ELEMENTS OF ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
The slideshow below lists and gives examples of elements that make Islamic architecture unique and easily identifiable. Many of these elements correspond with the Islamic ideals of godly perfection. Compared to other religious traditions, notice that Islamic architecture has few to no depictions of humans or people.
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE IN ACTION
Below is a slide show of notable mosques and other islamic buildings from around the world. Many utilize the elements of Islamic architecture in their purest forms. As the Islamic religion spread, however, different peoples combined these elements with local architecture techniques. As a result, there are many different styles of Islamic architecture. Note the elements of Islamic architecture and how they change base on each region presented.
NOTABLE HISTORIC BUILDINGS
There are a few buildings from early Islam that are particularly notable when it comes to their architectural influence. One can clearly see the emergence of the elements of the islamic style of architecture and how they developed into what we see in the mosques of today.
Images
HEADER: "Blue Mosque Courtyard Dusk Wikimedia Commons" by Benh LIEU SONG - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Mosque_Courtyard_Dusk_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg#/media/File:Blue_Mosque_Courtyard_Dusk_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg
FIRST SLIDESHOW:
- "Roof hafez tomb" by Pentocelo - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roof_hafez_tomb.jpg#/media/File:Roof_hafez_tomb.jpg
- "Israel-2013(2)-Jerusalem-Temple Mount-Dome of the Rock (SE exposure)" by Godot13 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Israel-2013(2)-Jerusalem-Temple_Mount-Dome_of_the_Rock_(SE_exposure).jpg#/media/File:Israel-2013(2)-Jerusalem-Temple_Mount-Dome_of_the_Rock_(SE_exposure).jpg
- "Tiles of Al-Mahruq Mosque" by Jamal Nazareth - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tiles_of_Al-Mahruq_Mosque.jpg#/media/File:Tiles_of_Al-Mahruq_Mosque.jpg
- "Taj Mahal mosque-1". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_mosque-1.jpg#/media/File:Taj_Mahal_mosque-1.jpg
- "Fountain courtyard current mosque Granada Spain" by Jebulon - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fountain_courtyard_current_mosque_Granada_Spain.jpg#/media/File:Fountain_courtyard_current_mosque_Granada_Spain.jpg
- "Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Federal-Territory-Mosque-03" by Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / CC-BY-SA-3.0. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kuala_Lumpur_Malaysia_Federal-Territory-Mosque-03.jpg#/media/File:Kuala_Lumpur_Malaysia_Federal-Territory-Mosque-03.jpg
- "Konya Ark summer mosque mihrab" by Faqscl - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Konya_Ark_summer_mosque_mihrab.JPG#/media/File:Konya_Ark_summer_mosque_mihrab.JPG
SECOND SLIDESHOW:
- "A packed house - Flickr - Al Jazeera English" by Al Jazeera English - A packed house. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_packed_house_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg#/media/File:A_packed_house_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg
- "Sheikh Lotfallah Esfahan" by Photo by Nicolas Hadjisavvas. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheikh_Lotfallah_Esfahan.JPG#/media/File:Sheikh_Lotfallah_Esfahan.JPG
- "SultanAhmetMosqueCourtyard" by Edal Anton Lefterov - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SultanAhmetMosqueCourtyard.jpg#/media/File:SultanAhmetMosqueCourtyard.jpg
- "Maydan Jazair Mosque Exterior Tripoli Libya" by Abdul-Jawad Elhusuni (عبدالجواد الحسوني) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maydan_Jazair_Mosque_Exterior_Tripoli_Libya.JPG#/media/File:Maydan_Jazair_Mosque_Exterior_Tripoli_Libya.JPG
- "Soofie Mosque and Maddressa, 41 Mosque (Soofie) Road, Ladysmith a" by Chothia - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soofie_Mosque_and_Maddressa,_41_Mosque_(Soofie)_Road,_Ladysmith_a.jpg#/media/File:Soofie_Mosque_and_Maddressa,_41_Mosque_(Soofie)_Road,_Ladysmith_a.jpg
- "Alhambra Löwenhof mit Löwenbrunnen 2014" by Tuxyso / Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alhambra_L%C3%B6wenhof_mit_L%C3%B6wenbrunnen_2014.jpg#/media/File:Alhambra_L%C3%B6wenhof_mit_L%C3%B6wenbrunnen_2014.jpg
- "The Taj Mahal,Agra" by Subhrajyoti - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Taj_Mahal,Agra.jpg#/media/File:The_Taj_Mahal,Agra.jpg
- "1 great mosque xian 2011" by chensiyuan - chensiyuan. Licensed under GFDL via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_great_mosque_xian_2011.JPG#/media/File:1_great_mosque_xian_2011.JPG
- "Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt9" by Diego Delso. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt9.jpg#/media/File:Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt9.jpg
- "An-Nur panorama" by Government of Pekanbaru - http://www.pekanbaru.go.id/images/mainbanner/2.jpg. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An-Nur_panorama.jpg#/media/File:An-Nur_panorama.jpg
