Morgan- Comparing Islamic and Byzantine Architecture

Islamic and Byzantine Architecture

The Islamic and Byzantine architecture was very important to the history and the way both cultures grew. In the Islamic culture built many great buildings like The Dome of the Rock, The Taj Mahal, and the Alhambra. The Byzantine also had built many great structures for their culture including The Hagia Sophia,  The Hagia Irene, and The Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo. These are just some of the great structure build by each cultures.

The Islamic culture created many crate architectural buildings that are still standing today like The Dome of the Rock was built by the Umayyad Caliph during the late 7th century. The jewish tradition says that this is where Abraham was going to sacrifice his son. The “rock” on top of the Dome was built to help connect the Muslims and Jews with God. The Taj Mahal was built after Mughals favorite 3rd wife was giving birth to her 14th child and died. After that he told people to build the Taj Mahal. It took more than 20 years to build and is 240 feet tall. It also contains designs from “indian, islamic, and Persian” cultures. They also built The Alhambra that sits on a hill overlooking the city of Granada. It was built by princes of the Muslim Nasrid dynasty during the 14th century. The inside and out are very detailed with: “colored tiles, cared stucco, carved wood, and calligraphy”. These are some of the major islamic architectural structures.(Islamic architecture)

The Byzantine also had very important to architecture like The Hagia Sophia was a cathedral built in the 6th century. It was built in Constantinople. The building “director” was Justinian I and was built in just 6 years. In 558 parts of the structure collapsed due to a earthquake. After that in the middle of the 14 century it was rebuilt smaller. (Hagia Sophia)

Hagia Irene is one of the first built churches for the Byzantine. It was built under the orders of Constantine the Great. This was destroyed in 532 by the Nika riots. Then Justinian I during the 6th century got it rebuilt. The Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo was built by Theodoric the great before Byzantines conquered Italy during the Gothic War. Justinian I turned it into a Orthodox church. It got its name in the middle of the 9th century and had a Byzantine mosaics on it. (Byzantine Architecture) These are some of the byzantine architectural structure that are in importance to the byzantine.

Both Byzantine and Islamic have very different and very similar architecture. They both were very precise about how they build each part of their structure. The Islamic structures had more specific reasons for each parts of their structures like on The Dome of the Rock.

The Byzantine built more structure with calligraphy and art inside and outside of their buildings like the Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo with its mosaics.

The islamic and Byzantine architecture were both very significant to each of their beliefs. Some were built to worship their God and other were build for rulers. They all were at importance to the people using them and the people who told others to build them. The Byzantine had built many great structures including The Hagia Sophia That was a cathedral , The Hagia Irene which was one of the first built churches, and The  Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo that had a beautiful mosaic on it. Also the Islamic culture built many great buildings like The Dome of the Rock where Abraham was going to sacrifice his son, The Taj Mahal that took more than 20 years to build, and the Alhambra that sits on a hill so it can overlook the city.

Jackson Rogers - Religion in Islam and Byzantine Empires

Jackson Rogers

When talking about religion, what comes to mind? Christianity and Islam are one of the first things that come to my mind. Islam is the belief in God and that Muhammad was the final prophet from God. Christianity is the belief that Jesus was sent from God to die for us and whoever has a relationship with Him will be saved and will have eternal life. As these religions are very different, they both believe in the same God. The Byzantine empire and the Islamic empire were influenced by these two religions and they were extremely important to them. Many places such as Mecca and Hagia Sophia were influenced by Christianity and Islam.

One extremely important place in the Islamic Empire is Mecca. “Mecca, a city in western Saudi Arabia 60 kilometers east of the Red Sea port of Jidda, is the most holy site for Muslims” (Fritze). Muslims have to travel to Mecca to perform the ritual Hajj at least once in their life. Hajj is where you travel to Mecca to perform many rituals and worship Allah which is the Arabic word for God. To perform these rituals, you have to be in a state of purity. “To be in a state of purity, you must follow these guidelines: can not engage in marital relations, can not shave or cut their nails, can not use cologne or perfume or any scented oils, can not kill or hunt anything, can not fight or argue, women must not cover their faces, men can not wear clothes with stitching, bathing is allowed but you can not use scented soaps” (“Hajj: Pilgrimage”). Another ritual that is similar to Hajj is Umra which takes place in Medina.

Medina is said to be Mecca’s twin city and is also where Muhammad is buried. Some of Umra, another ritual like Hajj, takes place in Medina. “The Umra is an extra, optional pilgrimage and does not count as the once-in-a-lifetime Hajj” (“Hajj: Pilgrimage”). You start Umra by going to a place right outside of Mecca, bathe, and put on special white clothes called Ihram to symbolize purity. “After you have bathed and put on the Ihram, recite a prayer called Talbiya Du’a which is, ‘Here I am at Your service, O Allah, here I am at your service! You have no partner. Here I am at your service. All praise and blessings belong to you. All dominion is yours and You have no partner’” (“Hajj: Pilgrimage”). Prayers like this one and others are recited many times in both Hajj and Umra by Muslims.

