Islamic Architecture

Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture. The principal Islamic architectural types are: the Mosque, the Tomb, the Palace and the Fort. From these four types, the vocabulary of Islamic architecture is derived and used for buildings of lesser importance such as public baths, fountains and domestic architecture.

Islamic architecture heavily depends on engineering and aesthetic principles. We should make it clear that Islamic architecture had originated and then its features were inferred accordingly. However, the religious aspect is the most distinctive feature to which Islamic architecture is indebted. It is represented in the Islamic aesthetic mentality. Mosque has been the first house to be built on the basis of piety. Muslims congregate there under one dome yielding to and fearing of Allah. Consequently, architects have set a number of criteria that mosques should meet since the early age of Islam.

The Muslim rulers of India contributed greatly to the evolution and development of a new style of art and architecture in India. The Muslims before coming into India had their own characteristic style of art as is seen in their mosques and palaces. Contact with the already established, highly developed Hindu architectural styles led to a fusion and synthesis of art styles resulting in the emergence of the Indo-Islamic style of art and architecture. The period of the Turko-Afghans saw the development of this style, different from region to region, assimilating local styles and characteristics.

The two systems of art namely Hindu and Muslim are basically different in technique. The salient features of Muslim architecture are large buildings, open courtyards, mosques, bulbous domes, tall and slender minarets, arched gateways made beautiful with geometric designs and calligraphic...