Islamic Architecture and Geometry

Islamic Architecture and Geometry

Background

As Islam has spread throughout the world it has influenced and been influenced by every culture it touched. The orthodox objection to portraying the human form (or in some cases, any life form) discouraged painting and sculpture, but Muslim artisans and craftsmen soon gained such a reputation that their products were keenly sought all over the known world (Bloom, 2009). Muslims have suggested that a circle has no end and which is infinite, reminds Muslims of the infinity of God. The complex geometric shapes creates an impression of constant repetition that helps people understand the idea of ??the nature of infinity of God. Duplicate forms help us to understand that in a small ... you can find the absolute simplest form element of infinite mean.

Islamic Architecture

Islamic architecture excels in three main categories. These are the palace, the fortress/castle and the tomb/ shrine. The finest architectural monuments are in Spain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. A common feature of Islamic art is the application of geometric patterns on the surface. It is believed that the use of geometric shapes and reflects the language of the universe helps believers to reflect on life and the majesty of creation.

Islamic architecture now holds its place in the modern world with many wonderful and exciting projects. Oil has given many Muslims vast wealth, and luxury projects are springing up to cater for travel, business, Islamic banking, educational institutions, airports, and so on. The leading architects include Hassan Fat'hi, Rifat Chadirji, Basil al-Bayyati and Abdel Wahed el-Waki (Yeomans, 2000). The decorative patterns are obtained by repeating simple interlocking or overlapping elements. Together with the taste for symmetry, it provides a dynamic and harmonious effect. The detail does not prevail on the whole. There is no tension between reasons, only equilibrium. The infinite reiteration of the themes is a metaphor for eternity fills all and a way of capturing the mutability of the universe

Literature and Learning

By the 12th century madrassahs (somewhat similar to medieval universities) were established all over the Muslim world offering courses in philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and medicine, as well as Islamic jurisprudence. Most were privately endowed by rich benefactors, and sometimes the founding scholar would be buried at the school, in a mausoleum.

The Abbasid caliph Mansur founded a translation department to bring classical and scientific works into Arabic, thus making the philosophical, mathematical and scientific works of Greek scholars available to the public. Cairo housed one of the largest libraries in the world, occupying 40 chambers in the imperial palace, a collection of between 200,000 and 600,000 volumes, including 18,000 books of philosophy and 24,000 Qur'ans.

The intellectual life of the Islamic world was nearly wiped out by the destruction of the Mongol hordes. Ghenghis Khan remorselessly burned major works accumulated over the centuries. In 1258, Hulagu destroyed Baghdad, and the ink from the millions of books he threw into the River Tigris literally made the water run black (Bloom, ...