TIMELINE OF THE BUILDINGS

THE HOLY THE DOME IF THE GREAT THE CITY OF IBN TULUN MOSQUE OF
KAABA. ROCK. MOSQUE OF BAGHDAD, MOSQUE, SULTAN HASSAN,
MAKKAH. JERUSALEM DAMASCUS,SYRIA IRAQ. CAIRO CAIRO.
608CE 692CE 715CE 762CE 884CE 1356CE

610CE 705CE 716CE 817CE 889CE

MOSQUE OF THE AQSA THE CITY OF AL QARAWIYYIN THE ALHAMBRA
COMPANIONS, MOSQUE. CORDOBA, MOSQUE, GRANADA,
MASSAWA JERUSALEM. SPAIN MOROCCO ANDULASIA
 DYNASTIES AND CALIPHATES

The reigns of the first four caliphs—Abu Bakr, Umar I,

ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī—were marred by political upheaval, civil
war, and assassination but era was remembered by later
generations of Muslims as a golden age of Islam, and the
four caliphs were collectively known as the “rightly guided
caliphs” because of their close personal associations with
Muhammad.

The assassination of ʿUthmān and the troubled caliphate of ʿAlī

that followed sparked the first sectarian split in the Muslim
community. By 661 ʿAlī’s rival Muʿāwiyah I, a fellow member of
ʿUthmān’s Umayyad clan, had wrested away the Caliphate, and
his rule established the Umayyad dynasty,

The ʿAbbāsids, descendants of an uncle of Muhammad, owed

the success of their revolt in large part to their appeal to various
pietistic, extremist, or merely disgruntled groups and in
particular to the aid of the Shiʿah, who held that the Caliphate
belonged by right to the descendants of ʿAlī. The first ʿAbbāsid
caliph, al-Saffāh (749–754), ordered the elimination of the entire
Umayyad clan; the only Umayyad of note who escaped was ʿAbd
al-Raḥman, who made his way to Spain and established an
Umayyad dynasty that lasted until 1031.
The Fatimid dynasty broke from the Abbasids in 909 and
created separate line of caliphs in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia,
Libya, Egypt, and Palestine until 1171 CE.

The Fatimids claimed descent from Fatimah, the daughter of the

prophet Muhammad. The Fatimid state took shape among the
Kutama, Berbers located in the west of the North African littoral (now
Algeria), in 909 conquering Raqqada, the Aghlabid capital. In 921, the
Fatimids established the Tunisian city of Mahdia as their new capital.
In 948 they shifted their capital to al-Mansuriyya, near Kairouan in
Tunisia. In 969 they conquered Egypt and established Cairo as the
capital of their caliphate; FATIMAD CALIPHATE

During the late eleventh and twelfth centuries the Fatimid

caliphate declined rapidly, and in 1171 Saladin invaded its
territory. He founded the Ayyubid dynasty and incorporated the
Fatimid state into the Abbasid Caliphate

The Ayyubid Dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origins

which ruled Egypt, Syria, Yemen (except for the Northern
Mountains), Diyar Bakr, Mecca, Hejaz and northern Iraq in the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries.Under Saladin, founder of the
dynasty, Egypt became the leading Muslim state in the region.
Saladin and his successors were also patrons of the arts and
AYYUBID CALIPHATE
sciences, establishing religious schools, hospitals and introducing
public education. They also built defensive fortifications, including
the Cairo citadel.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

ARCHES
The Arch is evident in both The pointed arch features a
entrances and interiors, rounded design with a tapered
Islamic arches are categorized apex. This type of arch would
into four main styles: pointed, eventually become an important
ogee, horseshoe, and multifoil. element of Gothic architecture.

The ogee arch is similar to the Like the horseshoe arch, The horseshoe arch (also
pointed arch. However, its the multifoil arch is known as a keyhole arch) is
point is composed of two s- characteristic of Moorish associated with Moorish
shaped lines, culminating in a architecture. This arch architecture. As its crown can
more sinuous silhouette. features multiple foils, or be either rounded or pointed,
“leaves,” resulting in a this type of structure is defined
scalloped shape. by the dramatic widening and
narrowing of its sides.
DOMES AND CUPOLAS

Dome, in architecture, hemispherical structure evolved

from the arch, usually forming a ceiling or roof.

