College of Environmental Design
Department of Architecture, UC Berkeley
Architecture Slide Library
Architecture 170 - Fall 1996 - Dell Upton - November 5
I. ISLAM. Islam founded in Arabian peninsula early 7C CE under leadership of its prophet, Muhammad [c. 571-632], whose move from his native city of Mecca to Yathrib (later renamed al-Madina/The City) in 622 was called the hijra or hegira: Muslim dates count from that year. Islam means surrender (to God); a Muslim is one who has surrendered. A religion based on learning, literacy, the word, in its holy book, the Quran; manifested in architecture in fondness for calligraphy as a form of decoration. Islam as completion of Jewish and Christian revelations.
The Ka'aba, Mecca, Islam's holy site: a pre-Islamic shrine rebuilt in 608 and again in 683, toward which Muslims face when praying.
The effort to spread Islam throughout the world: conquests of Muhammad and his successors, the Umayyad [661-750] and Abbasid [750-1258] dynasties; the jihad or holy war. Islamic admiration for and hostility to Christian society and architecture; awareness of roots in Mediterranean classical political and cultural tradition. The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 689-91. Constructed on the Haram esh-Sharif, the Jewish Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah, over the reputed site of Adam's tomb and possibly the cornerstone of Solomon's temple. Note: symbolism (the rock as omphalos), site, domed martyrium form, mosaic decorations ("the jewels") calligraphic decoration.
II. THE MOSQUE. Islam as a religion stressing community: the need for a communal gathering place. Mosque = masjid/place of prostration, but also a communal center for transaction of all sorts of business. Muhammad's house at Madina as the prototypical mosque. Parts of the mosque: liwan/prayer hall; qibla/wall toward Mecca; mihrab/niche in qibla; minbar/seat for announcements and sermons; sahn/courtyard; fountain for ritual washing; minaret/tower for calling Muslims to prayer.
Variations on the Arabian hypostyle mosque: architectural embellishments. Great (or Umayyad) Mosque at Damascus, Syria, 706-15; repaired after fires of 1069, 1893. (Damascus, Great Mosque: Plan; Exterior; Interior). Replaces a Byzantine church, in turn built on a 1C CE Roman temenos. Note: axial aisle; rich decoration; mosaics depicting garden paradise. Great Mosque at Kairouan, Tunisia, 836, 862, 875. A T-plan mosque with dome. Note: plan, minaret, horseshoe arches, classical details. Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain, 785-87, c. 833-48, 961-65, 987-88. A hypostyle mosque enlarged several times. Note: Patio de los Naranjos (sahn); arched structure; domes on ribbed supports; maqsurah/prince's enclosure; decoration. (Cordoba, Great Mosque: Plans compared; interior, Mehrab; prayer hall; dome detail)
III. ISLAMIC SPACE. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain. Most of the familiar parts were built in the 14C by Yusuf I and Muhammad V within the walls of an 11C citadel. Note: planning around courts (e.g., Court of the Myrtles, Court of the Lions), use of water and gardens, muqarnas and other decoration, Solomonic imagery. (Grananda, L'Alhambra: Exterior from Generalife; partial plan; ceiling detail; Court of the Lions).