Origins of Islamic arts and architecture: the early Caliphates, 661-1258 CE

What is the course about?

The eclectic language of Islamic design can be broadly defined by the use of sophisticated surface geometry, intricate scrolling and vegetal devices, stylized Arabic calligraphy, and the judicious use of figurative elements where appropriate. Though there were variations in the development and interpretation of this visual language, determined by geography, history and patronage, the fundamental principles of Islamic art were forged between the 9th and the 12th centuries under the early Caliphates.

In this course we will examine significant influences that went into the formation and evolution of the arts of the Muslim world as it rapidly expanded from the 7th century onwards. The Umayyad Caliphs of Damascus and the early ‘Abbassid Caliphs of Baghdad assimilated influences from the Classical world, Byzantium, Persia, Central Asia, and China, creating a new visual culture that encompassed Architecture, the Arts of the Book, and the Decorative Arts.

Over the six sessions of this course, we will consider how Islamic Architecture evolved its own distinctive forms in the great Mosques and Palaces constructed in the Near and Middle East, Egypt, North Africa, and Umayyad Cordoba. We will take a detailed look at landmark monuments such as the Dome of the Rock, the Great Mosque of Damascus, the remains of the 9th century ‘Abbassid city of Samarra, and the Mosques of Egypt, North Africa and Cordoba.

We will examine the evidence of visual culture they have yielded, including decorative plasterwork and calligraphic inscriptions, as well as aesthetic and technical developments in a range of contemporary craft industries including textiles, glass, ceramics, and metalware.

What will we cover?

- The development of Islamic Architecture under the Early Caliphates.

- The language of Islamic Surface Design and how it evolved from eclectic sources.

- The Decorative Arts and their technologies in the early Islamic world.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Define some of the key architectural features of an early Islamic Mosque.

- List some existing craft industries that were assimilated and developed under the early Caliphates.

- Describe some of the techniques used in early Islamic textile, glass, or ceramics production.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This course is suitable for all levels.

You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. This course uses a Google Classroom to share materials. Please be familiar with or be willing to learn how to use Google Classroom to make the most of the course materials. For more on how our online learning works, please click here.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will be taught by lecture with slide images and you will be invited to participate in group discussion. There will be handouts provided by your tutor; these handouts will be available digitally via a Google Classroom. You will be invited to join the Google Classroom within a week of your course start date.

Please note: this is a live lecture course and will not be recorded for playback for reasons of copyright, digital infrastructure and data protection.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes, and a folder to file your printed handouts.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Study Day: The Rise of Islam and the Life of the Prophet in Art

Arts of Medieval Islam: Fatimids, Turks, Mongols and Mamluks.

Study Day: The Art of the Qur’an.

Islamic art at the British Museum

Stories of the Western Sahara: art and cultural history, 8th-16th centuries.

Ceramics in the Early Islamic World: 9th - 16th centuries