Islamic Architecture and Concepts Quiz

Islam centers on belief in one God (Allah), His prophets, and the Quran as His final revelation.

The Islamic declaration of faith, comprising two parts: belief in one God and Muhammad as his messenger.

The Muslim community, unified by belief, not birth.

A smaller mosque, used for daily prayers.

A larger mosque used for congregational prayers, often on Fridays.

A place of prayer, possibly a temporary structure for special occasions.

Early mosques used a spear to indicate the direction of Mecca.

Ottoman mosques featured monumental central structures with domes and semi-domes.

A niche in a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca.

A pulpit in a mosque from which sermons are given.

A platform in a mosque, usually positioned near the mihrab, where muezzins chant responses to the imam.

A lectern in a mosque, large enough to hold the Quran, used by the Quran reciter.

A mosque that does not have a minbar, distinguishing it from a congregational mosque (jami).

A collegiate mosque, educational institution often with living quarters, based on the Iranian mosque plan.

Region where the madrasa building style likely originated, initially as teachers' homes.

A monastic mosque, a retreat community in Islam.

A major monastic order in Islam, with convents incorporating landscape into meditative practice.

A mosque that combines the functions of a mosque, madrasa, and monastery.

A building plan that has the shape of a cross.

A large, vaulted hall, a key component of Islamic architecture.

Follow a prescribed pattern, as laid out in the traditions of Islam, including a committal ceremony and prayer.

Guided by Islamic beliefs of salvation and resurrection, bodies are placed at right angles to the qibla and sometimes in vaults.

The direction towards Mecca, central to Islamic prayer and rituals.

A tall tower on a mosque, used for the call to prayer.

A curved roof, symbolic of heaven.

A niche in a mosque wall, indicating the direction of Mecca.

A funerary garden in Islamic contexts.

A type of Islamic tomb, often highly decorative, with a gable top and tapering shape, symbolizing the transition from the material world to eternity.

A modular garden space in Islam, often a square or rectangle, divided into quadrants, reflecting the idea of a Paradisal Garden.

A specific Iranian tomb designed to honor warriors.

A wooden replica of an Islamic coffin, often adorned for a saint's tomb.

Cemeteries classified by those celebrating saints, heroes, or the deceased of a specific profession.

The mosque symbolizes the community encompassing both the living and the dead.

A sacred place, a point of psychic contact between the deceased and the living.

A repeated sequence of actions (standing, bowing, prostration, genuflection) showing reverence to God. Performed daily, congregationally, communally, and in pilgrimages.

Islamic house of worship, only having a mihrab, pointing the direction of Mecca.

A congregational mosque specifically used for Friday prayers.

A ritualistic cleansing before prayer to purify oneself for worship. Often partial or complete, needing running, clean water.

Islamic school and university, often combining practical and beautiful design features with prayer spaces.

Region where the plan of the Madrasa originated, combining pragmatism and beauty.

Type of Madrasa that progressed through architectural developments, from earlier T-plan to later dome-focused.

A type of madrasa evolved from local styles, with minarets and a dome.

Madrasas that evolved from earlier Syrian styles, developing a four-iwan design, and later merged with Mamluk and Ottoman styles.

A monastic mosque, accommodating both hermit-like and community-based monasticism.

A common feature in Islamic mausoleums, designed as a formal garden with intersecting axes, often modular, and functional/recreational.

A type of tomb, often preferred by warriors, characterized by a tall structure.

A famous mausoleum, a perfect example of a central mortuary chamber with surrounding chambers for family.

A building housing a tomb, often with multiple chambers for the deceased and their family.

The defining element in Islamic architecture, originating from Coptic niches, indicating the direction of Mecca.

Early mosques lacked a mihrab, using a stone marker for prayer direction.

An Islamic university, crucial for knowledge transmission and Sunni orthodoxy.

Islamic monastic center considered the heart of Muslim monasticism, often in a mosque form.

Islamic tomb, evolving from the 'qibla' position to a covered mortuary chamber with a dome.

A famous example of an Islamic university (madrasa) known as the greatest Islamic university, established in 1067.

Evergreen trees commonly planted in cemeteries, particularly cypress.