Exam 1 - Terms

Question 1

mosque

Answer 1

denotes a Muslim house of worship

Question 2

minaret

Answer 2

a tall, slim tower on a mosque – used to call Muslims to prayer five times each day

Question 3

malwiya

Answer 3

a word describing its spiral twist in Arabic

Question 4

minbar

Answer 4

a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons

Question 5

qibla wall

Answer 5

the wall in a mosque that faces Mecca

Question 6

mihrab

Answer 6

a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla – the directions of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying

Question 7

maqsura

Answer 7

an enclosure box, or wooden screen near the mihrab or the center of the qibla wall in a mosque

Question 8

iwan

Answer 8

vaulted space with one side open

Question 9

four iwan plan

Answer 9

arranged around a central square or rectangular courtyard (durqāʿa or ṣaḥn), with the iwans aligned with the central axes of the courtyard

Question 10

pishtaq

Answer 10

a rectangular frame around an arched opening, usually associated with an iwan

Question 11

hypostyle plan

Answer 11

a building with several rows of columns supporting a flat roof

Question 12

madrasa

Answer 12

a “place of study,” and refers to any school at all, whether religious or secular

Question 13

waqf

Answer 13

linked to the foundation of a charitable organization (type of Islamic endowment)

Question 14

mashhad

Answer 14

meaning the burial place of a martyr

Question 15

qasr

Answer 15

a castle, palace, or fortress

Question 16

canopy tomb

Answer 16

canopy above an altar-tomb or tomb-chest, as though protecting the effigies that lie beneath, and often forming a very grand ensemble

Question 17

ewer

Answer 17

used by Muslims to wash their hands before prayer and many other activities

Question 18

aquamanile

Answer 18

an ewer or jug-type vessel in the form of one or more animal or human figures.

Question 19

spolia

Answer 19

meaning hide of an animal – spoils of war, or an armour stripped from a fallen enemy

Question 20

vellum

Answer 20

was a common way to produce manuscripts

Question 21

parchment

Answer 21

is labor-intensive and expensive to produce – parchment is animal skin (like leather), making parchment books requires many animals to be used

Question 22

folio

Answer 22

written in the oldest style of Arabic calligraphy, called Kufic script, used in earliest surviving copies of the Qur’an

Question 23

bevelled style (“Style C”)

Answer 23

curves/spirals, endless rigmic quality, less distinction between background/foreground

Question 24

tiraz

Answer 24

a term derived from Persian meaning embroidery

Question 25

tiraz band

Answer 25

present a line of Arabic inscription on the upper sleeves of a robe or on a turban.

Question 26

repoussé

Answer 26

refers to the gold decoration applied to paintings, calligraphy pages, and manuscripts of the Qur’an

Question 27

luster-painted ware

Answer 27

refers to those ceramics which are coated with luster-paint, formed from a compound of silver, copper, and iron oxide, which is then applied to an already-fired-and-glazed piece of pottery

Question 28

mina’i ware

Answer 28

“enamelled” in the Persian language

Question 29

mosaic

Answer 29

a picture or decoration made of small, usually colored pieces of inlaid stone, glass, etc