Umayyad Mosque

    The Umayyad period led to Islamic art becoming more unified during its formative years. Arabic becoming the main language in land unified by the Umayyads allowed artist to work in a more unified manner. During this period Islamic art became distinct from nearby regions as well as developing new architectural styles for their religious spaces. Creations such as the Dome of the Rock, the Great Mosque of Medina, and the Great Mosque of Damascus characterize this period and are a testement to the great wealth of the Umayyad Dynasty (Yalman). 

    Islamic art is somewhat hard to define for a western scholar. Their architecture and décor often relies on geometric patterns and calligraphy due to their religions doctrine on idolatry; this causes religions artwork to be much less common in the Islamic World. Some of the most identifiable monuments to Islamic culture come in the form of architecture, such as the Taj Mahal and great mosques throughout the world (Bloom).



     The Great Mosque of Damascus was built by the Umayyad caliph al Walid II in the early 8th century C.E.. This awe inspiring mosque was built in the heart of the Umayyad dynasty's capital of  Damascus in order to account for the growing Muslim population within the city. Funded from a city wide increase in tax, the building used walls and other materials from a former Roman temple and Church. Adorned with mosaics, the great mosque is made up of a large open courtyard, a prayer hall, and a fountain for a ritual washing before prayer. This site is one of the oldest surviving mosques in the world, and until the civil war in Syria, a bustling social space for the Islamic community. 

Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis. "The Great Mosque of Damascus" Kahn Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/chronological-periods-islamic/islamic-art-early/a/the-great-mosque-of-damascus

Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis, "Arts of the Islamic world," in Smarthistory, August 8, 2015, accessed September 24, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/arts-of-the-islamic-world/.

Yalman, Suzan. Based on original work by Linda Komaroff. “The Art of the Umayyad Period (661–750).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/umay/hd_umay.htm (October 2001)

Comments

  1. Amanda SantistevanSeptember 27, 2020 at 7:44 PM

    Hi Alex, this is a very well structures building. It really shows how important religion is to Muslims to create such a powerful architecture for there place of worship.

    ReplyDelete

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