Lahore University of Management Sciences
HIST216 – Islamic Art and Architecture: A Historical Introduction
Spring 2015
Instructor
Room No.
Office Hours
Email
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Course URL (if
any)
Dr. Tehnyat Majeed
TBA
TBA
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Course Basics
Credit Hours
Lecture(s)
Recitation/Lab (per
week)
Tutorial (per week)
4
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Duration
Duration
Duration
Course Distribution
Core
Elective
Open for Student
Category
Close for Student
Category
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces the major artefacts and monuments of the Islamic world from 600-1700 AD and
integrates this material with its historical, religious and cultural contexts. It traces the development of both
sacred and secular art of Islam originating in Arabia to across a vast geographical terrain encompassing Syria,
Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, Egypt and Spain. Broadly following a thematic approach, it explores cross-
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cultural influences and artistic exchanges that made the art of the Islamic lands so eclectic and stylistically
diverse. Most of all, this course by viewing artefacts in the contexts of patronage, religious doctrine, cultural
appropriation, regional artistic traditions, and technological innovation, reveals some of the mechanisms by
which the art of Islam, despite its earlier borrowings from Byzantine and Sasanian visual cultures, developed its
own unique and rich cultural and artistic forms of expression.
The course also highlights some of the essential problematics of Islamic art, like the widespread misconception
about the absence and prohibition of figural iconography, the proliferation of commemorative funerary
structures and the cult of shrine architecture, as well as, the representation of Islamic beliefs, customs and
peoples in museum exhibits and in the study of Islamic material culture within western institutions of higher
learning. Within the thematic framework of the course, the class sessions deal with a selection of historical and
modern sources to understand central concepts and contexts, and generally, follow a chronological trajectory
to enable students to track artistic changes, identify regional trends, and make stylistic connections in the
artistic production of Islamic societies.
The course addresses some of the following important questions:
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What is Islamic about Islamic art?
What principles guided the formation of Islamic aesthetics?
How leading historical, political, social and economic circumstances transformed the nomadic Arabs
into a sophisticated civilization that produced for centuries an art of tremendous vitality and diversity?
What kinds of perceptions have been brought into the study of Islamic material culture by western
scholarship?
COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)
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Basic knowledge of early Islamic history
Acquainted with the fundamentals of Islamic beliefs and practices
Some familiarity with the Arabic script
COURSE OBJECTIVES
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To familiarize students with the historical contexts for Islamic artistic and cultural heritage
To introduce the discourse prevalent in the study of Islamic art and archaeology
To review frameworks, methodologies and approaches used in the field
To develop art historical skills, critical inquiry and independent analytical thinking in the discipline
Learning Outcomes
At the successful completion of the course students will:
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Gain a historical and visual knowledge of major Islamic artefacts and monuments
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Be able to identify, interpret and evaluate a range of Islamic objects, stylistic periods and source
materials
Gain the ability to use artefact as primary source along with textual sources in order to build contexts
Acquire knowledge of the broad concepts and key issues in the discipline
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Understand the linkages between trade, politics, technology, society, religion and cultural expression
Develop the ability to appraise the methods and approaches used by art historians, archaeologists and
scholars who document and interpret Islamic material culture
Become conversant in the artistic and technical vocabulary of Islamic art

Be able to conduct independent research on topics related to Islamic artistic forms and cultural
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traditions
Academic Honesty
The principles of truth and honesty are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and students.
This means that all academic work will be done by the student to whom it is assigned without unauthorized aid
of any kind. Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited. Any instances of
academic dishonesty in this course (intentional or unintentional) will be dealt with swiftly and severely.
Potential penalties include receiving a failing grade on the assignment in question or in the course overall. For
further information, students should make themselves familiar with the relevant section of the LUMS student
handbook.
Grading Breakup and Policy
Class Participation and Attendance: 20%
Group Presentations: 20%
Midterm Examination: 20%
Project: Research Paper (2000 words) 20%
Final Examination: 20%
Students are strongly encouraged to participate actively in class discussions. This entails not only a close
reading of the assigned material which is fairly difficult, but also requires advance preparation of key concepts
and historical contexts. Class sessions, most often, will begin with a set of questions related to the readings by
means of which students will be guided to carry out rigorous analysis and critical evaluation of the content.
This is an essential exercise as the content knowledge presented in the readings sets the framework for the
study of artefacts and monuments covered in the lecture.
Oral presentations are based on the required readings and will be presented in groups. One of the methods
employed in group presentations, is the device of peer assessment. The group presenting will be questioned by
their peers and assessed on the basis of structure, reasoning, content and delivery. The midterm exam will be
predominantly composed of objective test questions, in addition to a section on visual slides which students
will identify with full attribution. Therefore, students are advised to pay careful attention to the visual material
in class. Most of all, in both the exams, each student must display the ability to describe artefacts in a systematic
and comprehensive manner, as well as, demonstrate the skill to carry out contextual analyses of artefacts by
using historical documents and textual sources.