Hagia Sophia is a church that was built in Constantinople when Justinian was the leader. “Despite its beauty and awe-inspiring architecture, the Hagia Sophia suffered many crises and has been restored several times. Earthquakes in 553 and 557 damaged the building, and in 558 the great dome suffered a partial collapse. Justinian hired Isidorus the Younger—the nephew of one of the original architects—to build a new dome and restore and strengthen the building where needed. Five years later, in December 563, Justinian rededicated the Hagia Sophia with great ceremony. Earthquakes have shaken Constantinople numerous times since then, and each time there was damage to the Hagia Sophia, restoration efforts were made” (Stockdale). In Hagia Sophia there are many mosaics and details that are of Jesus. The Byzantines believed that there is one God and He sent Jesus to die for our sins so if we have a relationship with Him, we will have eternal life.

In conclusion, the Byzantine empire and Islamic empire were very influenced by Christianity and Islam. Hagia Sophia, Medina, and Mecca have shown what beliefs and rituals each empire had and has impacted the world today. Even though Christianity and Islam are very different, they are connected because they both believe in one God but in different ways on how to get back to Him.

Works Cited

Crowther, Nigel B. “Sports in the Byzantine Empire.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1498049. Accessed 11 Dec. 2016

Fritze, Ronald. “Mecca.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/600820. Accessed 11 Dec. 2016.

“Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca.” BBC, 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/hajj_1.shtml. Accessed 11 Dec. 2016.

“Mecca and Medina.” British Library, www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/meccamedina.html. Accessed 11 Dec. 2016.

Stockdale, Nancy L. “Hagia Sophia.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1037449. Accessed 11 Dec. 2016

Byzantine Islamic Architeture

Architecture reflects a lot on a civilizations beliefs and customs. Byzantine art reflected a lot on important people and characters, such as Justinian. This art showed up a lot in many Byzantine buildings as focal points. Muslims did not believe to show their god Allah in their artwork, so it mainly consists of repeated patterns and designs. Architecture was a way for civilizations to express their uniqueness and is compared a lot to other civilizations.

            In the earliest use, Byzantine architecture consisted of large roofed, public buildings in ancient Rome and pre-Christian Italy as everyday community buildings (Byzantine Architecture). This included markets, courthouses, covered promenades, and meeting halls. Byzantines used a symmetrical central-plan such as a circular and polygonal shape. Most Byzantine churches contained of sumptuous decorations such as marble columns and inlay, mosaics and vaults, inlaid-stone pavements, and sometimes had gold coffered ceilings. One of the Byzantines most profound churches was the Hagia Sophia. The architecture was gorgeous and contained arches, domes, and colonnades (Stockdale). Art on the walls consisted of lots of people and symmetrical designs, which contained a lot of detail. Byzantine architecture focused a lot on detail and had spacious rooms, mostly for community buildings.

            Islamic architecture was based mostly on climate, for the community, and was simple in design. It was multifunctional where people could live, meet, and socialize. The prophet’s mosque in Medina, for example, served as a residence for poor families (Marin). The Muslims used the four-iwan plan, which was an architectural plan where four vaults open up into courtyards on each side of the building (Marin).  This was used in mosques, madrasas, hospitals, houses, and caravansaries, which were inns for travelers in the desert. Islamic architecture repeated in designs and used rich colors and materials. The artwork on the walls, floors, and ceilings were usually tiles put together in a mosaic or stucco. Islamic art was repeated a lot of simple designs and patters, but takes a drastic and beautiful overall effect.

            Byzantine and Islamic architecture was very similar in some ways. They both used domes and columns, to create large spaces for important buildings. Byzantine art was symmetrical throughout the design, and Islamic art just repeated simple designs, which mostly was symmetrical. The colors throughout Byzantine buildings were on the neutral color scale, with mostly browns and yellows, but still contained a few bright colors for detail. Lots of Islamic buildings contained dark, rich blues and greens, but some still contained browns and yellows. Islamic buildings though have a happier vibe, and cleaner look, than Byzantine buildings.

            Overall, Byzantine and Islamic architecture had their own uniqueness. Both civilizations’ architecture impacted the architecture of other civilizations and art to today. Both civilizations’ art expressed their beliefs well and is admired upon. Architecture is an important, lasting, cultural impact on every civilization.

Works Cited

"Byzantine architecture." Britannica School, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Jan. 2009.

            school.eb.com/levels/high/article/471947. Accessed 10 Dec. 2016.

