1. Jordan University of Science and Technology
College of Architecture and Design
Department of Architecture
Islamic Architecture
Islamic Architecture
Dr. Raed Al Tal

2. Jordan University of Science and Technology
College of Architecture and Design
Department of Architecture
Islamic Architecture
Dr. Raed Al Tal
Umayyad Dynasty :
Architecture and Decoration

6. The Great Mosque of Damascus (709-15)
The former church of Saint John , itself built on the site
of a Roman temple (Jupiter)
The sacred enclosure was taken over by the Caliph al
Walid who erected a great triple arcaded prayer hall
They imported luxuries materials such as mosaics,
gold and silver
The cost of the construction absorbed seven years’
land tax (kharaj)

8. The Great Mosque of Damascus (709-15)

15. The central nave perpendicular to the qibla wall

22. • Double tiered arcades in the haram

24. The central nave perpendicular to the kiblah wall and
dividing the haram into two parts
Rectangular plan of the prayer hall differ from all
previous mosques, perhaps was dictated by the site
The haram is covered by three parallel gabled roofs
resting on double tiered arcades

28. Decoration program:
Marble revetment for the lower part of columns
Mosaic revetment for the upper part of walls

29. There are no zoomorphic forms, human or animal, either in
the pictorial or ornamental spaces.
This is evidence, even at the very beginning of Islamic Art, of
the restriction in traditional Islam against the
representation of figures of any kind in sacred places.
The world shown in the mosaic, which is a mirage-like in a
field of gold, and is devoid of any figures, may be an image of
paradise.
Places of Paradise, such as gardens, flowing streams,
groves of trees, and "lofty chambers," are described in the
Qu'ran.

35. Mosaic detail depicting Barada River and Umayyad palaces with karma vines

37. Window screen, west vestibule

38. The octagonal domed building on columns in the
courtyard is Bait al Mal (public treasury)

47. The Dome of the Rock
Caliph Abd al Malik (685)
The Dome of the Rock was built 687-692
An architect with Byzantine training
Octagonal rotunda on the Temple Mountain (al Haram Al
Sharif)
Gilded dome
The dome was made with two wooden frames so that it
provided
-a very light structure
- The span relatively vast

48. Inside
Double ambulatory
The outer is octagonal with two columns between the
corner pillars ( eight pillars and 16 columns in total
The inner portico is circular with four pillars and three
columns between of each two pillars ; 16 arches
surrounding the sacred rock , above this the high
cylindrical drum

52. Central octagonal plan is 54 m. in diameter

53. Its cupola rises to height of 36 m. meters

54. Geometry
Circle and square
2 squares set at 45 degree angles to each
other , the intersecting points of these squares
describe the interior circle with a radius of
20.56 m)

55. 4 doors with porches facing the cardinal points; the
largest porch facing the south

62. -It stands within a temenos that measured 430* 300 meters

67. Examples similar to the Dome of the Rock
- St. Vitale in Ravenna (AD 540)
The church of the Ascension in Jerusalem (AD 378) rests
on an octagon
Qalat Siman in the north of Syria (AD 476)
The Cathedral of Busra

68. - St. Vitale in Ravenna (AD 540)

71. -Qalat Siman in the north of Syria (AD 476)

73. -The church of the Ascension in Jerusalem (AD 378) rests on an octagon

74. General characteristics of the Dome of the Rock
-spatial harmony
-balance and perfection
-its plan reflects ancient mathematical esotericism
-through out its long history it has been a strong
political icon

79. Al-Aqsa Mosque (707- 709)
built by Caliph al Walid
-Hypostyle with seven naves
-11 bays
-The roof must have been entirely wooden with a flat ceiling
-It stands within a temenos that measured 430* 300 meters