ART 140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Mesopotamia, Aisle, Amu Darya
Document Summary
Fertile crescent of ancient mesopotamia was muslim world"s political and cultural center. Caliphs of damascus (capital of modern syria) and baghdad appointed governors to rule the large territories whom ended up gaining relative independence by setting up dynasties. * islam took a lot of its teaching from judaism and christianity grand scale buildings. First islamic buildings (secular & religious) are in middle east. Architecture architects and architecture borrowed and transformed design, construction, and ornamentation principles applied in byzantium and middle east. 638 muslims took jerusalem from byzantines and umayyad caliph abd al-malik erected monumental shrine in tribute to triumph of islam. Dome of the rock marked coming of new religion. Place where adam was buried and abraham prepared to sacrifice isaac. Rises from platform, noble enclosure, where hebrew temple of solomon stood until 70. Rock is spot which muhammad journeyed to heaven and then returned to his home in mecca.
