Middle Ages Architecture

From 500 BCE to 1500 BCE, most of the world was in the period known as the “Middle Ages”. This is known as the Middle Ages because, it fell in between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance. The Islamic world played an important role in the art and architecture in the Middle Ages. While most of Europe was fighting for land, Muslim civilization, were developing new knowledge. This new knowledge was taken by the Europeans after The First Crusade occurred. From mosques to coins, Islamic art and architecture grew to very high standards, which are still here today (Hart-Davis, 2007). A very famous work of architecture,is, The Dome of The Rock which was built in 691 BCE - 692 BCE by an Umayyad Caliph Abd Al-Malik. The Dome of The Rock

Desert palaces were occasionally built alongside agricultural land, other Desert Palaces were built on trade routes. One of the Desert Palaces was built in Jordan called Qusayr Amra which was built by Caliph al- Walid I, the palace stands 80km east of Amman in Jordan. The only surviving remains of the palace are a tower, water wheel, well and some of the palace. Some buildings surviving of the palace is a throne room and audience chamber. The ceiling of the bath chamber is divided into rectangular sections, showing craftsmen working. On the walls of the rooms musicians and dancing people as well as animals were painted. The domed ceiling is painted with constellations of the northern hemisphere, this is the oldest representation of stars in the night sky on a domed surface. Greek and Roman styles of art were used to decorate the palace. Another desert palace is called Al - Hayr al Gharbi which was built by Caliph al- Hisham in Palmyra. Around this desert palace there are walls protecting the palace as well as a agricultural land. This palace used to have two floors, but now only one floor survived. An arched gateway leading to the palace is embroidered with the stucco work. Stucco work is the oldest Islamic example of this type of art, which was derived from the work of Sasanian craftsman. This

Many people who were really good at pottery migrated from Basra ( which is located in Iraq). The pottery that they made was superbly painted. During the Abbasid Caliphate, Egypt was controlled by Ahmed ibn Tulun. Ahmed ibn Tulun was born in Samarra and always surrounded himself with luxurious object such as a lot of lusterware, Ahmed ibn Tulun would get most of is lusterware imported from Basra. In 870 BCE when Basra was disrupted, many of the artists who were really good at making lusterware, are said to have migrated to Ahmed ibn Tulun rising artistic center, this is predicted because there was a plate now in the British museum that was from around the 870 BCE, the dish was signed by Abu Nasr of Basra. Another dynasty in which lusterware was very popular was the Fatimids dynasty. In the Fatimid Dynasty many skilled potterers from Iraq came and influenced the art of the Fatimid dynasty. Many of the clay supplies in the in Fatimid Dynasty were not as high quality as there was available around Barsa, making the lustrous items in Fatimid poor quality. All the the lusterware in the middle ages has implemented many different designs on plates as well as on other art today (Hillenbrand,