A dome possess significance within the mosque—as a

symbolic representation of the vault of heaven. The
interior decoration of a dome often emphasizes this
symbolism, using intricate geometric, stellate, or vegetal
motifs to create breathtaking patterns meant to awe and
inspire.

As for Islamic architecture, the shapes designed on

domes symbolized different things. A circle represented
the sky, perfection, and eternity. A square represented
the earth. A star symbolized the spread of Islam.

Cupolas, usually bulbous or pointed, first saw

widespread use in Islāmic architecture in about the 8th
century. They often topped minarets but were also built
over the central space or on the corners of mosques as
well as on domestic buildings in the Middle East
MINARETS

Minarets are constructed in a wide variety of forms

ranging from thick, squat spiral ramps, as at Samarra,
Iraq (built 848–852), to soaring, delicate, pencil-thin
spires. Often the minaret is square at the base, where it
is attached to the mosque. Above this square base it
may rise in a series of circular, hexagonal, or octagonal
stages, each marked by a projecting balcony. At the top
is a bulbous dome, an open pavilion, or a metal-covered
cone. The upper parts of the minaret are usually richly
decorated with carving. The steps may be internal or
external. The number of minarets per mosque also
varies, from one to as many as six. These towers were
built to be “landmarks of Islam”—to be visible from afar
and to stamp a site with Islamic character.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
TYPES OF MOSQUE LAYOUT

HYPOSTYLE LAYOUT
With a combination of columns and arches, the hypostyle hall became one of the two
main types of mosque construction. In many mosques, especially the early
congregational mosques, the prayer hall has the hypostyle form.One of the finest
examples of the hypostyle-plan mosques is the Great Mosque of Kairouan (also called the
Mosque of Uqba) in the city of Kairouan, Tunisia.

The home of Muhammad and his family was a simple structure, made of raw brick, that
opened on an enclosed courtyard where people gathered to hear him. In 634
Muhammad decreed that prayer be directed toward Mecca. Against the wall facing
Mecca, the qiblah wall, he built a roofed shelter supported by pillars made of palm
trunks. Against the opposite wall of the courtyard stood a roofed gallery to shelter his
companions,
IWAN STRUCTURE LAYOUT
An iwan is a vaulted space that opens on one side
to a courtyard. The iwan developed in pre-Islamic
Iran where it was used in monumental and
imperial architecture.
Like a hypostyle mosque, the layout is arranged
around a large open courtyard. However, in the
four-iwan mosque, each wall of the courtyard is
punctuated with a monumental vaulted hall, the
iwan.
In this type of mosque the qibla iwan, which faces
Mecca, is often the largest and most ornately
decorated, as at Isfahan’s Great Mosque.
CENTRALISED STRUCTURE FORM
The single dome layout is the origin and most basic type of pendentive
dome mosque. Subsequent developments of the mosque layout
design were derived from this category.
The main hall can be oblong or nearly square. If the planned layout is
nearly rectangular, other roofing methods, such as a semi-dome or
flat roof, can be used. The presence of a porch on the entrance side of
the mosque is a possible variety of this type. The dome of the single
dome layout is located at the center of the prayer hall and is called a
nuclear dome, which is the most distinct characteristic of this type of
mosque layout. This mosque layout gives the impression that the
mosque is dominated by the dome. The dome is surmounted on walls
by squelches or rectangular structures.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

MUQARNAS

Muqarnas is typically applied to the undersides of

domes, pendentives, cornices, squinches, arches
and vaults and is often seen in the mihrab of a
mosque. They can be entirely ornamental, or serve
as load-bearing structures. The earliest forms of
muqarnas domes, found in the Mesopotamian
region, were primarily structural. Muqarnas grew
increasingly common and decorative in the
beginning of the 12th century. Muqarnas can either
be carved into the structural blocks of corbelled
vaulting or hung from a structural roof as a purely
decorative surface. The most distinctive form of the
muqarnas is the honeycomb structure, often
intricate and impossibly fractal-like in its
complexity.
Muqarnas are made of brick, stone, stucco, or
wood, and clad with tiles or plaster.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

