The Art of Islam

Oct. 13, 2011

I. Introduction: art and religion

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, opening Nov. 1, 2011

II. Introduction to Islam

Abraham and his son Isaac, Ravenna, Church of San Vitale, 547, mosaic

Muhammad and Islam• Muhammad, the Prophet, 570- 632 CE in Mecca

• Qur’an (sometimes spelled Koran), was revealed to Muhammad in approximately 23 years between 610-632 CE

• In 622 CE Muhammad fled Mecca with his followers and went to Medina, a desert oasis This event the Hegira marks the beginning of the

• His followers returned and conquered Mecca in 630• By Muhammad’s death the Arabian tribes were united and

had joined Islam

Qur’an. 9th or 10th Century

Islam

Islam and Muslim come from words meaning submission to the will of Allah (God)

Islam is emphatically monotheisticFive pillars of Islam1 The testimony2. Daily prayer3 Fasting during Ramadan4 Almsgiving 5 A pilgrimage to Mecca HadjAlso observance of moral code in the Qur’an

Kaa’ba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia,

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Muslim_Conquest.PNG

III. The Dome of the Rock and Haram al-Sharif

Jerusalem, Western Wall, wall of the foundation of the second Temple 19 B.C.E.Dome of the Rock, Haram el Sharif, late 7th century

Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock, late 7th century

Tile, Kashan, 13th century

Jerusalem, Western Wall, wall of the foundation of the second Temple 19 B.C.E.Dome of the Rock, Haram el Sharif, late 7th century

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem, Israel, plan and reconstruction of the Constantinian church, ca. 325

Domes of the church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, 326

IV. Ceramics and Textiles

Dish, Iran, 10th century

Bowl, earthenware, 1425-50

Ceramic tile with an Arabic inscription, Iran, 1215

Ardabil carpet, Iran, 1539-1540

Ardibil Carpet, Iran 1539-40

Mosque lamp, glass, gilded and enamelled glass, Syria or Egypt c. 1360

V. The Great Mosque of Cordoba

Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain begun 786, Umayyad, Caliphate

Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain begun 786, Umayyad, Caliphate

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, late 7th century, Umayyad Caliphate

Qu’ran which has blood (purportedly Uthman’s) on its pages

Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain begun 786, Umayyad, Caliphate

Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain begun 786, Ummayyad, Caliphate, hypostyle hall

Plan of the Great Mosque, Kairouan, Tunisia, ca. 836-875.

Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain begun 786, Umayyad, Caliphate

Marble capital from the great Mosque at Cordoba, 10th century

Mihrab niche which identifies the qibla wall (direction of Mecca and the Kaa’ba), Great Mosque at Cordoba, 965

Dome in front of the mihrab niche, Great Mosque at Cordoba, 965

Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain begun 786, Umayyad, Caliphate

Stained glass, Notre Dame, Cathedral of Reims, France, 1211-1255

Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain begun 786, Umayyad, Caliphate

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, late 7th century, Umayyad Caliphate

Cathedral of Cordoba, inside the mosque of Cordoba, 15th Century