- "Qolşärif Mosque" by Gontzal86 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qol%C5%9F%C3%A4rif_Mosque.JPG#/media/File:Qol%C5%9F%C3%A4rif_Mosque.JPG
- "Islamic Center of America" by Dane Hillard - originally uploaded to Flickr as Islamic Center of America. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Islamic_Center_of_America.jpg#/media/File:Islamic_Center_of_America.jpg
THIRD SLIDESHOW:
- "Dome of the Rock west" by Yaakov Shoham - Own work (own picture). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dome_of_the_Rock_west.jpg#/media/File:Dome_of_the_Rock_west.jpg
- "Umayyad Mosque Yard" by Wurzelgnohm - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Umayyad_Mosque_Yard.jpg#/media/File:Umayyad_Mosque_Yard.jpg
- "The spiral minaret in Samarra" by Jim Gordon - Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_spiral_minaret_in_Samarra.jpg#/media/File:The_spiral_minaret_in_Samarra.jpg
- "Great Mosque of Kairouan Panorama - Grande Mosquée de Kairouan Panorama" by MAREK SZAREJKO from CLONMEL, IRELAND - POLAND - Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_Panorama_-_Grande_Mosqu%C3%A9e_de_Kairouan_Panorama.jpg#/media/File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_Panorama_-_Grande_Mosqu%C3%A9e_de_Kairouan_Panorama.jpg
- "Mosque Cordoba" by Timor Espallargas - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosque_Cordoba.jpg#/media/File:Mosque_Cordoba.jpg
- "Samanid mausoleum bukhara-derivative" by Samanid_mausoleum_bukhara.jpg: Hylgeriak / Wikipediaderivative work: Blutgretchen - This file was derived fromSamanid mausoleum bukhara.jpg:. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samanid_mausoleum_bukhara-derivative.jpg#/media/File:Samanid_mausoleum_bukhara-derivative.jpg
- "Jamé Mosque Esfahan courtyard" by Alex O. Holcombe - self-made, transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jam%C3%A9_Mosque_Esfahan_courtyard.jpg#/media/File:Jam%C3%A9_Mosque_Esfahan_courtyard.jpg
- "Bukhara01" by Upladed by Ipaat at en.wikipediaPhoto by Anatoly Terentiev, 7 May 2003. - Transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bukhara01.jpg#/media/File:Bukhara01.jpg
- "Ghiyath aldin tughluq tomb". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ghiyath_aldin_tughluq_tomb.JPG#/media/File:Ghiyath_aldin_tughluq_tomb.JPG
- "Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt9" by Diego Delso. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt9.jpg#/media/File:Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt9.jpg
- "Çifte Minareli Medrese" by Bahar - Own work by uploader - Bahar. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%87ifte_Minareli_Medrese.JPG#/media/File:%C3%87ifte_Minareli_Medrese.JPG
HEADER: "Blue Mosque Courtyard Dusk Wikimedia Commons" by Benh LIEU SONG - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Mosque_Courtyard_Dusk_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg#/media/File:Blue_Mosque_Courtyard_Dusk_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg
FIRST SLIDESHOW:
- "Roof hafez tomb" by Pentocelo - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roof_hafez_tomb.jpg#/media/File:Roof_hafez_tomb.jpg
- "Israel-2013(2)-Jerusalem-Temple Mount-Dome of the Rock (SE exposure)" by Godot13 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Israel-2013(2)-Jerusalem-Temple_Mount-Dome_of_the_Rock_(SE_exposure).jpg#/media/File:Israel-2013(2)-Jerusalem-Temple_Mount-Dome_of_the_Rock_(SE_exposure).jpg
- "Tiles of Al-Mahruq Mosque" by Jamal Nazareth - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tiles_of_Al-Mahruq_Mosque.jpg#/media/File:Tiles_of_Al-Mahruq_Mosque.jpg
- "Taj Mahal mosque-1". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_mosque-1.jpg#/media/File:Taj_Mahal_mosque-1.jpg
- "Fountain courtyard current mosque Granada Spain" by Jebulon - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fountain_courtyard_current_mosque_Granada_Spain.jpg#/media/File:Fountain_courtyard_current_mosque_Granada_Spain.jpg
- "Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Federal-Territory-Mosque-03" by Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / CC-BY-SA-3.0. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kuala_Lumpur_Malaysia_Federal-Territory-Mosque-03.jpg#/media/File:Kuala_Lumpur_Malaysia_Federal-Territory-Mosque-03.jpg
- "Konya Ark summer mosque mihrab" by Faqscl - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Konya_Ark_summer_mosque_mihrab.JPG#/media/File:Konya_Ark_summer_mosque_mihrab.JPG
SECOND SLIDESHOW:
- "A packed house - Flickr - Al Jazeera English" by Al Jazeera English - A packed house. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_packed_house_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg#/media/File:A_packed_house_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg
- "Sheikh Lotfallah Esfahan" by Photo by Nicolas Hadjisavvas. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheikh_Lotfallah_Esfahan.JPG#/media/File:Sheikh_Lotfallah_Esfahan.JPG
