Historicity and Religious Sanctity of Architecture in Islam - Part 3: Muslim Extremists’ Cultural War is against the Legacy of Muslim Predecessors
By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam
22 November, 2014
Central Asia, Iran and Spain have been truly magnificent citadels of Islamic culture, art and architecture. Muslim predecessors, both rulers and religious scholars, endorsed and encouraged building of architectural structures, monumental mosques and madrasas and even Sufi shrines and mausoleums with big tombs and domes. When our Muslim predecessors or the Salaf in those parts of the Islamic world did not oppose the architectural advancement, why the present-day Salafis, who loudly claim to follow the Salaf, are vehemently opposed to it?
Islamic Architecture in Iran
When Islam spread widely in Iran in the eleventh century, it came under the Seljuk rule. In the 16th century, the Safavids established their dynasty and chose Isfahan as their capital transforming it into one of the jewels of Islamic architecture. Interestingly, this historical land of ancient Fars happened to be the homeland of Hafiz Sherazi and Sheikh Sa’di, the two Muslim luminaries and spiritually-inclined literary figures of the Persia.
Iran has an age-old, rich and varied heritage of Islamic architecture. Its monuments carry particular value as they reflect the region’s artistic and cultural links with many other countries. They reflect the long standing cosmopolitanism of this great nation. Notably, the Safavid monuments are historically remarkable and very beautiful in their diverse shapes. Although scores of Iranian architectural buildings datable between 907/1502 and 1138/1725 survive today, majority of them were built by the Safavids who were religiously inspired in their architectural pursuits. No previous dynasty, Muslim or non-Muslim, could outshine it. It is noteworthy the founder of the Safavid dynasty was a Sunni, but the Safavids later converted to Shi'sm and adopted this as a state religion. Since the Safavids continued the architectural forms established by their predecessors the Timurids, they used the complex vaulting forms, with networks of arches, squinches and pendentives, which were developed by the Timurids. On top of the Safavid monuments is the shrine of Harun-e- Velayat, the son of Hasan al-Askari (the eleventh Imam) and the grandson of Imam Jafar the (sixth Imam). Built in 1512, the shrine is situated in the Dardasht quarter of Isfahan near the main entrance to the Masjid-e-Ali. It is well-known for its miraculous powers and is also visited and venerated by Armenian Christians. The shrine has an emphasis on exterior tile decoration, something which was a salient feature developed in later Saffavid architecture.
The Safavid Islamic architecture reached its peak in 1598/1006 AH with Shah Tahmasp's decision to redesign the capital of Iran, Isfahan. Along with new architectural developments such as rectangular squares, parks, palaces and big bazaars, many monumental mosques were built in the city. The main architectural beauty of these mosques was the layout and planning to show off both their monumental portals as well as glazed domes. In the tomb complexes, an emphasis on accessibility was maintained so that the outside faces may pierce with arches instead of forbidding walls. Another salient feature of the Safavid architecture was the use of lighter materials such as wood, stucco, paint and tiles, and a special emphasis on gardens.
The Safavids built the Shah Mosque of Isfahan, which is an excellent example of Islamic architecture of Iran. As one of the everlasting masterpieces of Islamic architecture, this mosque is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moreover, it is one of the treasures featured on Around the World in 80 Treasures presented by the architecture historian Dan Cruickshank.
There was architectural decline for a period of between 25 to 50 years in Iran. But when Shah Abbas reigned, the situation improved to the extent that not only the Shah himself but his attendants too — physicians, generals, Amirs, chamberlains, major governors — began to establish great architectural buildings. Masjid-e-Ḥakim in Isfahan is among such monuments that were built by the king’s physicians. Renowned authority on architecture, M. E. Weaver’s study on this subject asserts: “Their joint activity and emulation sufficed to transform Isfahan beyond recognition. Beyond the orbit of the court there may have existed a class of merchant patrons whose financial support would help to explain the large number of lavish Safavid bazaars (Qazvin, Kerman, Kaaan and Qom apart from Isfahan itself), but the Shah himself still played the pre eminent role, and his foundations were inspired by motives as much political and economic as religious. The establishment of Shiism as the national creed encouraged increased veneration of the tombs of saints, but Ardabil enjoyed unique status as a dynastic necropolis. (Study of the Conservation Problems of Five Iranian Monuments by M. E. Weaver, Preliminary, UNESCO, Paris, 1970, suppl., Paris, 1971).
