West and Central Asia 7.2

West and Central Asia

500 BCE–1980 CE

TOPIC 7.2 Purpose and Audience in West and Central Asian Art

Islamic Art

West Asia is the cradle of arts produced in regions with a dominant Islamic culture. These arts may be religious or secular in nature and may or may not have been made by or for Muslims. The term “Islamic art” may be applied to these diverse art forms. Many examples of Islamic art from across the traditional Islamic lands share similarities in terms of their content and visual characteristics.

The Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is an important religious practice in Islam and Buddhism and is a key focus of several monuments and artworks in West and Central Asia including the Kaaba, the most sacred site in Islam; the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem; and the Buddha sculpture Jowo Rinpoche, considered the most sacred image in Tibet.

The Patrons

The arts of West and Central Asia were created for and acquired by various kinds of local and global patrons. Audiences for these works included royal and wealthy patrons, lay and monastic religious practitioners, and foreign collectors who acquired works through gift or trade.

Architecture

Architecture in West and Central Asia is frequently religious in function. West and Central Asia is home to many important Islamic mosques, which are decorated with non figural imagery, including calligraphy and vegetal forms.

All mosques have a Qibla wall, which faces the direction of Mecca, home of the Kaaba. This wall is ornamented with an empty mihrab, serving as a niche for prayer. A large congregational mosque may also include a minbar or pulpit for the imam, as well as a minaret and a central courtyard to call and accommodate practitioners for prayer.

Other important forms of Islamic religious architecture include commemorative monuments, such as the Kaaba and the Dome of the Rock, and tomb architecture. Central Asia is further recognized for its outstanding Buddhist cave architecture, which incorporates relief carving, constructive sculpture, and wall painting. In the Tibetan lands, Buddhist architecture flourishes in the form of stupas and monastic architecture.

(7) 183. The Kaaba.

Islamic. Pre-Islamic monument; rededicated by Muhammad in 631-632 CE. Islamic.

Learning Objective: The holiest site in Islam

Themes:

Pilgrimage
Appropriation
Place of worship
Commemoration
Religion
Power
Site-specific

The Kaaba located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the holiest shrine in Islam.

Made from granite masonry, it is covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread. The silk curtain also known as kiswa, is replaced annually during the hajj. The monument measures 43 feet tall.

Kaaba is the Arabic word for cube or square building.

Renovations and Additions

The structure has been renovated multiple times, and so has the surrounding mosque. The Kaaba has been set on fire and survived floods.  The black stone has been broken and reassembled with silver. The last major modifications were carried out in the 1950s by the government of Saudi Arabia to accommodate the increasingly large number of pilgrims who come on the hajj. Today the mosque covers almost 40 acres.

The door made of solid gold was added in 1982.

Today, The Kaaba, is a large open space with colonnades on four sides and seven minarets, the largest number of any mosque in the world. At the center of this large plaza sits The Kaaba, as well as many other holy buildings and monuments.

Function

This important structure orients all mosques in the world. EVERY mosque is faced towards The Kaaba.

Prayer

Muslims pray five times per day. This is one of the five pillars of the faith.  These prayers are directed toward Mecca and The Kaaba, as they have been since 624 CE. All mosques are marked with a qibla to know in which direction they need to pray.

Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage to a holy site is a core principle of almost all faiths. All Muslims aspire to undertake the hajj, or the annual pilgrimage, to The Kaaba once in their lives. This is another fundamental principle of the faith.

Once in Mecca, pilgrims gather in the courtyard of the Masjid al-Haram around The Kaaba. They then walk around The Kaaba. The goal is to kiss and touch the Black Stone—al-Hajar al-Aswad—embedded in the eastern corner.

Content

The Kaaba is a square building with a small interior room. Placed on the corner is the Black Stone which is the only original piece that remains on the site.

Historical Context

According to tradition, the first building was built by Old Testament figure Abraham (known as Ibrahim in Islamic) and his son. Abraham’s son with his servant Hagar was Ismail. It is believed to be a structure that Abraham and his son Ismail created. It was built close to where Hagar found water.

The original sanctuary was a simple roofed rectangular structure. It housed the Black Stone (given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel) and statues of pagan gods.

The site was a pre-Islamic pilgrimage run by the Qaresh tribe, to which Muhammad belonged.

It was rebuilt it in 608 CE with masonry and wood. A door was included above ground level to protect the interior from intruders and flood waters.

