ISLAMIC

ARCHITECTURE ‫إﺳﻼﻣك أرﺷﺗﻛﺗره‬

PRESENTED BY:

ALLAN OLIVEROS
AARON EVANELISTA
GERALD DELA CRUZ
JOHN BARRUGA
DEXTER DULIN
HISTORY
‫ھﺳﺗوري‬ This diversity is reflected in the rich architectural heritage
of the Islamic world, from the decorative palaces of the
Abbasid Caliphate to the stunning mosques of Andalusia.

Early Islamic architecture refers to the architectural styles

and designs that developed in the early centuries of Islam,
primarily from the 7th to the 12th centuries CE.

This architecture was heavily influenced by the cultural

and architectural traditions of the regions where Islam
spread.

It developed distinct characteristics in the form of buildings,

and the decoration of surfaces with Islamic calligraphy and
geometric and interlaced patterned ornament
HISTORY
‫ھﺳﺗوري‬
Islamic architecture can be defined as a building tradition
of Muslim population of the Middle East and any
countries where Islam has been dominant for 7th century
onwards.

Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of

secular and religious styles from the foundation of
Islam to the present day.
 TIMELINE
‫ﺗﻣﯾﻠﯾن‬
During the early Islamic
period, Islamic
architecture was strongly
influenced by existing Islamic Spain, or
architectural traditions in Al-Andalus, saw the
regions such as the development of unique
Arabian Peninsula and architectural styles,
Byzantine and Sassanian including the Alhambra
Persia. 8th-10th Centuries: in Granada,
Umayyad and Abbasid
Dynasties

7th-8th Centuries: Early 10th-12th Centuries: Islamic

Islamic Period Spain
The Umayyad and Abbasid
periods saw the construction of
significant architectural
achievements, including the
Great Mosque of Cordoba in
Spain and the Abbasid capital
of Baghdad.
 Despite periods of political
instability, Islamic
architecture continued to
flourish under the Timurid
dynasty in Central Asia, with
notable structures like the
Gur-e-Amir mausoleum in
11th-13th Centuries: Seljuk Samarkand. 14th-17th Centuries: Ottoman
and Mamluk Periods Empire

In regions such as Iran and Egypt, 13th-16th Centuries: The Ottoman Empire
the Seljuk and Mamluk dynasties Mongol and Timurid produced iconic architectural
produced notable architectural Periods works, such as the Hagia
works, including the Seljuk Sophia in Istanbul (converted
mosques in Isfahan and the into a mosque) and the Blue
Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo. Mosque (Sultan Ahmed
Mosque).
 The Qajar dynasty in Iran
produced luxurious palaces with
mirrored interiors, including the
Golestan Palace in Tehran. In
the Ottoman Empire,
architectural revival movements
led to the construction of
neo-classical and neo-baroque
16th-18th Centuries: Safavid buildings. 20th Century to Present:
and Mughal Empires(India) Contemporary Islamic
Architecture

In Persia, the Safavid Empire left 18th-19th Centuries: Qajar Modern and contemporary Islamic
behind architectural marvels like and Ottoman Revival architecture has seen a fusion of
the Sheikh Lutfullah Mosque in traditional elements with modern
Isfahan. In the Indian design approaches. Countries with
subcontinent, the Mughal Empire significant oil wealth, such as the
produced grand structures like United Arab Emirates, have invested in
the Taj Mahal, known for its use iconic structures like the Burj Khalifa
of white marble, complex tile and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
work, and symmetrical gardens.
 Arches

Minarets Location: Ala’ Darwaza, India

Location: Minaret on Mizwa Horseshoes, pointed, scalloped, and

Mosque, Oman ogee arches are common in Islamic
architecture. Islamic ornamentation
Minarets are impressive tall frequently incorporates vibrant mosaic
structures with internal staircases tiles adorned with recurring geometric
and petite openings. They not or floral designs, including the
only possess a striking visual arabesque. It also commonly employs
Arabic calligraphy scripts, such as
presence but also serve a vital verses from the Qur’an. Additional
role by issuing the call to prayer, a embellishments in Islamic design
practice performed five times encompass wall paintings, stucco
daily by Muslims. sculptures, wall panels, and ornate
woodwork.

Domes Mashrabiya

Location: Jumeirah Mosque, Location: Tunisia

UAE
The mashrabiya is a wooden
Islamic architecture lattice framework, employed
incorporates the use of on windows for privacy and
pendentives, which enable climate regulation. It
the placement of circular occasionally serves as a
domes atop rectangular or purely decorative feature or a
square buildings. These means of partitioning interior
pendentives are frequently spaces in modern contexts.
adorned with intricate mosaic
tiling.
 Arabesque Art

Location: Umayyad Mosque,

Muqarnas Vaulting
Syria

With a design reminiscent of Islamic ornamentation comprises

honeycombs or stalactites, geometric designs, floral
intricate muqarnas vaulting patterns, and calligraphy, with
influences from Roman, Greek,
introduces a textural and and Sasanian cultures
single-hued element to the emphasizing symmetry. A
ceilings of interiors that are recurring motif in Islamic art and
often adorned with intricate architecture is the eight-pointed
and vibrant tiles. star pattern. All Islamic
decorations exhibit symmetry,
typically following a spiral path
from which leaves and flowers
emerge.

