Complex of Sultan Hasan

Cairo, 1356

4-Iwan Madrasa w/ mausoleum

Mamluk

Baptistere de Saint Louis

Metalwork Basin (hammered bronze with gold and silver inlays)

images of Mamluk warriors and court pastimes

Complex of Sultan Hasan

1356, Cairo

note the orientation of the building to accommodate city footprint and qibla

Mamluk

Portal, Complex of Sultan Hasan

1356, Cairo

note stone mucarnis- Mamluks were famous for the quality and complexity of their stone masonry, geometric shapes, striping effect

ablutions fountain, complex of Sultan Hasan

interior courtyard

1356, Cairo

interior, Complex of Sultan Hasan

Cairo, 1356

note the colored stones and geometric patterns in stone cutting- voussoirs carved like puzzle pieces

Mamluk

Cairo, 1285

from complex of Mamluk emir, Bunduqdar (title: keeper of the bow, hence bow emblem)

material: enameled glass

epigraphy: for whom it was made, etc

made for elite aristocracy

15th century mosque lamp

commonplace, made for middle class

text reads "the wise"

leaf from Mamluk manuscript- "Book of Ingenious Mechanical Devices" by al-Jazari

1315, probably Syria

mechanical devices important in impressing visitors to the court, very popular

Alhambra, 1333, Grenada

Nasrid palace city

very little survives

Alhambra, 1333, Grenada

floor plan shows remaining Court of Myrtles (1370) and Court of Lions (1375), both by patron Muhammed I

Court of the Myrtles, Alhambra, 1370

Grenada

Muhammad I

Bayad wa Riyadh, 12th - 13th century

Seville / Grenada

story of two star crossed lovers, ill fated love

note looping style of calligraphy

pictures similar to style of Maqamat

Court of the Lions, Alhambra, 1375

Grenada

Court of the Lions, Alhambra, 1375

Grenada

Muhammad I

Halls surrounding the Court of the Lions, Alhambra, 1375?

Grenada

Muhammad I

carved, painted stucco- geometric patterns create textile effect

surrounding halls of court of the lions, Alhambra, 1375?

Grenada, Muhammad I

calligraphy is poetry, amount of poetry in Alhambra is significant

carved wood / stucco mucarnis vault

hall of two sisters, Alhambra, 1375

Muhammad I

Hiraldo, Seville

All that is left of Great Mosque of Seville- cathedral is on top of it now

Almohad

Minaret of Mosque of Hasan, stone

1199, Rabat, Morocco

Patron: Yaqub al-Mansur

mosque started in 1191, but patron died and it remains unfinished

Almohad

Gunbad I Qabus, 1006 - 1007

Gurgan (SE of Caspian Sea)

Baked brick, very thick walls

in the shape of a 10-pointed star with one entrance

Ziyarid dynasty

tomb of Ziyarid prince inside- he had recently converted to Islam from Zoroastrianism

Great Mosque of Isfahan

Founded ~771, but focus on 11th century Seljuk additions

Seljuks converted it into a 4-Iwan plan with pishtaqs, hypostyle prayer halls, domes over the iwans, and a monumental courtyard

material: mostly brick

Kitab al-Aghani frontess piece (means 'book of songs')

1220, Mosul (PD Iraq?)

work of poetry / popular music, been around since 10th cty

depicts Seljuk ruler- Badr al Din Lu' lu'

note the amount of gold- meant for aristocracy 

Maqamat al-Hariri

1237, Baghdad

bestseller, secular work, depicts urban life pretty accurately (western part of empire)- clothing, etc

Abu Zaid- main character, trickster

Samanid Platter

9th / 10th century

ceramic

script- he who talks a lot slips a lot-- reflects middle class values

not made for aristocracy, but upper middle class

Mausoleum of the Samanids, Bukhara

914- 943

patron: Nasr

material- baked brick

note the carving of the brick on the exterior

form comes from Zoroastrian tradition- Sassanian fire temple?