Deck 10: The Islamic World

Question 1

The mihrab is a semicircular niche set in the qibla wall;its specific purpose is still being debated.Some scholars have suggested the mihrab is referencing Muhammad.Which of the following best supports this suggestion?
A) It honored the place Muhammad stood when leading communal worship.
B) It honored the place Muhammad received divine inspiration.

A) It honored the place Muhammad ascended into Paradise.
B) It honored the place Muhammad wrote his revelations.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The unification of text and ornament found in the design of Islamic Korans is also found in the European manuscripts of the ______________.

A) Hiberno-Saxons
B) Carolingians
C) Ottonians
D) Early Christian

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Great Mosque at Córdoba has a hypostyle prayer hall with horseshoe shaped arches adapted from which of the following?

A) Byzantine Egypt
B) Visigoths
C) Carolingians
D) Rome

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The structural foundation of the Great Mosque of Damascus owes much to the architecture of the Greco-Roman East.Which structural feature accounts for this?

A) Roman forum
B) Roman precinct walls
C) Roman bath
D) Roman arch

Question 5

The hypostyle mosque,such as Kairouan,most closely reflects the mosque's supposed origin.Which of the following best supports this statement?

A) It is Muhammad's house in Medina.
B) It is Muhammad's house in Mecca.
C). It is the house of Muhammad's divine inspiration.
D) It is the house from which Muhammad ascended into Paradise.

Question 6

Sinan was born a Christian,converted to Islam,then trained in engineering and the art of building while still in the army.He was also court architect to Suleyman the Magnificent.Which of the following was his greatest achievement?

A) Great Mosque, Isfahan
B) Mosque complex of Sultan Hasan
C) Mosque of Selim II
D) Madrasa Imami, Isfahan

Question 7

It is said Muslims worship Allah directly without a hierarchy of clergy acting as intermediaries.However during communal gatherings,the imam would stand on a stepped pulpit or ___________.

A) maqsura
B) mihrab
C) qibla
D) minbar

Question 8

Critical of the polytheistic religion of his fellow Arabs,Muhammad had all the idols destroyed,however he preserved the Kaaba.Which of the following supports the reason for this preservation?

A) It is the Islamic world's symbolic center.
B) It is the home of Muhammad.
C) It the site of Muhammad ascendancy into Paradise.
D) It is the location of Muhammad's divine inspiration.

Question 9

When Islam arose,who were peripheral to the Byzantine and Persian empires?

A) Egyptians
B) Arabs
C) Ottoman Turks
D) Saracens

Question 10

The Mshatta Palace,never completed,has a rich ornamental frieze with animal figures appearing on some of the triangles.However no animal figures appear on the façade that correspond to the mosque's qibla wall.Why is the animal figuration absent from this section of the frieze?

A) The representation of fauna on palace walls is minimal.
B) The representation of fauna on desert palace walls is minimal.
C) The palace is unfinished, possibly the frieze was yet to be completed.
D) The representation of fauna in a sacred place is prohibited.

Question 11

The art of calligraphy,ornamental writing,was used to reproduce the sacred words of the Koran in as beautiful a script as possible.Which of the following would never appear in ornamental writing of the Koran?

A) stylized human and floral forms
B) stylized floral forms
C) stylized vegetal forms
D) stylized animal forms

Question 12

The positioning of all mosques,no matter period or country,must be oriented toward which of the following cities?

A) Medina
B) Mecca
C) Damascus
D) Jerusalem

Question 13

How is interior architectural space defined in the Muslim world?

A) by having no interior walls
B) by rearranging the courtyard fountains
C) by moving the walls around to increase or decrease the space
D) by rearranging the carpets and cushions

Question 14

The coming of a new religion to Jerusalem,a city sacred to both Jews and Christians,is marked by a monument known as the ____________.

A) Rock of Ages
B) Kaaba
C) Dome of the Rock
D) Rock of Muhammad

Question 15

Which of the following is built over the spot from which Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven?

A) Great Mosque, Damascus
B) Dome of the Rock
C) Dome of Masjid-i Shah
D) Great Mosque, Kairouan

Question 16

What was the Hegira?

A) the Islamic conquest of Egypt
B) Muhammad's flight from Mecca
C) Muhammad's vision of Gabriel
D) the rock in the mosque at Mecca

Question 17

The Saminid mausoleum from Bukhara can be said to be which of the following structure types?

A) dome-on-a square form
B) dome-on-a cube form
C) basilican form
D) octagon

Question 18

The Malwiya minaret in Samarra was too tall to have been used to call the faithful to prayer and was clearly visible for a considerable distance.Which of the following is a possible explanation?

A) It is patterned after the Tower of Babel.
B) It is based on the ancient ziggurat.
C)It is based on a Roman lighthouse.
D) Its announced the presence of Islam.

Question 19

The vault in the Hall of the Two Sisters is meant to symbolize __________.

