ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
By: Max Dymock
Now Islam is still very new to a lot of American’s in the west, but it is spreading and the news is going around about Islam. When you think about having 1.3 billion members, which means about 1.3 out 7.1, which is pretty remarkable. Look around you, one out of seven people is a Muslim. The purpose of this article is to allow a follower of Islam, a stranger to Islam, or one who is curious can peer into the religion of Islam and how they worship. The more we know about religions the more we can understand ourselves and how we can understand our friends, neighbors, families, or our workplace. Understanding the architecture of this religion will allow us to look through a different lens and view their life. View what’s important, where we can learn and grow. This will allow us to put away our differences, our misconceptions, unknowingness, and our rudeness. The more we learn about each other. Especially through the art forms the more we can be on the same page. This article will allow you to know where some of their most holiest places of worship and where (if possible) they can travel to once in their life, in order to fulfill in their holy religion.
The first Islamic structure we want to focus on is the Dome of the Rock. The Dome of the rock is a 7th century edifice located in Jerusalem. “It enshrines the rock from which Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. Sometimes erroneously called the Mosque of Umar, from a tradition that it was built by Caliph Umar I, the Dome of the Rock was actually built by Caliph Abd al-Malik between 687 and 691. The first domed shrine to be built, the Dome of the Rock is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. The octagonal plan and the rotunda dome of wood are of Byzantine design. The Persian tiles on the exterior and the marble slabs that decorate the interior were added by Suleiman I in 1561.” (www.domeoftheorck.net) A brief history of Caliph Ahd al-Malik is that he was the 9th Caliph (a religious ruler in muslin culture) of the Arab Empure. Ahd al-Malik experienced many wars and issues within his country. He took the important step of making Arabic the official language of Islam. He created a new coinage, which had inscribed with scriptures for the Holy Quran. He also had the building of the Dome of the Rock on the site of the Jewish Temple. He also was a lover of art and improved way of writing the Quran. (http://www.answers.com/topic/abd-al-malik)
The structure of the Dome of the Rock is magnificent in structure. The structure contains 1,280 square meters of mosaics, patterns, art, and other structures. There isn’t a picture of Allah because Islam believes there’s no way to show Allah in a figurative form. Rather than a typical church like building, the Dome of the Rock conveys speaks in it’s own way by using color and shape. It uses Islamic culture by using blues a gold colors. The whole building is a symbol of representing wholeness and having a balance in life to the Muslim Faith. Some of the other features have been added in on this great piece of art, which also included some of the blue tiles to be added in the 1500. This building still stands and is in operation, even today. Many travel to the Dome in the Rock because of its importance. Followers of the religion or not, many can enjoy the beauty of this structure and enjoy the state it’s in. After viewing this structure, it’s no wonder that so many people travel to Jerusalem to learn and to feel closer to their religion.
|
The next and probably the holiest of lands and areas is the land of Mecca. Mecca has the title of The Holiest City in Islam. Meccas have a ton of holy structures and are a place where pilgrimage to Mecca is requires of every Muslim who can afford it as one of the Five Pillars of the Faith. There is a special Mosque that is supposed to be created by Muhammad himself. This mosque is name The Ka’ba and is built around a black stone, which is cracked. Muhammad designated Mecca as the holy city of Islam and the direction in which they should offer their prayers. The Ka’ba is what we want to focus on and something that many people may not know. This building has been rebuilt several times. There has a been an average of one major renovation every few centuries. The latest renovation occurred in the year 1996. The building itself only has one door with no windows. The Mosque is black has gold markings in the building. However, the building itself has been many different colors, like red and white. The Ka’ba was open for anyone to go into and offer prayers but recently, due to a huge increase in pilgrimage, the Ka’ba is only open to people of great importance and special guests. The Mosque itself is very interesting and contains many great things. One of those things is a wall with the rulers who renovated the great mosque. This part of the building contains marble and green cloth. What’s interesting about the Ka’ba is that it’s supposed to be structured as a rectangle, yet it turned out to be a unique and is now known as the famous cube. The Ka’ba also as a twin. It’s located directly above the cube and is located in heaven. This can be found the Quaran.
|