Lee Thomas
G Block
Architecture has been a major part in both the Islamic empire and the Byzantine
empire. Each empire has had buildings that stood for something and that meant
something to the people, but with each different civilization came different meanings for
structures whether it be a praise to a god or to man. How did religion impact what
structures stood for? And how did what the building stood for differ from how the other
empire.
In the Islamic culture, early Islamic architecture reflects the experience of the
early Muslim communities of the post-conquest period (Tom Sizgorich). Islamic
communities wanted to be unique in the eyes of the world, and so they used pre
existing architecture styles instead of modern styles (Tom Sizgorich). Many of the
buildings in the Islamic culture express religion above all else. The Mosque, which is a
place to worship Allah, and the Madrasah, a religious school, are two of the highest
religious expressing buildings within the culture. The Muslim people are very religious
so it is no surprise that many of their buildings express Allah and their religion.
The architecture of the Byzantine empire reflected the Roman achievements
(Byzantine arts and architecture). One of these great achievements was the
construction of Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia, also known as Church of Holy Wisdom, is
one of the longest lasting churches. During Justinian's reign, riots broke out due to
Justinian’s high taxes, and Hagia Sophia was burned down (Owen Jarus). Once the
riots came to a halt, Hagia Sophia was rebuilt, and stood for the victory of Justinian and
Christianity (Owen Jarus). The Byzantine empire shows that while religion is a main part
of the empire, man achievements are close to, if not on the same level of importance.
The Byzantine empire and the Islamic culture both are very similar in the sense
of religion. While it may not be the same religion, both the Islamic and the Byzantine
people have churches, and other buildings dedicated to their belief. One of the
differences in these two cultures is that Justinian said Hagia Sophia represents his
victory and Christianity, while in the Islamic culture the Mosque was solely dedicated to
Allah.
Both cultures, Byzantine and Islamic, have their similarities like how many of their
structures were in some way dedicated to their religion. And with similarities comes
differences, like how Islamic buildings were mostly for nothing but their religion, while
Byzantine buildings could be for a leader or Christianity.
Works Cited
"Byzantine art and architecture." infoplease, Columbia University Press,
www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/entertainment/byzantine-art-architecture-byzantine
architecture.html.
"Islamic Architecture." Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/Islamic-architecture.
Jarus, Owen. "Hagia Sophia: Facts, history & Architecture." Live Science,
www.livescience.com/27574-hagia-sophia.html.
---. "Hagia Sophia: Facts, history & Architecture." Live Science, www.livescience.com/27574
hagia-sophia.html.
Sizgorich, Tom. "Islamic Architecture." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016,
ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/600825. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
I liked your detailed evidence and your research seemed very solid. The connections were very clear and you answered your topic really well good job! I would've liked better transitions however.
ReplyDelete1. I liked how you explained how the Islamic culture wanted to be unique with their architecture
ReplyDelete2. I learned that the Byzantine architecture reflected the achievements of the Roman Empire
3. I want to learn more about Hagia Sophia and what was inside and how/when it was made.