Exam 2 - Terms

Question 1

squinch net vaulting

Answer 1

cruciform shape with a square in the middle and a dome in the middle of it

Question 2

tughra (or tugra)

Answer 2

tughra is a calligraphic monogram, seal or signature of a sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence

Question 3

char bagh or chahar bagh

Answer 3

a Persian and Indo-Persian quadrilateral garden with a layout of four gardens traditionally separated by waterways, together representing the four gardens and four rivers of Paradise mentioned in the Quran

Question 4

shahnama “book of kings”

Answer 4

the epic of the Iranian people, their ‘identity card’ (shenas-nameh) and an encyclopaedia of Iranian culture

Question 5

cuerda seca

Answer 5

a technique for applying colored glazes to ceramic surfaces

Question 6

shrine

Answer 6

a traditional Sufi mausoleum or shrine in some places of the world, typically that of a saint or notable religious leader

Question 7

khanaqah

Answer 7

a place where members of the Sufi faith meet and do their spiritual rituals

Question 8

mausoleum

Answer 8

an external building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber(grave) of a dead person

Question 9

qasaba

Answer 9

‘to divide’ or ‘to cut up’

Question 10

mirador

Answer 10

a very large window or room with windows, sometimes balconies, providing views to interior courtyards or the exterior landscape

Question 11

zafarnama

Answer 11

the timurids own version of the shahnama

Question 12

maiden

Question 13

folio

Answer 13

a single page of the Islamic holy book, which is typically written in Arabic calligraphy and decorated with intricate designs or illuminations

Question 14

yatagan

Answer 14

a type of Ottoman knife or short sabre used from the mid-16th to late 19th century

Question 15

minaret

Answer 15

the tower from which the faithful are called to prayer five times each day by a muezzin, or crier

Question 16

chhatri(s)

Answer 16

semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture

Question 17

“Throne of God”

Answer 17

the reigning centre of God in the Abrahamic religions: primarily Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Question 18

saz style

Answer 18

characterized by the depiction of stylized, serrated leaf foliage, often paired with fantastic creatures including dragons and phoenixes

Question 19

colophon

Answer 19

often found at the end of a manuscript, or the end of a section

Question 20

ogee arch

Answer 20

utilized atop pillars to create arcades, or rows of arches, surrounding courtyards to distinguish the separation of sacred space and secular space

Question 21

hasht bihisht

Answer 21

the Eight Heavens, the Eight paradises

Question 22

külliye

Answer 22

is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution

Question 23

cenotaph

Answer 23

the Islamic lands to a large, typically boxlike monument set over a grave