Islamic Architecture in Central Asia
Although Central Asia was influenced by different and diverse architectural traditions, Islamic architecture had great impact on all its areas including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Shah-e Zendah in Samarkand and the mosque of Gowhar Shad in Meshed are living examples. The Muslim dynasty in Central Asia was pioneered by Timur, a member of the Barlas tribe. Timur consolidated his control of Central Asia starting from Samarkand and Balkh. Among the most notable Islamic monuments built by Timur are the shrine of Ahmed Yasavi at Turkistan and the Masjid Jame' at Samarkand. Other architectural sites include the mausoleums at Shahrisbaz and the Gur-e-Amir at Samarkand. Timur also carried out massive architectural projects such as building the towns of Baylaqan, Shahrukhiya and Iryah, the citadels and walls of Ghazui, Balkh and Samarkand. In Afghanistan, the Timurid Empire built big monuments, mosques, minarets and madrasas in Herat. Unfortunately, majority of the Afghan Islamic monuments and architectural buildings have been vandalized by the Taliban extremists. The only preserved Timurid Islamic monument in Herat today is the shrine of the Sufi saint, Khwaja Abdullah Ansari at Gazur Gah. It was built on the plan of a madrasa facing the Qibla.
One of the historical cities of the Central Asia was Ghazna, widely known for its magnificent monuments, great mosques, big madrasas, gardens, palaces as well as secular seats of learning filled with scholars and artists. Although the Ghaznavids or the rulers of Ghazna were Turks and hence spoke Persian and promoted literature and philosophy in Farsi and Dari, they also incorporated glorious aspects of the Indian culture, art and architecture. As the Ghaznavids conquered the Indian subcontinent, they brought numerous Indian craftsmen to Ghazna and used particularly as stone and wood carvers. Mahmud Ghaznavi’s brother Nasr built monumental madrasas for the study of Hanafi and Shafi’ jurisprudential schools in cities such as Nishapur, Merv and Sarakhs. It was the period when Islamic scholars such as Imam Ghazali (1058-1111/449-555 AH), a great jurist, theologian, and Sufi saint who left a deep influence on medieval Western Judaism and Christianity, created a balance between religion and reason in works such as Ihya-ul-Ulum (The Revival of Sciences) and Tahafat al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers).
Bukhara in Uzbekistan is also a hub of historical Islamic structures. The tenth- century mausoleum of Isma’il built in the Samanid era is one of the earliest examples of Islamic funerary architecture which is still preserved. UNESCO World Heritage Site calls it “a masterpiece of 10th-century Muslim architecture”.
Besides monuments built in the twelfth century, many other architectural buildings in Bukhara survive since the era of the Samanids and the Uzbeks. A few buildings dating from the fifteenth century such as the Ulugh Beg Madrasa built in 1417 also survive. The most famous architectural relic is the Kaylan Minaret which is a huge tower over 45 m high and is decorated with bands of decorative brickwork. A twelfth-century monument is the shrine of Chasma Ayyub with its conical dome, built by the Seljuk. Among other monumental structures of Bukhara are a big madrasa named “Kukeldash”, the Divan Begi Mosque and the Kaylan Mosque. The Kukeldash Madrasa measures 80 by 60 m and is the largest madrassa in Central Asia with its surprisingly austere decoration. The Divan Begi mosque and madrasa are equally impressive with tall entrances framed by twin minarets. The Kaylan mosque was the largest mosque in the city with the twelfth-century minaret nearby.
Among the major monuments of Bukhara are one of the largest ensembles of the city which includes mosque, minaret and madrasa called Khoja-Gaukushon, and Lyabi Hauz, Nadir Divan-begi Madrasa, Samanid Mausoleum, Chashma Ayub, Abdullaziz Khan Madrasa, Miri-Arab Madrasa, Magoki-Attori mosque and Trading Ark Citadel. According to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: “It should be stressed, however, that the real importance of Bukhara lies not in its individual buildings but rather in its overall level of urban planning and architecture, which began with the Sheibanid dynasty”.
