Islamic Study Guide Flashcards
IWAN
A space with one side open and three sides enclosed. Often seen in Iran. Started to be used in 11 th century
CARAVANSERAI or HAN
An early version of a hotel which can be found along the Silk Road routes
MADRASA
Islamic school seen in a variety of monuments built by various dynasties
HAMAM
bathhouse
MIHRAB
prayer niche on the qibla wall of a mosque
MINBAR
Pulpit
DIKKA or DIKKAH
A raised platform in a mosque where Koran is chanted
MAQSURA
Royal box, a prayer space reserved for the sultan in an imperial mosque
Suleymaniye Mosque (1557) in Istanbul
Designed by Mimar Sinan. Imperial mosque.
Commissioned by Suleyman, the magnificent,
famous Ottoman sultan in the mid-sixteenth
century, when the Ottoman Empire was at its peak.
It can be classified as an Ottoman mosque with a
great dome. This plan type and particularly
Suleymaniye owes much to Hagia Sophia. It borrows
Hagia Sophia’s architectural scheme: a large dome at
the center flanked by two semi domes on either side.
The great dome creates a large, uninterrupted
interior space for prayer at the center.
Selimiye Mosque (1575) in Edirne, Turkey
Designed by Mimar Sinan. Imperial mosque.
Commissioned by Sultan Selim III in late sixteenth
century. when the Ottoman Empire was at its peak. It
can be classified as an Ottoman mosque with a great
dome. This plan type owes much to Hagia Sophia. It
borrows Hagia Sophia’s architectural scheme: a large
dome at the center. Hagia Sophia’s two semi domes are
replaced by four smaller semi domes at placed at 45
degree angle in the corners. The great dome creates a
large, uninterrupted interior space for prayer at the
center. The mihrab wall is covered with a larger semi
dome.
Uc Serefeli Mosque (1447) in Edirne, Turkey.
Commissioned by Murad II in mid fifteenth century. It has an unusual architectural scheme. It is a transitional type that is combination of an Ottoman mosque with a great dome and hypostyle with several domes. The great dome creates a larger, uninterrupted interior space for prayer at the center. Mihrab wall is on the longer side as was the custom in earlier mosque
designs. At this point in history, Constantinople was still the capital of the Byzantine Empire and it remained so until 1453.
Hagia Sophia did not come into the picture as a dominant precedent for monumental Ottoman architecture.
Hagia Sophia (532), Istanbul, Turkey
Byzantine patriarchal cathedral. Commissioned by Emperor
Justinian I. This is the third structure built in early sixth
century after the destruction of the first two churches.
At the time of its construction, the church was the
world’s largest interior with a great dome and
pendentives. At the time of the conquest of Istanbul
(1453), the building was already older than 900 years.
But it still became a significant architectural precedent
for Ottoman architects, especially Mimar Sinan. Its
great dome and two semi domes created an unusually
large, uninterrupted ceremonial interior space for
prayer at the center
What are the major mosque plan types?
- (Arabic) or columnar mosque (with or without a courtyard) and a flat roof
- Hypostyle with several domes
- Columnar mosque with a mihrab dome
- Bursa T type
- Ottoman mosque with a great dome
…………is a transitional architectural detail which is composed of multi-faceted series of small niches stacked
in several lines, where higher tiers project further than the one below.
Muqarnas
Most …………have a hypostyle (roofed space divided with a series of columns on a grid), often
ribbed, elongated, azure-blue dome, multicolored tile work, and a monumental arched portal flanked by tapering
minarets.
Mosques of Iran and Central Asia
