4. Islamic Architecture: Mosques—The Dome of the Rock Includes within it piece of rock it was believed Abraham stood on when he prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and from which Muhammad ascended to Heaven.
5. Mosque of Selim II (Selimiye Camii), Edirne Islamic Architecture: Central Plan Mosques
SO INSTEAD OF DEVELOPING SOPHISTCATED FIGURATIVE ART, INSTEAD DEVELOP SOPHISTICATED AND DECORATIVE CALLIGRAPHY—EVEN AN EXPRESSION DEVELOPED, PURITY OF WRITING IS PURITY OF THE SOUL. THE DECORATIVE NATURE OF THE SCRIPTS AND PROHIBITION AGAINST RELIGIOUS ART EVENTUALLY LED TO CALLIGRAPHIC, DECORATIVE DESIGNS, ABSTRACT DESIGNS OF INCREDIBLE APPEAL, COVERING EVERYTHING FROM BUILDINGS TO CARPETS, TO DOCUMENTS. SOMETIMES ACTUAL WRITTEN SCRIPTS, SOMETIMES JUST ABSTRACT DESIGNS, OFTEN, AFTER THEIR ORIGINS, CALLED ARABESQUES, DEVELOP COMPLEX GEOMETRIC PATTERNS, SCROLL MOTIFS. THE ABSTRACT NATURE OF THESE DESIGNS ITSELF WAS VALUED IN RELIGIOUS TERMS, HELP FREE MIND FROM COMTEMPLATION OF MATERIAL OBJECTS,OPEN IT TO THE ENORMITY OF THE DEIVNE PRESENCE.
. . . MOSQUE BEING THEIR HOLY AND CONGREGATIONAL BUILDING, PLACE OF WORSHIP . . .
Dome 102 feet high, and again, plan very much based on HSoph
And to introduce us to some terms forms and terms important for islamic arch, HERE IS PLAN, SELIMIYE CAMI = SELIM’S MOSQUE IN TURKISH, NOTICE THIS THING MARKED QIBLA WALL—towards mecca, pray facing it because mecca the most holy city, where islam started, city of muh. WITHIN QIBLA WALL IS OFTEN SOMETHING CALLED A MIHRAB = NICHE, DIFERENTIATES IT FROM THE OTHER WALLS—WE’LL LOOK AT SOME IN A COUPLE MINUTES
And to introduce us to some terms forms and terms important for islamic arch, minaret—THESE TALL SPIRES/TOWERSHERE VERY TALL AND THIN—THIS WAS CHARCTERISTIC OF TURKISH/BYZ AREA ARCH—ORIG. CRIERS WOULD CALL PEOPLE TO PRAYER FROM THE MINARETS.NOW PA SYSTEMS AND TAPE RECORDERS, HORRIBLE, LIKE 6 AM, IMPOSSIBLE TO SLEEP; ONLY ROYAL MOSQUE COULD HAVE MULTIPLES, AND UNUSUAL TO HAVE MORE THAN 2.
AGAIN, KIBLA WALL MARKED FOR US, AND MIHRAB ALSO, THE NICHE, AND THIS BUILT IN MID-700S, A COUPLE CENTURIES LATER ANOTHER SPAN. MUSLIM LEADER BUILT A BEAUTIFUL DOME OVER THE MIHRAB