Topics for the research paper will be based on one of the themes covered in the course, and will be decided in
consultation with the course instructor. Submissions after the due date will not be accepted.
Examination Detail
Midterm
Exam
Final Exam
Yes/No: Yes
Combine Separate:
Duration: 1hr 15 min
Preferred Date:
Exam Specifications: Objective/Visual Slide/ Quizzes
Yes/No: Yes
Combine Separate:
Duration: 2hrs
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Exam Specifications: Short Essay Questions/Visual Slides
WEEK
1
2
TOPICS
REQUIRED READINGS
Introduction
The Arts of the Islamic Lands
- Geographical terrain
- Dynastic coverage
- Approaches & Methodologies
Madden (1975), Some
Characteristics of Islamic Art,
pp.423-430.
Al-Faruqi (1973), Islam and Art,
pp.81-109.
PART I: SACRED GEOGRAPHY
3
4
Mecca
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- The Ka’ba
- Meccan society, trade and commerce
Video: Omar Ibn al-Khattab
Watt (1991), Makka, pp.144-147.
Medina
- The Earliest Islamic Community
- The Prophet’s Mosque – Architectural development
- Medina from 622 to 690
Watt (1980), Madinah, pp.994998.
Osman, Pre-Islamic Arab
Converts to Christianity in Mecca,
pp.67-80.
Grabar (1985), Upon Reading alAzraqi, Muqarnas, vol.3, pp.1-7.
Jerusalem
- The Umayyads (661-750)
5-6 - The Dome of the Rock
- Abd al-Malik’s Jerusalem
- Video: The history of Jerusalem
Trailer: Kingdom of Heaven
PART II: THE ARTS OF THE BOOK
Grabar (1959), Umayyad Dome
of the Rock, pp.33-62.
Divine Revelation I: The Qur’an and the Kufi Script
- Arabic Script - Fundamentals
- Early Quran folios
- Development of the Kufic script
Bloom (1991), The early Fatimid
Koran Manuscript, pp.171-178.
Divine Revelation II: The Master Calligraphers
- Abbasid Caliphate
- Ibn Muqla
- Ibn al-Bawwab
- Yaqut al-Mustasimi
Y. Tabbaa (1999), Canonicity and
Control: The Sociopolitical
Underpinnings of Ibn Muqla’s
Reform, Ars Orientalis, vol.29,
pp.91-100.
Bosworth (1982), Abbasid
Caliphate, pp.89-95.
Islamic Illustrated Manuscripts I: The Arabic Book
- Scientific texts
- Medical texts
Hoffman (2000), The beginnings
of the Illustrated Arabic Book,
pp.37-52.
7
8
9
MWNF, The Umayyads.
SAW, A Virtual Walking tour: alHaram al-Sharif.
Daftary (1999), Fatimids,
pp.423-426.
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- Literary texts
10
11
Islamic Illustrated Manuscripts II: The Persian Epics
- The Ilkhanids
- Historical texts
- Shahname (The Book of Kings)
Blair (1993), The development of
the Illustrated Book in Iran,
pp.266-274.
Melville (2008), Jamec alTawarik, pp.462-468.
Soucek (1994), Demotte SahNama, pp.277-278.
Islamic Manuscripts Illustrated III: Poetry and Mysticism
- The Safavids
- The Royal Atelier
- Haft Awrang
Merguerian (1997), Zulaykha
and Yusuf, pp.485-508.
Mathee (2008), Safavid Dynasty.
PART III: ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE & ITS CONTEXT
12
The Earliest Mosque Types
- al-Aqsa Mosque
- Great Mosque of Damascus
- Great Mosque of Mansur, Baghdad
The Great Mosque of Cordoba
13- - The Umayyads of Spain
14 - Appropriation and Influences
- Video: When the Moors ruled Europe (documentary with
historian Bettany Hughes)
15
Grafman (1999), The Two Great
Syrian Mosques, pp.1-15.
MWNF, The Abbasids and their
Vassals.
Ecker (2003), The Great Mosque
of Cordoba, pp.113-141.
MMA, The Art of the Umayyad
Period in Spain (711-1031).
Mid-Term Exam (details to be announced)
Commemorative Structures
- Death & Burial in Islam
16- - The Tomb
17 - The Funerary Complex
Thomas Leisten (1990),
Between Orthodoxy and Exegesis,
pp.12-22.
Grabar (1966), The Earliest
Commemorative Structures, pp.746.
PART IV: THE PORTABLE ARTS OF ISLAM
Islamic Ceramics I
- Centres of Production
- Technical Innovations
- The Aesthetics of Clay
Wilkinson (1950), Life in Early
Nishapur, pp.60-72.
