Ap Art History Form Function Contnet Context Great Mosque

		item shot of mihrab
Córdoba, Espana Umayyad 785-786 CE Stone masonry Form Mosque - place of Islamic worship ~ 620x460 feet Cross cultural comparisons: architectural plans Sullivan, Carson Pirie Scott edifice Chartres Cathedral Temple of Amun-Re	Function To demonstrate the presence & permanence of the transplanted Umayyads in Cordoba built this mosque in cordoba on the site of a christian church [congenital by the visigoths] This appropriation of a christian site fabricated a statement nigh the beingness of Islam in the region & the power of the new rulers Place of worship Followers pray towards the mihrab (which faces mecca) Represents a fusion of cultures & religions Exemplifies Islamic design of tesserae & multifariousness of color on mosaics	Content Comprised of... large hypostyle prayer hall hypostyle = filled w/ columns "full of seemingly endless rows of identical [ii-tiered] columns and [double-flight] arches fabricated from alternating carmine and white voussoirs" (Gateways, 148) voussoirs = "stone wedges that make upward the curvation" Interior space seems magnified by its repeated geometry Sense of awe & monumentality mihrab The wall that indicates the management of Mecca for Muslims' daily prayer time Mecca = birthplace of islam (in modern-day saudi arabia) Golden tesserae grade bands of calligraphy Focal point in the prayer hall Famous horseshoe arched prayer niche Particularly in this mosque Framed by an exquisitely decorated arch >> the famous horseshoe arch Common in the architecture of the visigoths Visigoths = the people that ruled this surface area later on the roman empire collapsed & earlier the umayyads arrived An easily identified feature of western islamic architecture Ribbed dome Higher up the mihrab / key bay A metaphor for the celestial canopy Intricate composition of criss-crossing arches demonstrates the mathematical & architectural accomplishments of the Islamic civilization ^as well exemplifies the utilize of geometry as a source of artistic inspiration all lavishly covered with gold mosaic in a radial design Anticipates later gothic rib vaulting (though on a more minor scale) a courtyard with a fountain in the middle an orange grove a covered walkway circumvoluted the courtyard a minaret (now encased in a square, tapered bell belfry) minaret = tower used to call the true-blue to prayer Minbar Used to stand past the mihrab every bit the place for the prayer leader & a symbol of dominance Repeating elements (columns, arches, voussoirs) - establishes a steady rhythm inside the construction This structural repetition suggests the same kind of repetition in prayer (as seen in Muslim worship: recitation of the Shahada [ane'southward profession of religion] five times per day) Repetition - alludes to the "permanence of [the] compages" as it is "combined with the timelessness of prayer" (148) Mosaics, inscriptions from the Quran, and brilliant colors line interior Intricate patterns/designs formed by the tesserae (tiles within a mosaic)	Context Demonstration of multi-cultural influence on their art Ancient roman columns in hypostyle prayer hall were recycled from the original christian church building on site Interior uses spolia Reused columns of slightly varying heights Horseshoe arches of the roman & visigoth architectural style Came to be characteristic of islamic compages The building was expanded over 200 years (even afterward becoming a mosque) Began as a roman temple Temple was converted to a church building past visigoths - who seized cordoba in 572 CE Umayyad conquerors converted church to a mosque Completely rebuilt by the descendants of the exiled Umayyads Umayyads Starting time Islamic dynasty who had originally ruled from their capital, Damascus (in present-day syrian arab republic), from 661 to 750 7th & 8th centuries ^^period of vastly increasing wealth Rulers built mosques & palaces through the islamic empire to demonstrate dynasty say-so & the increasing power of the islamic organized religion Yet this economic prosperity resulted in pregnant financial corruption amid caliphs Provincial rulers fled the control of tyrannical caliphs to institute independent dynasties Mail the overthrow of his family (the Umayyads) in Damascus by incoming Abbasids, Prince Abd al-Rahman I escaped to southern Spain Established himself every bit Emir there (w/ the support of muslim settlers) and centered his emirate in Cordoba Attempted to recreate the grandeur of Damascus in Cordoba He sponsored building programs, promoted agriculture, imported fruit trees / other plants from damascus ^^orange trees even so stand in the courtyard of the mosque in Cordoba Site was practical & symbolic Place that affirmed Muslim presence Cordoba Both a major commercial & intellectual middle for the arts, literature, science, & philosophy Fostered a diverse & thriving urban culture Islamic civilisation appreciation for different cultures & worked to preserve/absorb preceding cultures Caliphates had classical Latin works translated into arabic gained mathematical knowledge from india Learned of the invention of paper from china ^^this willingness to incorporate other cultures extended into their art & is exemplified in this mosque Ane of the oldest structures withal standing from the time Muslims ruled Al-Andalus in the late 8th century Al-Andalus = Muslim Iberia (includes virtually of espana, portugal, small department of southern france) The bang-up mosque at córdoba (overview) Very simple plan; hypostyle hall Less of a sense of monumentality (in comparison to the corking mosque of damascus) Double arches to raise the ceiling Mixing roman and byzantine mosaic piece of work - striking juxtaposition of old and new A center for scholars all over the islamic globe "Prime example of the muslim globe's ability to brilliantly develop architectural styles based on pre-existing regional traditions" (Khan University, The Slap-up Mosque of Cordoba) "An extraordinary combination of the familiar & the innovative" (Khan Academy, The Smashing Mosque of Cordoba)