Islamic Design

       Religion was the major basis of art and design within Islam. Mohammed was the head of the Islamic religion; he lived from 570-632 C.E..

Great works of architecture

• Dome of the Rock - Completed in 691 C.E.. A shrine located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. This site's significance roots from religious traditions regarding the rock, known as the Foundation Stone at the heart of the building, which is of great significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Muslims believe the location of the Dome of the Rock to be the site of the Islamic miracle of Isra and Miraj. The rotunda form was thought to have been made to rival those in Christian churches. The architecture and mosaics were patterned off of nearby Byzantine churches. The structure is octagonal with a wooden dome mounted on a drum circle of 16 piers and columns. It was during the Ottoman Empire when the interior of the structure was covered in mosaic tiles, faience, and marble; work that took 7 years. Ablaq light and dark stone arches are clearly visible. 

• Great Mosque of Kairouan - built from 670 A.D., it is one of the most important mosques in Tunisia. The mosque was destroyed in 690, but was rebuilt in 703. One of the oldest places of worship and became a model for later mosques. Vast area of 9,000 square meters, has a hypostyle courtyard and a massive square minaret. This mosque was located at the heart of the city of Kairouan at its time. 

The original Kairouan

Kairouan today

• Sultan Ahmed Mosque - Was built between 1609-1617. It is also known as the Blue Mosque for all of the blue mosaics covering the interior. After an unfavorable outcome with a war against Persia, Sultan Ahmed the First decided to construct a great mosque in Istanbul to calm god. It would be the first imperial mosque for over forty years. This mosque has one main dome, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. The overall design combines elements from both Byzantine architecture and tradition Islamic design. This mosque is considered one of the last great mosques of the classical period. The interior is lined with more than 20,000 hand crafted ceramic tiles. The floors are carpeted and the walls have many windows to create a spacious feeling. The most important element of the interior is the mihrab that is carved of white marble and surrounded by many windows.

• Taj Mahal - Built from 1632 - 1648 C.E. by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. This massive white marble mausoleum is regarded as one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture, which combines styles from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and Indian architecture. This structure is seen as an earthly replica of the house of Mumtaz in paradise. In the words of Shah Jahan, himself, he describes the Taj Mahal: 

"Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory."

• The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex, and a symmetrical design is based upon this tomb. The base structure is a large, multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners, forming an octagon. The marble dome that is above the tomb is the most spectacular and notable feature. It has a similar height and base length of 115 feet. The dome sits on a 23 feet hight cylindrical drum. Due to the shape of the overall dome structure, it is often called an 'onion dome.' Four smaller similar domes surround the central dome. The onion shape is repeated in the vaulted stacked pishtaq openings surrounding the iwan walled entrance. The four large minarets help to keep the overall symmetrical design of the area. 

Current applications we see today