Timeline: 

• When Muhammad successfully and captured Mecca in 630 CE, he claimed the building for Islam and appropriated it. He also cleansed The Kaaba of its pagan god statues
• 634-644 CE: second caliph Umar expanded the area around The Kaaba to accommodate more pilgrims
• 644-656: third caliph Uthman built colonnades around the plaza where The Kaaba stands
• 683 CE: The Kaaba was set on fire during a civil war
  • The Black Stone broke into three pieces and was reassembled with silver
  • The Kaaba was rebuilt in wood and stone and the space around it was paved
• By end of 7^th century, The Kaaba was covered with kiswa a black cloth that is replaced annually during hajj.
• 705-715 CE: Umayyad caliph al-Walid decorated the mosque that encloses The Kaaba with mosaics
• 16^th century: Ottomans heavily renovated the site (Suleyman I and Selim II)
• 1631: The Kaaba and mosque were entirely rebuilt after floods had demolished them

***Today, only Muslims may visit the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

(7) 184. Jowo Rinpoche.

Tibetan (Yarlung Dynasty). Believed to have been brought to Tibet in 641 CE. Buddhist.

Learning Objective: Buddhism in Tibet

Themes

Pilgrimage
Place of worship
Offerings
Portrait
Devotional object
Religion

Site-specific

Jowo Rinpoche is made from gilt metals with semiprecious stones, pearls, and paint as well as items from various offerings. It is believed to have been brought to Tibet in 641 CE. Today, the 5-foot-tall sculpture sits in the Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet.

Originally,  the sculpture was in the style of Nirmanakaya which was simple and unadorned. But it was transformed into a Sambhogakaya or adorned sculpture because of all the offerings made to it.

The temples’ interior is a dark labyrinth of chapels and hallways.

Function

This is the holiest object in Tibet. Since it represents the Buddha, it is believed to be Buddha’s proxy. It is based on what Buddha looked like when he was 12 and it was made during his lifetime. As such, it is an important pilgrimage destination for Tibetan Buddhists. They must take a pilgrimage here if they are able and three major pilgrimage routes dead end here.

This object is said to bestow freedom from fear and suffering, can grant wishes and quickens the path to enlightenment.

 The Process for Pilgrims

• Before entering, pilgrims circumambulate the temple to create good spiritual energy
• Inside the temple, pilgrims make their way to the central shrine, often crawling on their hands or sliding on their bellies.
• They hum prayers while bringing offerings.
• When they reach Jowo Rinpoche, they pray in front of it and give offerings

Content

Jowo means Lord

Rinpoche means precious one

Khang means house

The Visuals

This is the sacred image of Buddha at age 12.

• Urna: spiral or circular red dot on the forehead of Buddhist images
• Stretched earlobes (previously as a prince, Buddha wore huge earrings that stretched out his ears)
• Believed to be based off Buddha himself
• Face is of inner focus and patience.
• The meditative pose in lotus position signifies enlightenment.

Context

The temple was founded in 647 CE by King Gampo, 1^st ruler of unified Tibet who imposed Buddhism. The Queen was Queen Wencheng, daughter of the Tang Chinese emperor. She is credited with bringing Buddhism to Tibet when she married King Gampo in 641 CE. Part of her dowry was the Jowo Rinpoche.

On her way to Tibet from China, her wagon got stuck in the mud. This was interpreted as the Jowo Rinpoche wanting to stay on that spot, so construction began on a temple. Every day when workers returned to the site, the construction they had done the previous day had been undone. This continued for 6 years!

Finally, a divination revealed that an ancient demoness was sleeping in the earth under the exact spot where they were building the temple. Every night, she would push her arms and legs, while thrashing around, wrecking the construction on the temple. To stop this, the main Jokhang Temple was built on her heart to weigh her down and prove Buddhism’s supremacy, and ten smaller temples were built around Jokhang Temple to hold down her arms and legs.

(7) 186. Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh).

Islamic and Persian (Seljuk, Il-Khanid, Timurid, and Safavid dynasties).  700 CE with additions / restorations in 14th, 18th, & 20th centuries CE. Islamic.

Learning Objective: Four-iwan mosque

Theme:

Place of worship
Religion
Architecture
Community
Water
Status
Power

Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh) in Isfahan, Iran, is made from stone, brick, wood, plaster, and glazed ceramic tile. It is positioned in the center of the old city. Since it was enlarged and added on to for many years, it shares walls with surrounding buildings and is an odd shape.

This is the second of three mosque styles:

1. Hypostyle Hall
2. Four-iwan
3. central plan

Four-iwan Mosque Style

This style of mosque, of which Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh) is a prime example, has a large courtyard with four open vaulted rooms or iwans open to the courtyard.  This courtyard contains water. On holy days, Muslims must wash their hands and feet before entering a mosque.