A) the dome of heaven
B) Paradise
C) the fusion of Islamic and Byzantine motifs
D) Allah's blessing on the Nasrids

Question 20

In the 7?? century,the capital of Islam had been transferred from Mecca to Damascus by the ____________.

A) Ottoman Turks
B) Mamluks
C) Arabs
D) Umayyads

Question 21

Briefly describe the Saminid mausoleum and its contribution to Islamic architecture.

Question 22

How does the Great Mosque of Damascus "owe much to the architecture of the Greco-Roman and Early Christian East"?

Question 23

What is arabesque and how does it relate to Islamic decoration?

Question 24

How does the decorative design of the Toul Cathedral silk fragment differ from the architectural decorative design of mosques? How did it come to Toul Cathedral?

Question 25

How did the city plan of 8?? century Baghdad reflect Islamic power and culture?

Question 26

Umayyad palaces included elaborate bathing facilities,which were an inheritance from __________?

A) Byzantium
B) Abbasid Dynasty
C) Roman influence
D) Ottomans

Question 27

Briefly describe the Abbasid contributions to Islamic culture.

Question 28

How did the Mongols impact Islamic art?

Question 29

In the 10?? century Caliph al-Hakam II undertook major renovations of the Great Mosque at Córdoba,including a mosaic pattern for the maqsura.He wanted to rival the great mosaic-clad monuments erected by his Umayyad predecessors in Jerusalem.Which of the following cities provided the mosaicists?

A) Jerusalem
B) Damascus
C)Rome
D) Constantinople

Question 30

Describe the Alhambra and its impact on the West.

Question 31

The sacred book of Islam is the Koran or recitations.The recitations or instructions were given to Muhammad by the ?????????_________________.

A) Holy Spirit
B) Prophet Jeremiah
C)Archangel Gabriel
D) Prophet Isaiah

Question 32

In the mid-13?? century,the Mongols conquered much of the Eastern Islamic world.The center of Islamic power moved from Baghdad to Egypt.The lords of Egypt at that time were Mamluks.The definition of the word Mamluk translates to __________________?

A) slave
B) noble Turk
C)Christian
D) Barbarian

Question 33

The Arab proverb,"Purity of writing is purity of soul," describes calligraphy within the Islam world.Briefly explain the phrase,"Purity of writing" in terms of Islamic art.

Question 34

The Ottomans developed a new style of mosque,which is a square prayer hall covered by a dome.Which of the following are characteristics of Ottoman mosque architecture?

A) rectangular and simple
B) circular and formalistic
C) geometric and formalistic
D) geometric and simple

Question 35

The Abbasids overthrew the Umayyad caliphs and established a new capital at ________.

A) Damascus
B) Baghdad
C) Medina
D) Isfahan

Question 36

An ancient Arab proverb proclaims,"Purity of writing,is purity of soul," describes which of the following?

A) poetry
B) story telling
C)painting
D) calligraphy

Question 37

What is the Koran?

Question 38

What was the purpose of the rural palaces of the Umayyads of Damascus? How did these palaces serve the political motivations of the Umayyads?

Question 39

Why were monumental tombs virtually unknown in the early Islamic period and how did this change?

Question 40

Describe the cultural contributions made by Islam to Western Europe.

Question 41

Compare and contrast the Mausoleum of the Saminids in Bukhara and the Madrasa-Mausoleum Complex of Sultan Hasan.How does each structure reflect not only its period but also its culture? Include in your essay the political overtones as well as any other artistic influences.Use examples to support your essay.

Question 42

Compare and contrast the luxury arts of Islam.How do they respond to their respective creating cultures? What are the political overtones found in the work? How did these luxury arts influence the West? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 43

Compare and contrast the "shared" heritage of the Christian West and the Christian East with Islamic culture.Consider the motifs borrowed and adapted to fit within the tenets of Islam.How were they modified to illustrate this new religion and political ambitions of subsequent generations? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 44

Evaluate the work of Sinan.Consider his training and what effect,if any,this had on his work.Include his knowledge of the Christian West and its artists and architects as well as his knowledge of Byzantium.Use examples to support your essay.

Question 45

Compare and contrast the Umayyad desert palace in Mshatta with the Nasrid palace in Granada.What are the differences? How do you account for them? Include in your essay the political overtones.Use examples to support your essay.

Question 46

How does the label,"Sinan the Great," describe the architect and his work?

Question 47

Discuss the effects the religious beliefs and practices of Islam had on the art of the Mediterranean and the Middle East.Use examples to support your essay.

Question 48

Evaluate the development of the mosque and identify its significant architectural traits.How does it relate to the worship of the faith? How does it reflect the political change initiated by Islam? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 49

Compare and contrast the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem with the Mosque of Selim II in Edirne.What are the differences? How do you account for them? Include in your essay the political overtones as well Western artistic influences.Use examples to support your essay.

Question 50

Explain calligraphy 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? How does it express the political and artistic needs of Islam? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 51

Compare and contrast the Great Mosque in Córdoba with the Great Mosque in Isfahan.What are the stylistic differences and how does each mosque reflect its period?