ARH 382
ART OF THE SILK ROAD

WINTER 2004

ARH 382 - HOME >> ID Lists >> ID List 13

Islamic Architecture

Iwan The pointed arch used as a central framing device for entrances to the madrasah, mosque, and mausoleum. The name refers mainly to a building with vaulted halls which was embellished to a high level in Islamic art.
Madrasah Lit. “school” in Arabic. The Islamic institution of education. It includes living space for teachers and students, as well as rooms for instruction.
Mausoleum A place for the dead which was a component in Islamic architecture particularly developed in Central Asia.
Minaret Also called minar. Tower from which the call of prayer is made five times a day
Mosque From the Arabic masjid which means “a place of prostration before god.” The central gathering place of worship.
Registan Lit. “city square.”
Ulugh Beg (1394 – 1449) Grandson of Timur and major intellectual and scholar whose contributions to astronomy were formidable. Under his leadership, the culture, arts and learning of the Timurid period reached its peak with its center in Samarkand. Education – secular and religious – never expanded in subsequent periods of Islamic Central Asia.

Buddhism

Tantric Art