Art History 207~~Fall 1998

Study Questions
Week 7


MIDTERM II: material on temple architecture, north and south.

The coming of Islamic culture and art; architecture of the early Delhi sultanates

1. When did the Islamic religion begin to enter India, and under what circumstances? Why was there such a destructive period following the appearance of that religion?

2. Within an Islamic mosque, identify the location and function of each of the following:

  • a) minar
  • b) screen
  • c) sanctuary
  • d) mihrab
  • e) sahn
  • f) liwan
  • g) darwaza

3. How does the early Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque indicate the problems and possibilities of the joining of Islamic architectural traditions with Indian building and decorative traditions?

4. Think about a mosque; what are the distinctive differences in a mosque design from that of a Hindu temple? and what are the religious differences on which those design distinctions are based?

5. What is a squinch? What specific construction problems does it seek to resolve, as in the case of the Tomb of Iltutmish?

6. How does the facade of the Alai Darwaza indicate a positive reconciliation between Islamic structural and iconographic requirements and traditional Indian ideals?

7. Why can the tomb of Ghiyas ud-din Tughlaq be referred to as a 'fortress tomb'? What design elements soften the fortress-like aspect of the structure?

Further readings:

Abha Rani. Tughluq architecture of Delhi Varanasi: Bharati Prakashan, 1991.

Nath, R. History of Sultanate architecture New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1978.

The Cambridge history of India New York, The Macmillan company, c1922-


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Web site created and maintained by Stephanie Struble for Professor Esther Jacobson,
"History of Indian Art" (ArH 207), Fall 1998, Department of Art History, University of Oregon.

Please send any comments or questions to: strubles@aaa.uoregon.edu