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Islamic architecture, a part of the Islamic Studies , is the entire range of architecture that has evolved within Muslim Culture in the course of the History Of Islam . Hence the term encompasses religious buildings as well as secular ones, historic as well as modern expressions and the production of all places that have come under the varying levels of Islamic influence. It is very common to mistake Persian Architecture for ''Islamic Architecture'' and thus advisable to read both articles. Classification of Islamic architecture , Iran . Built in the 1300s.]] Islamic architecture can be classified according to
Elements of Islamic style Islamic architecture may be identified with the following design elements, which were inherited from the first mosque built by Muhammad in Medina , as well as from other pre-Islamic features adapted from churches and synagogues.
Interpretation Common interpretations of Islamic architecture include the following:
Influences , Kuwait ]] A specifically Islamic architectural style developed soon after the Prophet Muhammad . From the beginning the style grew from Roman , Egyptian , Persian/ Sassanid , and Byzantine styles. An early example may be identified as early as AD 691 with the completion of Qubbat Al-Sakhrah ( Dome Of The Rock ) in Jerusalem . It featured interior vaulted spaces, a circular dome, and the use of stylized repeating decorative patterns ( Arabesque ). The Great Mosque Of Samarra in Iraq, completed in AD 847, combined the Hypostyle architecture of rows of columns supporting a flat base above which a huge spiralling Minaret was constructed. Persian architecture , Isfahan .]] One of the first civilizations that Islam came into contact with during and after its birth was that of Persia. The eastern banks of the Tigris and Euphrates was where the capital of the Persian empire lay during the 7th century. Hence the proximity often led to Islamic architects of early Islam to borrow, but in fact inherit the traditions and ways of the fallen Persian empire. Islamic architecture in fact borrowed heavily from Persian architecture and in many ways can be called an extention and further evolution of Persian architecture. Many cities such as Baghdad , for example, were based on precedents such as Firouzabad in Persia . In fact, it is now known that the two designers were hired by Al-Mansur to plan the city's design were Naubakht , a former Persian Zoroastrian, and Mashallah , a former Jew from Khorasan , Iran . See Also: Persian architecture List of Persian architects Moorish architecture Construction of the Great Mosque At Cordoba beginning in 785 AD marks the beginning of Islamic architecture in Spain and Northern 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 stylize foliage motifs, Arabic inscriptions, and Arabesque design work, with walls covered in glazed tiles. Even after the compeletion of the Reconquista , Islamic influence had a lasting impact on architecture in Spain. In particular, medieval Spaniards used the Mudéjar style, an imitation of of Islamic design. One of the best examples of the Moors' lasting impact is the Alcázar Of Seville . Timurid architecture Timurid architecture is the pinnacle of Islamic art in Central Asia . Spectacular and stately edifices erected by Timur and His Successors in Samarkand and Herat helped to dessiminate influence of the Ilkhanid art in India , thus giving rise to the celebrated Moghol school of architecture. Timurid architecture started with the Sanctuary Of Ahmed Yasawi in present-day Kazakhstan and culminated in Tumir's mausoleum Gur-e Amir in Samarkand. The style is largely derived from Persian Architecture . Axial Symmetry is characteristic of all major Timurid structures, notably the Shah-e Zendah in Samarkand and the mosque of Gowhar Shad in Meshed . The double domes of various shapes abound, and the outsides are perfused with brilliantly colored Ottoman architecture The architecture of the Ottoman Empire forms a distinctive whole, especially the great mosques by and in the style of Sinan , like the mid-16th century Suleiman Mosque . The 17th-century Sultan Ahmed Mosque shows the brilliant adaptation and development of the forms established at Hagia Sophia a millennium earlier. Mughal architecture in Delhi is replica of the Islamic architecture in India.]] Another distinctive sub-style is the architecture of the , in the late 1500 s. The most famous example of Mughal architecture is the Taj Mahal , the "teardrop on eternity," completed in 1648 by the emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal who died while giving birth to their 14th child. The extensive use of precious and semiprecious stones as inlay and the vast quantity of white marble required nearly bankrupted the empire. The Taj Mahal is completely symmetric other than the sarcophagus of Shah Jahan which is placed off center in the crypt room below the main floor. This symmetry extended to the building of an entire mirror mosque in red sandstone to complement the Mecca-facing mosque place to the west of the main structure. See also
Bibliography ''The Art and Architecture of Islam: 650 - 1250'', by Richard Ettinghausen and Oleg Grabar, Penguin USA, 1987. ''Indo-Iranian Socio-Cultural Relations at Past, Present and Futur'', by M.Reza Pourjafar, Ali A. Taghvaee, in - ''Web Journal on Cultural Patrimony'' (Fabio Maniscalco ed.) , vol. 1, January-June 2006 External links
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