Rasha Elabdali
Professor Joel Bettridge
Ways of knowing
June 7, 2016
The Dome of the Rock
Throughout its history, Islamic architecture has been strengthened by its spiritual foundation, the Quran. Islamic works of art are connected to ways of confirming and transmitting the messages of Islam and they are inspired by two main elements. The Quran is considered the first work of art in Islam. Most Muslim artists express their faith by writing words that are attributed to the remembrance of God. The second element is the religious rule that prohibits the depiction of animals and humans. Artists adapted this rule by creating figural based designs such as motifits, geometric, arabesque, and floral forms. Three of the main decorative forms that …show more content…
Geometric pattern is associated with Islamic art due to its aniconic feature. Calligraphy, which is the use of artistic lettering, is considered one of the main decorative forms in Islamic art. Mostly it is used to write Qur’anic verses and describe the qualities of God and the prophet Mohamed. Another decorative form is the colorful dome. Colors play an important role in Islamic art because they symbolize many meanings about the nature of universe. Color references in the Quran are essential to understanding the meaning of colors in Islamic art. Regarding domes, in Islamic culture domes are believed to add meaning and significance to important buildings, such as mosques. “The Dome of the rock” reveals the beauty of Islamic art. In the picture of The Dome of the Rock, Islamic culture and art are demonstrated by the richness of …show more content…
The use of calligraphy as decoration is one of the unique features of Islamic art. In the picture, the calligraphy is written in white on a blue background. It is very detailed and every word is few feet long and has the same height. Sequential letters are placed below and above each other which can be hard to read. Looking at those overlapping words, a person can hardly distinguish where the word starts and where it ends as they are close together. There are certain phrases and words like God and Mohamed, which are repeated. Also, for a person who is not familiar with Arabic, he may perceive those words as intricate decorative lines or some kind of vegetal pattern, but actually those lines are written Arabic words. These words follow together like a river. Thinking about the fact that they form a language can give the impression of complexity and beauty of Islamic art at the same time. In other words, those words signify the complexity of learning this language and the beauty of how the language forms vegetal motifs. You don’t need to know Arabic to see the beauty of this writing. Furthermore, the fact that it is written in Arabic is held in high esteem by Muslims because it is the Quran’s language. The inscriptions on the dome are quotes from the Quran that affirm the superiority of God and the prophet Mohammed. These quotes are the fundamental base of this religion. Those
Professor Joel Bettridge
Ways of knowing
June 7, 2016
The Dome of the Rock
Throughout its history, Islamic architecture has been strengthened by its spiritual foundation, the Quran. Islamic works of art are connected to ways of confirming and transmitting the messages of Islam and they are inspired by two main elements. The Quran is considered the first work of art in Islam. Most Muslim artists express their faith by writing words that are attributed to the remembrance of God. The second element is the religious rule that prohibits the depiction of animals and humans. Artists adapted this rule by creating figural based designs such as motifits, geometric, arabesque, and floral forms. Three of the main decorative forms that …show more content…
Geometric pattern is associated with Islamic art due to its aniconic feature. Calligraphy, which is the use of artistic lettering, is considered one of the main decorative forms in Islamic art. Mostly it is used to write Qur’anic verses and describe the qualities of God and the prophet Mohamed. Another decorative form is the colorful dome. Colors play an important role in Islamic art because they symbolize many meanings about the nature of universe. Color references in the Quran are essential to understanding the meaning of colors in Islamic art. Regarding domes, in Islamic culture domes are believed to add meaning and significance to important buildings, such as mosques. “The Dome of the rock” reveals the beauty of Islamic art. In the picture of The Dome of the Rock, Islamic culture and art are demonstrated by the richness of …show more content…
The use of calligraphy as decoration is one of the unique features of Islamic art. In the picture, the calligraphy is written in white on a blue background. It is very detailed and every word is few feet long and has the same height. Sequential letters are placed below and above each other which can be hard to read. Looking at those overlapping words, a person can hardly distinguish where the word starts and where it ends as they are close together. There are certain phrases and words like God and Mohamed, which are repeated. Also, for a person who is not familiar with Arabic, he may perceive those words as intricate decorative lines or some kind of vegetal pattern, but actually those lines are written Arabic words. These words follow together like a river. Thinking about the fact that they form a language can give the impression of complexity and beauty of Islamic art at the same time. In other words, those words signify the complexity of learning this language and the beauty of how the language forms vegetal motifs. You don’t need to know Arabic to see the beauty of this writing. Furthermore, the fact that it is written in Arabic is held in high esteem by Muslims because it is the Quran’s language. The inscriptions on the dome are quotes from the Quran that affirm the superiority of God and the prophet Mohammed. These quotes are the fundamental base of this religion. Those