ORNAMENTATION
Calligraphy in Islam has always been considered one of the most important forms
of art. There was a belief that the Koran was first scribed in Arabic. For Muslims
this holds a spiritual importance. Calligraphy was important because it did not
have any visual images. In Islam, it is improper to have any visual picture that could
be worshiped. Calligraphy was a highly valued practice.

Geometric patterns are usually a recurring motif is the 8-pointed star, often
seen in Islamic tilework; it is made of two squares, one rotated 45 degrees with
respect to the other. The fourth basic shape is the polygon, including pentagons
and octagons. All of these can be combined and reworked to form complicated
patterns with a variety of symmetries including reflections and rotations.

Arabesque designs use elements like spiral and curving forms in an infinitely
repeated, usually symmetrical pattern. Designs may feature many layers of
interwoven figures and line. Sometimes, geometric figures are also included, as are
forms called kapali, linear figures with closed ends. Arabesque designs on surfaces
create a sense of pleasing overall rhythm and patterns. As the Islamic religion
spread, arabesques could be found on walls of mosques and palaces, on ceramic
tiles and vessels, and on glassware.
ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS

An essential element of a mosque’s architecture is

a mihrab—a niche in the wall that indicates the
direction of Mecca, towards which all Muslims
pray.

A mihrab is usually a relatively shallow niche.

The direction of Mecca is called the qibla, and so
the wall in which the mihrab is set is called the
qibla wall.

The minbar is often located on the qibla wall to

the right of the mihrab. A minbar is a pulpit from
which the Friday sermon is delivered. Simple
minbars consist of a short flight of stairs, but
more elaborate examples may enclose the
stairway with ornate panels, doors, and a covered
pulpit at the top.
 HOLY KAABA
The Kaaba ( kaʿbah Which means a "Cube"), also referred
as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah (Arabic: the Holy Ka'bah), is a
building at the center of Islam's most
important mosque, Great Mosque of Mecca in
the Hejazi city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred
site in Islam. It is considered by Muslims to be the Bayt
Allāh ( "House of God"), Its location determines
the Qiblah (direction of prayer). Wherever they are in the
world, Muslims are expected to face the Kaaba when
performing Salah, the Islamic prayer.

