Essay on A Comparison of Christian and Islamic Architecture in Spain

As my chosen work of art is the The Mihrab, it was a remarkable experience to visit the The Metropolitan Museum of Art. After a two hour long commute, which includes two train switch and one wrong train, my friend and I were finally able to locate this museum. As lavish as it is on the outside, it also does not disappoints on the inside. The Metropolitan Museum left me spellbinding with its aura of artistic treasures from multiple eras. However, my favorite work of art belongs to the Islamic art period, the Mihrab. The Mihrab is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla—that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca—and it contains typical patterns and calligraphy from the Islamic art period.

Next, my mother told me this mosque is the biggest one, and the second religious buildings, also it has the tallest minaret in the world. This mosque has a roof made of light steel, and decorated with cedar wood which opens in 3 minutes for bringing fresh air during the summer. Also, this mosque has many chandeliers made in crystal. The location of this mosque is right by the sea overlooking the Atlantic ocean,

Jerusalem is the holy city that hosts an array of religious artifacts and buildings that are rooted in different religions that span centuries. From the Wailing Wall to the Second Temple, Jerusalem exists as a testament to ancient religions and their cultures. But one particular architectural masterpiece rises above all of them. The Dome of the Rock or Qubbat as-Sakhrah rises above Jerusalem, its golden peak reflecting the desert sun, a beacon of ancient history. It can be seen from all over Jerusalem and is the glory of the Haram es-Sharif or “Noble Sanctuary” or Temple Mount for Muslims. It stands erected between other religions and it contains a rich history interlaced with a mystery that has perplexed historians and archeologists for centuries. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions of the world and just like Christianity has left a mark in the ancient world, so too has Islam. One of the biggest marks it has left is due to the architecture attributed to Islam. Islamic architecture is praised by millions of people due to the elegant and proportional design. There have been many buildings erected in the name of Islam such as The Great Mosque in Damascus or the Umayyad Palace in Jordan but The Dome of the Rock has been hailed by many to be the jewel of Islamic architecture. It is a testament to the longevity of Islam and a reminder of what the followers of Islam believe in.

The Dome of the Rock is located in Haram al-Sharif, a sacred place for Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The area of the Haram al-Sharif is also referred as Masjid al-Aqsa because in the Quran, the opening verse of chapter al-Isra explains the miraculous Night Journey of Prophet Muhammad where he had his journey (isra’) from Bait al-Haram (Sacred Mosque) in Mecca to the Masjid al-Aqsa (Farthest Mosque) in Jerusalem and the Ascension to heaven from Masjid al-Aqsa (mi’raj). In addition, the Dome of the Rock was erected on the place which was the first direction of prayer (qibla) for Muslims.

In the medieval times castles were super important. They were used/known for many things. But one of the main things were that they used to symbolize the status. They usually belonged to wealthy people like kings, nobles, and knights. They used to symbolize you during war and peace. But also seats of local powers and justice. These castles were built to be strong and difficult to attack, but easy to defend. They were difficult to attack because they had huge walls between 15 to 20 feet thick. Also they attacked buttresses which were a outer thick layer on the wall so no weapon could go through. In these castles evn the things that look like no use come in real handy, like the tower and keeps. These were the large square tops

With a beautiful gilt dome decorating the skyline of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock has been the oldest and most famous Islamic building on the Temple Mount. As a kinetic and interrelated religious space, it not only functions as a Muslim shrine, but also exhibits significance based on its history and relative location to Jewish and Christian spaces. As its identity was once shifted to a church from an Islamic monument and then restored, the Dome of the Rock changes along the foreign conquest of Jerusalem, marking the development of Islam. Being constructed on the remains of Solomon’s Temple to compete with Christian sanctuaries on the western hill, this Islamic shrine reveals the inspiration of Jewish spaces and kingship to Islam, as well as its rivalry with Christianity when it first entered Jerusalem.

It also reflects the extent of intercultural dialogs and contacts that helped shape the Islamic societies at a local level, over time. This shrine is located on a rock that has sacred importance to three monotheistic religions i.e. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. This octagonal structure symbolizes the conquest of Islam and as a reminder of the unique connections of humanity to God through the sacred events that have taken on the spot where this shrine is constructed. For many years, the believers of the Islamic religion have cherished this place because of its religious

Menocal explains that “Hasdai was a scion of a Jewish intellectual class so successfully assimilated within the sparkling Umayyad culture of al-Andalus…These men were visible and significantly participants in the flourishing of letters, that by the time Abd al-Rahman III was caliph and Hasdai his vizier, had made Cordoba as a serious contender as Baghdad” (Menocal 86). Overall many of the different group community played a vital role in the Islamic state. Architecture comprised a vital role under the conquest of Islam in al-Andalus because the Muslims provided a rich cultural heritage within the different groups. To address the high degree of tolerance within the group that was evident in architecture was the fact that the Muslims and Christians shared the same house of worship. For example, it is explained that “When the Muslims first needed a substantial place to pray in that city, half the Damascus cathedral was brought and in effect became a shared house of worship, the relatively newly arrived Muslims praying in one half, the older Christian community in the other” ( Menocal

In 711, groups from Eastern and Northern Africa (Arab, Syrian and Berber), of Muslim religion, under the command of Tarik, defeated the Visigoth king Don Rodrigo in the battle of Guadalete. Thus began the Arab domination of the Iberian Peninsula which lasted for eight centuries, until 1492, when the last Nasrid king surrendered Granada to the Catholic Monarchs.

