Describe two main features of the Islamic architecture
Answers
Answered by
3
Islam advocates plainness in appearance. This applies to architecture as much as it does to the color of external clothing and the use of more basic materials such as brass or wood in decorative arts. A house designed along Islamic principles may appear undesigned on the exterior, and as BBC Religions says, the outside doesn't reveal anything about the mechanical structure of the house. However, the interior of the house will usually reveal a much more extravagant design approach. Houses are typically built around a central courtyard that is invisible from the outside but provides an outdoor space inside. Here you'll find colorful tiling, fountains, fruit trees and flowers, but the only decoration you'll find on the exterior is around the entrance door.
Mosques
Mosque architecture is the form familiar to many in the West. Early mosque design is called "hypostyle," which means it is a quadrilateral shape surrounding a courtyard. Domes and cupolas played an important part in Arab architecture long before the emergence of Islam and they continue to be important features of mosque design. Every mosque interior contains a niche in the wall called the mihrab. This niche faces Mecca, the direction Muslims face to pray. Each of the external walls contains a niche -- called an iwan -- and the largest of these also faces Mecca. The minaret is another characteristic of mosque architecture. This is the tower where the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer. Mosque interiors are highly decorated with wooden screens of geometric marquetry and colorful tiling.
The Arch
Arches are one of the most distinctive features of Islamic architecture and are found in almost every type of building. Symbolically, they lead into an inner space. Islamic architects borrowed heavily from Greek and Roman designs for archways and door designs but then came up with a series of arch shapes
Mosques
Mosque architecture is the form familiar to many in the West. Early mosque design is called "hypostyle," which means it is a quadrilateral shape surrounding a courtyard. Domes and cupolas played an important part in Arab architecture long before the emergence of Islam and they continue to be important features of mosque design. Every mosque interior contains a niche in the wall called the mihrab. This niche faces Mecca, the direction Muslims face to pray. Each of the external walls contains a niche -- called an iwan -- and the largest of these also faces Mecca. The minaret is another characteristic of mosque architecture. This is the tower where the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer. Mosque interiors are highly decorated with wooden screens of geometric marquetry and colorful tiling.
The Arch
Arches are one of the most distinctive features of Islamic architecture and are found in almost every type of building. Symbolically, they lead into an inner space. Islamic architects borrowed heavily from Greek and Roman designs for archways and door designs but then came up with a series of arch shapes
Similar questions