ARHITECTURE AND INTERIOR

The Kaaba is a cuboid stone structure made of granite. It is
approximately 13.1 m, with sides measuring 11.03 m by
12.86 m. Inside the Kaaba, the floor is made
of marble and limestone. The interior walls, measuring 13 m
by 9 m, are clad with tiles, white marble halfway to the roof,
with darker trimmings along the floor. The floor of the
interior stands about 2.2 m above the ground area
where tawaf is performed.
PLAN
 HOLY KAABA
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
 Ḥajare-al-Aswad, "the Black Stone", is located on
the Kaaba's eastern corner. Its northern corner is known
as the Ruknu l-ˤĪrāqī, "the Iraqi corner", its western as
the Ruknu sh-Shāmī, "the Levantine corner", and its
southern as Ruknu l-Yamanī, "the Yemeni corner"
taught by Imam Ali.
 The four corners of the Kaaba roughly point toward the
four cardinal directions of the compass. Its major (long)
axis is aligned with the rising of the star Canopus toward
which its southern wall is directed, while its minor axis
(its east-west facades) roughly align with the sunrise
of summer solstice and the sunset of winter solstice.
 The entrance is a door set 2.13 m above the ground on
the north-eastern wall of the Kaaba.
 Mīzāb al-Raḥmah, rainwater spout made of gold. Added
in 1627 after the previous year's rain caused three of the
four walls to collapse.
 Gutter, added in 1627 to protect the foundation from
KEY FEATURES
groundwater.
 Hateem a low wall originally part of the Kaaba. It is a  Maqam Ibrahim, a glass and metal enclosure
semi-circular wall opposite, but not connected to, the with what is said to be an imprint of Hazrt
north-west wall of the Kaaba. This is 131 cm in height Abraham's feet.
and 1.5 m in width, and is composed of white marble.  Kiswa is a black silk and gold curtain which is
 Al-Multazam, the roughly 2 meter space along the wall replaced annually during the Hajj pilgrimage.
between the Black Stone and the entry door. Two-thirds of the way up is a band of gold-
embroidered Quranic text.
 Marble stripe marking the beginning and end of
each circumambulation.
 TEMPLE MOUNT,
JERUSALEM
• The Temple Mount known to Muslims as the Ḥaram
al-Šharif, means "the Noble Sanctuary “ also the Al
Aqsa Compound is a hill located in the Old City of
Jerusalem that for thousands of years has been
venerated as a holy site, in Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam alike.
• The present site is a flat plaza surrounded by
retaining walls (including the Western Wall) which
was built during the reign of Herod the Great for an
expansion of the temple.
• The plaza is dominated by three monumental
structures from the early Umayyad period:
• Al-Aqsa Mosque,
• The Dome of the Rock and
• The Dome of the Chain, as well as
• four minarets. • Herodian walls and gates, with additions from the
late Byzantine and early Islamic periods, cut through the
flanks of the Mount. Currently it can be reached
through eleven gates, ten reserved for Muslims and one for
IMPORTANT GATES IN TEMPLE MOUNT non-Muslims, with guard posts of Israeli police in the vicinity
of each.
• Bab al-Magharibeh (the only gate non-Muslims • According to Jewish tradition and scripture, the First Temple
can enter through was built by King Solomon the son of King David in 957 BCE
• Chain Gate (Bab es-Silsileh) and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE
• Cotton Merchants' Gate (Bab al-Qattanin) .The second was constructed under the auspices
• Iron Gate (Bab el-Hadid), of Zerubbabel in 516 BCE and destroyed by the Roman
• Watchman's Gate (Bab en-Nazir). Empire in 70 CE.
AL-AQSA MOSQUE,
JERUSALEM
DOME
Nothing remains of the original dome built by Abd al-Malik.
The present-day dome was built by al-Zahir and consists of
wood plated with lead enamelwork. In 1969, the dome was
reconstructed in concrete and covered with anodized
aluminium, instead of the original ribbed lead enamel work
sheeting.
Beneath the dome is the Al-Qibli Chapel ,a Muslim prayer hall,
located in the southern part of the mosque. It was built by the
Rashidun caliph Umar ibn Al-Khattab in 637 CE.
FAÇADE
The facade of the mosque was built in 1065 CE on the
instructions of the Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir . It was crowned
with a balustrade consisting of arcades and small columns. The
Crusaders damaged the facade, but it was restored and
renovated by the Ayyubids. One addition was the covering of
the facade with tiles

INTERIOR
The al-Aqsa Mosque has seven aisles of hypostyle naves with
several additional small halls to the west and east of the
southern section of the building. There are 121 stained
glass windows in the mosque from the Abbasid and Fatimid
eras. The mosque's interior is supported by 45 columns, 33 of
which are white marble and 12 of stone.
 The Great Mosque of Damascus, Syria

The Umayyad Mosque also known as the Great Mosque of Banu

Umayya (708-715 CE) located in the old city of Damascus, Syria is one of
the largest and oldest mosques in the world.

