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Mosques of Iran and Central
Asia (8-11 century):
Tarik Khana Mosque, Damghan,
Iran: (between 750-89): Hypostyle, large axial nave, heavy cylindrical
brick piers support elliptical, pointed arches; roof, barrel
vaults.
Nine-domed Mosque (Masjid-i-Ta'rikh),
Balkh, Afghanistan: (First half of the 9th century), open pavilion
with only a qibla wall, heavy brick piers and coupled-columns
on the side walls; carved stucco decoration similar to Samarra
styles.
Masjid-i-Jami, Nayin, Iran:
(10th century)
Hypostyle; heavy cylindrical pillars; carved stucco decoration.
Minaret is a transition between western minarets and later Iranian
ones.
Development of Mausolea:
The Samanid Mausoleum in
Bukhara, Uzbekistan: (ca. 914)
Built by Nasr ibn Isma'il, square canopy tomb; tapering walls;
engaged columns on the corner; very rich decorative program using
brick motifs and patterns. Dome support: ribbed, double-arched
squinches.
The Tower Tomb of Gunbad-i-Qabus
in Gurgan, Iran: (1006-7)
A ten-sided star plan, a high cylindrical tower (52 m) that ends
in a conical dome. Paradoxically identified as a qasr in the
inscription.
Architectural Terms:
Qubba: Literally "dome",
but the word often signified the mausoleum of an amir or a pious
man, which was usually, but not always, a cubical structure covered
with a dome.
Mashhad: A complex term
that means either a memorial for a shahid (witness of the greatness
of God, but later exclusively meaning martyr) or a memorial for
a true vision, which mostly involves the Prophet or members of
his family.
Hazar-baf: a textile term
borrowed in Persian brick architecture to designate the woven-like,
checker-board quality of brick decoration that appeared in the
ninth century.
Chahar taq: a term referring
to the form of the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian fire temples of Iran;
a domed square with an opening on each side and no doors
Dihqans: the landed nobility
of pre-Islamic Iran and Central Asia
Sasanians: dynasty which
ruled Iran from 226-651; capital was Ctesiphon.
Sogdians: Central Asian
people who inhabited and ruled the land roughly corresponding
to the modern country of Uzbekistan up until the Arab invasion
in the 8th century.
Ziyarids: dynasty which
ruled part of the Caspian provinces of Iran from 932 to c. 1075;
nominally Islamic but holding to pre-Islamic Persian traditions
and claiming descent from the Sasanians; responsible for several
tomb towers, including Gunbad-i Qabus and Pir-i Alamdar.
Samanids: dynasty which
ruled part of former Sogdian territory from 819-1005; capital
was Bukhara; patrons of New Persian literature, science and architecture.
The Abbasids: The second
major Islamic dynasty (750-1258), were the descendants of al-Abbas,
the Prophet's uncle, hence the name. Their effective rule lasted
only for a little more than a century. After that they became
the figureheads of an elusive Islamic unity that did not exist
in reality.
The Great Seljuqs (1038-1194):
A Turkish, Sunni dynasty which ruled the whole Iranian world
(including Khurasan and Transoxania), Iraq, Syria, and parts
of Byzantine Anatolia.
Nizam al-Mulk (1020-92): The able vizier of the Seljuq sultans
who organized the structure of their state, promoted Sunni learning,
and sponsored madrasas in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq, all called
Nizamiyya.
Four Iwan Type: A structure with cross-axes ending in four iwans
surrounding a courtyard. In four-iwan mosques and madrasas, the
prayer hall is the largest iwan. The type first appeared in Khurasan,
probably developed from ancient Iranian models. It was the most
popular type in the medieval period, and remained dominant in
Iran.
The Madrasa: The specialized
institution of learning that was adopted by the Seljuqs to promote
Sunni teaching. A madrasa usually contains a mosque, classrooms,
and lodgings for students and teachers. Madrasas appeared most
probably in Khurasan in the 9-10th c. and spread all over the
Islamic world in the 11-12th c.
Muqarnas: Also called the
stalactite or honeycomb, one of the most distinctive Islamic
architectural elements used in domes, in domes' transitional
zones, in cornices and friezes, in conches above entrances, and
on friezes supporting balconies of minarets. Its origin, symbolic
meaning, and date of first appearance are frequently debated.
The Safavids (1501-1732):
Of an obscure origin which is most probably Sunni and Kurdish,
the Safavids (named after a sufi master, Shaykh Safi) forged
for themselves an illustrious genealogy that goes back to `Ali,
and proceeded to forcibly change Iran into a Shiite state. In
the process they shaped the modern image of the Iranian nation.
Shah Abbas I (1588-1629):
The greatest Safavid monarch, he moved the capital to Isfahan
in 1598, and built there a royal city that extended to the south
of the old city and connected it with the Zayandeh river via
a wide avenue, the Chahar Bagh (Four Gardens) Avenue. Shah Abbas's
royal buildings were organized around his central Maydan or along
the Chahar Bagh Avenue.
The Maydan-i-Shah: Among
the largest open squares in the world (1700 by 525 ft), it was
the focal point of Shah `Abbas's plan. Its four sides were lined
up with shops on two levels, and each side of the Maydan had
a monumental structure in its centre.
© Religious
Architecture and Islamic Cultures, © britannica.com
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