What is Islamic architecture?
Whether religious or secular, however, the splendid style is defined by several common characteristics.
It is one of the oldest elements of Islamic architecture and is found next to most mosques.
The facade of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, a masterpiece of the Iranian architecture, built between 1602 – 1619 during the Safavid dynasty (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Athikhom Saengchai/Shutterstock)
This occurs five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night.
Court of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.
Unlike most Islamic domeswhich rest on pendentivesthe dome sits on a drum supported by 16 piers and columns.
Photo: Lkadi Adil viaWikimedia Commons(CC BY-SA 4.0)
Dome of the Rock in the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel.
In Islamic architecture, pendentives are often decorated with tiles ormuqarnas, a punch in of sculptural decoration.
Photo:MostafamerajiviaWikimedia Commons(CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mihrab
Mihrabsare architectural elements found in mosques.
Mosque at sunset. (Photo:Stock Photosfrom photo_desig/Shutterstock)
Many mihrabs feature Islamic decoration in the form of colorful tiles and mosaics.
Thepointed archfeatures a rounded design with a tapered apex.
This pop in of arch would eventually become an important element ofGothic architecture.
Court of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Pavel Dobrovsky/Shutterstock)
Photo: LeCaire viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
Theogee archis similar to the pointed arch.
However, its point is composed of two s-shaped lines, culminating in a more sinuous silhouette.
This arch features multiplefoils, or leaves, resulting in a scalloped shape.
Dome of the Rock in the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Bibiana Castagna/Shutterstock)
Photo:Bjørn Christian TørrissenviaWikimedia Commons(CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo:MostafamerajiviaWikimedia Commons(CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mihrab of 13th century Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Beyşehir, Turkey (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA)
Photo: LeCaire viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
Photo:BazaNewsviaWikimedia Commons(CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo:Citizen59viaWikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License
Photo: Escarlati viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
Interior of the Blue Mosque (Photo:Stock Photosfrom dade72/Shutterstock)