Courtyard and sanctuary

The ground plan of the Umayyad Mosque is rectangle in shape and
measures 97 meters by 156 meters. A large courtyard occupies the
northern part of the mosque complex, while the haram ("sanctuary")
covers the southern part. The courtyard is enclosed by four exterior
walls.
Three arcades make up the interior space of the sanctuary. They are
parallel to the direction of prayer which is towards Mecca in modern- Courtyard
day Saudi Arabia. The arcades are supported by two rows of
stone Corinthian columns. Each of the arcades contain two levels. The
first level consists of large semi-circular arches, while the second level is
made up of double arches
Dome
The largest
dome of the
mosque is
known as the
"Dome of the
Eagle" and
located atop
the center of
the prayer
hall. Plan
Arcade
 Fortress of Al - Ukhaidir

The Fortress of Al - Ukhaidir or Abbasid palace of Ukhaider is located

roughly 50 km south of Karbala, Iraq. It is a large, rectangular fortress
erected in 775 AD with a unique defensive style. Ukhaidir
represents Abbasid architectural innovation in the structures of its
courtyards, residences and mosque.

It was built with stone and plaster on a plan that suggests the high skill of
its architects in the use of vaults and arches, consisting of a fortified
rectangular enclosure measuring 175 x 169 meters, with a gateway in the
center of each side. It has four rounded corner towers and 10
intermediate half-rounded towers.
The walls are immensely thick, the chambers legion, the whole massive
structure 21 meters high. Every room is vaulted and majestic.

Front gate
The Great Mosque, Samarra

• The Great Mosque in Samarra is a mosque from the 9th

century CE located in Samarra, Iraq. The mosque was
commissioned in 848 and completed in 851 by
the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil who reigned (in Samarra)
from 847 until 861.
• It was, for a time, the largest mosque in the world.

The Twisted Minaret" or

"The Snail Shell Minaret was
originally connected to the The mosque
mosque by a bridge. The minaret
or tower was constructed in 848–
852 of sandstone, and is unique
among other minarets because
of its ascending spiral conical
design. Being 52 metres high and
33 metres wide at the base, the
spiral contains stairs reaching to
the top.
The minaret's unique spiral
design is said by some to be
derived from the architecture of
the Mesopotamian ziggurats. Fortified walls
The height of the Malwiya made
it practical to be used for the call
to prayer.
The Minaret
THE CITY OF BAGHDAD
After the fall of the Umayyad's, the first Muslim dynasty, the victorious Abbasid rulers
wanted their own capital from which they could rule. They chose a site north of the
Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon (and also just north of where ancient Babylon had once
stood), and on 30 July 762 CE the caliph Al-Mansur commissioned the construction of
the city.
The original design shows a single ring of residential and commercial structures along
the inside of the city walls, but the final construction added another ring inside the
first. Within the city there were many parks, gardens, villas, and promenades. In the
center of the city lay the mosque, as well as headquarters for guards. The purpose or
use of the remaining space in the center is unknown.

The four surrounding walls of Baghdad were named Kufa, Basra, Khurasan, and Syria;
named because their gates pointed in the directions of these destinations. The distance
between these gates was a little less than 2.4 km (1.5 mi). Each gate had double doors
that were made of iron; the doors were so heavy it took several men to open and close
them. The wall itself was about 44 m thick at the base and about 12 m thick at the top.
Also, the wall was 30 m high, which included merlons, a solid part of an embattled
parapet usually pierced by embrasures. This wall was surrounded by another wall with
a thickness of 50 m. The second wall had towers and rounded merlons, which
surrounded the towers. This outer wall was protected by a solid glacis, which is made
out of bricks and quicklime. Beyond the outer wall was a water-filled moat.
GOLDEN GATE PALACE

The palace originally occupied an area of 200 square yards (170 m2), with a central building
topped by a green dome, 48.36 metres (158.7 ft) high, which gave the palace its alternative name
of al-Qubbat al-Khaḍrāʾ. At the top of the dome was the effigy of a horseman carrying a lance, who
in later times was credited with magical properties: he would allegedly turn his lance towards the
direction where enemies were approaching from. Underneath the dome was a square audience
chamber 30 feet (9.1 m), with a vaulted ceiling just as high; and above that, in the interior of the
dome, was another chamber of similar dimensions.[5] In front of the audience chamber was an
alcove, called the aywan, which was surmounted by an arch 45 feet (14 m) high and 30 feet (9.1
m) wide.