- "SultanAhmetMosqueCourtyard" by Edal Anton Lefterov - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SultanAhmetMosqueCourtyard.jpg#/media/File:SultanAhmetMosqueCourtyard.jpg
- "Maydan Jazair Mosque Exterior Tripoli Libya" by Abdul-Jawad Elhusuni (عبدالجواد الحسوني) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maydan_Jazair_Mosque_Exterior_Tripoli_Libya.JPG#/media/File:Maydan_Jazair_Mosque_Exterior_Tripoli_Libya.JPG
- "Soofie Mosque and Maddressa, 41 Mosque (Soofie) Road, Ladysmith a" by Chothia - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soofie_Mosque_and_Maddressa,_41_Mosque_(Soofie)_Road,_Ladysmith_a.jpg#/media/File:Soofie_Mosque_and_Maddressa,_41_Mosque_(Soofie)_Road,_Ladysmith_a.jpg
- "Alhambra Löwenhof mit Löwenbrunnen 2014" by Tuxyso / Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alhambra_L%C3%B6wenhof_mit_L%C3%B6wenbrunnen_2014.jpg#/media/File:Alhambra_L%C3%B6wenhof_mit_L%C3%B6wenbrunnen_2014.jpg
- "The Taj Mahal,Agra" by Subhrajyoti - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Taj_Mahal,Agra.jpg#/media/File:The_Taj_Mahal,Agra.jpg
- "1 great mosque xian 2011" by chensiyuan - chensiyuan. Licensed under GFDL via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_great_mosque_xian_2011.JPG#/media/File:1_great_mosque_xian_2011.JPG
- "Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt9" by Diego Delso. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt9.jpg#/media/File:Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt9.jpg
- "An-Nur panorama" by Government of Pekanbaru - http://www.pekanbaru.go.id/images/mainbanner/2.jpg. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An-Nur_panorama.jpg#/media/File:An-Nur_panorama.jpg
- "Qolşärif Mosque" by Gontzal86 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qol%C5%9F%C3%A4rif_Mosque.JPG#/media/File:Qol%C5%9F%C3%A4rif_Mosque.JPG
- "Islamic Center of America" by Dane Hillard - originally uploaded to Flickr as Islamic Center of America. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Islamic_Center_of_America.jpg#/media/File:Islamic_Center_of_America.jpg
THIRD SLIDESHOW:
- "Dome of the Rock west" by Yaakov Shoham - Own work (own picture). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dome_of_the_Rock_west.jpg#/media/File:Dome_of_the_Rock_west.jpg
- "Umayyad Mosque Yard" by Wurzelgnohm - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Umayyad_Mosque_Yard.jpg#/media/File:Umayyad_Mosque_Yard.jpg
- "The spiral minaret in Samarra" by Jim Gordon - Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_spiral_minaret_in_Samarra.jpg#/media/File:The_spiral_minaret_in_Samarra.jpg
- "Great Mosque of Kairouan Panorama - Grande Mosquée de Kairouan Panorama" by MAREK SZAREJKO from CLONMEL, IRELAND - POLAND - Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_Panorama_-_Grande_Mosqu%C3%A9e_de_Kairouan_Panorama.jpg#/media/File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_Panorama_-_Grande_Mosqu%C3%A9e_de_Kairouan_Panorama.jpg
- "Mosque Cordoba" by Timor Espallargas - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosque_Cordoba.jpg#/media/File:Mosque_Cordoba.jpg
- "Samanid mausoleum bukhara-derivative" by Samanid_mausoleum_bukhara.jpg: Hylgeriak / Wikipediaderivative work: Blutgretchen - This file was derived fromSamanid mausoleum bukhara.jpg:. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samanid_mausoleum_bukhara-derivative.jpg#/media/File:Samanid_mausoleum_bukhara-derivative.jpg
- "Jamé Mosque Esfahan courtyard" by Alex O. Holcombe - self-made, transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jam%C3%A9_Mosque_Esfahan_courtyard.jpg#/media/File:Jam%C3%A9_Mosque_Esfahan_courtyard.jpg
- "Bukhara01" by Upladed by Ipaat at en.wikipediaPhoto by Anatoly Terentiev, 7 May 2003. - Transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bukhara01.jpg#/media/File:Bukhara01.jpg
- "Ghiyath aldin tughluq tomb". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ghiyath_aldin_tughluq_tomb.JPG#/media/File:Ghiyath_aldin_tughluq_tomb.JPG
- "Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt9" by Diego Delso. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt9.jpg#/media/File:Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt9.jpg
- "Çifte Minareli Medrese" by Bahar - Own work by uploader - Bahar. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%87ifte_Minareli_Medrese.JPG#/media/File:%C3%87ifte_Minareli_Medrese.JPG
References
Ettinghausen, R., & Grabar, O. (2001). Islamic art and architecture 650-1250 (2nd ed., p. 344). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
Islamic Architecture History. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.islamic-architecture.info/A-HIST.htm
Virtual Historic Mosques. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.3dmekanlar.com/en/3d-historic-mosques.html
Ettinghausen, R., & Grabar, O. (2001). Islamic art and architecture 650-1250 (2nd ed., p. 344). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
Islamic Architecture History. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.islamic-architecture.info/A-HIST.htm
Virtual Historic Mosques. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.3dmekanlar.com/en/3d-historic-mosques.html