Iwan
Mihrab
Location: Mir-i Arab Madrassah,
Location: Great Mosque of Uzbekistan
Córdoba, Spain
An Iwan is a rectangular chamber
enclosed by walls on three sides
The Mihrab, an architectural
and left open on one side,
feature, designates the featuring a vaulted roof, with the
direction of prayer and is entrance, known as a Pishtaq,
often a semicircular niche adorned with calligraphic friezes,
within the mosque’s wall. glazed tilework, and geometric
designs, and this arched entrance
typically leads into a courtyard.
TAJ MAHAL
by: SHAH JAHAN

In 1631 Mumtaz Mahal, the third and favorite wife of the Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58), died while giving birth
to the couple’s fourteenth child. Devastated, the emperor
commissioned the Taj Mahal, a massive mausoleum complex on
the southern bank of the Yamuna (Jumna) River that ultimately
took more than 20 years to complete. Today the Taj Mahal is the
most famous piece of Islamic architecture in the world, with the
possible exception of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The
monument is remarkable both for its size (the finial of the dome
of the central mausoleum stands 240 feet [73 meters] above
ground level) and for its graceful form, which combines elements
of Indian, Islamic, and Persian design. From afar, viewers are
dazzled by the white marble of the central tomb, which appears
to change color with daylight. Up close, the building is richly
decorated with Arabic calligraphy and inlays of semiprecious
stones. Inside there are cenotaphs (false tombs) for Mumtaz
Mahal and Shah Jahan; the actual tombs are in a chamber
beneath the ground floor.
ALHAMBRA
by; Muhammad ibn Yusuf ibn Nasr

On a hill overlooking the Spanish city of Granada

stands the Alhambra, a palace built by princes
belonging to the Muslim Nasrid dynasty
(1238–1492) in the 14th century. Although some
portions of the palace have been demolished,
three parts remain: a fortress (Alcazaba, or
al-Qasbah) on the west end of the hill, a princely
residence to the east, and a cluster of pavilions
and gardens known as the Generalife. The
courtyards and rooms of the Alhambra are
exquisitely decorated with colored tiles, carved
stucco, carved wood, and calligraphy. Some of
the most remarkable ornamental features are the
intricately carved geometric stalactite designs (a
recurring pattern in Islamic architecture
called muqarnas in Arabic) that adorn the halls
surrounding the Court of the Lions.
THE DOME OF THE ROCK
BY Abd al-Malik

The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is the oldest

extant Islamic monument and one of the
best-known. Built in 691–692, about 55 years
after the Arab conquest of Jerusalem, the design
and ornamentation are rooted in the Byzantine
architectural tradition but also display traits that
would later come to be associated with a
distinctly Islamic architectural style. The
structure consists of a gilded wooden dome
sitting atop an octagonal base. Inside, two
ambulatories circle around a patch of exposed
rock. The site is sacred to both Judaism and
Islam; in Jewish tradition it is said to be the spot
where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son
Isaac,and in Islamic tradition it is held to be the
site of Muhammad’s ascent to heaven. The
interior is richly decorated with marble, mosaics,
and metal plaques.
THE Friday Mosque
(Masjid-e Jameh)
Located at the center of Esfahan—a city
full of architectural treasures—is the
sprawling Friday Mosque. A mosque has
stood on the site since the 8th century,
but the oldest elements of the current
structure are two domes built during the
Seljuk dynasty, which ruled parts of Iran
in the 11th century. In the early 12th
century the mosque was rebuilt around a
rectangular courtyard adjoined on each
side by an iwan—a type of hall that
opens into a tall arch on one side. The
four-iwan design, which first appeared in
Esfahan, later became the norm for
Iranian mosques.
Great Mosque of Samarra
by Al-Mutawakkil

When the Great Mosque of Samarra (in Iraq) was

built by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil (reigned
847–861) around 850, it was probably the largest
mosque in the world, with a total area of nearly 42
acres. The mosque was built out of baked brick,
with an interior decorated with blue glass. Most of
the structure was destroyed during the Mongol
invasion led by Hulagu in 1258, but one of the
most-intriguing features, the 170-foot (52-meter)
minaret, survived. The minaret is built in the shape
of a cone, wrapped in a spiraling ramp that leads to
the top. It’s unclear why the builders chose the
conical shape; some people have noted that it
slightly resembles an ancient ziggurat.
Great Mosque of Córdoba
The earliest parts of the Great Mosque of
Córdoba, Spain, were built on the site of a
Christian church by the Umayyad ruler Abd
al-Rahman I in 784–786. The structure
underwent several enlargements in the 9th
and 10th centuries. During one of these
enlargements a richly decorated mihrab (a
niche in a mosque pointing in the direction of
Mecca) set behind an intricate arch was
added. Another remarkable feature of the
mosque is the hypostyle hall consisting of
approximately 850 columns made of
porphyry, jasper, and marble supporting
two-tier horseshoe arches. Most of the
columns and capitals were recycled from
earlier buildings.
Suleymaniye Mosque complex,
Istanbul
by Mimar Sinan
Some of the most prominent features of the Istanbul
skyline are the towering dome and minarets of the
Suleymaniye Mosque complex, which stands on an
artificial platform overlooking the Bosporus. Built by the
Ottoman emperor Suleyman the Magnificent between 1550
and 1557 at the height of the Ottoman Empire’s power, it is
the largest and arguably the most beautiful of the imperial
mosque complexes in Istanbul. The interior of the mosque
is a single square-shaped room, illuminated by more than
100 large windows, many of which are stained glass. The
ornamentation is simple and does not distract from the
imposing size of the central dome, which measures 90 feet
(27.5 meters) in diameter. Arranged around the mosque
itself are a hospital, several religious schools, a row of
shops, a mausoleum, and a bath. The complex was
designed by the Ottoman master architect Sinan, whose
buildings were critical to the establishment of a distinctly
Ottoman style of architecture, and it is considered one of