Islamic Ceramics II
- The Ottomans
- Iznik
Lane (1957), The Ottoman
Pottery of Iznik, pp.247-281.
20
Islamic Metalwork
- Centres of Production
- Techniques
- Iconography
- Video: TED Talk 13th-century Astrolabe
Craddock (1979), The Copper
Alloys of the Medieval Islamic
World, pp.68-79.
21
Islamic Coinage
Ali (2004), Islamic Coins during
18
19
Ozgen (2002), The Ottomans History.
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- Appropriation & Modification
- Reformed Coinage of the Umayyads
- Coins of the later dynasties
the Umayyad, Abbasid, Andalusian
and Fatimid, pp.1-11.
Heidemann, Numismatics,
pp.648-663 + illustrations.
Lahore Museum Visit – The Islamic Art Collection
Branham (1994/1995), Sacrality
and Aura in the Museum, pp.3347.
22
PART V: THE POLITICS OF STYLE, ICONOGRAPHY AND ARCHAEOLOGY
23
Cross-cultural Influences I (Early Islam, 7th-8th centuries)
- Byzantine Empire
- Sasanian Empire
- Continuity and Eclecticism
Grabar (1964). Islamic Art and
Byzantium, pp.67-88.
24
Cross-cultural Influences II (Medieval Islam, 13th-14th
centuries)
- The Mongols
- Chinese Aesthetics
Canby (1993), Depictions of
Buddha Sakyamuni, pp.299-310.
Jackson (2002), Mongols.
Islamic Attitude towards Figural Art
- Iconoclasm vs. Aniconism
- Quran & Hadith
- The Material Evidence
Creswell (1946), The Lawfulness
of Painting in Early Islam, pp.159166.
King (1985), Islam, Iconoclasm
and Declaration of Doctrine,
pp.267-277.
26
Islamic Art and Archaeology: An overview of the discipline
- Colonization & Orientalism
- Documentation & History of Collecting
- The Great Exhibitions
Vernoit (1997), Rise of Islamic
Archaeology, pp.1-10.
27
28
- Revision
- Final Exam
25
Shahbazi (1990), ByzantineIranian Relations.
Bloom (2009), A Global Guide to
Islamic Art.
Textbook(s)/Required Readings
Reference Textbooks:
Ettinghausen, Richard and Oleg Grabar (1987). The Art and Architecture of Islam, 650-1250, London, New
Haven: Yale University Press.
Blair, Sheila S. and Jonathan M. Bloom (1995), The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800, New York: Yale
University Press and Penguin Books.
Required Readings:
Ali, Wijdan (2004), Islamic Coins during the Umayyad, Abbasid, Andalusian and Fatimid Dynasties, (ed.)Salim alHassani, Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC), Manchester: FSTC Limited.
Al-Faruqi, Isma’il R. (1973), Islam and Art, Studia Islamica, No.37, pp.81-109.
Blair, Sheila S. (1993). The Development of the Illustrated Book in Iran, Muqarnas, Vol. 10, pp.266-74.
Bloom, Jonathan (1991). The early Fatimid blue Koran manuscript, Graeco-Arabica, Vol. 4, pp. 171-8.
Bloom, J. (2009). A Global Guide to Islamic Art, Saudi Aramco World, January-February, pp.32-43, available at
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200901/a.global.guide.to.islamic.art.htm (accessed on 25
Lahore University of Management Sciences
September 2014).
Bosworth, C.E. (1982). Abbasid Caliphate, in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol.1, Fasc.1, pp.89-95; an updated version
is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abbasid-caliphate (accessed 26 September
2014).
Branham, Joan R. (1994/1995). Sacrality and Aura in the Museum: Mute Objects and Articulate Space, The
Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, Vol.52/53, pp.33-47.
Canby, Sheila (1993). Depictions of Buddha Sakyamuni in the Jamic al-Tavarikh and the Majmac al-Tavarikh,
Muqarnas, Vol. 10, pp.299-310.
Craddock, P.T. (1979), The Copper Alloys of the Medieval Islamic World – Inheritors of the Classical Tradition,
World Archaeology, Vol.11, no.1, pp.68-79.
Creswell, K.A.C. (1946). The Lawfulness of Painting in Early Islam, Ars Islamica, Vol. 11-12, pp.159-66.
Daftary, Farhad (1999). Fatimids, in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol.IX, Fasc.4, pp.423-426; also online edition
available at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/fatimids (accessed 26 September 2014).
Ecker, Heather (2003). The Great Mosque of Córdoba in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, Muqarnas, Vol.
20, pp.113-141.
Grabar, Oleg (1959). The Umayyad Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Ars Orientalis, Vol. 3, pp.33-62.
