TERMS-Architecture and Landscape in the Ottoman, Safavid, & Mughal Empires

Question 1

Caravansary

Answer 1

A hybrid inn and wholesale market built around a large court to accommodate traveling traders.

Question 2

Char bagh

Answer 2

from Persian, meaning literally “four gardens.” A quadrilateral garden divided by water channels. The layout is based on the four gardens of Paradise as described in the Quran.

Question 3

Chatri

Answer 3

a structure consisting of dome raised by four pillars, usually found in South Asian palace and funerary architecture

Question 4

Iwan

Answer 4

a shallow hall with a pointed vault serving as a portal or closed at the back and facing a court.

Question 5

Madrasa

Answer 5

Islamic center of higher learning

Question 6

Maiden

Answer 6

grand plaza for public ceremonies and sports

Question 7

Minaret

Answer 7

in Islamic architecture a high tower from which the faithful can be called to prayer, usually attached to or near a mosque for which it served also as a visual marker. In Safavid Persia and the Mughal Empire, minarets were usually decorative rather than used for the call to prayer.

Question 8

Pishtaq

Answer 8

rectangular frame around an arched opening, usually associated with an iwan.

Question 9

Plinth

Answer 9

a square block upon which a building stands.