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May peace and blessings of Allah be on thee |
Islam
From The Beginning To 1300 Date: 2002 The Mosque As A Symbol Of Islamic Civilization From one end of the Islamic world to the other, Muslim towns and cities could (and can today) be readily identified by the domes and minarets of the mosques where the faithful were (and are) called to prayer five times daily. The following illustrations trace the development of the mosque and the refinement of mosque architecture - the crowning glory of Islamic material culture - during the early centuries of Muslim expansion. As you look at these photos and follow the development of the mosque, consider what the functions of the mosque aed the evolving style of mosque architecture can tell us about Muslim beliefs and values and the impact of earlier religions such as Judaism and Christianity on Islam. Given the low level of material culture in pre-Islamic Arabia, it is not surprising that the earliest prayer houses were simple in design and construction. In fact, these first mosques were laid out along the lines suggested by Muhammad's own house. They were square enclosures with a shaded porch on one side, a columned shelter on the other, and an open courtyard in between. The outer perimeter of the earliest mosques were made of reed mats, but soon more permanent stone walls surrounded the courtyard and prayer areas. After Mecca was taken and the Ka'ba became the central shrine of the new faith, each mosque was oriented to the qibla, or Mecca wall, that always faced in the direction of the holy city. In the last years of the prophet, the place where his chair was located was raised so that the faithful could see and hear him during prayer sessions. During the time of the first caliphs, the raised area became the place from which sermons were delivered. From the middle of the 8th century, this space evolved into a genuine pulpit. Somewhat earlier, the practice of building a special and often elaborately decorated niche in the qibla had developed. Over time the construction of the mosque became more elaborate. Very often the remains of Greek or Roman temples or abandoned Christian churches formed the core of major mosques, or the ruins of these structures were mined for stone for mosque construction. In the larger cities, the courtyards of the great mosques were surrounded by columns and arches, and eventually they were enclosed by great domes such as that at the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The first minarets or towers from which the faithful were called to prayer were added in the early 8th century and soon became a key feature of the mosque complex. As mosques grew larger and more architecturally refined, elaborate decoration in brightly colored ceramic tiles, semiprecious stones, and gold and silver filigree adorned their sides and domes. Because human and animal images were forbidden, geometric designs, passages from the Quran in swirling Arabic, and flower and plant motifs were favored. Nowhere were these decorations more splendid than in the great mosques of Persia. Thus, in the early centuries of Islam, these great houses of worship became the focal points of Islamic cities, key places of community worship and socialization, and, with the schools that were often attached, vital intellectual and educational centers of the Islamic world.
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