Deck 5: The Islamic World

Question 1

When Muhammad returned to Mecca he preserved the _____ as the center of the Islamic world.

A)maqsura
B)kaaba
C)iwan
D)minaret

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A characteristic feature of the prayer hall at the mosque, or Mezquita, at Córdoba is the _____.

A)horseshoe-shaped arches
B)tiled columns
C)elaborate carpets
D)fountain of the lions

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The _____ was the first great Islamic building.

A)Malwiya minaret
B)Friday Mosque
C)Court of the Lions
D)Dome of the Rock

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The minaret of the Kairouan mosque resembles _____.

A)a Roman lighthouse
B)a ziggurat
C)a Greek temple
D)an apadana

Question 5

Islam arose in _____ in the seventh century.

A)Jerusalem
B)Turkey
C)Arabia
D)Egypt

Question 6

The distinctive feature of the Malwiya minaret is its _____.

A)bulbous dome
B)stepped spiral ramp
C)calligraphy decoration
D)tile

Question 7

The _____ may honor where Muhammad stood while leading worship.

A)qibla
B)minaret
C)iwan
D)mihrab

Question 8

_____ was the capital of the Spanish Umayyad dynasty.

A)Córdoba
B)Mshatta
C)Samarra
D)Kairouan

Question 9

Following Muhammad's practice, Islamic leaders, or _____, were secular and religious leaders.

A)caliphs
B)patriarchs
C)bishops
D)priests

Question 10

The _____ is the hall in the mosque reserved for the ruler.

A)qibla
B)maqsura
C)minaret
D)iswan

Question 11

Islam does not consider Muhammad to be divine but rather as the _____.

A)successor of Jesus
B)messiah
C)Trinity
D)Final Prophet

Question 12

In what type of art will you find narrative images with human figures?

A)Mosaic tilework
B)Mosque lamps
C)Secular books
D)Prayer rugs

Question 13

What are you unlikely to find in the decoration of a mosque?

A)Calligraphy
B)Narrative scenes
C)Abstract patterns
D)Floral motifs

Question 14

A mosque's _____ resembled Muhammad's house in Medina.

A)iwan
B)mihrab
C)hypostyle hall
D)madrasa

Question 15

_____ founded the Spanish Umayyad dynasty after fleeing from the Abbasid massacre of his clan.

A)Ibn Zamrak
B)Muhammad V
C)Genghis Khan
D)Abd al-Rahman I

Question 16

The Umayyad caliph, _____, was the patron of the Dome of the Rock.

A)Abd al-Malik
B)Abd al-Rahman III
C)Shah Tahmasp
D)Ibn Zamrak

Question 17

What was the purpose of the Malwiya minaret?

A)It resembled ancient ziggurats.
B)It was a sacred burial place.
C)It announced the presence of Islam in the Tigris Valley.
D)The whole city could pray inside of it.

Question 18

The most important buildings in the Islamic world were _____.

A)palaces
B)mosques
C)law courts
D)theaters

Question 19

Islam's sacred book is the _____.

A)Gospel book
B)Torah
C)Koran
D)Old Testament

Question 20

Muslims are called to pray from the _____.

A)maqsura
B)mihrab
C)minaret
D)kufic

Question 21

An experimentation with _____ contributed to the intricacy of the dome in the Mezquita at Córdoba.

A)calligraphy
B)multilobed arches
C)tile techniques
D)murals

Question 22

What are the Five Pillars that bind all Muslims?

Question 23

Describe the significance of tilework in Islamic decoration. When was its Golden Age?

Question 24

What explains the absence of figures in Islamic art?

Question 25

Explain how calligraphy functioned as an art form, both as the written word and pure decoration and pattern. How does it express the nature of Islam as a religion?

Question 26

What was the hierarchy of leadership during the early centuries of Islamic history?

Question 27

Which features of Muhammad's house in Medina became standard in hypostyle hall mosques?

Question 28

The _____ is a huge place fortress constructed by the Nasrids in Granada.

A)Dome of the Rock
B)Kaaba
C)Alhambra
D)Friday Mosque

Question 29

What are muqarnas, and what visual effect do they produce?

Question 30

The most difficult tilework technique is called _____.

A)calligraphy
B)mosaic tilework
C)kufic
D)muqarnic

Question 31

The muqarnas dome in the Palace of the Lions symbolized _____.

A)the Five Pillars
B)Mecca
C)Muhammad's birthplace
D)the dome of Heaven

Question 32

Describe the method for producing early Korans.

Question 33

Who were important patrons of art and architecture in the early centuries of Islamic history?

Question 34

What is the Shahnama?

Question 35

_____ became a leading center for the production of luxurious books under the patronage of Timurid.

A)Isfahan
B)Samarra
C)Herat
D)Mshatta

Question 36

The Friday Mosque is the earliest example of a _____ mosque.

A)four-iwan
B)muqarna
C)Byzantine
D)minaret

Question 37

How was calligraphy used in Islamic art?

Question 38

What was significant about the location chosen for the Dome of the Rock?

Question 39

Describe Shah Tahmasp's relationship to carpet weaving.

Question 40

Discuss the development of the mosque, and identify its significant architectural traits. How does it relate to the worship of the faith?

Question 41

Describe the content or subject matter of Islamic art. What decorative forms were the most common? Which art form permitted narrative or figurative art?

Question 42

Islamic leaders not only commissioned mosques and artworks of religious significance, but also grand palaces. Describe the significant features of the palaces in the text.

Question 43

Attribute the images on the screen to a culture and give an approximate date. Give the reasons for your attributions, using complete sentences and referring to specific works discussed in class.
Suggested images, not in the text:

Question 44

Who were the major patrons of Islamic art and architecture? What statement was made through the artworks they commissioned? What types of structures or objects did they commission?

Question 45

Discuss the diversity found within Islamic architecture. Address regional and chronological differences.