Arab
plan limited the opportunities for further development, and as a result, these
mosques gradually fell out of popularity.[
The Ottomans introduced central dome mosques in the 15th century and have a •
large dome centered over the prayer hall. In addition to having one large dome at
the center, there are often smaller domes that exist off-center over the prayer hall
or throughout the rest of the mosque, where prayer is not performed. This style
was heavily influenced by the Byzantine religious architecture with its use of large
central domes.
• Distinguishing motifs of Islamic architecture have always been
ordered
• repetition,
• radiating structures,
• and rhythmic,
• geometric patterns.
• In this respect, fractal geometry has been a key utility, especially
for mosques and palaces. Other significant features employed as
motifs include
• columns,
• piers and arches,
• organized and interwoven with alternating sequences of niches
and colonnettes,
• The role of domes in Islamic architecture has been considerable.
Its usage spans centuries, first appearing in 691 with the construction
of the Dome of the Rock, and recurring even up until the 17th
century with the Taj Mahal. As late as the 19th century, Islamic
domes had been incorporated into Western architecture
• Iwan
derived from Pahlavi word Bān meaning house) ‫ايوان‬An iwan (Persian •
is defined as a vaulted hall or space, walled on three sides, with one
end entirely open]The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, an
Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building,
usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and
geometric designs.
Iwans were a trademark of the Sassanid architecture of Persia, later •
finding their way into Islamic architecture. This transition reached its
peak during the Seljuki era when iwans became established as a
fundamental design unit in Islamic architecture. Typically, iwans open
on to a central courtyard, and have been used in both public and
residential architecture.
Iwan mosques are most notable for their domed chambers and iwans, •
which are vaulted spaces open out on one end. In iwan mosques, one
or more iwans face a central courtyard that serves as the prayer hall.
The style represents a borrowing from pre-Islamic Iranian architecture
and has been used almost exclusively for mosques in Iran. Many iwan
mosques are converted Zoroastrian fire temples where the courtyard
was used to house the sacred fire.
• Sehan
Almost every mosque and traditionally all houses and •
buildings in areas of the Arab World contain a courtyard
), which are surrounded on ‫صحن‬known as a sehan (Arabic
all sides by rooms and sometimes an arcade. Sehans usually
feature a centrally positioned pool known as a howz.
The Sehan, acts like an indoor garden, where the Women in •
the house can feel free to not wear the traditional Islamic
outfit that is worn in public, and in the Streets.
If a sehan is in a mosque, it is used for performing •
ablutions. If a sehan is in a traditional house or private
courtyard, it is used for aesthetics and to cool the summer
heat.
• Gardens
• Main article: Islamic Gardens
The Qur'an uses the garden as an analogy for •
paradise and Islam came to have a significant
influence on garden design. The concept of
paradise garden was commonly used the
Persian gardens, as well as Charbagh garden
of Mughal architecture.
 •
• Arabesque
• Main article: Arabesque
An element of Islamic art usually found decorating the walls and •
window screens of mosques and Muslim homes and buildings,
the arabesque is an elaborate application of repeating geometric
forms that often echo the forms of plants, shapes and sometimes
animals (specifically birds). The choice of which geometric forms
are to be used and how they are to be formatted is based upon
the Islamic view of the world. To Muslims, these forms, taken
together, constitute an infinite pattern that extends beyond the
visible material world.[33] To many in the Islamic world, they in
fact symbolize the infinite, and therefore uncentralized, nature of
the creation of the one God ("Allah" in Arabic). Furthermore, the
Islamic Arabesque artist conveys a definite spirituality without
the iconography of Christian art. Arabesque is used in mosques
and building around the Muslim world, and it is a way of
decorating using beautiful, embellishing and repetitive Islamic art
instead of using pictures of humans and animals (which is
forbidden Haram in Islam).
• Calligraphy
• Main article: Islamic calligraphy
Arabic calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art •
(the Arabesque) on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well
as on the page. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world
draw on the heritage of calligraphy to use calligraphic
inscriptions or abstractions in their work.
Instead of recalling something related to the reality of the •
spoken word, calligraphy for the Muslim is a visible
expression of spiritual concepts. Calligraphy has arguably
become the most venerated form of Islamic art because it
provides a link between the languages of the Muslims with
the religion of Islam. The holy book of Islam, al-Qur'ān, has
played a vital role in the development of the Arabic
language, and by extension, calligraphy in the Arabic
alphabet. Proverbs and complete passages from the Qur'an
are still active sources for Islamic calligraphy.
Elements of Islamic style
Islamic architecture may be identified with the following
design elements, which were inherited from the first
mosque built by hall (originally a feature of the Masjid al-
Nabawi).
Minaret of the Mosque of Uqba (Great Mosque of Kairouan)
regarded as the oldest standing minaret, Kairouan, Tunisia.
Plan view of Bab al-Barqiyya along Ayyubid Wall. Located
close to one of Cairo's main modern traffic arteries, al-Azhar
Street, the Fatimid-era Bab al-Barqiyya fortified gate was
constructed with interlocking volumes that surrounded the
entrant in such a way as to provide greater security and
control than typical city wall gates.
Minarets or towers (these were originally used as torch-lit watchtowers, as seen
in the Great Mosque of Damascus; hence the derivation of the word from the
Arabic nur, meaning "light"). The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in
Tunisia is considered as the oldest surviving minaret in the worldIt has the shape
of a square massive tower of three superimposed sections

A four-iwan plan, with three subordinate halls and one principal one that faces
toward Mecca

Mihrab or prayer niche on an inside wall indicating the direction to Mecca.

Domes and Cupolas. Pishtaq is the formal gateway to the iwan, usually the main
prayer hall of a mosque, a vaulted hall or space, walled on three sides, with one
end entirely open; a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a
building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and
geometric designs
Iwans to intermediate between different pavilions.
• The use of Islamic geometric patterns and foliage based
arabesques.

• The use of muqarnas, a unique Arabic/Islamic space-

enclosing system, for the decoration of domes, minarets
and portals, as used at the Alhambra.

• The use of decorative Islamic calligraphy instead of pictures

which were haram (forbidden) in mosque architecture.
Note that in secular architecture, human and animal
representation was indeed present.
• Central fountains used for ablutions (once
used as a wudu area for Muslims).
• The use of bright color, if the style is Persian or
Indian (Mughal); paler sandstone and grey
stones are preferred among Arab buildings.
Compare the Registan complex of Uzbekistan
to the Al-Azhar University of Cairo.
• Focus both on the interior space of a building
and the exterior
• MAIN CHARACTERS
• Courtyard
• Prayer Hall
• Minaret
• Dome
• Fountain
• Mihrab
 COURTYARD

Ibn Tolon AL AZHAR

 Prayer Hall

AL Azhar Omayyad Mosque

 Minaret

Qaitbey Mosque Samara Mosque Great Mosque Aleppo

 Dome

Al Aqsa Mosque Rock Dome

 Dome

Qaitbey Mosque Aya Sofia

 Fountain

Omayyad Mosque Al Quairawan

 Mihrab

Ibn Tolono AL Azhar