Islam

The Prophet Muhammad – acknowledged by his followers to have been the hand with which God wrote his definitive Word enshrined in the Koran – was born into the Quraishi tribe at Mecca around 570 AD and died in Medina in 632 AD. The great religion founded on that Word, which first claimed the submission (Islam) of the Arabs, rapidly expanded across North Africa, into southern Europe, and east as far as China. Islam by Christopher Tadgell examines the architectural tradition that developed alongside this religious culture.

With its roots in the ubiquitous courtyard house, the development of the mosque as both a place of worship and the centre of the community started to take form. This form was a response to the requirements of prayer set out in the Koran and was adapted to the local traditions of Egypt, Persia, India, and China. Further developments in Islamic architecture included tombs, palaces, and fortifications, all of which are described and illustrated in this book.

The story continues with the glorious architecture of the Timurids, Safavids, and Ottomans, utilising architects and craftsmen from regions as diverse as Spain to India and beyond. Mosques expanded to unprecedented vastness, and colour and pattern were utilised to dazzling effect. In Mughal India, a synthesis of traditional forms with those imported from Persia produced a series of magnificent mosques, citadels, and tombs.

The architecture of Islam includes some of the world’s most beautiful buildings, from the serene gardens of the Alhambra, regarded as images of the lost Eden, to the imposing mosques of Ottoman Istanbul that expressed the boundless expansion of the faith. Islam provides unparalleled depth in covering this architectural range, placing the tradition's development in the context of the religious, political, economic, and technological conditions of the times.