Islamic Art History

Islamic Art: Descriptions of the Monuments of the Middle East

The following paragraphs will describe, in detail, a few of the monuments scattered all over the Middle East and areas of Turkey.

Sultaniyaa - A mausoleum built in the 14th century, and is possibly the mausoleum of Sultan Hasan's mother. This mausoleum, according to researchers, is an example of the characteristic ribbed stones from between 1346 to about 1400 in the region of the former Kingdom of Persia. Furthermore, the mausoleum has characteristic domes of the period, which have double shells, and which is a characteristic of a development in Persia. (Retrieved from https://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=3395)

Great Mongol Shahnama - This is the most elaborate and luxurious manuscript of the Book of Kings or Shahnama, which is known today as the Great Mongol Shahnama. This book today has only 57 illustrations and some pages of text surviving, and these are, at best, scattered. The entire manuscript, however, as an original, would have had over two volumes of 280 pages of text and 190 illustrations. (Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/khan6/hd_khan6.htm)

Complex of Sultan Qalawun - This sultan's complex was built in the 19th century in Cairo and contains a hospital, a madrasa, and a mausoleum for its founder, the sultan himself. According to descriptions the street facade of the complex shows confluence of Syrian (Crusader and Islamic) arrangements. The madrasa is "a four-iwan type with a basilical organization in the qiblai wan," and the Dome of the mausoleum "echoes the octagonal plan of the Dome of the Rock." (Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitopencourseware/2989220325/)