Religion has always played an important role in the development of art and architecture.
They serve as a bridge between the real world and the divine world, and mirror religious views
of people and the major beliefs of the society. Hagia Sophia and the Dome of the Rock are two
of the greatest and the most important architectural monuments in the world. Even though two of
the most historical mosques, Hagia Sophia and the Dome of the Rock, are built for different
religions, but due to a sharing purpose, which being praying to God, the difference can barely be
noticed. By sharing a purpose, both structures act as a shrine for different religions to reach God.
Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest surviving examples of
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Another important architectural monument, the Dome of the Rock, is not only the third
most important shrine of Islam, but also the most magnificent architectural monument of the
Middle East. It is a mosque located in Jerusalem built between 691 and 692 by Umayyad caliph
Abd al-Malik. The place this mosque is built on is sacred to both, Muslims and Jews. According
to Muslims, Muhammad ascended into heaven from here and the Jews believe that Abraham
prepared to sacrifice Isaac here. Both inside and outside of the mosque holds magnificent beauty,
elegance, and color. The structure is an octagonal exterior wall placed under a golden dome. The
bright arabesque patterning that decorates the exterior of the building, not only catches the eye,
but also greatly contrasts the plain exteriors of Christian Basilicas. “The surface decoration of the
interior of the Dome of the Rock has 240 metres of inscription — mainly verses from the Qur’an
— just below the ceiling on both faces of the inner octagon. The main bulk of the interior
decoration of the Dome of the Rock, however, is the mosaic work.” 2 Once inside, the rock that
the pilgrims’ have come to see, sits directly in the center of the structure with mosaics and
Arabic calligraphy decorating the walls surrounding.
To understand the differences between these two architectural monuments, we need to
understand some basic key values of Islamic Art and
During the European Middle Ages, the Catholic Church rose to power. When the Western Roman Empire fell, there wasn’t a grounding figure or a group for security. The people, left without a certain direction, then turned to Catholicism. The religion had its own system of morals, political influence and history. It was and still is a culture. With the amount of donations and faith in their teachings, the Church had the funds to create these large and lavish spaces for group worship and self-guided meditation.
Two buildings, the Hagia Sophia and the Great Mosque of Cordoba, can show us two separate peoples and their approach to constructing architecture that was devoted to their religions. However, while religion played a huge role, there are similarities as well between the two that show that the rulers who commissioned these buildings were interested in mimicking beauty and showing the world that their building was the most beautiful and perhaps the most elite of its time as well as proving their divinity as a ruler of a great nation.
29. Which Muslim ruler oversaw the construction of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem?
Well in conclusion, you have just read the similarities and the differences between these great buildings. We discussed how the Basilica of St. Sernin compares to the Dome of the Rock in its floor plan, its appearance, and its purpose. We also explored the likenesses of these buildings by visiting their great looks, their beautiful decorative features, and their inspiring locations. Thank you for your
The function of the dome of the rock as believed by the Muslims is that the Prophet Muhammed ascension from the rock to the heaven took here and therefore the site was chosen to mark this important event. The dome of the rock was completed in a decade in which Muslims lost control of Hijaz and also Mecca and Medina, and survived serious challenges from religious opposition groups. The location was previously a temple of Solomon and it is also believed that Prophet Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac on this location. This is why it is so important for Muslims, Christians and Jews. Santa Costanza is also built upon a temple of Saint Agnes and it is believed that his catacombs are somewhere closely under the church. The Christians used to worship their religion and buried their dead in secret as at first they were persecuted before Costinanine accepted and gave them respect and protection.Not until the emperor Constantine proclaimed tolerance for all religions of the Roman Empire
The Mihrab (prayer niche) dated 12th century, the point of origin being the city of Isfahan located in Iran is the object that captured my attention. This piece is considered to be a ceramic design made of “polychrome glazed cut tiles on a stone paste body that was later set into mortar”. Madrasa Imami is a school, in which this piece in was created 1354, later it was sold to Arthur U. Pope in 1931.
The interior is decorated with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings of great artistic value. Justinian oversaw the completion of the greatest cathedral ever built of its time. It has a complex interior structure; the nave is covered by a central dome which is about 182 ft. 5in. from floor level and rests on an arcade of 40 arched windows. The dome had some repairs made to it which made its diameter vary from 101 feet to 103 feet. There are arched openings extended by half domes of same diameter to the central dome carried on smaller semi-domed exedras. Also the interior surfaces are sheathed with polychrome marbles, green and white with purple porphyry, and gold mosaics. The exterior, clad in stucco, was tinted yellow and red during restorations in the 19th century at the direction of the Fossati
The mosque can be identified by its elaborate squinch-supported domes. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the finest surviving examples of Umayyad architecture in Spain. The mosque has marble capitals and columns in the hypostyle prayer hall. A person enters the hall through an open courtyard called a sahn. Its famous horseshoe arches have an alternated pattern of pale stone and red brick voussoirs
When you would walk into the Byzantine Church of San Vitale, you would see beautiful arches and dome shapes. The church is an octagonal shape with a centralized dome. The church also has an ambulatory, which allows visitors to walk around the church to admire it. The walls would be adorned with intricate mosaics made with colorful tiles. The central dome encourages people to stand in the middle of it and
Architecture comes with many significant meanings, including religious significance. The Pantheon, built from 118 to 125 CE in Rome, Italy, was a temple made to worship the Roman gods and goddesses. This temple is one of the most important buildings both in history and architecture, influencing many other monuments with its form, such as The Dome of the Rock. The Dome of the Rock, built from 687 to 692 CE, was the first great Islamic building. Located in Jerusalem, it is a shrine still very significant to many religions, such as Judaism and Christianity, today. Though not resembling each other in appearance, these buildings are extremely similar, in terms of religious meaning. The Pantheon and the Dome of the Rock, through their own distinctive form and similar location backgrounds, illuminate religion as the most important factor in each society, as these monuments symbolize a sense of unification throughout the city.
One of these achievements is the Hagia Sophia; a piece of architectural genius. The Hagia Sophia was a
Artfully constructed and etched in Quranic verse, the Dome sits upon its ominous perch and serves as the center of Jerusalem. Regardless of one's religious or political slant, the sheer magnificence of the building cannot be ignored nor can its intrinsic message. From an uninfluenced perspective, one cannot help but observe the Dome as an attempt to
The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba is a Catholic cathedral dedicated to the assumption of the Virgin Mary. This mosque is located in the Spanish region of Andalucia near the city of Córdoba. This site is viewed as an accomplished monument of Moorish architecture. The site was originally a small temple of Christian Visigoth. When Muslims conquered Spain in 711, the church was divided into half Muslim and half Christian, but that sharing only lasted until 784.
The Pantheon is an iconic part of architecture, particularly in the mediterranean. Constructed in Imperial Rome, the Pantheon was an incredible piece that forever influenced the basics of architecture. A similar piece, contemporary to the Pantheon, would be the Dome of the Rock. Found in Jerusalem, the Umayyad caliph built the shrine in the seventh century to serve a function as an Islamic shrine. Being the oldest extant Islamic monument known to man, the Dome of the Rock is sacred to both the Muslim and jewish religions.While being in completely different cultures, the Pantheon and the Dome of the Rock share numerous similarities varying from their functionality to the characteristic style of the domes.
Driving along the highway, all eyes are drawn as a magnet to the unique building with its golden dome and unusual architecture. The Islamic Center is located at the base of a residential street in a small neighborhood. The center houses an Islamic school, a community center, an international school and the Mosque, which is the place of worship for Muslims.