The four iwans are framed by pishtaqs. These are rectangular frames around pointed arched openings. Iwans help to bring light and ventilation into what would otherwise be dark rooms.

Blue

Use of blue colored tile in mosaic tessellations is very distinctive for Safavid architecture. It uses  aniconic imagery since this is a mosque. Notice the curving, decorative lines, or arabesques. These are used as a veneer over a brick core.

The Ogival Arch

The architecture uses the pointed arch, an influence that comes from the Christian West. This arch is  often called an ogival arch since it pinches slightly at the top.

Qiblah Iwan

This is the location of the mihrab. It is the only one marked with two minarets

• Muezzin will call people to prayer from the minarets
• Reserved for use by rulers
• Constructed in 1310 by Mongols (Ilkhanid) rulers
• Can see the minbars (short flight of steps used as a platform by a preacher in a mosque)
• Iwan is filled with muqarnas (3D triangle that curls out towards you; layered over one another to make the interior of an arch grow out towards you)

Function

Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh) is a mosque for personal prayer, worship, and contemplation.

It is also the center of community and a way of bringing people together and facilitating community. The courtyard creates a tranquil space with water where the viewer can sit and relax.

The mosque was connected to several pedestrian walkways originally. This facilitated not only public mobility but also commercial activity in connection to the mosque, as it was located near a large market.

History

• Isfahan was the capital of the Seljuk Turk empire
• The mosque was expanded upon for a period of 1,000 years (8^th-20^th centuries)
• In 700 CE, it was just a small mosque with the courtyard
• 11^th century: core structure of the 4-iwan model was added by Seljuk Turks (under the reign of Malik Shah I, ruled 1072-1092)
• Later rulers constantly expanded it (Mongol period – Ilkhanid; Timurid; Safavid

 

(7) 190.The Court of Gayumars, folio from Shah Tahmasp’s Shahnama.

Sultan Muhammad. Safavid.  1522-1525 CE. Islamic.

Learning Objective: Safavid (Persian) manuscript

Themes:

Text and image
Rulers
Propaganda
Power
Status
Politics
Interpretation of history

Museum:  Aga Khan Museum, Toronto

The Court of Gayumars, folio from Shah Tahmasp’s Shahnama is a work comprised of ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on fine paper. The borders are sprinkled with gold. The 285 illuminations took three years to complete. The lead artist on the project was Sultan Muhammad.

Note: This work is also known as The Court of the Kayumars.

Lavishly Crafted

This type of lavish illumination is typical of Persian art.

Other characteristics include:

• Lively treatment of landscapes that look energetic and active
• Vibrancy of color (jewel-like)
• Impeccable detail (painted with a brush made of squirrel hair)
• Illustration that is boxed onto the page with foliage that grows out and beyond it
• Text that is relegated to captions only
• Borders are decorated with gold leaf

Function

This copy of Shahnama was made for Shah Tahmasp the Safavid ruler. He was also the ruler when the Ardabil Carpet was made

This was given as a gift to the Ottoman sultan Selim II–who constructed Mosque of Selim II. This was indicative of the status of both men, given the lavish construction and expense. It was also a symbol of good taste.

Content

The Shahnama narrates the history of Persian kings from mythical beginnings to Arab conquest.

Gayumars was the legendary first king of Iran, associated with the beginning of civilization and an organized social order. The book displayed the political stability and longevity of Persian kings and Gayumars.

Gayumars and his people lived in the mountains and wore court attire of leopard skins. The court was prosperous. They are shown sitting amongst the mountains in their leopard skins. Gayumars was blessed with divine power and so he could control animals and humans.

Gayumars had a son, Siyamak who is on the right in the image. His grandson Hushang sits in the left.

Enter jealous mountain creature named Ahriman who did not like Gayumars or Siyamak. Murder ensues with Ahriman’s son, the Black Div, murdering Siyamak. This makes Gayumars’ grandson, Hushang, the next king.

Context

This text is considered one of the highest achievements of calligraphy and painting from the Safavid period.

• Safavid Golden Age had begun! One of the hallmarks of the Persian Safavid tradition was manuscript production

Artist Notes

Sultan Muhammad was lead artist, but he was also part of a major school of artists called the Tabriz School. In this case the word “Sultan” means Master.

 

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West and Central Asia

500 BCE–1980 CE

TOPIC 7.3 Interactions Within and Across Cultures in West and Central Asian Art