Week 5 of ARC3220 Abbasid Architecture in Baghdad & Samarra PDF

Abbasid Architecture in Baghdad & Samarra Dr. Sarah Abdulkareem Salih ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxJ2OC7iXo0 ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture The Abbasid Architecture in Baghdad & Samarra 1st Baghdad City...

Abbasid Architecture in Baghdad & Samarra Dr. Sarah Abdulkareem Salih ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxJ2OC7iXo0 ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture The Abbasid Architecture in Baghdad & Samarra 1st Baghdad City Damascus 2nd Baghdad: Mustansiriya Madrasa 3rd Samarra City 4th Great Mosque of Samarra (Mutawakki) 5th Samarra’s Palaces: Balkuwara Palace ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture  Samarra Damascus Baghdad Kufa Map of the Abbasid Empire in 850 C.E., with a greatest extend from the east to the far west. (Britannica.com) In 750, the Abbasids moved the capital from Damascus in Syria to Kufa in Iraq. Then, in 762 the caliph al-Mansur founded a new imperial city on the banks of the Tigris City of Peace (Madinat al-Salam) or the Rounded City also known as Baghdad. ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture Abbasid Era (750–1258) AD: Baghdad City After moving the capital to the City of Baghdad, Baghdad became the center of science, culture, and invention as it represented the Golden Age of Islam. In addition to housing several key academic institutions, such as the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Ḥikmah) had been recognized. It was also a house of multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies, so it became the City of "Center of Learning" worldwide. Baghdad City Plan: Baghdad was built with a circular plan, surrounded by substantial solid walls. The caliph palace was located in the central area beside the main mosque in the city, surrounded by governmental offices and essential buildings, followed by a ring of residential sites which included traditional courtyard houses, markets, public paths, daily mosques and schools, green areas and streets and narrow paths. An oversized trench surrounded the external wall and was filled with water from Euphrates and Tigris by canals. Four bridges were constructed on the trench leading to the four gates of the city. Proposed Models for The Old City of The gates were facing certain destinations: Basrah, Kufa, Baghdad (the Rounded City of Baghdad) Sham, and Khorasan. ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture Plan of The Old City of Baghdad (Rounded City of Baghdad)  Mustansiriya Madrasa “Mustansiriya School” In 1227, the 37th Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir Billah lead the construction of one of the world’s earliest centers of learning "University", to provide a universal system of Iwan higher education to the entire region. Students journeyed from various Islamic regions, such as Andalusia, Egypt, Isfahan, and Khorasan to study at Al-Madrasah Al- Mustansiriya by the world’s finest scholars in various literature and science, such as theology, literature, Main Courtyard medicine, mathematics, philosophy, grammar, and Islamic Iwan law. The academic period for students extended up to 10 Main Gate years, after which graduates obtained a graduation document that qualified them in certain science. Al-Madrasah Al-Mustansiriya included a variety of buildings, such as a hammam, public hospital, pharmacy, Iwan food storage site, kitchen, student residences, and mosque. N Ground floor of Mustansiriya Madrasa ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture  Mustansiriya Madrasa “Mustansiriya School” Architecture and Planning: The Mustansiriya Madrasa is one of the only buildings still standing from Abbasid Empire provides evidence for Baghdad's role as a center for Islamic Art and the development of geometric ornaments. Its architecture consists of arched doorways and a courtyard, four Iwans representing the four Islamic schools (Mazhab), arches, and geometric Abbasid motifs. It built with Mudbrick ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture Interior of Mustansiriya Madrasa Main Courtyard, quadrille layout garden, central fountain Outdoor Main Gate (before restoration) Outdoor Main Gate (after restoration, current) Iwan & Patio Arches (after restoration, current) Pointed Arches and Motifs Muqarnas Geometric Motifs  Abbasid Era (750–1258) AD Samarra City Samarra built by the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil in 836 AD as a rectangular city surrounded by a fence and towers. The most important buildings in the City were the Abu Dlf Mosque and Great Mosque of Mutawakkil, located on the boundaries of the City next to the Palace of the Caliph. The mosque was surrounded by houses of the Army Leader and the Caliph's entourage; the public housing was situated on the other side of the City, and the markets were large and distributed in the City. Streets of the City were also more significant and ran through the City. ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture Great Mosque of Samarra (Mutawakki). The Islamic Ziggurat The Old Samarra City Plan  The mosque was built in 851 AD by the Abbasid Caliph Al- Mutawakkil who reigned in Samarra, during that time it was the world's largest mosque. It was distinguished by its unique spiral minaret (52 meters) a high minaret encircled by a spiral ramp. Great Mosque of Samarra The Islamic Ziggurat (Minaret) (Mutawakki) Map of Great Mosque of Samarra (Mutawakki) Great Mosque of Samarra (Mutawakki) Great Mosque of Samarra (Mutawakki) Simple pointed arches and gateways, using fired brick, mud-brick and mud mortar. Overall, Abbasid column style in Iraq was very simple usually cylindrical and sometimes a square covered by a simple Islamic decoration, with a base and cubic crown.  Abbasid Era (750–1258) AD Samarra’s Palaces The plans of Samarra’s palaces, mosques, and gardens reflect the Abbasid Empire’s power of wealth and resources. New palace complexes of huge sizes were built, vastly larger than the earlier empires. The planning of these palaces utilized horizontal, axial, and symmetry patterns to make a visual impact. They often contain repetitions of elements like arched gateways, iwans, and halls. The plan of the Balkuwara Palace is an example of that, it leads to three courtyards, each preceded by a monumental gate, culminating in a grand iwan that opened to great courtyards and inner halls. The main construction material was unfired mud brick and fired brick. Plan of Balkuwara Palace (building between 849-859 D) ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture Monuments of the inner walls of Balkuwara Palace Palace of Ukhaidir, Samarra (775 AD) Zumurrud Khatun Mausoleum, Baghdad (1202 AD) Baghdad (1900 AD) Baghdad (1900 AD) Baghdad (1960 AD) Baghdad (1960 AD) Baghdad (1970 AD) Baghdad (1980 AD) Baghdad Cinema (1980 AD) Modern Baghdad Modern Baghdad  References: Al-Obaidi, H. & Al-Tameemi, O. (2019). Built Heritage Attractions in Cultural Tourism: the case of Al - Mustansiriya Madrassa, Baghdad. Al-Nahrain Journal for Engineering Sciences, 22(1), 37-43. dio:10.29194/NJES.22010037 Al-Yahya, D. (2020). Inside Al-Madrasah Al-Mustansiriya: A medieval Abbasid- era gem in the heart of Baghdad. Round City. Gibb, H. A. R., Kramers, J. H., Lévi-Provençal, E.;,Schacht, J., Lewis, B., & Pellat, Ch. (1960). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. Gülru Necipoğlu, ed. (1993). Pre-Modern Islamic Palaces: Ars Orientalis. Department of the History of Art. University of Michigan. Robinson, C. (2001). A Medieval Islamic City Reconsidered: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Samarra. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stierlin, H. & Stierlin, A. (1996). Islam: Early Architecture from Baghdad to Jerusalem and Cordoba. Taschen. Movie Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxJ2OC7iXo0 THANK YOU... ARC3220 History of Islamic Architecture