The palace and mosque appear to have been completed in 763, one year after construction began,
allowing al-Mansur to take up residence in the city.While the Palace of the Golden Gate remained
the official residence of the caliphs, al-Mansur and his successors also spent much time in the
nearby Khuld Palace constructed soon afterwards. Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809) is said to have
particularly preferred Khuld over the older palace, but his son al-Amin (r. 809–81restored it as his
residence, added a new wing to it, as well as a large square (maydan). As the main stronghold of
al-Amin and his partisans, it suffered extensive damage from bombardment by catapult during the
Siege of Baghdad (812–813). The palace then ceased to be used as a royal residence, and became
neglected.
 CITADEL OF ALEPPO

The Citadel of Aleppo is a

large medieval fortified palace in
the centre of the old city
of Aleppo, northern Syria. It is
considered to be one of the oldest
and largest castles in the world.
Usage of the Citadel hill dates back
at least to the middle of the 3rd
millennium BC. Subsequently,
The stone cladding occupied by many civilizations Bridge tower
including
the Greeks, Byzantines, Ayyubids a
nd Mamluks, the majority of the
construction as it stands today is
thought to originate from the
Ayyubid period.

Interior arch Entrance

stone carving complex
Plan and section
The Citadel of Aleppo, which has been built on a
natural limestone hill, is the result of numerous
constructive phases, large changes and destruction.
The record of these changes is still recognizable in a
few structures. Most of what remains today is from the
Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. The monument
represents a unique cultural heritage for the quality of
the architecture, the variety and quality of the
materials, and for the complexity of the historical
stratifications.
Its high walls, imposing entry bridge, and great
gateway remain largely intact and dominate the skyline
of the city.
Plan

Section of the citadel

IBN TULUN’S MOSQUE, CAIRO
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is located in Cairo, Egypt.
It is the oldest mosque in the city surviving in its
original form, and is the largest mosque in Cairo in
terms of land area

• The mosque was commissioned by Ahmad ibn Tulun,

the Turkic Abbassid governor of Egypt from 868–884 whose rule
was characterized by de facto independence.
• The mosque was constructed on a small hill called Gebel Yashkur,
"The Hill of Thanksgiving.“
• The grand congregational mosque was intended to be the focal
point of Ibn Tulun's capital, al-Qata'i, which served as the center
Elevation of administration for the Tulunid dynasty.
• The mosque was constructed in the Samarran style common
with Abbasid constructions.
• It is constructed around a courtyard, with one covered hall on
each of the four sides, the largest being on the side of the qibla,
or direction of Mecca.
• The original mosque had a fountain (fauwara]) in the middle of
the sahn, covered a gilt dome supported by ten marble columns,
and round it were 16 marble columns and a marble pavement.
• Under the dome there was a great basin of marble 4 cubits in
diameter with a pattern of marble in the center.
Motif
window pattern
MOSQUE OF SULTAN HASSAN, CAIRO

Background History
• The construction of the building started in
1356 AD by Sultan Hassan and finished in
1363 AD by Basyir Aga, one of his prince.
• Historians believe the mosque used stone
from the pyramids at Giza.
• One of the minarets collapsed during
construction killing 300 people.

Characteristics
• The building become a mosque and
religious school for all four juristic
branches of Sunni Islam – Shafi’e, Maliki,
Hanafi and Hambali.
• represent great Mamluk architecture
monument in Cairo.
• The facade is about 76meters long and 36
meters high.
• The cornices, entrance portal with
pointed arch, burial chamber, and the
monumental staircase are
particularly noteworthy.
• Verses from the Quran inelegant Kufic
and Thuluth scripts adorn the inner walls.
MOSQUE OF
SULTAN
HASSAN,
CAIRO
MOSQUE OF THE COMPANIONS,
MASSAWA

