فن العمارة الإسلامية المبكرة

• Lecture 1 introduces Islamic architecture, focusing on its early stages

Course Information

• The course code is ARC261, titled "History of Architecture (2)."
• The prerequisite for the course is ARC161.
• The course provides two lecture hours per week.
• Course assessment includes coursework (60%) and a written exam (40%).

Course Description

• The course explores the evolution of Islamic architecture from the 7th century AD to the present.
• The geographical scope extends from the Arabian Peninsula to Spain and India.
• Focus is given to analytical studies of architecture from successive Islamic periods in Egypt.
• The periods include: Tulunid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman.
• The course illustrates the unity of Islamic architectural expression within each period's culture and environment.
• Examples from religious and secular architecture will be presented (Masjids, Madrasas, Palaces, and Caravanserais).
• Field trips are an integral part of the instructional program.

Islamic Architecture: Geographical Extent

• Islamic architecture is widespread.
• It stretched from India and Central Asia in the east to al-Andalus and North Africa in the west.
• It also extended from southern Italy and Sicily in the north to Yemen in the south.

Diversity in Islamic Architectural Styles

• Architectural styles in the vast Islamic world were not uniform.
• These styles varied across the long centuries of Islamic art.
• Variations are evident in building materials, column types, capitals, arches.
• Variations are evident in minarets, domes, pendants, and muqarnas.
• Variations are evident in geometric, vegetal, and calligraphic ornamentation.
• Variations are evident in materials used for wall coverings like plaster and Qashani tiles.

Seven examples

• Arabian Peninsula.
• Levant and Palestine.
• Egypt.
• Iran.
• India.
• Spain/al-Andalus.
• Turkey.

Essence and Characteristics

• Islamic architecture encapsulates civilization, reflecting its cultural identity and aesthetic level.
• Islamic architecture adapted from nomadic dwellings to urban buildings.
• Islamic architecture preserved original traits while accommodating human needs and traditions.
• Islamic arts share a universal unity; any piece reflects the widespread Islamic civilization.
• This unity is a key to superiority of Islamic civilization, imprinting artistic products with a shared identity.

Islamic Architecture: The Beginning

• Islamic architecture began with building mosques and "Arribat" (fortified monasteries).
• Later: schools, oratories, hospitals, fountains, libraries, lodges and other civic structures appeared.
• The mosque serves as the cornerstone of Islamic architectural development.
• "Arribat": Structures in Jerusalem during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods for those devoted to Al-Aqsa.
• "Arribat" Became residences for poor students of science.
• "Khanqah": A place where the Sufi isolates for worship, requiring a special layout blending mosque and school design with private rooms for retreat ("Al-Khalawi").
• "Takia": Egyptian alms-house where food is prepared and offered to the poor.
• "Bimaristan": Persian word for hospital and medical school, meaning "place of assembly".

Core Conception

• The first domain: Historical- Architectural and Emotional.
• It depends on three axes

Conceptual Framework: The Historical-Architectural and Emotional Domain

• The first axis: formal.
• The formal axis encapsulates the most stylish forms.
• The formal axis is arches, domes, vaults, interior courtyards, "Iwans," mashrabiyas,
• The formal axis gives these shapes special Islamic functions.
• These functions connect to core Islamic thought.
• These functions express unified origins, features, purposes, and shared religious, social climate.
• The second axis: the spiritual- Sufi axis.
• The second axis manifests Sufi influence within Islamic architectural designs.
• The second axis is used by great Sufis, such as Ibn Arabi and Jalaluddin Rumi.
• The second axis employs symbolic expressions without direct historical affirmation of Sufi ideas on architectural forms.
• The third axis: environmental.
• The third axis emphasizes tie between Islamic innovation and its environment, specifically in popular and rural creations.
• The third axis addresses challenges like heat, aridity, and scarce resources.
• The arid climate is a common feature across Islamic regions.
• All three axes intersect, defining Islamic architecture.
• All three axes focus on unique historical forms, Sufi spirituality, and climatic responses to arid desert settings.

Academic Study: Historical and Geographical Dimensions

• Extended from the 7th century (rise of Islam) to the early 19th century.
• The 19th century was the start of European conquest of most Islamic lands.
• The effects of the European conquest continued with Western dominance, art, and culture after liberation.
• The geographical dimension acknowledges Islamic architecture in Islamic cities and regions. Islamic cities and regions include areas ruled by Islamic civilizations.
• The Islamic regions were those later lost to other civilizations (e.g., Andalusia, Sicily).

Academic Study (Cont.)

• The Islamic regions included those incorporated later (e.g., Turkey, Bosnia, Malaysia, parts of China and Africa).
• Essential to recognise that Muslim architecture was a product.
• The Muslim architecture was built for their environmental and social needs.
• Over time, this style mixed with the underlying thought that dictates behavior.
• Over time, this style evolved as circumstances shifted, never settling but forever changing.
• Islamic architecture is a product of and testament to history.
• Orientalists studied Islamic heritage extensively by reading records.
• Orientalists examined documents describing landmarks, histories, royal biographies, and traveler accounts.
• They pinpointed locations.
• They captured details on paper through interpretation, classification, and diagrams.

Categories of Islamic Architecture

• In Islam, architecture can be divided into three categories.
• Not Islamic.
• Undesirable.
• Islamic.

Defining Islamic Architecture Categories

• "Not Islamic" architecture: architecture that violates clear Islamic principles, such as shrines.
• "Not Islamic" architecture also includes constructions on graves or buildings that expose Muslims.
• It does not matter if these are built by Muslims.
• "Discouraged" architecture: architecture that includes decoration of mosques and excess.
• "Discouraged" architecture includes extravagance considered a waste of resources.
• "Islamic architecture": architecture that adheres to the teachings of Islam in its construction.