Dome of The Rock:
The
Dome of Rock has a very large egg shaped dome that is primarily made of a gold
colored material. The building is octagonal and has very detailed designs
around the entire exterior. The building seems to have a focus on symmetry and
repetition. The color schemes and designs are repeated around the whole
building. The designs and shapes are mainly blue, green, and yellow. The dome
has tiles lining it all the way to the point on the top where a small rod
sticks out several more feet. The designs on the building look like stained
glass windows at a church.
Hagia Sophia:
The
Hagia Sophia has a rounded dome rather than an egg shaped one. There are four
towers with gray colored points on each one. The building has a lot of detail
that can be seen when looking at the interior. The interior features many
openings allowing for natural lighting. There are many columns and arched
openings. The building looks like it was built in many layers, with each
growing taller and wider. Many of the arches are either containing more arches
or are inside of arches. The dome has small indentions on the base of it.
I. The differences in designs between the two buildings.
A.
Islamic beliefs required that no living beings
or Gods were allowed to be illustrated
a.
The Dome of the Rock has more geometric shapes
and designs because they can’t have any living beings.
b.
The Hagia Sophia is lined with mosaics of
people.
B.
The Byzantine Empire’s architects focused on
Christianity in their buildings and created holy places.
a.
The Hagia Sophia means holy wisdom and is now a
museum as it was the ideal church of the Byzantine Empire.
b.
The Islamic architects couldn’t display any
living beings or Gods because the Qur’an said it was not allowed. Instead they
would line the interior with designs.
II. The Byzantine Empire was considered one of the three
major architectural forces during this time
period.
A.
In 476 A.D. the Roman Empire split into the
Western and Eastern Empires.
a.
The Western Empire fell, but the Eastern Empire
preserved the roman culture and continued the architectural success.
b.
In Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine
Empire, the Hagia Sophia was built.
i. This
is the example for how other religious buildings are to be structured.
B.
Leading the way, the Byzantine Empire passed on
the idea of a dome to Islam.
a.
The dome can be popularly seen on the Dome of
The Rock, which is Islamic but was influenced by the Byzantine’s.
b.
The dome was referred to as the “Onion Dome” or
the “Persian Dome”
III. Islam architecture was heavily influenced by the
Byzantine Empire.
A.
The Dome of the Rock has Grecian-style columns,
which was common in Byzantine Christian churches.
B.
Islamic architects began to make mosques, their
places of worship, to better accommodate their beliefs.
a.
The mosques were modeled after the Great Mosque
in Damascus.
i. They
would contain a court in the middle and be entered from three of the sides.
ii. The
mosques wouldn’t have anything on the fourth wall but a prayer niche. This
identified the east because they always prayed to Mecca, located in the east.
b.
Variations of this general mosque setup became
more common as time passed.
i. Some
architects preferred to have a central dome that are rigid on the outside but
smooth and lined with geometric figures and designs lake stalactites.
IV. The influences that the Byzantine Empire had on the Islam
Empires architecture was tremendous.
A.
There are many differences and similarities between the two styles of
architecture.
B.
Without these two empires designs and ideas, architecture would not be how it
is today.
Sources:
Witcombe, Christopher. "Sacred Places: Dome of the Rock, Israel." Sacred Places: Dome of the Rock, Israel. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. <http://witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/domeofrock.html>.
Scholastic
The MET
Salem
Islamic Primary
Byzantine Primary
Byzantine Primary
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