CHAPTER NINE ISLAMIC ART
1. The Muslim place of worship is called the
A. cathedral.
B. basilica.
C. mosque.
D. temple.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Chapter Introduction
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2. A key feature distinguishing the Dome of the Rock from Early Christian and Byzantine buildings is
A. the central-plan structure.
B. the decorated exterior.
C. the use of glass mosaic.
D. the use of abstract imagery.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Dome of the Rock
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
3. The wall of the prayer hall that is closest to Mecca is called the
A. qibla.
B. hypostyle.
C. surah.
D. mihrab.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: The Great Mosque of Damascus
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
4. How do the mosaics in the central dome of the Great Mosque of Cordoba (Fig. 9-9) demonstrate cultural and artistic exchange in the medieval period?
A. Just as with Christian churches, they probably symbolize a celestial canopy.
B. They were installed by a Byzantine master sent by the emperor in Constantinople.
C. The imagery was appropriated from pagan and Christian sources.
D. The melon-shaped, ribbed dome was adopted from Roman temples.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 9.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Islamic art.
Topic: The Great Mosque of Cordoba
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
5. Which of the following is commonly used as a decorative element in Islamic architecture?
A. fire
B. sand
C. water
D. sky
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 9.b Interpret the meaning of works of Islamic art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: Minbar from the Kutubiya Mosque in Marrakesh
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
6. Which culture invaded and caused a dramatic rift in the Central and Eastern Islamic worlds?
A. Mongols
B. Visigoths
C. Crusaders
D. Umayyads
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 9.c Relate Islamic artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Timurids in Iran, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
7. Sinan’s crowning achievement as an architect was the
A. Hall of the Abencerrajes.
B. madrasa-mausoleum-mosque.
C. Mosque of Sultan Selim.
D. Court of the Lions.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Ottomans
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
8. How is Islamic religious belief reflected in the art of calligraphy?
A. Reverence for the Qur’an and for writing extends the word of God.
B. The written word promotes literacy and intellectual development.
C. Calligraphy serves as a common visual language uniting the Muslim community.
D. The variety of cursive scripts reflects the diversity of Islamic culture.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 9.b Interpret the meaning of works of Islamic art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: Calligraphy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
9. The Islamic Mosque and Cultural Center in Rome reconciles Islamic cultural identity with
A. literacy.
B. classicism.
C. Christianity.
D. modernity.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Into the Modern Era
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
10. Figural imagery is most common in what type of Islamic art?
A. illuminated pages of the Qur’an
B. palaces and manuscripts
C. glass mosaics
D. architectural ornament
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 9.e Interpret a work of Islamic art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Islam and Early Islamic Society
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
11. What is a notable difference between the design of the Mosque of Sultan Selim (Fig. 9-26) and the church on which it was modeled, Hagia Sophia?
A. There are no windows at the base of the dome.
B. There is no longitudinal pull toward the apse.
C. The structure employs the horseshoe arches characteristic of Islamic buildings.
D. The ornamental use of muqarnas obscure the dome’s physical structure.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 9.e Interpret a work of Islamic art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: The Ottomans
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
12. In Sultan Muhammad’s The “Court of Gayumars” (Fig. 9-30), the king elevated above a mountaintop is surrounded by
A. the prophet Muhammad and his family.
B. members of his family and court.
C. the artist’s self-portrait.
D. geometric designs.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 9.b Interpret the meaning of works of Islamic art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Safavid Dynasty
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
13. Under the Ottoman rulers, what were used on coins, seals, buildings, and imperial edicts that supplemented Muslim law to denote the sultan’s authority?
A. firmans
B. barakas
C. tiraz
D. tugras
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: The Ottomans
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
14. Because they were shared by multiple readers simultaneously, early Qur’an manuscripts
A. had only three to five lines per page.
B. were vertically oriented.
C. employed naskhi script.
D. were large and elaborately decorated.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 9.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Islamic art.