A minaret is a tower typically found adjacent to mosques, traditionally used for the Muslim call to prayer. The Hagia Sophia started out as a Christian church, but after being taken over in 1453 was converted to a mosque thanks to Sultan

Beautiful, magnificent, fascinating, breathtaking, and incredible are some of the words that describe the Great Mosque of Córdoba. The Mosque is also known as the Mezquita, the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, or the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady. The mosque is considered one of the monumental jewels of Islamic civilization. In addition, it is one of the largest mosques in the entire world measuring about 24,000 square meters. The mosque was not all built at once, its construction lasted from 784 AD to 987 AD. First, Emir Abd ar-RahmanI began the construction of the mosque in the year 784, on a site that was originally home to Roman temple of Janus and Visigothic church of St Vincent. In the years 822 AD to 852 AD, Abd ar-Rahman II added an arm bone of Prophet Mohammed, an original copy of Quran, and increased the size of the Mosque. Then, Abd ar-Rahman III added a new minaret in the beginning of 9th century. Following Abd ar-Rahman III, Al-Hakam II magnified the mosque and enhanced the mihrab in the year 961. Finally, Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir enlarged it further through the addition of the orange tree courtyard and the outer aisles in the year 987. As a result, this mosque turned Cordoba into a kind of paradise on earth where the Mosque symbolizes heaven.

The five daily prayers as the earliest Muslims have been known to pray towards Jerusalem. Later on, the direction of prayer was transferred towards Makkah. It was during the mi ’raj that Muslims were ordered by God to pray the daily five prayers. After Jerusalem became part of the Muslim state in 637, it was the responsibility of the ruling dynasty to lavish the city with care and attention in the form of public monument. Such as the building of mosques, hospitals, colleges for the study of the Qur’an and the traditions of the prophet, and more in order to maintain the Muslim character. It was during the year 691 that the Umayyad caliph Abd Al-Malik Ibn Marwan’s ordered his Syrian craftsmen to build the earliest masterpiece of Islamic architecture The Dome of the Rock, an octagonal sanctuary whose golden dome still dominates the skyline of old Jerusalem. Another major monument was build a couple of years later by Abd Al-Malik’s son, the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Temple

“As the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world it was originally constructed completely of timber in the Norman’s motte and bailey style of building with a wooden keep, wooden stockade, a ditch, and a moat surrounding it. Then in the late 12th century when Henry the II rebuilt both the stockade and the keep as stone fortification to better protect those inside” (Royal Collection Trust, “Who built the Castle?”). It contained all the key elements of medieval Normal architecture with its thick, high walls, large, secure front gate with a rounded arch, small, high windows, a keep containing a dungeon, a main hall, a chapel, and open space where workers and shops would normally reside. The surrounding walls were equipped with crenelations which provided protection for archers in combat and then a moat (usually containing water) surrounded the walls to deter enemy

According to the Islamic calendar the Great Mosque was established in the year 50 by the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi. The Great Mosque is considered one of the most important mosques in Tunisia, as well as in the Islamic world because it’s one of the oldest places of worship and it represents a remarkable example of Islamic architecture. The Great Mosque was one of the masterpieces of both architecture and Islamic art at that time and it still till today. historians state that the mosque was destroyed and rebuilt many times and in different

The topkapi palace represents the importance of religion in the Ottoman household. Inside the palace there is a bow and two swords of Mohammed, a door that was formerly in the Great Mosque of Mecca, the footprint of Mohammed, and the seal of Mohammed. Under The Imperial Gate, there are Quranic verses and there is an Arabic inscription. At the Gate of Salutation there Kelime-i Tevhid can be seen. The Kelime-i Tevhid is the “statement of Islamic faith” according to the official website of the Topkapi Palace Museum. Mehmed the Conqueror also had a the Agalar mosque built. This mosque was for the Sultan and his family, the pages, and the squires. There is another mosque that was built called the Sofa mosque. It was likely built around the time of Suleyman the Magnificent. There was yet another mosque built: The Mosque of the Eunuchs. The Ottomans maintained their hierarchy while still allowing everyone to practice Islam. The Ottomans succeeded in balancing status and