Islamic Art and Architecture: History, Features, and Urbanism
General Characteristics of Islamic Art
Islamic art has evolved from various sources, such as Roman, early Christian, and Byzantine, which are intermingled in the first architecture, Sassanid Persian art, and styles of Central Asia. Two dominant features of Islamic art and architecture are the importance of decoration and the spatial composition of the mosque, which was intimately linked to Islamic doctrine and developed in the early stages of the religion.
The development of Islamic art is divided into three periods:
- The formative period, which coincides roughly with the Umayyad Caliphate.
- The middle period, covering the time of the Abbasid Caliphs.
- The final period, which elapses between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries.
In mosques, a decorative language that dispenses with figuration predominates, although attempts are made to convey the concepts of divine reason and order of the universe. The decoration is done in three ways:
- Geometric decoration: It is based on polygons, stars, and ribbons combined.
- Epigraphic decoration: Koranic inscriptions, using calligraphy.
- Floral decoration or ataurique: Also called “arabesque” in the West. It becomes an abstraction of the vines, acanthus leaves, and scrolls of the Roman tradition.
Human and animal representation itself is found in baths, palaces, and other civilian buildings. Next to the mosque are decorated architectural elements typical of Islamic art: the horseshoe arch and the capital. Developments following the Spanish-Moorish capital reveal the vitality of the Muslim aesthetic: carrying capitals, capital of nest, curb capital, capital and ataurique muqarnas.
Urbanism and Main Buildings
The Spanish-Muslim cities were labyrinthine. In the nerve center stood the mosque, a place of worship, education, and court of justice. The Islamic mosque has a very simple structure and is inspired by the Prophet’s provisional chapel built in the courtyard of his house in Medina. It consists of three parts arranged in a longitudinal axis:
- A covered room or haram: It is composed of arches distributed in longitudinal (vertical) and transverse (horizontal) naves.
- Mihrab: It is an empty niche drilled in front of the qibla wall, which direction is oriented towards the sanctuary of the Kaaba (Mecca).
- Maqsura: At Friday’s ceremony in the mosque, the Caliph attended the Jewish quarter, for whom the maqsura, a special space in front of the mihrab, was narrowed to protect it from possible attacks.
- An outdoor space or courtyard (Sahn), surrounded by porticos and galleries and having the ablution fountain (sabil) for the faithful to purify themselves before entering the sacred precinct.
- The minaret, which breaks the horizontality of the mosque, and from where the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer five times a day: at dawn, noon, early evening, at dusk, and at night.
- Souk or market: It was located near the large mosque on Friday. The stores are distributed according to the prestige of the articles. Books and perfumes occupy the position closest to the entrance of the mosque, then there are the establishments of dealers, food stalls, and household utensils. Expensive gender jewelry, embroidered fabrics, or luxury items were sold in the Alcaicería, a closed area within the covered souk and guarded.
- In the nearby streets abound fundaq with stables.
- The madrasa was the Qur’anic theological school. Its architecture is based on the Sassanid, which gave rise to a new type of mosque that quickly spread to numerous countries. For example, the mosque of Isfahan (11th century).
- The mauristan was the hospital.
- The hammam, the baths, were for personal hygiene, during the morning for men and later for women. It was a free service, under the Koranic obligation to wash before praying. With time came the Turkish baths, authentic palaces built over hot springs water, and the Arabic name of “alhama,” known by many Spanish towns, reveals the prestige of its therapeutic spas (e.g., Alhama de Almería, Alhama de Granada).
- The qubba was the more functional type of mausoleum. It was a square hall with a dome cover.
- Ribat or fortified convent: courtyard provided and bastions at the corners. Examples: San Carlos de la Rápita (Tarragona) and Santa María de la Rábida (Huelva).