Topic: Calligraphy
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
15. “Lusterware” refers to a technique used to make ceramic surfaces resemble
A. glass.
B. metal.
C. enamel.
D. porcelain.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: Developments in Ceramics
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
16. What language serves as a powerful unifying force within Islam?
A. English
B. Latin
C. Arabic
D. Farsi
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 9.c Relate Islamic artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Calligraphy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
17. What decorative feature of the minbar (Fig. 9-10) from the Kutubiya Mosque in Marrakesh reflects its original architectural surroundings?
A. the stair risers
B. the inlaid ivory
C. the wooden panels
D. the ablaq strapwork
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: Minbar from the Kuttbiya Mosque in Marrakesh
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
18. Which device is used to divide the garden in the Court of the Lions (Fig. 9-20)?
A. four-iwan mosque
B. garden carpet
C. cross-axial walkways
D. joggled voussoirs
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Nasrids in Spain
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
19. Which word means “submission to God’s will”?
A. Qur’an
B. Maqamat
C. Torah
D. Islam
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 9.c Relate Islamic artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Islam and Early Islamic Society
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
20. The huge tower from which the faithful are called to pray is called a
A. minaret.
B. mihrab.
C. qibla.
D. masjid.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: The Great Mosque of Damascus
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
21. What is a blocky, angular formal script that may have developed first for carved or woven inscriptions?
A. Minbar
B. Tugras
C. Kufic
D. Qibla
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Calligraphy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
22. What kind of arch has flat sides and slopes where other arches are curved?
A. horseshoe
B. keel
C. semicircular
D. muqarnas
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Great Mosque of Cordoba
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
23. In the citadel of buildings in the Alhambra, the windows that frame specifically intentioned views are called
A. muqarnas.
B. iwans.
C. miradors.
D. masjids.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Nasrids in Spain
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
24. What does the Mina’i Bowl with Bahram Gur and Azada (Fig. 9-14) represent?
A. interest in ancient customs
B. establishment of new laws
C. religious devotion
D. prowess in love and hunting
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 9.b Interpret the meaning of works of Islamic art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: Developments in Ceramics
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
25. In the Lusterware Jar (Fig. 9-13), what makes the figures enigmatic?
A. their posture
B. the reflective luster
C. the surrounding inscriptions
D. their hoods
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 9.e Interpret a work of Islamic art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Developments in Ceramics
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
Short Answer
1. What is the difference between a Shi’ite Muslim and a Sunni Muslim?
Answer: Shi’ites regard Ali alone as the Prophet’s rightful successor, and Sunnis recognize all of the first four caliphs.
Learning Objective: 9.c Relate Islamic artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Islam and Early Islamic Society
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2. Why did the use of Muslim tombs increase after the eleventh century?
Answer: Tombs under the new dynasties became much grander, giving visual prominence to the act of individual patronage and expressing personal identity through commemoration.
Learning Objective: 9.b Interpret the meaning of works of Islamic art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: Regional Dynasties
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
3. How does the Masjid-i Shah of Isfahan display aesthetic continuity?
Answer: The repeated use of the keel arch, the dome, double-tiered iwans, and color add unity and continuity to the structure.
Learning Objective: 9.b Interpret the meaning of works of Islamic art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Safavid Dynasty
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
4. Why is the madrasa-mausoleum-mosque in Cairo a public display of piety, personal wealth, and status?
Answer: The scale is large and the decoration opulent, showing the personal wealth and status of the sultan. The lamps illuminated the artistic and architectural features of the structure, inspiring the viewer to contemplate the iconography. The iwans were used as classrooms.
Learning Objective: 9.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Islamic art.
Topic: The Mamluks in Egypt
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
5. What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
Answer: 1. There is only one God and Muhammad is the messenger. 2. Prayer must be performed facing the Kaaba in Mecca five times a day. 3. Voluntary payment must be made to charity. 4. Ramadan must be observed. 5. If possible, a pilgrimage to Mecca must be undertaken at least once in a lifetime.
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: The Five Pillars of Islam
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
6. What attributes make the Alhambra so beautiful?
Answer: Many colors and geometric patterns were used in the design of the Alhambra. Also, it incorporates the environment and views through the use of windows and natural elements, such as water.
