Islamic architecture in Spain

Timeline

Conquest 700-756

700 - Tangier was taken over by the Berber general, Tariq ibn Ziyad

711 - He led the Muslim army into Al-Andalus. Tariq won agains the visigothic king. Roderic was killed and defeated at the battlefield

714 - First Muslim campaigned at the south east part of the Iberian peninsula and in the lower Ebro valley

717 - Cordoba becomes the capital of Muslim

732 - A Muslim army was defeated at tours, France

740 - The Arab Umayyad caliphate was not supported with tax revenues by the Berbers who rebel agains them

755 - Abd Ar-Rahman I of Umayyad dynasty escaped Abbasids by fleeing to Iberia

Umayyad period 756 - 929

756 - Abd Ar-Rahman I proclaim himself Emir of Cordoba establishing the umayyad emirate of Cordoba

785 - Construction of great mosque Cordoba begins on the grounds of visigothic church and was completed in 976

801 - Almonaster the royal mosque was built at the spanish provice of Huelva, Andalusia

822 - Ziryab comes to Al-Andalus and revolutionizes its culture. He becomes Emir of Cordoba

920 - The city of San Esteban de Gormaz was taken over by the Muslim forces under Abd Al- Rahman's command


Umayyad caliphate 929 - 1027

929 - Abd Al-Rahman III proclaimed himself caliph of Cordoba, when faced with the Fatimids' thread of invasion. It broke all ties with the Baghdad's Abbasid caliphate. Abd Al-Rahman III took over Toledo.

999 - Mosque of Cristo de la Luz was built by Abd Al-Rahman III to serves as a neighborhood mosque, was known as Bab Al-Mardum

1000 - Cordoba became the largest city in Europe with over 500,000 people

First Taifa period 1031 - 1126

1031 - The caliphate of Cordoba falls, Al-Andalus to unite the Taifa under the murabitun movement

1050 - Mezquite de las Tornerias seated in Roman foundations was built in the city of Toledo

1086 - Yusuf ibn Tashifin leads the Murabitun into Al-Andalus and defeat Alfonso VI, slowing the reqonquista. 

1126 - The greatest Muslim jurist and philosopher, ibn Rushd is born in Cordoba.


Decline and submission to christian and muwahidun 1148 - 1227

1130 - The Muwahidun replace the murabitun as the rulers of al-Andalus

1146 - The Muwahidun are defeated at the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

1213 - Abu Ya'qub Yusuf II becomes Almohad caliph

1227 - Denia falls to the reconquista and will remain in Christian hands thereafter


Second Taifa period 1236 - 1248 

1236 - Cordoba falls to Castile. The great Mosque is converted to a church

1248 - Sevile falls to Castile. Alcazar of Seville began its construction until 1600


Empire of Granada 1252 - 1300

1252 - The empire of Granada is the only Muslim kingdom left in Al-Andalus

1300 - The Alhambra palace is built



Castile-Aragon conquers the kingdom of Granada 1482 - 1491

1481 - Siege of Loja king Ferdinand II of Aragon attacks Garadine city of Loja on first July. The city is defended by one Ibrahim Ali al-Attar. He then returns to Cordoba.


1491 - The Muslim in Granada surrender to the Christians


Aftermath 1491 - 1616

1492 - Granada, the last Muslim kingdom of al-Andalus, falls to the kingdom or Aragon of Castile


1502 - Islam is made illegal in Spain. All muslim are forced to hide their faith. They pretend to be Christian known as the 'Moriscos'

1609 - 1616 - All 'Moriscos' are forced to leave. No Muslim remain in Spain

Alhambra's timeline

7th century - military regiment from the Umayyad dynasty landed in Gibraltar

9th century - Red fort

11th century - Alcazaba

13th century - Suburban gate

14th century - Wine gate

Comares palaces

Gate of justice

Gate of the seven stories

Court of the lions

Tower of captives

15th century - Partal

16th century - Palace of Charles V

Churches of Saint Maria de la Alhambra

Introduction

     The Alhambra was so called because of its reddish walls (in Arabic, («qa'lat al-Hamra'» means Red Castle). It is located on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the neighbourhoods of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba.