Grabar, O. (1964). Islamic Art and Byzantium, Dumbarton Oaks Paper, Vol. 18, pp.67-88.
Grabar, O. (1966). The Earliest Islamic Commemorative Structures, Notes and Documents, Ars Orientalis, Vol.6,
pp.7-46.
Grabar, O. (1985), Upon Reading al-Azraqi, Muqarnas, Vol.3, pp.1-7.
Grafman, Rafi and Myriam Rosen-Ayalon (1999). The Two Great Syrian Umayyad Mosques: Jerusalem and
Damascus, Muqarnas, Vol. 16, pp.1-15.
Heidemann, Stefan (2010), Numismatics, in The Formation of the Islamic World, Sixth to Eleventh Centuries,
(ed.) Chase Robinson , The New Cambridge History of Islam, Vol.1, pp.648-663.
Hoffman, Eva R. (2000). The Beginnings of the Illustrated Arabic Book: An Intersection between Art and
Scholarship, Muqarnas, Vol. 17, pp.37-52.
Jackson, Peter (2002), Mongols, in Encyclopaedia Iranica, online edition, available at
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mongols (accessed 26 September 2014).
King, G.R.D. (1985). Islam, Iconoclasm, and the Declaration of Doctrine, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and
African Studies, Vol.48, no.2, pp.267-277.
Lane, Arthur (1957), The Ottoman Pottery of Iznik, Ars Orientalis, Vol.2, pp.247-281.
Leisten, Thomas (1990), Between Orthodoxy and Exegesis: Some Aspects of Attitudes in the Sharica toward
Funerary Architecture, Muqarnas, Vol.7, pp.12-22.
Madden, Edward H. (1975), Some Characteristics of Islamic Art, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism,
Vol.33, No.4, pp.423-430.
Mathee, Rudi (2008), Safavid Dynasty, in the Encyclopaedia Iranica, online edition, available at
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/safavids (accessed on 26 September 2014)
Melville, Charles (2008), Jamec al-Tawarik, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol.XIV, Fasc. 5, pp.462-468, online edition,
available at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jame-al-tawarik (accessed 26 September 2014).
Merguerian, Gayane K. and Afsaneh Najmabadi (1997), Zulaykha and Yusuf: Whose “Best Story”?,
International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol.29, No.4, pp.485-508.
MMA (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Art of the Umayyad Period in
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Spain (711-1031), available at http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sumay/hd_sumay.htm (accessed on 25
September 2014).
MWNF (Museum with No Frontiers ), The Umayyads, available at
http://www.discoverislamicart.org/gai/ISL/page.php?theme=1 (accessed on 25 September 2014).
MWNF, The Abbasids and their Vassals, available at
http://www.discoverislamicart.org/gai/ISL/page.php?theme=2 (accessed on 25 September 2014).
Osman, Ghada (2005), Pre-Islamic Arab Converts to Christianity in Mecca and Medina: An Investigation into
the Arabic Sources, The Muslim World, Vol. 95, pp.67-80.
Ozgen, Korkut (2002), The Ottomans – History, available at
http://www.theottomans.org/english/about/about.asp (accessed 26 September 2014).
SAW (Saudi Aramco World), A Virtual Walking Tour: al-Haram al-Sharif, available at
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200901/a.virtual.walking.tour.al-haram.al-sharif.htm (accessed on
25 September 2014).
Shahbazi, A. Shapur (1990). Byzantine-Iranian Relations, in Encyclopaedia Iranica, online edition, available at
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/byzantine-iranian-relations (accessed on 26 September 2014).
Soucek, Priscilla P. (1994), Demotte Sah-Nama, in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol.VII, Fasc.3, pp.277-278, online
edition available at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/demotte-sah-nama (accessed on 26 September
2014).
Vernoit, Stephen (1997). The Rise of Islamic Archaeology, Muqarnas, Vol.14, pp.1-10.
Watt, Montgomery (1980). Madinah, Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition, Vol. V, pp.994-998.
Watt, Montgomery (1991). Makka, Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition, Vol. VI, pp.144-147.
Wilkinson, Charles K. (1950), Life in Early Nishapur, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol.9, No.2,
pp.60-72.
Tabbaa, Yasser (1999), Canoncity and Control: The Sociopolitical Underpinnings of Ibn Muqla’s Reform, Ars
Orientalis, Vol.29, pp.91-100.
Web Resources:
Museum with No Frontiers, Discover Islamic Art, http://www.discoverislamicart.org/index.php
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History,
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/te_index.asp?i=Islamic
Saudi Aramco World, http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201405/
Archnet, http://archnet.org/timelines/48
David Collection (Copenhagen), http://www.davidmus.dk/en/collections/islamic
V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum (London), http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/i/islamic-middle-east/