"Byzantine art." Britannica School, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Dec. 2007. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/18408. Accessed 10 Dec. 2016.

Gharipour, Mohammad. “Architecture in the Medieval Islamic World.” Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Medieval World, Facts On File, 2008, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/LearningCenter/Details/7?articleId=225242.

"Islamic arts." Britannica School, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2016. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/106442. Accessed 10 Dec. 2016.

Marcus Rautman. "Byzantine Art." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1510778. Accessed 10 Dec. 2016.

Marin, Roberta. “Art in the Medieval Islamic World.” Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Medieval World, Facts On File, 2008, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/LearningCenter/Details/7?articleId=225213.

Stockdale, Nancy L. "Hagia Sophia." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1037449. Accessed 10 Dec. 2016.

Various. "Quran (excerpt)." Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500. Facts On File. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

Comparing and Contrasting Art (Ava Bryant)

Ava Bryant

G Block History

Art is something that can connect and inspire people in many different ways. Humans have been making art since the beginning of human life on Earth. Two cultures that are particularly well-known for making art are the Byzantine Empire and Islam. Both of the two are similar and completely different in many ways. Islamic art focuses attention on calligraphy, pottery, and beautiful floral patterns, while art in the Byzantine Empire focuses on heavenly paintings and mosaics, often rightfully placed in churches. Both of these kinds of art were created in different ways with different techniques, materials, and forms, but are similar in more ways than you would think.

Art in the Byzantine Empire was made very differently in different time periods. The first major time period for art in the Byzantine was Early Byzantine, from c. 330-750 AD (Hurst, Ellen). During this time period, many churches such as the Hagia Sophia were being built, resulting in an abundance of mosaics. These mosaics were often decorated with icons or figures that were set in a background that closely resembles the likeness of heaven. Mosaics in churches often “sought to evoke the heavenly realm” and served as spiritual gateways (Hurst, Ellen). Middle Byzantine, from c. 850-1204 came after a tragic period of time called the Iconoclastic Controversy. During this time the use of religious figures in art was harshly debated, resulting in the burning and defacing of thousands of pieces of art. The people that destroyed these pieces of art were called Iconoclasts. The Iconoclastic Controversy was one of many factors that caused the split of the Catholic Europe and Orthodox Byzantium churches (MacGillivray Nicol, Donald). The thematic elements of Early Byzantine continued into Middle Byzantine, including mosaics and the use of icons in art. The use of architecture in Byzantine swelled during this time period as churches were still being built. Middle Byzantine was also a period of wealth for many citizens, resulting in luxurious art being created with expensive items such as ivory. The Late Byzantine Empire was the time period when Byzantine suffered the Latin Occupation. Despite this, art continued to flourish and spread throughout the rest of the empire. Painting became very popular at this time. Artists made paintings of God, daily activities, and many other artistic notions. Christianity was highlighted in the art because religion was very important in the Byzantine Empire. Art in the Byzantine Empire influenced the art that would be made in many other regions and religions in the future.

Islamic art features elements from many civilizations, countries, and religions. Art was very important to the people of Islam, and it was made in several forms. This art ranges from pottery to music to poetry. Islamic art was influenced by religions such as Christianity and countries like Greece, Egypt, India, and China. Arab influence took over Islamic art for a long period of time, showing new concepts in art like geometry and symmetry. These ideas became popular in art because the Arabs were fascinated with mathematics and astronomy. Islamic art was also influenced by the Turkish people. The Turkish introduced a concept of abstract art. Floral patterns and calligraphy were both often present in multiple types of Islamic art, such as pottery and paintings. Floral patterns were inspired by local and international styles of art. Calligraphy is another example of one of the most common techniques used in Islamic art. Words such as Allah or Muhammad would often be repeated to cover the entire surface of a piece of art using calligraphy. The two kinds of script used in calligraphy are Kufic, which is angular writing and Naskhi, a kind of writing similar to cursive (Arabic Calligraphy). Kufic is believed to be the earliest form of Islamic calligraphy. Similar to iconoclasts in the Byzantine Empire, many Muslims looked down on artists that would paint or draw Allah or Muhammad because this was seen as offensive to the religion. Overall, Islamic art showcases beautiful patterns and techniques that are seen as some of the finest art made today.

Both of these civilizations created art that was very different, but similar in some ways. It is difficult to compare the art made by these two cultures because they are so different. One obvious similarity between the two civilizations is that they both faced controversy over icons in art. The main difference between the two in this example is that in Islamic culture, it is widely believed that it is offensive to depict icons in art, but this was considered very normal in the Byzantine Empire. Another similarity between the art in these two cultures is that changed and evolved in abundance over time. Both of these civilizations and cultures created art that is often imitated today, and will always be remembered as some of the most alluring and appealing art to ever be made.

