Key Features of Islamic Architecture
Key Characteristics of Islamic Architecture
Islamic art is a syncretic art without sacred images, which places great importance on the Arabic language. It is aimed at stylization and dominated by an aesthetic of the perishable and mutable. Other general features of Islamic art include the importance it attaches to decor, the anonymity of the artists, and the homogeneity of artistic expression throughout all territories of the empire. The fundamental building, of great originality and religious significance, is the mosque.
Architectural Features
Architecture is the most prominent of the arts in Islam. As an art without sacred images, sculpture and painting are less significant. The main features of Islamic architecture are:
- Syncretism: Like all other art forms, architecture results from a synthesis of elements from different cultures: Byzantine, Christian, Classical, etc.
- Low Buildings: Islamic architecture is characterized by low buildings, reminiscent of primitive tents in the desert.
- Simple Construction: There’s no strong interest in complex construction problems, resulting in simple buildings.
- Integration with Landscape: Buildings blend with the landscape, perfectly integrated into it, as exemplified by the Alhambra in Granada.
- Use of Modest Materials: Muslim buildings are rarely made of stone. Preferred materials include masonry and brick, often covered with plaster or stucco. This use of poor materials contributes to a sense of immateriality, aligning with the idea of the unstable nature of things.
- Reuse of Materials: Frequent reuse of materials and building structures, often from other cultures. For example, in conquered Christian territory, mosques were often built on the sites of former Christian churches, reusing their materials.
Architectural Elements and Techniques
Pillars and Columns: The most common supports are brick pillars and columns. They are usually thin, supporting lightweight roofs. Columns often feature capitals mimicking those of classical origin, though much cruder and simplified.
Arches: Arches are used extensively. Pointed arches are common in the eastern territories, and horseshoe arches in the West. From the 10th century, the use of pointed horseshoe arches, poly-lobed arches, mixtilinear arches, and intersecting arches became widespread. The use of alternating segments or surface color, originating in Cordoba, also spread.
Roofs and Vaults: The roofs of the first mosques were simple, made of wood. Contact with the Western world led to the adoption of new roofing mechanisms, such as barrel vaults, groin vaults, ribbed vaults, and shed roofs. Muslim vaults are unique because the nerves do not cross in the center but leave a square or polygonal space, sometimes used for a ribbed dome.
Lighting Effects: The use of lighting effects creates feelings of dematerialization. This involves the interplay of light and shadows, highlights, and *entreluces* (interlaced light).
Interior Decoration: Islamic architecture devotes greater care to interior decoration, while exterior walls maintain a striking simplicity, except for the coating of covers and domes. Decoration is essential in Muslim aesthetics; everything is covered with decoration.
Early Islamic Decorative Art
Repetitive Rhythm: Decorative patterns are created by repeating simple interlocking or overlapping elements. Combined with a taste for symmetry, this provides a dynamic and harmonious effect. The endless repetition is a metaphor for eternity.
Stylization: Stylization, or distortion of nature, is prominent. Unlike in the West, Muslims believe that faithfully mimicking nature is an act of wickedness, so plant motifs are stylized.