Term
| Court of the Lions, Palace of the Lions, Alhambra, Granada, Spain, 1354 - 1391 |
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Definition
| The Palace of the Lions, names for its fountain's unusual statues, is distinctly Islamic in the use of multilobed pointed arches and the interweaving of Arabic calligraphy and abstract ornament in its stuccoed walls. |
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Term
| Aerial view of the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 687-692. |
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Definition
| Abd al-Malik erected the Dome of the Rock to mark the triumph of Islam in Jerusalem on a site sacred to Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The shrine takes the form of an octagon with a towering dome. |
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Term
| Interior of the Dome Rock, Jerusalem, 687 - 692 |
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Definition
| Tiles from the 16th century adorn the exterior of the Dome of the Rock, but the interior's original mosaic ornament is preserved. The mosaics conjure the imagery of Paradise awaiting Muslims. |
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Term
| Detail of a mosaic in the courtyard arcade of the Great Mosque, Damascus, Syria, 706 - 715 |
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Definition
| The mosaics of the Great Mosque at Damascus are probably the work of Byzantine artists and include buildings and landscape elements common in Late Antique art, but exclude any zoomorphic forms. |
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Term
| Aerial view of the Great Mosque, Damascus, Syria, 706 - 715. |
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Definition
| The hypostyle type of mosque most closely recalls the layout of Muhammad's house in Medina. Damascus's Great Mosque also owes a debt to Roman and Early Christian architecture in its plan and decoration. |
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Term
| Plan of the Umayyad palace, Mshatta, Jordan, ca. 740 - 750 (after Alberto Berengo Gardin). |
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Definition
| The fortified palace at Mshatta resembled Diocletian's palace at Split and incorporated the amenities of Roman baths but also housed a mosque in which the caliph could worship five times daily. |
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Term
| Frieze of the Umayyad palace, Mshatta, Jordan, ca. 740 - 750. Limestone, 16' 7" high. Museum für Islamische Kunst, Staatliche Museen, Berlin. |
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Definition
| A long stone frieze richly carved with tgeometric, plant, and animal motifs decorated the façade of the Mshatta palace. No animals appear, however, on the exterior wall of the palace's mosque. |
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Term
| Aerial view (left) and plan (right) of the Great Mosque, Kairouan, Tunisia, ca. 836 - 875. |
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Definition
| The arcaded forecourt in front of the hypostyle hall of the Kairouan mosque resembles a Roman forum, but it incorporates the distinctive Islamic elements of mihrab, mihrab dome, minbar, and minaret. |
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