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Nasrids in Spain
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
7. In the mid-twelfth century, what prompted the use of brass for inlaid work?
Answer: A shortage of silver and other precious metals prompted artists to start using brass inlaid with more expensive materials.
Learning Objective: 9.c Relate Islamic artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Mamluks in Egypt
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
8. How do Muslim manuscript pages resemble carpets, and why?
Answer: Artists often worked in more than one medium, designing carpets and manuscript pages. Formal elements, such as interlacing foliage and geometric shapes, remained the same in both carpets and manuscripts.
Learning Objective: 9.b Interpret the meaning of works of Islamic art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Mamluks in Egypt
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
9. What artistic formats did artists of the Herat School study?
Answer: Miniatures, paintings, and calligraphy were all formats used by artists at the Herat School.
Learning Objective: 9.b Interpret the meaning of works of Islamic art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Timurids in Iran, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
10. What were tugras and what purpose did they serve?
Answer: They were calligraphic imperial monographs used in Ottoman courts. They combined the ruler’s name and title with the motto “Eternally Victorious” to validate the authority of the sultan and officials.
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: The Ottomans
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Essay
1. How does Islamic art synthesize a broad range of cultural traditions with its own stylistic concerns?
Answer:
1. Islamic architects and artists adopted many design elements from Western cultures.
2. In architecture, the dome, columns, and arch were adopted from Greek and Roman sources.
3. In manuscripts, artists used symmetry, overlapping, implied motion, and naturalism often seen in Roman wall painting.
4. In metalworking and ceramics, artists used crowded compositions, scenes with implied motion, multimedia, and glazes from Minoan, Egyptian, and Western sources.
Learning Objective: 9.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Islamic art.
Topic: Regional Dynasties; Early Islamic Art and Architecture
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
2. How do secular objects reflect the aesthetic and religious traditions of Islamic culture?
Answer:
1. Calligraphy was used to convey the Word of God.
2. Lamps were meant to illuminate the artistic and architectural features of mosques, palaces, and homes.
3. Ceramicists used the same formal and iconographical elements of religious works to highlight implied motion and nature.
4. Carpets were often similar to illuminated manuscripts in design and had ritual functions but were also decorative elements common in the home.
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Early Islamic Art and Architecture; Art and Architecture of later Empires
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
3. How does Islamic architecture reflect Muslim beliefs and religious practice?
Answer:
1. Complex ornamentation distracts the eye from the underlying structure or physical form.
2. Luminous and lustrous materials were used to reflect light and show the presence of God. The height of the structures is meant to show the way to heaven and the realm of God.
3. Mihrabs point the way to Mecca and remind the devout to be humble in God’s presence.
4. Natural designs and features, such as vines and water, symbolize paradise and reflect surrounding architecture.
Learning Objective: 9.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Islamic art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Early Islamic Art and Architecture
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
4. Discuss the style, composition, and content of The Maqamat of Al-Hariri (Fig. 9-1).
Answer:
1. Depth is attempted through the overlapping figures and columns; however, the attempt is not realistic.
2. The figures are stylized and lack individual features, with the exception of clothing.
3. The overlapping composition strongly implies motion from right to left, leading the viewer’s eye to the deceitful Abu Zayd.
4. The figures are listening dutifully to the sermon while Abu Zayd plans to steal the alms.
Learning Objective: 9.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Islamic art for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: Chapter Introduction
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
5. Compare and contrast the Plan of the Great Mosque, Cordoba (Fig. 9-8) and the Plan of the Sultan Hasan Madrasa-Mausoleum-Mosque Complex, Cairo (Fig. 9-15).
Answer:
1. The plan for the Great Mosque of Cordoba was adopted from a Christian church built by the Visigoths. Muslims had been renting space in the church.
2. The Cairo complex was created with grand scale in mind to accommodate many worshipers.
3. Both structures showcase large open courtyards and iwans.
4. The Cairo complex included a tomb, minarets, dormitories, and an irregular floor plan; the Mosque of Cordoba had a rectangular plan.
Learning Objective: 9.e Interpret a work of Islamic art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Early Islamic Art and Architecture; Regional Dynasties
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
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