IAA376 Introduction to Islamic Architecture

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course is a survey of the architectural heritage of the Islamic world from the early caliphate to the era of the Muslim superpowers of the pre-modern times. It traces the most significant and influential edifices of the Muslim world from Spain in the west to India in the east. Monuments are studied and analyzed in their political, religious, socio- economic, cultural, and aesthetic contexts. The course also examines the evolution of such varied building types as mosques, madrasas, mausoleums, caravanserays, and palaces. Selected structures is studied through a range of methodologies and the development of Islamic architecture is analyzed from the standpoint of the manipulation of space, materials, and building technology.