Islamic Art and Architecture

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What are the features of

Islamic art and architecture, and what do they
represent?

WHY: to understand how Islamic art and architecture

represent the beliefs and values of Islam
1. Islamic Art: Class Notes
2. Tawid: Video Clip
3. A-Salamu alaykum

Turn In: Source Analysis Assignment

Islamic Art and Decoration

Islam views the

depiction of living
beings as a potentially
blasphemous attempt
to rival the creative
powers of God.
 Principles in Islamic Art

• Patterns symbolize Islamic principles of

Tawhid (the unity of all things) and
Mizan (order and balance) which represent
unity within the diversity of the world.
 Islamic Art
Three main elements

Geometry Calligraphy Floral Patterns

 Geometry in Islamic Art
• Geometrical designs using
a limited number of
geometric shapes in many
different ways
• Symmetry and repetition
give unity to more complex
designs
• Patterns reflect the beauty
of numbers, considered to
be of divine origin
Calligraphy in Islamic Art
1. Arabic is the language of
the Quran and Muslims
believe the Quran is
God’s word.
2. The revelation described
in the Quran as an
“elegantly proportioned
script” which is
“beautiful” and
“unsurpassable.”
Floral Patterns in Islamic Art
• Arabesques: intertwined
flowing lines
• Scrollwork: designs
featuring spirals
• Use of metalwork (brass
and bronze objects inlaid
with designs in gold, silver
and copper)
Mosque Architecture
• Allah is everywhere so mosques
are prayer halls, not a building
enshrining a deity (no benches,
no altar)
• Mosques contain no statues or
pictures
• There is no path in the prayer
hall. Muslims are encouraged to
linger and contemplate this
open, undivided space
• Minarets developed as special
towers for prayer callers
 Sultan Ahmed Mosque
(The Blue Mosque): Istanbul
Dome of the Rock: Jerusalem
The Kaylan Mosque: Uzbekistan
Alhambra: Spain
 A-Salamu alaykum
1. NEATLY write A-Salamu alaykum in pencil.
• RIGHT to LEFT, centered, filling the box, horizontal and accurate.
• CHECK WITH ME BEFORE MOVING TO THE NEXT STEP.

2. NEATLY Trace over the pencil in BLACK ink (ideally with a

Sharpie).
3. In the background and/or in the border, create geometric
patterns, shapes, designs etc. inspired by Islamic art we
looked at in class.
4. Your entire box must be colored.

Your finished product should be intricate and reflective of Islamic art.

You will be graded on neatness and detail. These will be the cover
for your AMW Composition Books.