Islamic Architecture in Spain
It goes beyond saying that the Islamic architecture flourished and reached higher culminations in the Muslim Spain. The major architectural buildings in Islamic Spain were mosques, minarets and other citadels of Muslim civilization. The unique part about the Spanish mosques is that they all were modelled upon the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina.
Although most of the Islamic structures were destroyed by the Christians, several complete examples of Islamic architecture still survive. In fact, some of the Islamic architectural buildings in Spain were preserved and reused in ways similar to how Muslims used them. Palaces of Muslims remained as residences for the Christians, and several mosques were converted to churches.
John Noble, an author with a specialisation in the history of Spain, writes: “Spain’s Islamic centuries (AD 711-1492) left a particularly rich heritage of exotic and beautiful palaces, mosques, minarets and fortresses in Andalusia, which was always the heartland of Al-Andalus. These buildings make Andalusia visually unique in Europe and have to be classed as its greatest architectural glory. Nor is the legacy of the Islamic era just a matter of the big, eye-catching monuments: after the Christian re-conquest of Andalucía (1227-1492), many Islamic buildings were simply repurposed for Christian ends. As a result, many of today’s Andalucian churches are simply converted mosques (most famously at Cördoba), many church towers began life as minarets, and the zig-zagging streets of many an old town – Granada’s Albayzin district is just one famous example originated in labyrinthine Islamic-era street plans.”
According to the Wikipedia, the famous remnants of Islamic architecture in Spain include the Mezquita in Córdoba (784-987), the Alhambra (mainly 1338-1390), Generalife (1302–9 and 1313–24) in Granada, the Giralda in Seville (1184), Paderne Castle in the Algarve, Portugal; the mosque of Koutoubia and University of Al-Karaouine in Morocco, the Great Mosque of Algiers and the Great Mosque of Tlemcen in Algeria and the Mosque of Uqba in Kairouan,Tunisia. Other notable examples include the ruined palace city of Medina Al-zahara(936-1010), the church (former mosque) San Cristo de la Luz in Toledo, the Aljafería in Zaragoza and baths at for example Ronda and Alhama de Granada.
Archaeological sources reveal that the Great Mosque of Córdoba, the Cathedral of Seville, and the Palace of Seville are also among the surviving examples of the Islamic architecture in Spain. While all these monuments are marked today as the most popular architectural sites in modern Spain, they are also substantial evidence of the Christian take-over of Muslim Spain and much of its architecture.
I would like to conclude my renderings on the Spanish Islamic architecture with a beautiful paragraph from the preface of the book “The Muslims in Spain” written by famous orientalist and author of "The Barbary Corasairs”, Stanley Lane-Poole. He writes in his preface:
“For nearly eight centuries, under her Mohammedan rulers, Spain set to all Europe a shining example of a civilised and enlightened State. Her fertile provinces, rendered doubly prolific by the industry and engineering skill of her conquerors, bore fruit an hundredfold. Cities innumerable sprang up in the rich valleys of the Guadalquivir and the Guadiana, whose names, and names only, still commemorate the vanished glories of their past. Art, literature, and science prospered, as they then prospered nowhere else in Europe. Students flocked from France and Germany and England to drink from the fountain of learning which flowed only in the cities of the Moors. The surgeons and doctors of Andalusia were in the van of science: women were encouraged to devote themselves to serious study, and the lady doctor was not unknown among the people of Cordova. Mathematics, astronomy and botany, history, philosophy and jurisprudence were to be mastered in Spain, and Spain alone.”
The writer beautifully concludes his preface: “Whatsoever makes a kingdom great and prosperous, whatsoever tends to refinement and civilization, was found in Moslem Spain.”
(The Muslims in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole, published from GoodWord Books, New Delhi)
Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (classical Islamic scholar) with a Sufi background. He has graduated from a leading Sufi Islamic seminary of India, Jamia Amjadia Rizvia (Mau, U.P.), acquired Diploma in Qur'anic Arabic from Al-Jamiat ul Islamia, Faizabad, U.P., and Certificate in Uloom ul Hadith from Al-Azhar Institute of Islamic Studies, Badaun, U.P. He has also graduated in Arabic (Hons) and is pursuing his M. A. in Comparative Religion from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
URL of part 2: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-history/historicity-religious-sanctity-architecture-islam/d/99892
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-history/historicity-religious-sanctity-architecture-islam/d/100143