Types of Islamic Architecture

Muslims have derived their architecture style from the Byzantines, the Copts, Romans, and the Sassanids. The types of Islamic architecture are the Mosque, the Tomb, the Palace, and the Fort. Islamic architectural style developed soon after the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Example may be known with the completion of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It featured interior vaulted spaces, a circular dome, and the use of decorative pattern. The art of building was popular.

Islamic artchitecture forbids any use of symbolic art such as statues, paintings, or other representations of living things. That’s why you won’t see family portraits or painting of people in Muslims homes. The second restriction is the use of high cost materials. So Islamic’s artists work with mainly brass, clay, and wood. They learned to decorate objects made with these less expensive materials. One of their design characteristics is an arabesque.

Aarabesque is a very difficult design. It consists of patterns of vines, leaves, and flowers. It can be made up of geometric shapes and patterns of straight lines, it can also have curving lines that can be twist and turn over each other. Animal shapes were also used, but they were always stylized and not lifelike.

Another important characteristic of Islamic art is calligraphy (handwriting). Islamic artists used Arabic script as part of their designs for religious books, wall decorations, and art objects. Calligraphy was used for copies of the Koran, the holy book of the Islamic faith. Other significant features in Islamic architecture include columns, piers and arches, organized and interwoven with alternating sequences of niches and colonnettes. The role of domes in Islamic architecture has been significant. Its usage spans centuries, first appearing in 691 with the construction of the Dome of the Rock mosque, and returning even up until the 17th century with the Taj Mahal. And as late as the 19th century, Islamic domes had been included into Western architecture.

The Mughals empire architecture was greatly influenced by Persian styles. The Mughals constructed excellent mausoleums, mosques, forts, gardens and cities. The Mughal buildings show pattern both in structure and character. The main characteristic features of Mughal architecture are the bulbous domes, the slender minarets with cupolas at the four corners, large halls, massive vaulted gateways, and delicate ornamentation. Mughal architecture reached its climax during the reign of Shah Jahan, who constructed the Jama Masjid, the Red Fort, the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, and the most famous Mughal monument, the Taj Mahal.