Muhammed was succeeded by the"orthodox" caliphs. Then from 661, the Umayyad caliphs ruled the entire Islamic empire from their capital in Damascus. They were ambitious patrons of architecture.
*Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, completed
691, built by Caliph Abd al-Malik
*Great Mosque, Damascus, 706, built by
Caliph al-Walid
Umayyad "Desert Palaces"
from the 2nd quarter of the 8th century
*Qusayr Amra
*Khirbat al-Mafjar
*Mshatta
Qasr al-Hayr West
Continuation of pre-Islamic traditions
in metalwork.
Abbasid Mosques
The Abbasid Caliphs seize control of the heart of the Islamic lands in 749 and moved the capital to Bagdad. They were unable to maintain control of the entire empire and various provinces split off. The Islamic world was politically fragmented.
*Great Mosque at Samarra, built by al-Mutawakkil,
847-61
*Mosque of Ibn Tulun, completed 879, built
by Ahmad ibn Tulun, founder of the Tulunid Dynasty in Egypt
Great Mosque, Kairouan, 9th century
Early Koran manuscripts, 9th - 10th century
Abbasid Secular Architecture
Plan for the round city of Baghdad, founded
762
Palace of Ukhaydir, Iraq, c. 778
*Stucco from houses and palaces of Samarra,
9th century
Painting from Jawsaq al-Khaqani Palace,
Samarra, c. 836
Study Question: What are some of the major distinctions between secular and sacred Muslim architecture and decoration?