  The Alhambra is located on a strategic point, with a view over the whole city and the meadow (la Vega), and this fact leads to believe that other buildings were already on that site before the Muslims arrived. The complex is surrounded by ramparts and has an irregular shape. It limits with the valley of the river Darro on its northern side, with the valley of al-Sabika on its southern side and with the street Cuesta del Rey Chico on the eastern side. The Cuesta del Rey Chico is also the border between the neighbourhood of the Albaicin and the gardens of the Generalife, located on top of the Hill of the Sun (Cerro del Sol).
  The Alhambra was a palace, a citadel, fortress, and the home of the Nasrid sultans, high government officials, servants of the court and elite soldiers (from the 13th to the 14th century).
Today, the monument is divided into four main areas: the Palaces, the military zone or Alcazaba, the city or Medina and the agricultural estate of the Generalife. All of these areas are surrounded by woods, gardens and orchards.
  Carlos V Palace Other notable buildings belonging to a different time period are also included, such as the Renaissance style Palace of Charles V, which houses the Alhambra Museum (most of the items are from the site of the monument) and the Fine Art Museum.

7 principals of Islamic Architecture

1. Tawhid - unity and Uniquity of Allah

Expansion of Alhambra

Alhambra is the place that is built through out different era, from Islam dynasty until Christian. The last one they expanded Alhambra, is for a Church for Charles V. Rather than that, they expand the the archive place and a parking to ease the tourist to visit Alhambra.


Urban planning

The way Alhambra is built is really obvious that that is build for palace, by building it on the hill that has a great view of its surrounding.



2. Ihtiram - respect, propriety or adab

Respectful to God

Respecting God by designing a pilar or even the wall that is built His verses from the Quran, because in Islam we can’t describe Him as something that exist but seeing from His creation.

Geometry

The entire building is based on rectangles generated by square roots. These complex geometric ideas used in the architecture are derived from the ideas of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras and the Pythagorean Theorem


3. Ikhlas - sincerity

Court and garden

A lot of garden that is found in Alhambra for example, the comarres palaces, the court of the lions also partal. Because the water describes the purest symbol of life to the Moors. The Alhambra is decorated with water: standing still, cascading, masking secret conversations, and drip-dropping playfully.


4. Ilm - knowledge

Design and technology

Qanats, gently sloping underground tunnels, were constructed to deliver water from underground aquifers over long distances. Water was also diverted from rivers and collected in cisterns before being distributed by acequias, gravity-fed irrigation channels that delivered water to a terraced landscape, before returning the flow to the river. This ideas provides a way to begin to “re-learn” and reuse the technology theory.

Inscription & light expression

Illuminating effects of sun rays & moon light to reveal intricacy


5. Iqtisad - balance

Symmetry

Functional and spiritual elements- harmony through point of intersection most beneficial to achieve the stability of the soul. A lot of symmetrical element that is found in Alhambra, to show that the building need to be balance.

6. Haya - modesty

Sanctuary, privacy and respect

Open court that not only serves an environmental purpose but- addresses the different roles and responsibilities of the sexes.

7. Dzikr - remembrance

Repetition

In Islamic architecture remembrance or as well as the repetition should be the characteristic, it derives fromt the word Dzikr.  For instances, the wall that repeats the verses of Allah on the carved wall. Other than that it also can be found the repetition of the dome from the interior. 

Group's board

References: 

http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/historicalintroduction.asp

http://www.granadatur.com/en/city-guide/monuments/alhambra/historic-information/

http://www.ithaca.edu/osman/crs/sp10/265/cal/projects/g3/tpaper.pdf

http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/moorish-to-modern-ancient-lessons-for-contemporary-gardens/

http://www.ricksteves.com/tms/article.cfm?id=272&extras=false

Image references:
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