The Mosque of the Companions is a mosque in the city of

Massawa, Eritrea. Dating to the early 7th century CE, it is
believed to be the first mosque on the African continent.
It was reportedly built by companions of the Islamic Nabī
(Prophet) Muhammad who came here to flee persecution
by people in the Hejazi city of Mecca, present-day Saudi
Arabia. The current structure is of much later
construction as some features like mehrab (late seventh
century) and minaret (until 9th century) did not develop
until very late in Islamic architecture.
 INTRODUCTION
Moorish architecture is the articulated
Islamic architecture of North Africa
and parts of Spain and Portugal (Al
Andalus), where the Moors were
dominant between 711 and 1492. The
best surviving examples in Iberia are
La Mezquita in Córdoba and the
Alhambra palace in Granada (mainly
1338–1390), as well as the Giralda in
Seville (1184). Other notable examples
in Iberia include the ruined palace city
of Medina Azahara (936–1010), and
baths at for example Ronda and
Alhama de Granada.
The Moors were Muslim and
influenced by the Islamic architecture
that developed in the Middle East.
Although mosques are the most
common examples of Moorish
architecture, motifs spread to the
design of homes and places of
businesses. One of the most famous
examples of Moorish architecture, the
Mezquita or Grand Mosque of
Cordoba, Spain, is today the region's
Catholic cathedral.
 Alhambra, Granada, Andalusia, Spain
The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located
in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was originally constructed as a small
fortress in AD 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications,

The Alhambra integrates natural site qualities with constructed structures

and gardens, and is a testament to Moorish culture in Spain and the skills
of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian artisans, craftsmen, and builders of their
era.The design included plans for six palaces, five of which were grouped
in the northeast quadrant forming a royal quarter, two circuit towers, and
numerous bathhouses.

Columns and muqarnas appear in several chambers, and the interiors of

numerous palaces are decorated with arabesques and calligraphy.

Partal palace in Alhambra complex Details of arabesques

 Main structures
• The royal complex
• Court of the myrtles
• Hall of amabassadors
• Court of the lion and fountain
• Hall of the Abencerrajes

Windows of the court of myrtles

Court of the lions Ceiling of the hall of ambassadors Honeycomb vaulting in the hall of Abencerrajes
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque, Fez, Morocco
• Built in the 9th century, it is a simple oratory of about 100
m2, the original mosque was made up of four naves
parallel to the qibla wall, a courtyard, a mihrab and a
minaret.
• Enlarged and enriched it with elements borrowed from
Andalusian ornamental style fashionable at that time:
plasterwork sculpture, muqarnas domes, sculpted
marble capitals, epigraphic and geometrical floral
motifs, etc.
• The mihrab dates from this time, as do the earlier domes.
The mosque is embellished with kufic inscriptions and
floral compositions that are reminiscent of Islamic art in
Spain.

• The Mosque reached its heyday during the Marinid era

(AH 7th–9th / AD 13th–15th centuries) with its 270
pillars forming 16 naves of 21 horseshoe arches each.
• The building could accommodate 22,700 people in its
halls.
• The minaret, which is as old as the original mosque, was
built in freestone and subsequently covered with plaster
and carefully polished whitewash.
• Unlike most mosques in the Muslim west, the naves of
the Qarawiyyin are not perpendicular but parallel to
the qibla wall, which suggests an oriental influence
(probably the Great Mosque of Damascus) Geometrical patterns
Plan of the mosque and interior spaces

Courtyard

Hall of Qarawiyyin mosque

CITY OF CORDOBA
• Córdoba also spelled Cordova in English, is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of
the province of Córdoba. It was a Roman settlement, taken over by the Visigoths, followed by
the Muslim conquests in the eighth century.
• Islamic structures in Cordoba are as follows:
1. Great Mosque of Córdoba
2. Minaret of San Juan
3. Mills of the Guadalquivir
4. Medina Al-zahara
Madinat al –Zahra (The city )
Cordova, Spain.
Background History
• Medina Azahara (literal meaning "the shining city") is the ruins of a vast,
fortified Andalus palace-city built by Abd-ar-Rahman III (912–961), the
first Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba, Spain
• Historical records state impressively that Medina al-Zahra is the product
of work by ten thousand slaves and paid laborers working on a daily basis,
in addition to skilled artisans from as far as Baghdad and Constantinople.

