Glossary

Ettinghausen, Richard; Grabar, Oleg; Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn

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Glossary

Richard Ettinghausen, Oleg Grabar, Marilyn Jenkins-Madina

Islamic Art and Architecture: 650–1250

Glossary

Author

Richard Ettinghausen, Oleg Grabar, Marilyn Jenkins-Madina

PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-20122

Glossary

This glossary of frequently used Arabic, Persian (P), and Turkish (T) words does not include those words which are fairly well known and can be found in standard English dictionaries.

‘abaya (abā’a) cloak-like woollen wrap

ablaq decorative technique of alternating stone of different colours

amir (amīr) lit. ‘commander’; title for a prince, ruler, or chief

arq or arg (P) citadel, or part of a citadel

atabeg title of high dignitary under the Saljuqs and their successors

attabi (‘attābī) a type of fabric, named after a quarter of the city of Baghdad

bayt lit. ‘house’; in architecture, the term used to describe the living units within palaces and residences

beylik (T) an area or domain ruled by a bey (a Turkic title for a lord or chief)

dar al-hadith (dār al-ḥadīth) institution devoted to the teaching of the Traditions of the Prophet

dihqan (dihqān) (P) a member of the feudal aristocracy or land-owning gentry

gach (P; ganch in Tajik) stucco

habb (ḥabb) a large, unglazed pottery storage jar

hadith (ḥadīth) prophetic tradition; narrative relating to the deeds and utterances of the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions

hammam (ḥammām) bath

haram (ḥaram) something holy or sacred; sanctuary

al-Haramayn (colloquial for al-Ḥaramān) the two holy places, Mecca and Madina

imam (imām) leader, especially of ritual prayer; the term is sometimes applied to religiously guided political leaders

imamzade (imāmzāde) lit. ‘mausoleum’; the tomb of a prominent descendant of an imam

imaret (T, from Arabic ʿimāra, ‘building’) a public soup kitchen

iqta’ (iqṭā‘) feudal system of granting fiefs to army chiefs

iwan (īwān a vaulted hall, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open

jahiliyya (al-jāhilīya) the ‘time of ignorance’ or period of Arab paganism preceding the advent of Islam

juz’ pl. ajzā’ a thirtieth part of the Qur’an

kashi (kāshī) (P.; abb. of kāshānī) the term for tiles, or trimmed pieces of pottery serving to cover completely or partially the interior and/or the exterior of buildings

khangah (khānaqā) (A/P) a communal dwelling for mystics

khatib (khaṭīb) preacher; pronouncer of the sermon (khuṭba) at Friday prayers

khutba (khuṭba) Muslim Friday sermon

madhhab each of the four orthodox schools of Islamic law or jurisprudence (see sharia)

madrasa lit. ‘school’; specifically, an institution developed in the eleventh century for the training of the religious elite

majlis an assembly, a ruling council, or a parliament

maqamat (maqāmāt (pl.)) lit. ‘meetings’; a genre of Arabic rhythmic prose

maqsura (maqṣūra) in a mosque, an enclosure in the vicinity of the mihrab, usually set aside for use by the ruler

mashaf, pl. masahif (maṣḥaf , pl. maṣāḥif) book, volume; generally applied to a copy of the Qur’an

mashhad lit. ‘place of witnessing’; commemorative sanctuary for purposes of prayer, pilgrimage, and private piety

masjid lit. ‘place of prostration’; mosque

maydan (maydān) a large, open space; a square or plaza, usually for ceremonial functions

mazar (mazār) a mausoleum or shrine

mihrab (miḥrāb) a niche in the wall of a mosque which indicates the qibla, the direction of Mecca, towards which all Muslims turn in prayer

mina’i (minā’ī) (P) type of pottery with polychrome stain- and overglaze-painted decoration

minbar lit. ‘platform’, ‘dais’; pulpit in a congregational mosque from which the sermon (khuṭba) is delivered during worship on Fridays

muezzin (mu’adhdhin) announcer of the hour of prayer

muluk al-tawa’if (mulūk al-ṭawā’if) ‘princelings’, ‘petty kings’; feudal lords who governed independent principalities in Spain following the breakdown of the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba in the early eleventh century

muqarnas three-dimensional architectural ornament composed of tiers of niche-like elements, sometimes likened to stalactites

musalla (muṣallā) lit. ‘place for prayer’; a public, open-air place for prayer, usually outside a city’s gates

naskhi the ordinary cursive Arabic script

nisba adjective denoting descent, origin, orientation or profession

pishtaq (P) (pīshṭāq) high arch or gateway on the façade of a building

qul‘a fort; fortress; citadel

qasab (qaṣab) gold and silver thread; gold and silver embroidery; brocade

qibla the direction of prayer towards the Ka’ba in Mecca

qubba dome; cupola; domed tomb or shrine

rabad (rabaḍ) outskirts, suburb

rahle (Arabic, in Turkish usage) folding stand for a Qur’an

ribat (ribāṭ) frontier fortress and center for devout warriors

riwaq (riwāq) portico

rubaiyyat (rubā’īyāt) ‘quatrains’; any poem written in quatrains

sahn (ṣaḥn) yard; courtyard, most frequently, of a mosque; patio

salat (ṣalāt) lit. ‘prayer’ or ‘worship’; canonical, or ritual, prayer consisting of a series of movements and recitations

shahristan (shahristān) (P) central walled city of a large urban centre

sharia (sharī’a) the revealed, or canonical, law of Islam

Shi’ism (from shī’a, lit. ‘party’) one of the two principal branches of Islam; Shi’ites recognize only ‘Ali and his descendants as rightful successors of the Prophet

shubbak (shubbāk) a fenced opening; a window

simurgh (sīmūrgh) (P) name of a mythical bird

Sufism Islamic mysticism

Sunnism (from al-sunna, ‘the Prophet’s sayings and actions’) orthodox Islam, which accepts the sunna as legally binding precedents

taifa (from ṭā’ifa, ‘sect’, ‘faction’, ‘religious minority’) abbreviation of mulūk al-ṭawā’if (see above)

tiraz (ṭirāz) (P, ‘embroidery’) inscribed textiles made in state workshops for distribution by a ruler to his courtiers; by extension, an ornamental band of fabric bearing an inscription; dār al-ṭirāz factory for textile manufacture

türbe (T, from Arabic turba) tomb; funerary monument

waqf religious endowment; endowment in general

ziyada (ziyāda) the outer enclosure or extension of a mosque

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