Last A Head 363UMAYYAD SYRIA AND ABBASID IRAQ, 661–1258
❚The Umayyads (r. 661–750) were the first Islamic dynasty and ruled from their capital at Damascus
in Syria until they were overthrown by the Abbasids (r. 750–1258), who established their capital at
Baghdad in Iraq.
❚The first great Islamic building is the Dome of the Rock. The domed octagon commemorated the
triumph of Islam in Jerusalem, which the Muslims captured from the Byzantines in 638.
❚Umayyad and Abbasid mosques, for example, those in Damascus and in Kairouan (Tunisia), are of
the hypostyle-hall type and incorporate arcaded courtyards and minarets. The mosaic decoration
of early mosques was often the work of Byzantine artists but excludes zoomorphic forms.
❚The earliest preserved Korans date to the 9th century and feature Kufic calligraphy and decorative
motifs but no figural illustrations.
ISLAMIC SPAIN, 756–1492
❚Abd-al-Rahman I established the Umayyad dynasty (r. 756–1031) in Spain after he escaped the
Abbasid massacre of his clan in 750.
❚The Umayyad capital was at Córdoba, where the caliphs erected and expanded the Great Mosque
between the 8th and 10th centuries. The mosque features horseshoe and multilobed arches and
mosaic-clad domes that rest on arcuated squinches.
❚The last Spanish Muslim dynasty was the Nasrid (r. 1230–1492), whose capital was at Granada.
The Alhambra is the best surviving example of Islamic palace architecture. It is famous for its
stuccoed walls and arches and its muqarnas vaults and domes.
ISLAMIC EGYPT, 909–1517
❚The Fatimids (r. 909–1171) established their caliphate in Egypt in 909 and ruled from their capital
in Cairo. They were succeeded by the Ayyubids (r. 1171–1250) and the Mamluks (r. 1250–1517).
❚The most ambitious Mamluk builder was Sultan Hasan, whose madrasa-mosque-mausoleum
complex in Cairo is based on Iranian four-iwan mosque designs.
❚Among the greatest works of the Islamic metalsmith’s art is Muhammad ibn al-Zayn’s brass basin
inlaid with gold and silver and engraved with figures of Mamluk hunters and Mongol enemies.
TIMURID AND SAFAVID IRAN AND CENTRAL ASIA, 1370–1732
❚The Timurid (r. 1370–1501) and Safavid (r. 1501–1732) dynasties ruled Iran and Central Asia for
almost four centuries and were great patrons of art and architecture.
❚The Timurid court at Herat, Afghanistan, employed the most famous painters of the day, who
specialized in illustrating books.
❚Persian painting also flourished in Safavid Iran under Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524–1576), who in addition
set up royal carpet factories in several cities.
❚The art of tilework reached its peak under the patronage of the Safavid dynasty, when builders
frequently used mosaic and cuerda seca tiles to cover the walls and vaults of mosques, madrasas,
palaces, and tombs.
OTTOMAN TURKEY, 1281–1924
❚Osman I (r. 1281–1326) founded the Ottoman dynasty in Turkey. By the middle of the 15th century,
the Ottomans had become a fearsome power and captured Byzantine Constantinople in 1453.
❚The greatest Ottoman architect was Sinan (ca. 1491–1588), who perfected the design of the domed
central-plan mosque. His Mosque of Selim II at Edirne is also an engineering triumph. It has a dome
taller than that of Hagia Sophia.
THE BIG PICTURE
THE ISLAMIC WORLD
Dome of the Rock,
Jerusalem, 687–692Great Mosque, Córdoba,
8th to 10th centuriesMuhammad ibn al-Zayn,
brass basin, ca. 1300Sultan-Muhammad,
Court of Gayumars,ca. 1525–1535Sinan, Mosque of Selim II,
Edirne, 1568–1575