The Byzantine Empire and Islam both created beautiful art that influenced the way artists make art today. The art created by these two cultures were somewhat alike, but very different at the same time. Art was seen as a very important thing in both the Byzantine Empire and Islam. Beautiful Islamic pottery was created by Muslims, and amazing mosaics were created by Christians in the Byzantine Empire that still remain in churches today. The art created by these two groups is significant because it is still recognized and imitated by artists all over the world today.

Works Cited

"Arabic Calligraphy." Discover Islamic Art, www.discoverislamicart.org/

exhibitions/ISL/arabic_calligraphy/exhibition.php?theme=3. Accessed 10 Dec.

2016.

“Byzantine Empire." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web.

12 Dec. 2016.

Hurst, Ellen. "A Beginner's Guide to Byzantine Empire Art." Khan Academy,

www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/byzantine1/

beginners-guide-byzantine/a/byzantine-artintro. Accessed 10 Dec. 2016.

"Islamic Art." Visual Arts, www.visual-arts-cork.com/islamic-art.htm. Accessed

  10 Dec. 2016.

Art in Islamic and Byzantine cultures

Chris Laney

Block G

December 12, 2016

“The world is but a canvas to our imagination” - Henry David Thoreau. Islamic art and the art of the Byzantines aren’t that much different. The art of the Islamic people was mostly of religious figures, so was the Byzantine pieces of art. The most valued piece of Islamic art was calligraphy, due to the fact it was in the Qu’ran. Byzantine art was mostly mosaics and frescoes, they were all over the place and most of them were in Hagia Sofia. Islamic art was very religious, whereas Byzantine pieces were also religious, but mostly in mosaics and frescoes.

The world of Islamic art was very religious, and calligraphy was one of the main forms of art in Islam. Calligraphy was very important in Islamic culture because it was so valued, since it was in the Qu’ran. There were also other forms of art the Islamic people had such as pottery, which also included writing. There were two methods of pottery that the Islamic people created faience and metallic luster (art...Islam).  Faience being the process of glazing the pottery, and metallic luster being process of applying metallic colors onto a piece of pottery, to make it shine. The religious art of Islam was not too different from byzantine art in the sense that they are both related to religion.

The art of Byzantium was either related to religion, military, or politics (art...Byzantine). Most Byzantine art was mosaics, they were everywhere from walls in the streets or in houses, but the most notable place of these tiled pieces of art was Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia was a christian church part of Constantinople, now Istanbul. The mosaics of Hagia Sophia were huge and made of millions of tiny tiles plastered onto the innards of the church. There were also many frescoes inside of the church. When Constantinople was captured by the Latins in 1204 there was a huge diaspora of Byzantine artists, which most likely caused some of the art from Byzantium to be religious. Both Islamic art and Byzantine art were very similar in the way that they were both tied to religion

These two arts from different places both had their very prominent forms of art. The first being calligraphy for the Islamic culture and the second being mosaics and frescoes for the Byzantines.These two forms of art were ultimately tied to religion, this influenced the mosaics of Hagia Sophia, and formed calligraphy for the Qu’ran. However there were some difference between the two forms of art. Islamic art was mostly formed of calligraphy, due to the fact it was from the Qu’ran, and Byzantine art was either influenced by military, politics or religion. The Islamic art of calligraphy was omnipresent either subtly in small pieces of art or very prominent on pieces of pottery or religious texts. The art of the Byzantines was mostly made up of mosaics, also including some form of calligraphy, but not as much as the Islamic art. The mosaics of Byzantine were very religious and other forms may have included military or politics. These two forms of art have similarities, but they are vastly different.

The forms of art being Islamic and Byzantine, were very different but also very similar. These two forms of art had their main forms of art, which were ultimately similar but had their differences, some forms of art containing more calligraphy than others, and other forms containing more tiles than the rest. The goals of these artists who made these forms of art, may have had their own purposes of doing so, but it left quite an impression of what art has turned into.

Art and Architecture, Islamic

English, Edward D. “Art and Architecture, Islamic.” Encyclopedia of the Medieval World, Vol. 1, Facts On File, 2005, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/LearningCenter/Details/7?articleId=214379.

Art and Architecture, Byzantine

English, Edward D. “Art and Architecture, Byzantine.” Encyclopedia of the Medieval World, Vol. 1, Facts On File, 2005, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/LearningCenter/Details/7?articleId=214235.

Byzantine Art

Marcus Rautman. "Byzantine Art." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1510778. Accessed 11 Dec. 2016.

Writing the Word of God

"Writing the Word of God." Asia Society, 7 Oct. 2008, sites.asiasociety.org/

    islamiccalligraphy/introduction-traces-of-the-calligrapher/. Accessed 11

    Dec. 2016.