Islam Test

1. How is the spread of Islam in the early Middle Ages to the 16th century both similar and dissimilar to the expansion of the Roman Empire from the Punic Wars to the reign of Hadrian? How are the similarities and differences understood through Islamic vs. Roman art and architecture?

Much of the differences between the two cultures has to do with their different religions. Both Islam and the Roman Empire were spread out, however the Romans secured the land in their empire through bloody battles. The Romans started expanding their empire through the first Punic War in 264 B.C. They fought the Carthaginian Navy on the sea and the land battles took place in Sicily. The war ended in 241 BC with a treaty between the Romans and the Carthaginians which gave Sicily to Rome, forcing the Carthaginians to move to Spain. In 218 BC the Carthaginian king, Hannibal led his army into Italy; beginning the Second Punic War. It ended in 202 B.C. with Rome acquiring large amounts of land. Then Rome asked Carthage to move farther south into North Africa. Carthage refused and Rome declared that it was war. They destroyed everything in Carthage and consolidated it into the Roman Empire. Hadrian's rule began in 117 AD during which he reformed the empire. His reign ended in 138 AD.

Islam did not spread because of battles or military conquest. It spread over much of Europe and the Middle East. It was the spread of the religion that made Islam so popular. Islam would have continued to spread, but Charles Martel stopped the spread of it into France which was Christian. Islam then began to spread in Spain, but the Spanish Inquisition ended that.

There are some similarities between Roman and Islamic art. One of those similarities is mosaics. Romans used mosaics on floors and later walls and ceilings in the Byzantine era. Islamic people used mosaics to decorate their walls. Fig. 1 is a picture of a Roman floor mosaic from Cyprus. Fig. 2 is a beautiful deatailed Islamic mosaic that is found in the Umayyad Mosque. Both cultures also used the arch. The Roman arch is a smooth curve, but the Islamic arch is known as an "onion dome" because it gets wider and comes to a point at the top. Fig. 3 is a Roman arch and Fig. 4 is an Islamic arch.

2. a. Compare / Contrast the Taj Mahal with St. Basil's in Moscow. b. Compare / Contrast the Hagia Sofia with the Dome of the Rock.

The Taj Mahal (fig. 5) was built over a period of 22 years in the 16th century in Agra, India. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Both the emperor and his wife are buried in the crypt of the Taj Mahal. The architect is Usted Ahmad Lahuauri. He used the technique of letting each element stand by itself while perfectly joined with the main building called arabesque. It almost completely built out of marble and is influenced by Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles.

St. Basil's Cathedral was built in 1555-1561 in Moscow Russia. (fig. 6) It was built to commemorate Tsar Ivan (the Terrible)'s victory over against the Tartan Mongols in 1552 in the besieged city of Kazan. It is built over the tomb of its namesake, St. Basil the Blessed. Postnik Yakovlev was the architect.

They both feature the onion domes and ornate designs. The Taj Mahal is a mosque and has four minarets. The cathedral features four super imposed domes (not including the main unifying dome) that symbolize the four evangelists or the four corners of the earth. (fig. 7) Both structures are built over the tomb of the namesake or inspiration of the building.

However, perhaps the most obvious difference in the two buildings is color. St. Basil's is vibrantly colored, while the Taj Mahal is monochromatic because it was built using marble.

The Hagia Sophia (fig. 8) was originially built by Constantine in the 4th century to be a church during the Byzantine era. In the years 532 to 537 the emperor Justinian rebuilt the church after it was burned down during the Nika riots of 532. In 1435 Sultan Mehmet the Conquerer conquered the city of Constantinople and converted the church into his imperial mosque. He made a few renovations. He built a madasa (religious school) near it, erected four minarets, and covered the Byzantine mosaics with plaster (Muslims do not use religious icons. In 1934 the Turkish president Kemel Ataturk turned it into a museum, which is what it is today.

The Dome of the Rock (fig. 9) was built by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik in the years 688- 691 AD. It is not a mosque, but a shrine. The shrine was built over the stone (fig. 10) that Muslims believe is the spot where Muhammad ascended into heaven. Jews believe that it is the spot where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Abraham. It is renowned for its golden dome. It also features beautiful mosaics.

Both buildings feature a large central dome and ornate interiors, i.e. mosaics. Both buildings feature the Roman arch. However, the main difference is the exteriors. The Hagia Sophia has a plain exterior, simply stone. The Dome of the rock's exterior is covered with beautiful mosaics.

3. What is the importance of 'the word'? Please choose three examples of Islamic calligraphy and compare / contrast with three examples of Roman inscription.

"The word" was very important to both the Islamic peoples and the Romans. The Islamic people practically base their whole lives around the word. They pray five times a day and are required to memorize the Quran. In both cultures the word is the documentation of their history. The Quran tells of the history of Islam and Roman inscriptions in sculpture tell the history of the ruler or what happened in the battle that the statue or structure was erected for.

The "word" is also an art form for the Islamic people because they do not believe in portraying religious figures visually. They have paintings of verses from the Quran posted in their mosques and on other religious structures. Their writing is classified as calligraphy. That may be because their society is not militaristic for the most part, so their writing was not as rigid or uniform.

For example, There are Roman inscriptions all over Roman statues and buildings explaining why the statue is there, such as the inscription on the column of Trajan. (fig. 11) The Islamic people place a higher importance on their faith and this example of calligraphy from Hagia Sophia is of a verse from the Quran. (fig. 12) The differences in the purposes of the word that is used by either culture illustrate the differences in the cultures themselves.

The Islamic people took great care in their language, they spend hours hand embroidering the words from the Quran on the covering that will be used on the Mecca every year. (fig. 13) Roman inscriptions were used in temples to inform people who the temple was dedicated to. Such as the inscription on the Temple of the Emperor Antoninus and Faustina. (fig. 14) The inscription says, "Divi Antonino et Divae Faustinae Ex S.C." meaning, “To the divine Antoninus and to the divine Faustina by decree of the Senate.”

Because the Islamic people do not believe in portraying Muhammad or other religious figures through artwork, they place paintings of verses from the Quran in their mosques. (fig. 15) Romans did not have any books such as the Quran from which they could draw verses, however they did have stories about their gods. Ovid is an example of a writer who wrote down the ancient stories passed down through tradition.

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