1. MedievWorld1_fm_4pp.qxd

art and architecture, Islamic 65

Islamized world in the most visible way. Over the
medieval period, several types of plans were employed,
varying according to geographical areas.
The first Qurans were transcribed on PARCHMENT
under Caliph UTHMAN(644–656). Few illustrated Islamic
manuscripts from before the 12th century survive, but
historical sources mention their existence. The prohibi-
tion of images in Islamic art for secular material was not
absolute. Iconographical traditions were deeply rooted in
the many countries of the Muslim world, often retaining
traditional and regional habits and styles. The UMAYYAD
and ABBASIDcaliphs decorated their palaces with mural
paintings or stucco reliefs depicting human images.

ARCHITECTURE

The first great monument was the DOME OF THEROCK,
built in JERUSALEMin 692. It was a religious monument
associated with the rock of Abraham’s Sacrifice and the
Jewish Temple. It was not a mosque, but rather a building
demonstrating the victorious presence of Islam in a town
central to Jewish and Christian belief.
Palace architecture was also an important aspect of
Islamic architecture. The first Umayyad palaces com-

bined in their plan as well as their decoration the Roman

castrum,or fort, with a Sassanian palace. In the Abbasid

period, the immense palaces of the new palace town of

Samarra, built near Baghdad in the ninth century,

evolved toward what were to become the characteristic

forms of Islamic building styles. These included struc-

tures with axial symmetry and hanging decorations of

“arabesque” type. In western Islam in AL-ANDALUS, the

palaces of AL-MADINA AL-ZAHIRA, built in the 10th century

near Córdoba; the al-Jaferia of Saragossa from the 11th

century; and the ALHAMBRAof GRANADAfrom the 13th

and 14th centuries are impressive examples of this

palace art.

MINOR ARTS

In the field of the minor arts, Islamic ceramics were espe-

cially impressive. Muslim potters introduced new tech-

niques to the West, notably faience and metallic luster.

These artifacts also showed a great variety of decorations,

comprising “blues and whites” as well as motifs in metal-

lic luster. This procedure enjoyed considerable develop-

ment in IRAN as well as in SYRIA,EGYPT, and Spain.

Faience and metallic were used not just for pieces in the

The north end of the Myrtle Court in the Alhambra palace in Granada with the Comares Tower and Portico
(Courtesy Edward English)