Characteristics
• The city is covered a walled area measuring some 1500 X 750 metres.
• In north-west of the middle portion there is a residential complex at 1.70
metres level below the Caliph’s palace.
• While the Caliph’s palace itself ranging from 7 to 11 metres above other
houses with internal courtyard, separated by a ramp, the so called “TWIN
ESPLANADE”.
• There were three gardens in the city. A small garden, referred to as The
Prince's Garden, was located on the upper terrace. This garden was for the
use of the nobility, the wealthy, and the powerful.
Ground plan of a number of building complexes in the north-west of the city.
 Solon rico (The Reception
Hall),Madinat Al Azahara,
Spain
Background History
• The Salon Rico, a major reception hall, is rectangular
in plan, with interior arcades of horseshoe arches and
a five-bay arcade of horseshoe arches on the façade.
• The decoration is executed in marble (for the
columns, capitals, pavements, and wall revetments)
and carved stucco.

Characteristics
• It is also eponymously known as the Salón of Abd-
el-Rahman III, is the eastern reception room. The
room, which is laid out in three aisles separated by
two rows of arches and includes an ornamental
arched wall at its end, is elaborately decorated in
stone and marble carvings.
• According to the written sources it was built in 941
by 1000 workers in 48 days.
• Three dates have been found among the
ornamentation of the salon rico, indicating the years
953-957 as the period of its construction.
Aqueducts (Madinat Al
Azahara, Spain)
Background History
• The palace was built where the 1st century
Roman aqueduct running from the Sierra. Around
1010, Madinat az-Zahra was sacked during the
civil war by Berber troops that led to the
dissolution of the Caliphate of Cordoba.

Characteristics
• The life blood of Madinat al Zahra was its water
supply; once this fell into neglect, the whole area
become hopelessly arid. Formerly the water was
brought as far as the city walls from the sierra de
Cordoba in the north, by way of pipes, which,
while mostly under ground, were supported in the
places on the horse shoe arches of aqueducts.
Shafts were sunk into the underground channels to
equalize the pressure.
THE GREAT MOSQUE
OF CORDOVA
It is commonly believed that the site
of the Mosque-Cathedral was
originally a
Christian church dedicated to Saint
Vincent the Third, which was divided
and shared by Muslims and
Christians after the Islamic conquest.

From 784- 786 AD, Abd al-Rahman

I built the Great Mosque, of Córdoba,
in the Umayyad style of architecture
with variations inspired by
indigenous Roman and Christian
Visigothic structures. Later caliphs
extended the mosque with more
domed bays, arches, intricate mosaics
and a minaret, making it one of the
four wonders of the medieval Islamic
world. After the Christian reconquest
of Andalucía, a cathedral was built in
the heart of the mosque, however
much of the original structure
remains.
THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOVA
THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOVA

• Giant arches and over 856 (of an original 1,293) columns of jasper, onyx, marble,
and granite.
• These were taken from the Roman temple which had previously occupied the site
and other destroyed Roman buildings
• The Mezquita also features richly gilded prayer niches and the mihrab, a domed shrine
of Byzantine mosaics built by Al Hakam II (961-76).
• In front of the Mihrab is the Maksoureh, a kind of anteroom for the caliph and his
court; its mosaics and plasterwork make it a masterpiece of Islamic art.
• outside the Mezquita is the Courtyard of the Orange Trees (Patio de los Naranjos),
which in springtime is perfumed with orange blossoms and has a beautiful fountain.
70 meter square – perfect square divided into two equal areas
•consisted of an oblong hall praying area the north part as an open area
•Several Roman columns were reused
•Double tiered system arcades was devised (taken from the Great Mosque of
Damascus )
THE GREAT MOSQUE
OF CORDOVA
REFERENCES

 ISLAM FROM BAGHDAD TO CARBODIA , HENRY

STIERLIN
 MOORISH ARCHITECTURE IN
ANDALUSIA,MARIANNE BARRUCAND
 ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE, BANISTER FLETCHER
 www. Study.com/academy/great mosque of samara
 www.ancient origins/ground city baghdad