The Islamic World – Multiple Choice – Flashcards
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When Islam arose, who were peripheral to the Byzantine and Persian empires?
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Arabs
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Critical of the polytheistic religion of his fellow Arabs, Muhammad had all the idols destroyed, however he preserved the Kaaba. Which of the following supports the reason for this preservation?
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It is the Islamic world's symbolic centre
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What was the Hegira?
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Muhammad's flight from Mecca
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How is interior architectural space defined in the Muslim world?
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By having no interior walls
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It is said Muslims worship Allah directly without a hierarchy of clergy acting as intermediaries. However during communal gatherings, the imam would stand on a stepped pulpit or __
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Minbar
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The coming of a new religion to Jerusalem, a city sacred to both Jews and Christians, is marked by a monument known as the
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Dome of the Rock
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The vault in the Hall of the Two Sisters is meant to symbolize
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The dome of heaven
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Sinan was born a Christian, converted to Islam, then trained in engineering and the art of building while still in the army. He was also court architect to Suleyman the Magnificent. Which of the following was his greatest achievement?
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Mosque of Selim II
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The Mshatta Palace, never completed, has a rich ornamental frieze with animal figures appearing on some of the triangles. However no animal figures appear on the facade that correspond to the mosque's qibla wall. Why is the animal figuration absent from this section of the frieze?
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The representation of fauna in a sacred place is prohibited
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The mihrab is a semicircular niche set in the qibla wall; its specific purpose is still being debated. Some scholars have suggested the miharb is refrencing Muhammad. Which of the following best supports this suggestion?
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It honoured the place Muhammad stood when leading communal worship
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The structural foundation of the Great Mosque of Damascus owes much to the architecture of the Greco-Roman East. Which structural feature accounts for this?
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Roman precinct walls
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Which of the following is built over the spot from which Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven?
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Dome of the Rock
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The art of calligraphy, ornamental writing, was used to reproduce the sacred words of the Koran is as beautiful a script as possible. Which of the following would never appear in ornamental writing of the Koran?
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Stylised floral forms
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The unification of text and ornament found in the design of Islamic Korans is also found in the European manuscripts of the
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Hiberno-Saxons
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In the 7th century, the capital of Islam had been transferred from Mecca to Damascus by the
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Umayyads
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The positioning of all mosques, no matter period or country, must be oriented toward which of the following cities?
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Mecca
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The hypostyle mosque, such as Kairouan, most closely reflects the mosque's supposed origin. Which of the following best supports this statement?
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It is Muhammad's house in Medina
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The Malwiya minaret in Samarra was too tall to have been used to call the faithful to prayer and was clearly visible for a considerable distance. Which of the following is a possible explanation?
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It announced the presence of Islam
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The Saminid mausoleum from Bukhara can be said to be which of the following structure types?
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Dome-on-a-cube form
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The Great Mosque at Cordoba has a hypostyle prayer hall with horseshoe shaped arches adapted from which of the following?
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Visigoths
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In the 10th century Caliph al-Hakam II undertook major renovations of the Great Mosque at Cordoba, including a mosaic pattern for the maqsura. He wanted to rival the great mosaic clad monuments erected by his Umayyad predecessors in Jerusalem. Which of the following cities provided the mosaicists?
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Constantinople
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An ancient Arab proverb proclaims, "Purity of writing, is purity of soul," describes which of the following?
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Calligraphy
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In the mid-13th century, the Mongols conquered much of the Eastern Islamic world. The centre of Islamic power moved from Baghdad to Egypt. The lords of Egypt at that time were Mamluks. The definition of the word Mamluk translates to
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Slave
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The Ottomans developed a new style of mosque, which is a square prayer hall covered by a dome. Which of the following are characteristics of Ottoman mosque architecture?
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Geometric and formalistic
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Umayyad palaces included elaborate bathing facilities, which were an inheritance from_
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Roman influence
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The abbasids overthrew the Umayyad caliphs and established a new capital at
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Baghdad
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The sacred book of Islam in the Koran or recitations. The recitations or instructions were given to Muhammad by the
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Archangel Gabriel
