The Taj Mahal

• Taj Mahal article at Wikipedia
• Taj Mahal article at Asian Historical Architecture
• Taj Mahal article at Islamic Architecture 
• Taj Mahal article at MANAS (UCLA)
• Taj Mahal at 1001 Wonders (Quicktime)
• Photosynth view of Taj Mahal (reguires Microsoft Silverlight) 
• "Seven Wonders: Taj Mahal" video at History.com  

Pattern in Islamic Decorative Art

Mihrab from the Madrasa Imami, Isfahan, Iran
Metropolitan Museum of Art (7-25)

“Pattern in Islamic Art” is a website with thousands of examples of Islamic visual design and explanations of the principles behind these designs.  


also check out the essay on "Vegetal Patterns in Islamic Art" at the Timeline of Art History, as well as the essay on "Calligraphy in Islamic Art."

Mosque Lamp of Sayf al-Din (7-29) British Museum
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/m/mamluk_mosque_lamp.aspx

Islamic Architecture: Mosque

This site offers links to a lot of information about Islamic architecture, including articles on both specific buildings and on general topics.  For example, the article on mosques describes the history, functions, and uses of mosques, and gives links to many specific mosques in different parts of the Islamic world

Particularly important mosques to look at would include:

• the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
• the Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia
• the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
• the Great Mosque in Damascus, Syria
• the Mezquita in Cordoba, Spain
• the Djenne Mosque in Timbuktu, Mali
• the Maydan-i-Shah in Isfahan, Iran

The article on Mosques at Wikipedia is also excellent, as is its article on Islamic Architecture

A couple of the most important Islamic buildings that are not mosques:

• the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
• the Taj Mahal in Agra, India

Also good on Islamic Art in general is THIS

Paradise Found: Islamic Architecture & Arts 1/10

the Origin and History of Islam

The Birth of Islam: essay at the Timeline of Art History

(PBS)

History Channel

(Part 1 of 6)

PBS

(part 1 of 12) 

Schedule: Weeks 9 & 10

(Please note -- this is a slight rearrangement of the original syllabus, based on discussion in class today. It will buy us more time for Aboriginal Australian painting.) 

Week 9:  Islamic Art I 

M:  introduction to Islamic art & architecture :  the mosque 
W:  the mosque 2
F:   ***no class***

Week 10: Islamic Art II

M: decorative art in Islam 

W: the Taj Mahal

F:  the Taj Mahal