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Description: The Art and Architecture of Islam: 1250–1800
Glossary
PublisherYale University Press
https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00124.026
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Glossary
= Arabic; P = Persian; T = Turkish
Abbasid
dynasty of caliphs who ruled from Iraq 749–1258
amir
prince or commander
arabesque
geometricized vegetal ornament
ʽanaza (A)
wooden screen in the form of a mihrab erected in the courtyard of a North African mosque
b.
son of (Arab, ibn/bin)
beveled style
style of carving stucco and wood with a slanted cut; developed under the Abbasid dynasty in Iraq, it spread throughout the Islamic lands
chatri
a rooftop pavilion in Indian architecture
chinoiserie
motifs and ornament derived from Chinese prototypes
cuerda seca
(“dry cord”) technique of glazing ceramics with several colors simultaneously by separating them with a greasy substance mixed with manganese; it left a matte black line between the colors after firing
dikka (A)
tribune for the official charged with repeating the daily prayers
Hanafi
follower of Abu Hanifa (d. 767), founder of a school of law particularly popular in the Ottoman empire
imam
(1) descendant of the Prophet Muhammad; (2) the leader of prayer in the mosque
īmāmzāda (P)
literally, a descendant of an imam (1); by extension, the tomb where he is buried
iwan
barrel-vaulted space open at one end
khan
caravanserai
khānaqāh (A/P)
hospice for Sufis
Kufic
style of writing characterized by angular shapes
lambrequin arch
arch with pendant forms when seen in profile
lampas
textile weave with two sets of warps and two sets of wefts
lājvardīna (P)
literally, having the quality of lapis lazuli; used to describe a deep blue ceramic glaze
madrasa (T medrese)
theological college; sometimes called medersa in North Africa
maidan (A maydān)
open square or plaza
minaret
tower attached to a mosque, often used for the call to prayer
minbar (T mimber)
pulpit, usually of wood but sometimes of stone or decorated with glazed ceramic, from which the sermon is given during communal worship in the congregational mosque on Friday
mosque
Muslim house of worship, from the Arabic masjid, “place of prostration”; also masjid al-jāmiʽ (A: “congregational mosque”), masjid-i jumʽa (P: “Friday mosque”); ulu cami (T: “great mosque”); jamiʽ masjid (in India)
muḥaqqaq (A)
style of cursive script characterized by a narrow zone below the base line, shallow bowls on descending letters, and straight, sharp tips
muqarnas (A)
architectural device composed of serried tiers of niche-like elements, sometimes likened to stalactite or honeycomb vaulting
naqqāsh (A)
scribe; designer; painter
naskh
the common cursive hand for copying books; “minuscule” form of thuluth (q.v.)
opus sectile
ornamental paving or wall revetment made from colored marble slabs cut in geometric shapes
pisé
rammed earth
pīshṭāq (P)
high and formal gateway composed of an arch set within a rectangular frame and functioning like a shallow iwan
qanāt (P)
underground aqueduct
qibla (T kible)
direction of prayer towards the Kaaba in Mecca
rayḥān
“minuscule” form of muḥaqqaq (q.v.)
riqāʽ
“minuscule” form of tawqīʽ (q.v.)
sayyid
descendant of the Prophet Muhammad
semé
elements scattered on a plain ground
Shafiʽi
follower of al-Shafiʽi (d. 820), founder of a school of law particularly popular in Egypt and Syria
Shāhnāma (P)
literally “Book of Kings”; the Persian national epic written down by Firdawsi ca. 1010
Shiʽite
from the Arabic shīʽa, literally “party”; those who believe that the caliphate passed to the Prophet’s son-in-law ʽAli and his descendants
simurgh (P)
mythical phoenix-like bird
squinch
an arch thrown diagonally across the corner of a room to support a circular or polygonal superstructure
Sufi
mystic
tawqīʽ
cursive script characterized by distended final forms and numerous unorthodox connections between letters
thuluth
“majuscule” form of naskh (q.v.), often used in headings and inscriptions
Umayyad
first Islamic dynasty of caliphs, who ruled from Damascus 661–750; another branch ruled in Spain 756–1031
zāwiya (A), zaviye (T)
hospice for Sufis
Glossary
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