Mosaics

Two buildings, the Hagia Sophia and the Great Mosque of Cordoba, can show us two separate peoples and their approach to constructing architecture that was devoted to their religions. However, while religion played a huge role, there are similarities as well between the two that show that the rulers who commissioned these buildings were interested in mimicking beauty and showing the world that their building was the most beautiful and perhaps the most elite of its time as well as proving their divinity as a ruler of a great nation.

The mosque can be identified by its elaborate squinch-supported domes. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the finest surviving examples of Umayyad architecture in Spain. The mosque has marble capitals and columns in the hypostyle prayer hall. A person enters the hall through an open courtyard called a sahn. Its famous horseshoe arches have an alternated pattern of pale stone and red brick voussoirs

There exist three basic components of traditional Islamic art: calligraphy, geometric patterns, and floral and vegetal motifs. These three stylistic tools are beautifully rendered and masterfully integrated into complex works of art, but there is no question that artistic expression is severely limited under these categorizations. However, this limitation stems from Islamic theology and concept of art. The main reason for the limitation imposed on visual art is the Islamic theological prohibition of figural imagery. Social laws presented in the Hadith prevented the representation of figures because any imitation was deemed idolatrous. Also, art is considered to be decorative and imitative. Script and patterns are used to decorate

Essentially unchanged for more than thirteen centuries, the Dome of the Rock remains one of the world's most beautiful and enduring architectural treasures. Adorned with its magnificent gold dome and elaborate quranic inscriptions, the structure intimately represents the world's second largest religion in a city historically associated with the three Semitic faiths. Representation, however, is not the only effect of this site. Despite its intended purpose, the Dome of the Rock inherently stands as the focal center of a millennium-old religious controversy. Located on what is essentially the world's holiest site (obviously a speculative assertion) and inscribed with proclamations of Islamic religious superiority, the Dome symbolizes far

Comparing this palace with the Alhambra palace, they both show wealth in symbolism to the community. In their different ways, they both portray little glimpse of paradise on earth. The designs and patterns used to beautify these palaces show repetition in their styles. One difference between this palace and the Alhambra palace is the presence of a human-like figure. In Islam, it is forbidden to have any human figurine present in the premises but in this palace it is allowed.

The inclusion of the architectural notations were quite elaborate, offering the contributions to society due to engineering design brought about by the desire to have these beautiful places to celebrate God. They seemed to indicate that the Islamic Empire was the center of the scientific world at the time with all the noted scholars and scientists coming to join together to brainstorm. Much of it had to deal with documentation and the recording of events, but without proper counterpoint it is hard to say if it was in fact as critical as it appears.

HVIII. ARCHITECTURE: Mosques in the old days were decorated beautifully with calligraphy and tile. They also had their own kind of domes that they used on the most important buildings. Used minarets. The specific geometric forms decorating the walls (known as Arabesque) represent the infinite.

When I visited the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA), I was mesmerized by the beautiful sculptures, paintings, and many other works of art. This museum introduces many different exhibitions at different times and dates. The exhibition that I chose to visit is called the “Sandow Birk: American Qur’an”. The reason why I was very interested in this type of exhibition was because it displayed Middle Eastern artwork. Another reason was because I am Middle Eastern and that I can relate to it. Although I was so focused on this exhibition only, I did not realize the other works of art. However, as I walked deeper into the museum, another exhibition caught my attention. That exhibition is called the “Olga Lah: Amass and Swell”. If anyone decides to visit the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA), I would recommend to look online about any appealing exhibitions that are being displayed as well as calling their office to plan a visit. Furthermore, in my opinion, there were some types of art that I did not fully analyze because they were not relatively fascinating as the rest. Moreover, the artworks that I examined displayed unique qualities and their messages were demonstrated in a significant, yet informative way.

A common Islamic art masterpiece is the use of tiles, more so the Iranian Star-shaped tile (Necipoglu 174). This is a 15th century artwork, probably made during the time when the Timurids ruled over Iran (Doak 136). This star-like tile; as illustrated in Figure I below, has a decoration of geometric shapes leaves and flowers on it, with a major flower being positioned right at the center of the tile. These tiles were made to cover outer walls of buildings, with designs and colorful patterns, to make such structures more beautiful. The tiles were fitted together using mortar on the walls of structures to create a mosaic design that adorned the outer walls of the structures.

Ever since man began building structures and settling land, art has manifested itself in our architectural creations. Whether it be to celebrate or worship a God or Gods, a grand sculpture to bury a powerful leader or remember them by, or to show a culture’s dedication to specific values, our architectural constructions have led to some of the finest art this Earth has ever seen. The Taj Mahal and Palace of Versailles are two great examples of such art. By examining each of these individually, and then comparing and contrasting them, it will become clear that no matter how different looking these buildings may be, they still serve the same purpose to the civilizations that erected them.

The Romans were master engineers and were known for beginning to use the arch and dome. An example of the use of these innovations is the Aqueducts. The Aqueducts were very important to Rome because it delivered water to the huge population, meaning that the arch and dome helped build very efficient and useful buildings. The Umayyads and Abbasids on the African side of the Mediterranean continued to use the arch and dome, but also added their own style of geometric designs to their buildings because Allah could not be expressed in picture form. This is seen in the many mosques that were built, including the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The Byzantines and Feudal Europe both also used arches and domes to build their churches. They also incorporated tall, arched windows into their unique architectural style. This is where the arch came into play for Europe. In conclusion, the arch and dome were continually used throughout the history of the Mediterranean, but other styles from different political organizations also

Every religion has its own approach to art and architecture. An assessment between different traditions can offer an illuminating insight into the varying religious outlooks and theologies. Architecture, as well as art, is influenced by a number of forces in society, in the environment, in the psychology of the people who produce it, and in different institutions. It is an expression of inner feelings and beliefs and so naturally is influenced by religion in many societies. Religious architecture is created to experience the sacred, to provide a place into which spiritual energies flow and reflect a sense of the divine. Some

decoration of the Dome of the Rock, however, is the mosaic work.” 2 Once inside, the rock that

Just from looking at a few pieces of the art of the ancient Egyptians, you begin to notice many defining characteristics about it that make it unique and different from other styles of art. There are an ample amount of recurring features in the art, so this must mean that these traits and aspects are noteworthy. This next section of the essay will go into detail about a few of the many types of art and the stylistic elements that define ancient Egyptian art and make it special and distinguishable from other types of art, and why some particular aspects of the art are important.

The Hagia Sophia church and the Suleymaniye mosque are separated by a thousand years but are tied together eternally. One representing the achievement of the Christian-Byzantine empire and the other representing the ability of the Islamic-Ottoman empire and its architect Sinan. Two empires that had very little in common other than their architecture and region. In earlier history the Dome of the Rock represented the Islamic empire's attempt to rival the newly defeated Byzantine empire and its architectural achievements such as the Holy Sepulchre. As history often repeats itself, with similar political motives the Suleymaniye mosque became the Ottoman's answer to the